I'm feeling directionless today....I'm getting bored with the South Beach Diet after a couple of months, and am thinking of doing something different. I've been looking at Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, NutriSystem, Jorge Cruise, etc.

What plan has been successful for you?

Well, you definitely have to do something that you know you can live with for the rest of your life. Many people here count calories and try to eat healthy foods. I opted for the Weight Watcher core plan because I like the support. Any "diet" will work short term, but making a lifestyle change is what works forever.

Good luck with finding something that works well for you! I like the saying above your avatar, by the way.

I eat less and move more. For the sake of weight loss I just count calories and exercise as often as possible. However, for the sake of health, I do pay attention to the kinds of calories I consume. I'm not a health nut but I do make the healthiest choices as often as I can.

I'm a calorie counter, exercise mover myself. When I first started this final weight loss journey I went back to weight watchers (I had all the materials) because it worked for me in the past. For some reason though after a month or so I got bored with counting points and instead started counting calories. I do like to find mini-plans (two weeks, a month, two months) to try to challenge me and I will be doing at least 1 body-for-life challenge in the future as well as trying out Dr. Phil's rapid loss start plan (I can't remember the exact name right now). As I get back into eating lower calorie I will continue to make healthier choices and not just have calories. Kimberley (gardenwife) told us about her thinking of her calories as money and she wants more "bang for her buck" so to speak. That's how I tend to treat my calories and will naturally start eating the healthier, wholesome foods because I get more food for less calories.

If you are starting to get bored with your plan then you are doing the right thing by trying to find something new instead of just thinking it's the plan and you want to give up.

I kind of made it up myself, based on "healthy" foods - the main thing I try to focus on is getting all my fruit and veggies each day.

I'd say that at the moment my "plan" is about 60 - 70% exercise based and the rest diet, I'm nowhere near as structured when it comes to eating as some people on here - I've never worked out how many calories I eat, and quite frankly when I'm losing like this I don't care! I do get a LOT of exercise though - I'm talking regular 5 and 10k runs, weights sessions etc, and I do something every day, almost without fail. (I got back off holiday on 5th July and since then there's only one day when I've not gone to the gym).

I didn't really follow a plan this time. I just kinda made my own way, taking bits and pieces from what I've learned through a lifetime of dieting. You've really just got to find what works best for you, so why don't you try a few plans out or try making your own? But also keep in mind that sometimes living a healthy lifestyle is just gonna be boring, but what isn't when you do the same thing day after day?

Beverly

I'm another Weight Watchers devotee (3 years now) but at this point in time I don't really think of it as WW, but more of a sensible lifestyle change of eating less junk, eating more fruit, veggies, whole grains and lean meats and moving more. Sure, I still add up the points in my head at the end of the day and enter them in the journal buddy thread, but basically I'm eating sensibly and exercising more than when I was obese. I particularly like the WW idea of not having to buy special foods and not restricting certain food groups from your diet.

I don't go to as many meetings now because as new people join I find we're covering the same topics over and over again, but I do have my core WW friends and we get together regularly for a healthy breakfast and supportive chat. I threw away my own scale (I was enslaved to it) and rely only on the WW one, so there's times now when I only weigh myself once a month, but I can feel in my clothes if I've lost or gained and have decided I'm more than a number (I may think that way because I find it difficult to reach a certain number) Following the WW plan, I lost 3-4lbs. a week for the first few weeks (because I was so big) and then it tapered down accordingly to the expected 1/2-2lbs. a week. That may not seem much, but it meant a loss of 100lbs. in 16 months. For the last two years I've pretty much maintained at 25-30lbs. from goal and know exercise, rather than food, is the key at this point.

I understand getting fed up with a plan (I took a break from WW for a couple of months during a particularly lengthy plateau and went the Atkins route. The change must have shaken something up inside because I did lose, but I went back to WW because I didn't find Atkins a plan I was comfortable enough with to follow for life).

You've made excellent progress already. Whatever you do, whether it be change of plan or sticking with what's working for you now, good luck!

I have actually done several of the plans, currently right now I am on SureSlim. Years ago I do Nutri System (but they went out of business in Canada) and then I did Jenny Craig (which I loved because the food was prepared for you), I have also done Weight Watchers, which is also great because it allows you to cater the plan to you lifestyle. My personality is such that I need a strict plan to really succeed which is why I am currently on SureSlim, as well with the one on one counselling that the program provides.

