I TRY to keep my carbs around 25% or around 100 g per day. I just started this as I was eating way too many carbs on WW, and it really seems to be working and is not hard to do for me.
I've been successful on several things....anything that forces me to stick to a limit and doesn't allow me to just eat whatever I feel like seems to work! I've had success with Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and Seattle Sutton. Weight Watchers was the most permanent and least expensive. Currently I am counting calories using the SparkPeople.com website. It is free and has a huge database of foods, and you can also add your own.
My most successful diet has been overhauling my lifestyle.
Weird. Word for word, this is what I was going to say.
I started out with calorie counting and gradually moved toward whole foods. I'd say I change things/add foods/subtract foods every month.
More than anything though, what has worked for me is committing to a year of a being on plan. That year is almost up, I've lost over 75 pounds and I have some really good, firm habits. Soon, I'll be moving on to my second year commitment, and then my third, and then my fourth...
I shoot for 1600 - 1800 calories a day. I tired 1400 for a while, but that was too low and I couldn't stick to it. I also tried lower carb (30 - 40%) and that didn't work for me. I was hungry all the time. Now I am shooting for 50% carbs (max of 200 g) and that is really working well for me.
I am eating whole grains: barley, quinoa, whole wheat pasta on occassion. I try to eat a lot of veggies. And I limit my alcohol. I try to stay away from processed foods.
I am always looking for more ways to cut out HFCS, MSG and Trans fats.
I run, take a zumba class once a week, and strength train.
This is the most successful I have ever been. This is my lowest since college. I have been hanging out in the mid-"single digits" since July (and I know what I need to do to start losing again). Normally, I get down to 210 and "fall off the wagon". Now... it isn't about the number on the scale. It is about being healthy and feeling good about myself. If something doesn't make me feel good, I don't do it. Period. But then I look for something that DOES make me feel good. Ex. I HATE carrots. I will not eat them raw. Period. I will NOT force myself to do so. BUT, I have found I can cook them up, puree them and toss them into spaghetti sauce. If I am sore and don't want to run today - then I don't!! BUT that means I gotta run tomorrow.
I am on a big quest to find balance. To separate food from emotions. To eat balanced, whole meals. To get fit and build muscles. To help my hubby eat better. To teach my son how to eat healthfully.
Wow...I cannot believe how many people do calorie counting (my current plan). That is awesome to how many of you have had so much success with it.
Nola, I used to be a Jenny Craig consultant (my favorite job). I think their food is so much more tasty than any other program where you have to buy their food. But you're right, they are expensive.
I used to be a Jenny Craig consultant, too. The food is by far better than some others, but it is much cheaper to prepare your own food.
I dislike the word "diet" - primarily because it evokes the image of starvation. And we all know that "diets" don't really work. What I have found to be effective is first of all getting a good understanding of your body's requirements based on your physical activity, and body type/size.
What I have found works is adopting a balanced approach using both good nutrition and increased physical activity. Here is an article that I recently published that I believe says it all. I hope you find it of use:
****************************************** "Why Diets Make You Fat"
If you’re like me, then you most probably have been on multiple diets over the years – low fat, low carb, low salt. Well, I tried them all – anything that promised to make me lose weight and get thin, I bought it.
And did I lose weight? Sure – but only initially. It was almost like I was hooked. I tried one diet, lost weight, felt good, started eating normally, gained even more weight, went on another diet, lost weight, felt great, started eating normally, gained even more weight, etc, etc, etc.
The Yo-Yo Diet lifestyle became my life. And then I learned that I had been doing it all wrong.
At the University of California, a scientific team analysed more than 30 studies of diets and found that a group of dieters ended up fatter than a control group who hadn’t restricted their food at all.
One of the researchers, Dr Traci Mann, says: “You can initially lose 5-10 per cent of your weight on any number of diets. But after this honeymoon period, the weight comes back.”
Why? Well each diet basically tricks you into consuming fewer calories. And since you are eating less, your body will start to use your existing fat stores for the energy you need to survive. So the diets will work – for a time.
But then something funny starts to happen – your body starts to believe that there will always be less to eat and that you are entering a period of starvation. It will then start adjusting to suit. You think: diet. Your body thinks: famine.
