You need to develop a new relationship with food. It is only fuel for your body. It is not to be used as comfort, solace, to relieve boredom or anything else or you will pretty much ensure your failure. Lifestyle changes are the only way to go. A diet is something you go on, lose weight, gain it all back + more and then do all over again. I love South Beach. And you must also exercise at least 30 minutes every day.
I have been counting calories..that way I can still eat whatever I want as long as it stays within my calories for the day. If Im planning a big party one day I might go alttile lower on my calories the day before and then I can eat alittle more the next day.
diet= lifestyle. I can't suggest anything for you because my lifestyle may be different from yours. But what I do suggest is to come up with something you will eventually KEEP. Diets never work if they're temporary, so don't do anything that you can't keep.
Counting calories seems to work for a lot of people. For me, it just wasn't the thing. I have been on Atkins now for 10 months and I don't feel at all deprived. It has worked best for me. Everyone needs to find what they are truly willing to live with. Most any plan works if adhered to consciously and with great effort. Nothing is easy. We all have to give up certain things or at least take the low-fat, low-cal options that to me just didn't taste good. I have always been a real meat eater, so this is the right way for me to go. Good luck on finding what will work for you, for life.
This is what works for me:
Atkins except I add veggies, oatmeal and some yogurt. DO NOT EAT anything refined or any sugar. Practice portion control, and drink lots of water, and oh yeah, I hit the gym EVERY day.
I believe that the absolute best "diet" is the one that works for you! Big help, huh (lol!)...
Anyways, very restrictive diets are the easiest in some senses as you don't have to think, you only have to do. If you can only have A or B for breakfast, life is SO MUCH SIMPLER. BUT, when you are off a restrictive diet, you will have little to no practice at making choices that work for you. Atkins, and diets such as that, which recommend limiting certain food groups and partaking of others, falls into this category.
Calorie counting is effective, as it is a measure of amount of intake vs. amount expended. BUT, it means alot of work and vigilance as every decision must be calculated. Weight Watchers is a variation of this, as although you don't count calories, you still count up the values assigned to certain foods to ensure you meet a minimum number and do not exceed a maximum number over a period of time. Whether you count points or calories or fiber grams or ANYTHING, you are still counting and must be vigilant. BUT, the food choices are greater, often unlimited, as long as you account for what you put into your body.
My personal thought is that if you don't account for what you are eating, your body sure will. You might "forget" that you had that DQ Blizzard, or those onion rings, but your butt will remember. You might as well get used to this idea now, but whether you go this route at this point is a personal choice. You may want to follow a plan for now, but don't forget that at some point in your life, unless you are committed to a lifetime of restricted foods (and it sounds to me like Atkins is no longer fitting you well), you WILL have to make choices. Why not sooner than later?
As mentioned before, exercise is really, really important for overall health and weight maintenance, and studies have shown (go to the National Council on Obesity) that those who incorporate exercise are more successful at maintaining their weight loss. So, a lifestyle change will inevitably be in order. You will have to account for your food choices and exercise. Try to find a plan that is balanced -- Weight Watchers, the Zone (30-30-30 split between protein, fat, carbs), and other plans like that can get you in the right direction. Why not hit your local library and see what you can find?
Keep us updated!
I think that limiting carbs can be just as natural of a lifestyle change as can limiting calories or fat. In the end , everything has to be accounted for. It is totally an individual thing as to what someone wants to limit. The trade off has to be worth it. Do I want to limit my carbs for life, or do I want to be fat all over again. It's a fair trade off, don't you think? Do I want to count every calorie and measure everything I eat, or do I want to regain my weight? It's 50/50 on whichever a person decides. Plus, do I want to exercise again or do I want to creep back up into those fat pants I used to wear.
Thanks for all the replies, its appreciated and I agree with counting my calories. I need to find an online assessment tool to get the right amount of calories, does anyone know of one?
