I, like everyone else in America, have heard about the various must-try diets that sweep the country. But, when I hear about a new diet, I tend to be pretty skeptical. The low carb thing, in its various forms, never even tempted me a little. And I'm not real into weight loss programs, as well. I know that weight watchers has helped many people. But myself, I just have no desire to join at all.

So I wonder if there any of you out there that have any luck with just free-form dieting? Basically all I'm doing now is eating less than I normally do, and exercising more. That's it.

Can a non-structured diet be successful in the long run, do you think?

I think it totally depends on your personality and your knowledge.

I'm a compulsive overeater. I HAD to have a plan to start. It had some leeway but it was a pattern of eating that I followed day-in, day-out. I needed checklists and the like to stay on track, because of my slightly OCD nature and the fact that my hunger/satiety signals had gotten so out of whack. But, I have a more ingrained approach to eating 3 1/2 years later that requires a little less diligence. Still, it took a lot of structured eating to get here, and I still have to return to it occasionally. I ENDED UP in sort of a "no diet" place, and the plan I followed was SIMPLY balanced eating, no wacky theories or fads. I do think if you can simply modify and cut back and lose, that's the way to go. But, not everyone can do that and be successful, at least in the short term.

Also, "just eating less" can reduce your calories sufficiently to allow you to lose weight. But is it healthy, are you getting the best nutrition possible from your food? That's another question worth asking. But, again, if you feel secure that your diet is fairly well-balanced and healthy, then more power to you.

I am on "no particular plan" and have so far lost 21.5 lbs. since February 1st. Although I monitor my fat and my caloric intake, I do not restrict it to a certain amount and I eat foods that I choice but in limited quantities. I do keep a daily food journal so I can be aware of what I am eating but I only use it as a guideline. So far it's working for me and it seems pretty low stress.

I make my own plan and have been quite successful. But I do read what I can about the latest nutritional findings and make adjustments to my plan if I feel like the change is a smart one for me. And funniegrrl is right. Personality has a lot to do with how well you will manage your weight on your own. I plan and prepare all of my own meals (most anyway) and log them as I go using Fitday.com. I vary my calories based on daily needs but make sure I average about 1500/day each week. I try to build enough flexibiltiy into my eating program so that I can cope with anything that might come up during the day. I stay at home with three children so, while my schedule is fairly structured, things rarely go EXACTLY as planned.

I would never consider cutting out a food group or favorite food altogether. I make the healthiest choices that I can each day choosing from foods that I enjoy eating. I try never to end up in the position of having to eat something I only like so-so to curb my hunger. Anytime I have I've come away from the meal having to fight the urge to eat something else - not because I am hungry but because I am not satisfied.

As for plans like WW, Jenny Craig (I've done them both), etc. I don't think there is a thing in the world wrong with them. Some people need that weekly accountability to someone else and some people don't have a lot of knowledge in terms of healthy eating and weight loss. Programs such as those are a good starting point for learning to eat reasonably. The bottom line is always the same. Burn more calories than you eat, exercise regularly, and find (or design) a plan that is flexible enough to stick with for the long haul regardless of your how your lifestyle may change over time.

I am a calorie counter and heavy exerciser. I stay within a certain calorie range, and have my "own" rules and preferences in my eating-trying for a minimm of 5 servings of fruits and veggies, lots of water, no diet soda unless I am out to dinner as a treat (so I drink more water), only complex carbs-I stay away from white rice/bread/pasta and eat whole grains, etc.
I don't follow any certain "plan" either. It's working for me.

I didnt follow any plans, I just started eating healthier, and for awhile counted calories (though i dont even do that now) and began exercising more frequently.

I lost a little over 50 pounds over about 12 months and have been maintaining between 116-119 pounds since june last year now.

I definitly believe you can lose weight without plans, its all about how much energy you take in compared to how much you use. Educate yourself about metabolism, calories, and all that other good stuff and work out for yourself a way with which you think you'll be able to stick too. There shouldnt be any "diets" in life in my opinion, it's the way you eat and thats for life, not some passing phase. If you cant fix the source of the problem then the problem will never go away.

I havent cut any food or foodgroups out of my life. I'll eat everything still lol, up too and including the odd little chocolate egg as easter approaches lol, or a nice bowl of pasta. I just abide by the everything in moderation and when it comes down to it I actually prefer a piece of good fruit to a chocolate bar.

A typical days food for me would look something like this
Breakfast: 2 x Wholemeal toast w/low-fat butter sub & vegemite, coffee w/1 sugar and skim milk
Snack 1: Piece of fruit & cup of tea with teaspoon honey and skim milk
Lunch: Salad sandwich (usually including cheese, tomato, beetroot, cucumber, lettuce, wholegrain mustard and tomoto relish)
Snack 2: Another piece of fruit and cup of tea
Dinner: Shepards Pie (mince base with potato top) with a side salad
Snack 3: Muffin or maybe a biscuit or two with coffee or tea

Exercise is just simply walking at the moment, usually for an hour or so at about 4.5mph. But I also do strength training at a gym to keep my muscles toned.

So i'm the same as you, just ate a little less and exercised a little more. It wasnt a quick fix solution, but its certainly taught me a lot about health and nutrition and its an easy lifestyle to maintain!

Livi

A non-structured diet can definitely be successful! A couple years ago I was in the 180's and I decided to lose weight. I began eating much less with no snacking (I wasn't exercising) and I lost about twenty lbs. At the beginning of this year I decided to lose weight again. I now eat 1/2-1/3 of what I normally do and I exercise six days a week. So far I've lost 19 lbs! So, a non-structured diet works for some people. It has for me, anyway!