I was just wondering if there was anyone that is doing their own weight loss plan. I noticed a lot of people are following a specific plan such as SBD or LAWL or WW. I have done most of these diets my self and I have been counting calories...but I have been thinking about just going on a plan that is a mixture of all that I have learned from all of these other diets but fits me the best..such as making up my own rules for myself. I was thinking of

1. eat 3 small meals daily . Watch portion sizes and pay attention to hunger signals with each meal. Perhaps 2 snacks will be added if hungry.
2. walk at least 2 miles 5 times a week. Build on this figure the more I get used to exercise.
3. I can have a small amount of chocolate for dessert at night if I have eaten well throughout the day.
4. Cannot eat after dinner except for the small dessert of chocolate. This will be kept to one or two pieces of chocolate. Other than that, once the kitchen is closed, it is closed for the night. Will help me control my binges. I tend to binge at night. Not any other time of the day.
5 Instead of weighing every day or once a week. Weigh only the first Monday of the month...(keeps me from being a slave to the scale)
6. make a goal of 5 pounds a month...instead of focusing on huge amounts of weight to lose.
7. no restrictions in food groups. Just make sure I listen to my body to find what I'm really hungry for, that way I won't feel the need to pig out on something that I really wanted but wouldn't allow myself to have.
8. If I eat when I'm hungry , it's easier to tell when to stop eating...(for me, this usually ends up being the 3 small to medium meals a day)

These are just some rules I'm thinking about establishing for myself to start out and will change them if need be. I have tried a lot of the different diet plans and there isn't one that fits truly to my needs..the closest one was WW, but even then I lost weight with it and regained because I didn't stick with it...so I decided to try and do my own plan. Is there anyone else out there just sort of following there own plan? If so, what are some of the things that is working for you and some of the things that you have tried and haven't worked for you? thanks alot!

Hi! I am also just doing my own thing. I jokingly call it The Lala Diet. I have been dieting since I was 10 or so and have tried almost every brand and plan out there. So far, so good, though, on this one. In four more pounds I will have lost as much in 4 months on my own as it took me a year to do on South Beach. (My ticker doesn't show it, I'm only counting since January, but I was somewhere near 290 in fall of 2005.)

Plus I'm happier, I'm more dedicated to exercising, and don't feel as deprived as when I've been on someone else's plan. It's like I would develop an attitude of "Dr. X is making me do all this awful dieting" and now I know that it's all just up to me. This method may not work for everyone, but it seems to be working for me... so far!

Good luck, and Happy Wednesday!

-Lala

That's awesome Lala! I"m glad to see that someone out there is doing there own thing, and that it can be done. I know it wouldn't work for everyone, I just wanted to try my own thing too though just to see. I don't like feeling deprived either and I just know that if this is a "for Life" thing, that I need to be able to do it for life and I haven't found a specific diet out there that I can do for life...so I 'm just going to do my own thing for now. Counting Calories helps me somewhat...but I' m really tired of that as well...I know that I need to watch my food intake, it may take me a longer time to get it off on my way, but at least it will stay off. My highest was 250..and I've hovered on 216 forever because I just keep going back and forth on different things. I'm ready for a change, something that I can do, and stay with for life.

I'm also doing my own thing. I watch my portion sizes, and only eat when I'm hungry. I've also really watched my sugar intake as that usually leads to my binges. Exercise has been the best for me. I have always loved it, but sometimes seem to fall out of it when times get stressed (just when I need it the most.) I try to get 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day. I know its a lot, but I really find encouragement in pushing my body and having it withstand and feel good after.

Good luck. It seems like you have a solid plan laid out.

Thanks tofat. I love to walk, especially during the summer and warm months. I don't get enough sunshine during the rest of the year so it really helps to get out in the summer as much as possible, therefore I will be more focused no my exercise this summer as the weather gets prettier and prettier. Gyms make me feel clausterphobic or something. I can go to them, but I don't stick with going to them. I need air! lol... My main goal is to eat when hungry, and be able to eat as much as I need without stuffing myself. I want to lose about 55-60 pounds overall, so I have a long ways to go, but it really motivates me when I see you guys losing the weight and losing it on your own terms! Thanks

Crusin, I love what you have stated as your goals. I would add to that, possibly having other exersizes besides just walking. I also love that you are focusing on 5 lbs at a time. I believe that is resonable. Maybe, after a while you can change it once you see how you are loosing. If you need encouragement I would encourge you to visit our weekly threads. We are there for anyone who needs encouragement, swift kick in the butt (figuritively), or just to vent about whatever is going on in our lives. Come check us out. Oh and

Lisa

thanks lisa for the information. It is really encouraging. I think perhaps I will also do some sit ups and basic "girl" pushups and squats..that sort of thing to incorporate more for exercise. I'm going to give myself a month of walking and then add those in there somehow. THanks so much. It is so wonderful to have such support! I just love you all!

I'm do it yourselfer too. Just healthy eating, watching the fat intake, not eating rubbish, and lots of exercise. I am currently walking some of the way to work (4 miles) most mornings, and am swimming some mornings. I try to do gym workouts 3 to 4 days a week. I do strength training, yoga and am about to take up pilates.

My new love of exercise suprises me. I used to do nothing. Walking to the shops was exercise. Now I adore it.

The big thing for me now is to just keep it going. I still have a long way to go in my journey, and keeping the motivation up is always difficult.

