we have seen where everyone has tried different things so to help us out what HAS worked for you

After 20 years of yo-yo dieting, feeling like a failure, the only thing that has EVER worked was giving up three bad ideas:

Bad Idea 1 - if I can lose a little weight by cutting a few calories, I can lose a LOT of weight, faster by cutting a LOT of calories.

Bad Idea 2 - Diets are extremely restrictive, unpleasant and consist of mostly unappealing foods.

Bad Idea 3 - Diets are short term. You diet until you lose weight, then you stop and go back to eating normally.

It's amazing, it took me TWENTY years to realize that my normal way of eating made me fat. Not my metabolism or my body shape or the size of my bones or my family - what I put in my mouth made me fat.

To quote Bargoo from this excellent thread:

"You keep the weight off by doing the same things that you did to lose it !!!!!!Who knew??"

So what worked for me? Making changes I could stick to - meaning I had to like what I ate, I had to be satisfied and happy. Changing my life forever - building healthy habits (packing lunches, measuring accurate portion sizes, calorie counting, food journaling), learning new skills (reading labels, finding healthy recipes, shopping for produce, cooking).

3 years. 70+ lbs. Still amazed and thrilled everyday.

Calorie counting...keeping track of every single thing I eat every day.

I liked stacker3 they helped me loose 50 lbs in about 7 months with the carb diet

i watch my calories, stay at around 1200-1500 a day, drink a gallon of water a day, try to stay away from sugar. And Atro-Phex. Its amazing stuff.

I know a lot of people look towards pills and what not but really I haven't seen anyone lose weight and keep it off that has relied on pills.

Change in habits is what will help take it off and keep it off. I highly recommend everyone to peruse the Maintainers forum. Ask them if any of them have relied on pills, I can tell you the answer

What has worked for me?

Step 1) Eat less*, move more*.
Step 2) Repeat Step 1.

*Footnote: healthy whole foods in proper amounts, exercise including cardio and weights.

What Midwife said :-)

Committing to eating high-quality food, but fewer calories, and making movement a part of my life for the rest of my life (which'll be much longer now I hope, given the healthy eating and exercising).

No over-the-counter diet pills worked for me. I tried Phentermine for a little while. They did help me control my appetite and kick started my weight loss by helping me lose my first 20 pounds. The rest was just getting active and staying there.

I watch my calories, fat and carbs stay around 1200 to 1400, 30 to 35 grams and 180 to 210 grams. I exercise an hour or two a day 5 days a week.

I think about it this way

I HAVE TIME to eat the required amount of the four basic food groups each day because I DON'T HAVE TIME to have unhealthy eating habits.

I HAVE TIME to exercise everyday because I DON'T HAVE TIME to be fat and unhealthy.

There are many "supplements" on the market the DO work. However, your gonna find that most "fat pills" like what you'd find at Walmart don't work. For instance, CLA is a linolic acid which occurs naturally in foods we eat. If you don't get enough in your diet, a supplement of CLA may benefit you as it helps the body burn fat. Another supplement would be Protein (Whey, Casein)..both proteins are a good way to supplement your diet and sustain muscle while burning fat. There is also Creatine. Creatine is found in beef and aids substantially in the growth of muscle (thereby aiding fat loss). The problem is you'd have to eat half a cow to consume your daily required needs. Various other Amino Acids are also helpful which include L-Glutamine. Yerba Mate tea is what I've been trying recently and in 3 days I've lost 2 1/2 pounds. It's all natural and it is considered "The Drink of the Gods" as it has so many health benefits which include appetite suppressant, diuretic, antioxidant, amino acids, digestive enzymes, and last but certainly not least aids in fat loss, a great energy booster and a "natural" thermogenic (which means it speeds up metabolism).

I would suggest tracking your diet on fitday or thedailyplate.com (my favorite). This way you can see just how much protein/carbs/fats you are taking in. Most people will tell you that diet is #1 and I'll tell you why. These supplements are just that..."supplements" to healthy eating. If you were to drink your meals and take all the pills in the world they would be ineffective as most supplement (pills) need actual food to bond with. Otherwise they will be ineffective. Diet is your most feat to tackle and once you get a firm grip on a well balanced diet in accordance to your goals (albeit, fat loss, muscle gain, maintenance), then you could add supplements for best results. Hope this helps....sorry for the long winded post. Joyce

The only thing that has worked for me after 30 years of "dieting" is portion control....and NO sweets or mac and cheese. I don't call what I am doing a diet. I eat the same thing everyone else is except 1/4 of the size I used to. I can not say the word diet or I am done.

Great question, Marie. Though I have tried many things throughout the years, the only thing that has worked for me was Weight Watchers. I am a Lifetime Member and have been for 19 years now. I joined 20 years ago (yeah, I'm old!) around this time of year (in April 1988). Of course, during that time, I got married, had a couple kids so I gained and lost again with pregnancy but I still basically kept the eating plan as a part of my life. I still go to meetings but am about 4 lbs. above goal right now (so I'm waiting until I'm at goal weight to weigh-in and attend a meeting this month). If you are more than two lbs. above goal you have to pay that month. You are only required to go to meetings once a month when you are Lifetime. Of course, when I reached goal all those years ago, the program was totally different and I do better if I stick to the old program rather than the current one. So it's hard for me at the meetings because everyone is talking about the points and so forth. I still find myself looking for other ways to lose a few more pounds but I am actually at a healthy weight and BMI for my age and height right now (even at 4 lbs. above my WW goal).

There's one other thing that works for me. I always try to get in some form of exercise. If I can, I walk, run, take an exercise class (at the gym or on video), bike, swim, use weights or something for at least an hour a day five or six times a week. Making goals is an important part for me as well. Sometimes I sign up for races or events at the gym to keep me motivated. Even when I go off my WW program (which has happened), I have always tried to keep exercise a part of my life. When I do gain weight, it is usually less than five pounds (except for the times I had been pregnant, of course!) and I think this is due to the exercise.

So, this is what I feel has worked best for me.