To hope there's a way to loose wieght other than low carb?

[superstarheartbreaker]

I am psyching myself up to try a low carb diet as I need to loose a stone. I do like many low carb meals but sometimes I long for some pasta, pizza, rice and bread.
Now it's January there is a lot of information out there about whole food groups that are 'bad' such as sugar. Id like to get to the point where I can have the occasional doughnut without stressing.

[Doobiedoobedoobie]

I'm sure there is, it's simple calories out calories in at the end of the day.

Low carb works for me though as I never feel deprived and love the old and react very badly to wheat anyway and am utterly addicted to sugar so it's the obvious choice! And it does work reaaaally well. But then I'm a low carber for life rather than for a diet iyswim.

[Doobiedoobedoobie]

Love the food, not old

[Justforlaughs]

Slimming World allows you to eat as much pasta/ rice/ potatoes (not bread) as you like - I love it!

[CaptainSweatPants]

There's loads of alternative diets on the weightloss chat threads
5:2 is a popular one you could try
Or just cut back on portion size
A doughnut is fine for breakfast as long as you have salad or soup for lunch & thenfish & veggies for tea
The problems start when you eat a dominoes pizza and follow it up with a doughnut

[StealthPolarBear]

Calorie counting, using MFP.
That said, I'm fairly sure a doughnut would be all your daily calories!

[manicinsomniac]

you don't need to low carb.

For initial weight loss purposes (not talking fine tuning or building lean muscle etc) a calorie is a calorie.

You could nothing but carbs if you wanted to and, as long as you had a decent calorie deficit, you'd still lose weight.

Depending on how quickly you want to lose weight and on how active you are just eat 1200-1600 calories a day and try to do exercise 3-5 times a week. It will come right off, whatever your diet consists of.

[Sunflower49]

I low carb 5 days a week. It works, and I don't do ultra low-I do about 50g a day.So if you really crave pizza or something just have it on an 'off' day then back to low the next.
I've never managed to lose weight any other way so successfully, but I'm not saying it isn't possible other ways!

[AutumnWind]

Www.myfitnesspal.com

Visit the forums as well. Very encouraging.

[inkyfingers]

There's a lot about the 5:2 diet and I know loads of people on it and generally really successful. I sort of do it and would never go for a diet that forbade certain foods, or said you can't eat doughnuts or whatever, because I think that any weightloss diet needs to be a really long term thing or the weight goes on again. Basically with 5:2 you eat what you want for 5 days with only 500 calories on any 2 days per week. But plenty on the web and mumsnet boards.

Good luck whatever you choose.

[iwouldgoouttonight]

I'd second My Fitness Pal. It made me realise how much I was actually eating. I've been eating the same foods but smaller portions to keep me roughly under 1200 per day (I eat more than that if I exercise). I do that six days a week and eat whatever I want one day a week. I've lost two stones and now just using it to maintain weight.

I personally can't do diets where a particular food isn't allowed or is 'bad'.

[Bodypopper]

If I want to loose weight I cut out bread and biscuits and cycle or run every day. It works.

[Birdsgottafly]

Try the "No Carb" rice and pasta alternatives from Holland and Barret.

It isn't the same, but will pad out a veg curry etc to make it seem like you are eating Carbs. Then you can fit in pizza.

I don't think everyone has to low carb, though, it doesn't suit me.

I used My Fitness Pal, it does keep you in track and allows you to calculate your allowances over a few days, so you can have a high sugar, or carb item.

[iwouldgoouttonight]

*1200 calories per day.

[LaurieFairyCake]

A Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut is only 200 calories.

I can't do any diet that bans certain foods so I do 5:2.

[Piscivorus]

I low carb and it has now become a normal way of eating to me which, as someone who loved carbs, I never thought it could so I wouldn't dismiss it completely.

Having said that, someone posted on another thread that she had calorie counted using MFP and realised lowering carbs was just an easy way to reduce calories as most carb heavy foods are high calorie.

There is a thing called Carbnite which recommends low carb with high carb cheats every now and again.

[fostermonkey]

I lost 2 stone doing the Ten Years Thinner diet (google it). It was the easiest diet (although it's not really a diet as it's not a quick fix) I have ever done, and the only one where I was always stuffed - in fact I found it hard eating so much. It's low carb, but not as extreme as Atkins.
It's pretty much a paleo/caveman diet. As much meat, fish, veg, fruit and nuts.

We crave carbs because sugar is addictive. I'm 1 week back into this and had carb withdrawals on day 3&4, but now I really don't fancy them. This way of eating suits me as I am weight and dairy intol.
I'd recommend this diet if you love to eat lots of meat (it's a high fat diet too - probably the reason why you always feel full) and don't like low intensity cardio workouts (not much exercise required. If you are going to do it, I would recommend reading the book that goes with it as it explains the science behind it.

It's totally anti low fat diets.

[Revengeofkarma]

One of the big things with carbs is that they are calorie dense foods. So no carbs tends to restrict your calories.

I did Weight Watchers last year and while it made me crazy (they couldn't seem to get it right for me) it did provide interesting information. For example, low fat muffin at Neros and a Big Mac have roughly the same calories. I couldn't believe it, but it does turn out to be true. Needless to say I haven't had a muffin since. (I have had a Big Mac or five or fifty.)

Getting back into sport regularly for me has changed everything. My new team partner had a personal trainer for a year to be fit enough to come back, while I'm training with the squad instead (and suffering as I hate being slow). But with her at 40 and two kids and me at 43 and one, we both agree that the exercise for our middle aged metabolisms has been the only way to consistently lose weight.

[jenniferlawrence]

Do Slimming World!!! It's brilliant. I can eat big meals with pasta and rice and still lose as long as I stick to plan. I love it.

[ToffeeOwnsTheSausage]

5:2 all the way.

[TalkinPeace]

5:2 does not involve low carb
nor does MyFitnessPal
both of them work

the first thing you have to do with ANY system is learn to eat within your TDEE

[JapaneseMargaret]

Low carb obviously works really well for many people, but I love carbs, and so am simply not interested in living for the rest of my life without them. Because whatever changes you make to your diet need to be life-time sustainable to work.

5:2 all the way for me. Love it. Get to enjoy food - all food - and lose weight/maintain a slim shape.

[Hopasholic]

I've been 5:2ing for nearly a year now. I lost 2 stone in about 16weeks I think, I was careful not to over eat on the other 5 days though but it's nice to know you can have a bit of what you fancy

Once you get into it it just becomes part of your normal routine and I looked forward to fast days following any excessive weekends. . I just do one day a week to maintain although I've put some extra on over Xmas so will up it to two days again until I'm back at my target weight.

The diet where you can have your and eat it

[Dollslikeyouandme]

My Fitness Pal, it calculates how much of everything you should be eating for a balanced diet, so if you're eating too much carbs/sugar it will tell you.

Calorie restricting but not massively, losing 1-2 pounds a week, you can eat more if you exercise.

You could probably lose a stone in 8 weeks and still have treats.

[Artandco]

Talking - how do you work out your tdee? I'm 5'4, 7 stone 10, and unless I eat 2500 calories a day min I can't maintain my weight and loose which isn't good for me. Everywhere seems to recommend almost half that which can't be right surely? If I want to gain weight how many more calories would I have to eat?