In order to survive it will do two things:
1. It starts adjusting your metabolism so that you will not use as much stores as you would have under normal conditions
2. It gets better at converting nutrients into fat, ensuring that you have more fat stores for the approaching lean times.
The end result? – You end up getting fatter in the long run.
In addition, most diets only look at cutting calories. They fail to address the underlying cause of weight gain which may be an insulin imbalance in the body. This insulin imbalance is often caused partly by poor nutrition (overindulgence in sugar and refined carbohydrates) and partly by stress, lack of exercise and the normal aging process.
So, what’s the solution?
To eat a balanced diet and adopt a balanced lifestyle.
Balanced eating means restricting refined and processed foods and eliminating the consumption of artificial fats. These types of foods not only make you fat, but also could be very harmful to your overall health.
So here’s what you need to do right now, in order to gain control over your weight and your health:
1. Resolve to stop dieting. Avoid the media hype and the newest fads. Stick to time-proven, medically-sound approaches to losing weight.
2. Resolve to avoid bad carbohydrates, forever. This includes any foods that contain refined sugar (cakes, muffins, cookies, biscuits, sweets, chocolates, ice-cream, puddings, milkshakes,etc) or refined carbohydrates (e.g. white flour, white pasta, white rice)
3. Replace your bad carbohydrates with whole grains like rolled oats, brown rice, millet, barley and raw nuts and seeds, especially almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame, linseeds and pumpkin seeds.
4. Resolve to avoid all hydrogenated fats, or deep fried foods
5. Avoid anything processed or canned as many processed meats contain harmful nitrates.
6. Try to use as much organic, fresh produce and meats as possible
Start doing this today and you’ll feel a whole lot better in a few days. And a whole lot lighter too.
Calorie counting + lower (but not low) carb/higher protein/higher fiber.
But it's not really a diet. I expect to count calories for the rest of my life.
yup, that pretty much sums up what I'm doing. I did the Atkin's diet for a while and loved it but after having my 3 month old I adopted this method. Calorie counting and a lower amount of carbs, more protein and fiber.
re: article. although our image of 'diet' is of restriction etc. that's not really true. i dislike grouping all diets together as puting your body into starvation mode. many diets are healthy, encourage us to eat healthy, exercise regularly. a balance.
we all need to think of this as a lifestyle. this isn't i'm losing 10 pounds to fit in that dress. it's being healthy for life.
re: article. although our image of 'diet' is of restriction etc. that's not really true. i dislike grouping all diets together as puting your body into starvation mode. many diets are healthy, encourage us to eat healthy, exercise regularly. a balance.
we all need to think of this as a lifestyle. this isn't i'm losing 10 pounds to fit in that dress. it's being healthy for life.
I totally agree!
The definition of diet:
di·et
noun, verb, -et·ed, -et·ing, adjective
–noun
1. food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health: Milk is a wholesome article of diet.
2. a particular selection of food, esp. as designed or prescribed to improve a person's physical condition or to prevent or treat a disease: a diet low in sugar.
3. such a selection or a limitation on the amount a person eats for reducing weight: No pie for me, I'm on a diet.
4. the foods eaten, as by a particular person or group: The native diet consists of fish and fruit.
5. food or feed habitually eaten or provided: The rabbits were fed a diet of carrots and lettuce.
6. anything that is habitually provided or partaken of: Television has given us a steady diet of game shows and soap operas.
–verb (used with object)
7. to regulate the food of, esp. in order to improve the physical condition.
8. to feed.
–verb (used without object)
9. to select or limit the food one eats to improve one's physical condition or to lose weight: I've dieted all month and lost only one pound.
10. to eat or feed according to the requirements of a diet.
–adjective
11. suitable for consumption with a weight-reduction diet; dietetic: diet soft drinks.
Dr. Ian Smith's Extreme Fat Smash diet. I used it before I became pregnant with my daughter....lost 23 lbs in 8 weeks and only gained back three. Back on it to see if I can finally get my last 15-20 off and lost 4 lbs in less than one week!
The diet is based on the glycemic index allowing four meals a day and two snacks. It is restrictive, as it states exactly what to eat for every meal and a lot of aerobic exercise. Lots of whole grains....all food groups included.
