Any suggestions on a diet plan?

[luvDaMouse]

Hi,
I am looking to lose about 85lbs. I am tired of being overweight. Not just the weight but I am tired of feeling tired and just dont feel good. I want to be healthy. I have tried weight watchers a few times. Gained the weight back and then some. A long time ago I tried nutrisystem, gained back that weight. Any suggestions? How about some weight loss succcess stories? What has worked for you?:mickey:
Thanks for any suggestions!
Dana

[NotaGeek]

If you want to be successful in maintaining a healthy weight there is no secret diet. You have to exercise and eat right. I suggest you see your doctor tell them what you posted here and let them get you hooked up with a good dietitian so they can help you figure out an eating plan that will best fit your body and weight loss needs -- and start walking -- cardio and eating right will help you on your journey.

Fad diets do not work. The best of luck, weight loss is a LONG and hard journey I have been on myself!

[spcjquinn]

Hi Dana -

I really like to just count calories. There are several websites that help you track your calories. My favorite is the daily plate dot com. I started out using this website daily. After awhile, I didn't need to use the website and just kept count mentally. It really becomes a habit. I have lost 15 pounds doing this.

When you restrict calories, I think you naturally care more about your food choices. You won't like to blow a lot of your daily calorie budget on junk food.

You can eat the foods that you like, but make sure that you include plenty of protein every day.

My husband recently lost 40 lbs while on an extended business trip. His plan was very simple. He just ate the same salad every day from a restaurant. (Similar to Jared's Subway diet) This worked well for him out of town living in a hotel but would be hard to do from home.

Good luck!

[FriendsofMickey]

I am in the same boat as you. I tried WW was always hungry lost some, gained it back.
I did Atkins lost 40+ lbs, gained it all back. :(

I have given South Beach a half hearted effort, my mind is just not 'in it'. Though,I have to say it is the best for getting me feeling better. The weightloss was slower than Atkins, but eating the way he suggests definately without a doubt makes me feel healthier. I lose the sluggishness that I normally feel.

If you can find a weightloss partner, that is half the battle for me. (My problem as of late is I do not have a weightloss and exercise partner).

One more note: yesterday on the Today show, they had this guy who lost 410 lbs. (TLC has a show sometime this Sunday about him). Anyway, they said the rule was that if you are told you have to give up everything (soda, candy, desert), then your are bound to fail. He was told to give all the bad stuff up every other day. They did not give any more detail.. I think it makes a lot of sense. I think I am going to try it.
Good luck with your weightloss, making the decission and setting your mind to it is definately the hardest part of weightloss.

[Strmchsr]

I've lost 125 lbs on Nurtisystem over the last year, but the key is what Michael said - eat right and exercise and KEEP doing that. It doesn't matter what diet you do there is no plan that will keep the weight off if you don't keep doing it after you lose the weight.

[magicofdisney]

I agree with those that say healthy eating and exercise are key. When I first starting working out I just did it every other day or so. I'm now up to 5 days a week and that works well for me. I do 3 days of cardio and 2 days of weight machines.

Healthy eating doesn't mean just salads, vegetables and fruit. Yes, those are important and you need them, but if you deny yourself all that you love, you will fail.

I think one of the essential aspects of loosing or maintaining weight is counting calories. I recently downloaded an app for my iPod Touch called Tap & Track. I LOVE it. It counts my calories for me and adds some back in when I work out. It also keeps a record of previous days with reports available for averaging. Additionally, it will tell you how many calories to eat each day to loose weight at a safe rate (1-2 lbs a week).

Personally, I think diets such at Nutrisytem, Adkins, WW and South Beach are great for a jump start but you have to realize good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle are a lifetime quest. Even though I knew it in my mind, it took a little while for my heart to grasp that concept.

There is a plethora of food options now a days, especially with low calorie snack options. I really love ice cream so I buy the 100 calories snacks offered by Klondike. Now that's not exactly a healthy alternative (in regards to fat, sugar and carbs) but it's part of my "not giving up the things I love" menu plan. :) Kashi also makes some great snack bars I like to have between meals.

GL with whatever you choose because you can do it.

[sassafras]

I've had luck sticking to a Diabetic diet plan. You can usually get one from your M.D. He can set the amount of calories for you and it's pretty simple. Tells you how much of each food group and how many servings you can have per day. I found I couldn't eat all the regular meals and snacks and managed to lose weight and get my sugar levels down. Did that and walked a couple miles a day.