I think the best method (at least for me) is to not be on any kind of diet. Like I saw the others saying, it has to be a life change. That's why it has to be something you can live with. I can live with trying my best to eat at least the minimums from the food pyramid. I let myself eat pretty much anything I want as long as it's a small portion. Since it's a life change, if I tell myself "no" to something I think that eventually I'll fail. Does anyone else find that the more you exercise and the better you eat, the not so good for you food doesn't even taste as good anymore anyway? I noticed that and also that the food (junky stuff) doesn't taste as good as I picture it tasting so I find myself slipping up less and less. So, that's my tip... eat at least the minimums from the food pyramid and try to exercise at least five days a week.

I don't really follow any plan.

I tried Weight Watchers several years ago and it worked very well for me. My heart wasn't in it at that time so after 5 months I stopped going. I learned alot from WW and points values and better food choices are always in the back of my mind because of it. It's a wonderful program with lots of support and advice but it's just not for me right now.

This time I just started eating less and moving more. I was referred to Fitday and starting counting calories for a while. I found that I became a little obsessed so I've slacked on that a little as well. But I am still very aware of what I put in my mouth. I still use Fitday to log the food but I'm more interested in the nutritional reports is provides. I try to reach all of the recommended daily intakes it gives. So if I'm really short on calcium I'll try to fit in some extra yogurt or something.

A good plan is one that will work for you. You may have to try several things before you feel comfortable with it. For me exercise and water really helps. I've noticed that if I don't drink enough water (for me its around a gallon, but that's very high for alot of people) I feel sluggish and don't really want to get the exercise in and since exercise is a key element in my weight loss, that and water go hand in hand.

Good luck in finding what works for you. Keep us posted.

~Dee

In March when I started all I was did was add exercise 2 days a week, switched to some lower fat foods, started buying brown rice and whole wheat pasta/bread and started drinking a minimum of 64 oz of water. Was losing 5 lbs a month like that. From June through the end of July, I tried Jorge Cruise's 8 Minutes in the Morning plan. Didn't really follow the food plan exactly was just doing the strength training each morning, but still was loosing an average of 2 lbs a week.
Currently I do 5 days a week-running, biking and Tae Kwon Do. Plus my Core Exercises first thing in the AM. Will be adding some strenght training in the AM after my core work in September.
For my food plan, I am counting calories. I keep track of them on FitDay and aim to averages 1950 calories per day. (25-30% of calories from fat; 45-50% of calories from carbs (limiting refined carbs, focusing on whole grains, fruits and vegetables); 30-35% of calories from lean protein)

Unfortunately, I am all over the place in regards to my plan. All I know for sure is that I'm working on a total lifestyle change because I know myself well enough that if I do the rabbit food diet till I am down to my goal weight, I am going to splurge and balloon. I'm focusing on exercise, cutting portions, and finding foods I love that are less fattening and lower in calories. I used to love Doritos because I am a cheese feind, but I've found out that I love cheese rice cakes even more! I'm eating peaches and cream oatmeal in the morning and I LOVE it! I'd now take that over Count Chocula any day! It's all in finding what is right for you.

Was in the mood for chips a while back and bought a bag of "Light Doritos", they have only 1 gram of fat per serving and around 80 calories! And they taste like the real thing. Perfect for an occasional treat but have to be careful with how much of them you eat though as they are cooked in that weird veg oil that can cause tummy issues, if ya know what I mean.

I've been doing WW flex plan (points) since the beginning of this year. I find it to be very flexible and I'm rarely ever hungry - if I am, it's more mine problem, than the program (not listening to my body, not taking any snacks...).

All in all, it's a very flexible plan that I can live with.

Good luck choosing a program.

Boy do you sound like me kind of! After awhile on SBD I ended up sick! I tried WW without success. However my mom had good success with it. It depends on your metabolism to. I am currently reading the Jorge Cruise 3 Hour Diet book and trying to eat like that daily. I am not sure if I am doing it right yet or not because I just go the book, but it sure sounds like a promising plan! Mutrisystems seems very expensive to me. WW costs enough! As for Jenny Craig... I have never tried that.. but Kirsty Alley seems to be doing well on it!!!