I am not a follower, I like to do my own thing. Someone here gave me the link to www.fitday.com and I do watch calories that way.I try not to eat more than 1600 calories a day, eat low fat food, no soda, only water, and exercise as much as I can . It is working slowly . I do check the scale 2-3 a week, but don't get sad if I don't loose anything. And if I fall off the wagon( did 3 days ago with the killer brownie( only 1), I get right back on and keep going.
My goal is to loose 100 lbs( lost a few all ready) feel comfortable in clothes, be able to play with my daughter, feel healthy and do the elliptical trainer without feeling exausted. I have days where I have to push myself, and I say to myself I am going to do it. Like now I need to get my butt up and get to the YMCA to do some exercise, but I am like there is probably 100 college kids there at this time( There is a big University in my town), and I just hate exercising besides them, because they seem to never get tired or sweaty. But it all comes down to self determination, if I keep it up It will come off, and you do not need to go to any group to do this, it is just common sense, eat healthy , exercise and be proud of yourself for doing it!!

I always joke and tell folks I'm on that 'cool diet that has been around forever, you know, the Pyramid one?' meaning, the food pyramid.
Right now, I am just trying to keep to the straight-n-narrow 2000-cal diet. I am 5'8" and topped out (so to speak) at 203 (around January2006). I am currently at 193 and I've lost 3.5 inches from tummy, hip and thigh. My goal is to get to 175 by my 10th anniversary (in June). Other than limiting the massive amounts of junk food I used to eat, I am still eating the same stuff, but in less quantities. I also go to the local YMCA gym 3-4 days a week and do 15 min of weights (focusing on core/thighs/triceps) and then 15 minutes of butt-busting cardio (bike or eliptical, but I must go way fast with resistance). I agree with you KYKAREE, I am amazed that I actually (well, mostly) look forward to going to the gym!
We don't need anyone telling us how to live our lives, right? So why should we let anyone tell us what to eat or not to eat? Just use common sense, and all will be fine!

My husband and I are kinda doing our own thing too. We are watching fat content. We have been doing fairly well. We both started in Jan. There are so many different kinds of healthy food out there that this time it is actually working. I walk a lot at work and the other day I had my pedometer and I walked 4 miles just at work. We also do some weight lifting too, just trying to tone up. He uses the elliptical we have more than I do. We both are losing and find that now it is not so hard to do the exercises and eat right.
Keep up the good work. Small steps are better than none. (I have to remember that myself) Take care.

I know what you guys mean. Your way of eating is going to be the way your going to have to eat the rest of your life to keep the weight off. Even with maintaining , it is going to be different for everyone in how the weight is kept off. I truly believe that not all normally thin people are the same. They just somehow know their own bodies enough to know how to keep them healthy..somewhere along the line I think we lost contact with our own bodies. We all grew up in different environments, eating different things, different activity levels so we all are different. It's all about finding the right thing for yourself. I by no means condone or think that anyone that is doing any kind of weight loss program is "wrong". I guess that is just what works for them. I just think that we have to get back into contact with our own bodies to find something that we can live with for life. And I don't necessarily think that a weightloss book or particular program is going to give me information on what my body needs. Only I can do that because only do I know how my body works, or at least that is what I am trying to figure out. I'm trying to become an expert on my own body so that I can lose the weight and keep it off in my own way. I think it is wonderful that so many people are doing it their own way...that we don't allow someone else to tell us how to eat and exercise. I think that these weight loss programs and diets do have some good pointers as to how to eat ...but they aren't good for everyone and we have to come up with our own rules in order to meet our weight loss goals and health goals. Maybe we may use some of the programs as guidelines...and find that some of the things in the different programs work. but I am learning more and more that I can't have this all or nothing attitude if I am going to learn about myself enough to find out what is going to get the weight off. I am going to slide off the wagon sometimes, and I am just going to get right back up and keep going because that is the only way to learn about what works for me and what won't.

I did my own thing, too. (and still am, of course)
Basically, I've been counting calories. Nothing's off limits, but naturally, some things have fewer calories than other things (like lower fat items), so I will more frequently gravitate towards that. I've been eating in restaurants, and eating what is served on holidays and special events-with discretion and moderation, of course. I did Jenny Craig back in high school and did lose weight. But it all came back and then some. I do currently use a lot of prepackaged frozen meals as a lot of times I am eating by myself and figure it's better than what I would otherwise have eaten. I try to balance my foods. It doesn't always happen that way, but I have time to work on that. I'm trying to maintain now and have been able to for about 6 months and it hasn't been too difficult. I think it's because I came up with my own "plan" and maybe it's something I can live with. I call this my "great experiment" because I'm still unsure of my success and scared. When I eat in restaurants, I try to order grilled whatever or the plainest pizza possible and try not to finish everything. Trying to estimate restaurant calories is difficult, so perhaps I overestimate, which is fine.
And sometimes I even order dessert and eat the whole thing (gasp) LOL
I probably range from 1800-2200 a day and have been fine. (145-150 lbs) It's kind of like Calorie Queens, but I'm eating more than they say you can. I hope I can continue to do that! (I have a very strong appetite)
I'm really glad that I came up with my own coping mechanisms. Makes me feel like if I DO happen to put on a little weight, I can catch it and use my new skills to bring it back down. Oh yeah, and I'm a daily weigher. I just have to do it. I use it as a tool. It hasn't ever ruined my day or anything, so I figure it's ok.
Another thing-when I first started out, I didn't tell a SOUL that I was trying to lose weight-not even my best friend (who interestingly stirred up trouble about 8 months ago and we're no longer speaking. but anyway) and I didn't even want to discuss it with anybody. I felt that even though the body's size seems to be a "public" sort of thing, this was my own private issue and I needed to deal with it in entirely my own way w/o interference. I realize some people like support from outside. I just wanted to be ignored. LOL!