To ask what diet plan has been successful for you?

[xCupidStuntx]

Before you point me in the direction of the diet forum, hear me out. I'd really like some straight talking opinions here.
I've got quite a lot of weight to lose and I've become so muddled up over the years of all the different advice and view points, I'll start one diet on a Monday and change to another by Friday.

What weight loss plan have you found has been very successful for you or family/friends?

I see threads like why do people let themselves get so fat, God I really don't know how I let this happen!

First of all - well done for being motivated to do something constructive. I really believe no diet works unless you are completely committed to it and that takes determination and bravery. I also think it's easy to get demotivated by thinking of the amount you have to lose so I go into it thinking of the first 5lbs then the next etc. It doesn't seem so insurmountable then.
For me - weight watchers works. I used the at home one a few years ago as I didn't feel I needed to go to the meetings but I know lots of people who respond well to the routine of weigh in and meeting. Doing it online worked for me - I lost about 2 stone a couple of years ago and have kept it off because WW teaches you healthy eating and portion control combined with increased activity.
Good luck!!

5:2, although I do it more like 12:3 or something irregular like that.
I've kept the weight off even.
However, I've read a bit about it being a trigger for eating disorders - I don't have any problems there, so it works for me.

5:2.

I lost 4 st 9lbs on slimming world, followed by another 1st 2lbs using myfitnesspal.

Good luck OP, it isn't easy but it is really worth it. For me the main thing was to just stick to it and keep going, even when I didn't want to. In the end it was worth sticking to, despite the hard bits.

Eating sensibly and joining a gym worked for me, and it works the best in the long run too.

I lost 4 stone calorie counting (on food focus, but I think now mfp is probably better) and exercising.

There are no 'banned' foods so you can eat whatever you like, but just not as much as you might like

I have tried low carb, 5:2, cabbage soup and many others but they are too 'faddy' for me and I can see how they might lead to ED's .

Running was great for weight loss and legs, Pilates for the tummy and circuits/shredding for the arms. I always try to earn any extra calories for treats through exercise before having them - a great sense of achievement rather than 'derailment'

I am 4 years on and manage to keep just about within 1/2 stone of my lowest.

Good luck

Another one here for weight watchers.

I've done ww in the past and found it works, but i found it very easy to slip up. Now doing slimming world and I love it, much easier to stick to and it kind of forces me to be healthier.

Another fan of slimming world here - lost 4.5st - was going really well until I got ill and put back nearly 2 over the (rather inactive) year. Starting again tomorrow.

I lost 2 stone on MFP and Shredding, and will do the same to lose my baby weight once the doctor gives me the green light. My friend lost 10 stone doing MFP and running. SIL swears by Slimming World. She lost 3 stone and by default my DB lost a stone or so; he ate what SIL cooked at home but still enjoyed the canteen at work.

Cutting carbs worked for because it greatly reduced my appetite.

5:2 helped me lose weiggt before getting pregnant and the groups on here/ fb are really supported, so even after getting pregnant eating healthy was easier and I was moved from high risk bmi to low risk

highly recommended. going back to it asap

I have done them all over the years - Slimming World, Weightwatchers, Rosemary Conley, independent ones etc etc - they all work at the time but I have never found anything that really alters my attitude to food in the long term - I know the secret is to eat less, exercise more and understand that you have to do this for life, no point thinking you will go on a 'diet' and then return to your 'normal' eating.

Have started 5:2 today !

Smaller portion sizes and walking instead of using the car. If I diet I crave foods I'm not allowed and end up stuffing my face.

WW did work for me, when i had a lot of excess weight to lose, but it was very slow going and happened in stages, over a period of years, rather than months. I settled at 13st after having DS1, having been over 11.5 before getting pregnant. I managed to get down to about 11st on WW, before getting pregnant again. I did another 6 months of it, after DS2 had started on solids and lost another stone, before stalling, then got down to just over 9, a couple of years later, but they had changed the way it worked and I stalled completely, as i was always hungry and didn't have enough points to eat the healthy but not low fat foods I'd been successful with, before.

Since then, I've had health problems, affecting my mobility somewhat and have been taking medications notorious for piling the weight on. By the start of this year, i was up to 10st10 and getting quite fed up. I couldn't be arsed to do the whole points rigmarole, again. I changed the way I ate, though and cut down on carbs, especially bread, eschewed anything "low fat" and snacked freely on nuts and hard cheese (the sort of things that WW points are eaten up by) and managed to lose half a stone over the summer. I've been pigging out on stodge a bit, lately, and enjoying a bit more wine than I probably should and it is creeping back on. I have at least identified what I need to do to keep my weight in check.