[DizneyRox]

Atkins works well for losing weight. It's possible to drop tremendous amounts quickly. Unfortunately, like most things, people don't follow the lifestyle change that's necessary with any diet.

Once the weight is dropped, you can't go back to what you were doing before. It's that simple, you need to be prepared for a lifestyle change. If not, all the weight WILL come back.

I found portion control to be the easiest to follow though. You aren't starving yourself of certain foods which makes things easier. Problem is, it's a slow road.

Any combination should work really. Doing Atkins to drop the weight, then switching to portion control or whatever.

Carbs are the devil though...

[faline]

The only true course is to eat less and exercise more. I'd recommend getting a pedometer. Set a walking goal for yourself. Initially, it might be small - perhaps just 1/2 mile per day. If you meet that, you can increase it a bit. Don't try to do it all at once. It's a gradual thing that you need to keep working at.

[AdventurerKim]

Definitely eat healthy and exercise consistently, which is the key and works for me. Even when you don't feel like exercising (and there are so many days when I don't), you have to keep doing it. Do a variety of exercises; The Biggest Loser said that if you do the same thing all the time, your body gets used to that exercise, and you don't lose weight. I alternate a routine on a BL DVD with riding our exercise bike. My DH and I walk four to five eveings a week for at least an hour, weather dependent. I try not to snack, and if I do, it's fruit or a 100 calorie pack.

[garymacd]

Diets don't work. All they are, are cheats if you reach your goal and revert back to "normal".

Check out Beach Body. They have several exercise and diet programs for many different fitness and weight levels. I personally used P90X and had great results. But, it is not for everyone!

For someone like you, I would suggest Ten Minute Trainer. My wife used it to kick start her health plan and really enjoyed it. It only takes about ten minutes a day to start. As you get in better shape, your weight comes down, your knees don't hurt as much and your heart isn't banging out of your chest, you add another ten minutes to the program, either right after it or later in the day. Eventually, you are doing three ten minute sessions a day. These are cardio, strength and flexibility sessions. Couple that with the diet plan they give you (modify it slightly to meet your needs and tastes) and you should see results in the first month. The food is real and it is very tasty.

As your fitness level improves, and you find that Ten Minute Trainer isn't challenging you, step up to a different program.

Check out their website and check out the P90X link and the Healthy Living link in Water Cooler here on Intercot for more information.

Just remember that this will be a long term solution. Once you reach your goal - and you will, but not by tomorrow or next week - consider this a lifelong lifestyle change. You can't just stop. If you do, you will revert back. Make the commitment that this is the first day of your new life, and healthy eating and exercise are now a normal part of your daily life.

No more Moons over My Hammy's or Krispy Kreme's for a long time. And always check with your doctor to make certain you can handle the exercise. Take the program information with you.

Good luck.

[BriarRose0708]

It is most definately a lifestyle change! I had a lot of success using the book The ABS Diet. Don't let the title fool you, it's not a fad diet! ABS is short for a longer acronym, ABS POWER DIET. Each letter stands for a food or food group that you should be eating each day or during the week. When I looked at the list, I realized I liked everything on it. That's when I knew that I could do it! It not only tells you how to eat better, but why. Once I understood how certain foods effect your body and metabolism, it was much easier to make better choices and stick to the plan. I lost about 30 pounds in four months. My goal was 40, but I'm learning that losing the last ten is much harder than the first 30!

Don't give up, and surround yourself with people who are going to support you!

[LauraF]

My BF has had success without a "diet plan".
He has had to make changes to his lifestyle however.


He goes to the gym *every* day after work (it's less than 1/4 mile from the house) and we take brisk walks on the weekends
He no longer eats a big breakfast - it's a protein or slimfast bar
Lunch is now brought from home, as his downfall was fast food at work, and it's no more than a few hundred calories.
He has healthy snacks at his desk - this was KEY as he would get the munchies and the office only had junk food in the machines. As a bonus, we now save the money he spent there!
We have a nice dinner every evening, but he's switched the types of foods he eats - lean meats, low-fat dairy, salad dressing on the side, more whole grains, etc.


He's lost about 20 pounds so far and only has 50 more to go. He's had setbacks and often complained bitterly along the way, but now that he's seeing the results in his extra energy, better health and appearance it's easier for him to keep going.

He knows he will have to take care of himself like this for the rest of his life, but he's sick and tired of being overweight and lacking energy (and so am I! He's not the guy I first met now :( but he's on the right track back!)