And I did try low carbing - for a couple of days. Given that I'm already assaulting my poor guts with irritating NSAIDs and slowing codeine on a regular basis, it's no surprise that it wasn't a good idea.

Smaller portion sizes - yes, very true

Dukan, but I've only done it to lose a few pounds. Worked wonders though!

The word diet, for a start, gives negative connotations. I had hypnotherapy just a week ago and some waistbands are already looser. it's about retraining and readjusting uour relationship with food. with me, I eat what I want, I just don't need to eat as much of it. I'm staying away from the scales too, my clothes will tell me what I need to know.

My problem is i have bad IBS. The hospital have told me to follow a low-fibre diet (most with ibs find either high/low fibre helpful). High-fibre makes me v.v.ill, before anyone pounces on me.

Most diets advocate most of my symptom triggers so are out for me. I found an interesting book, how we get fat and why by gary taubes. He is a journalist and he looked into all sorts of different diets based on the science. I was struggling before i read this - i now have a mobility problem which means i am largely inactive - v.frustrating.

Anyhow, i now follow a sensible lowish carb way of eating. Ime Atkins et al are hard to follow compared to a commonsense approach. Many spend far too long on phase1 and the complain when they gain weight on switching to phase 2. I regularly cheat and am still losing weight at the rate of 1-3 lbs per week. I'm ok with that, not out for a quick fix - it took a long time for me to gain weight, and i hope i'll suffer less with loose skin if i lose it at a sensible pace.

I've lost nearly 2 stone since i started, which i'm happy with. I do want to lose a bit more, but refuse to make that the biggest focus. For me, with ibs, i'm glad i can now eat (most of my fave things - don't miss bread too much as i make substitute rolls & eat bread twice a week) without being either v.hungry (and feeling guilty) or being v.ill.

There is too much judgement over what we eat. What suits one person (inc personal circs) maynot suit another.

I will point out though, that if anyone is trying to lose weight and it really isn't coming off, i beg you to see your gp to rule out other causes (won't go into detail, as would be v.long).

Lighter Life. 5 1/2 stone loss, been 'maintaining' since July.

LL worked and is working because of the weekly sessions. No recipe swops/diet cheese, just talking about food and my attitude towards it and how this has affected my life. I believe it's all been down to my LL rep - she has been amazing.

Maybe it was 'my time/something clicked' but for me it's about finding balance. The weight loss phase dealt with the excess weight and 9 months down the line i'm in a very different head space. My maintenance is an education. Nothing is off limits, it's all about balance - something I've never had before.

I tried WW and RC before and I did loose a little weight. But for me I needed to see fast big results to keep the faith. Having time off food gave me space to think about my reasons for weight gain. Something i'd avoided thinking about till then/now. It's never just about the food.

Very few people here mentioning exercise which is a surpise!!

Join a local gym and go at least four times week, start off with classes (boxercise, spinning etc), they are very good at pushing you and keeping you focused, they are also a good place to make friends who in turn keep you motivated.

Cut back on the booze
Control your portion sizes
Cut out the shite food and aim for a balanced diet
Drink lots of water

Avoid the bullshit celeb endorsed fad diets.

You dont just want to loose weight, you want to maintain that loss once you have reached your goal, that means permanent changes to your current lifestyle.

Cuchullain that's because the OP specifically asked about diets.

Smaller portion sizes. Use the same size bowl for your three meals a day.

WW for me as well.
Tried everything in the past.

Got to goal over 4 years ago and have maintained ever since.
It is just calorie counting and being sensible.
I needed the meetings. Someone else weighing me and not wanting to let them or myself down.
But..... different things work for different people.
Although I did WW I do tend to stick to low carb diet more often than not.
Not the good carbs of course, I still eat fruit and veg, I just cut down bread and pasta and also rice and potatoes.
It is all motivation though. You have to really WANT to do it and if you really want to then you will most likely succeed!
Good luck - take the first steps and see how it goes.

just cutting out all crap and using the "my fitness pal" app on my phone which is fantastic.You enter your calorie goal for the day and what you eat as you go along and it tells you what you have left! Most things you can scan or just enter and it will come up with all the details and deduct it etc

I went from 13 and a half stone to 9 stone without any exercise other than normal day to day stuff by low carbing. I don't think diet is as important as reducing your food intake.