To ask what the best weight loss plan is?

[superstarheartbreaker]

Eat less , move more? Aside from which, which way of eating is most effective/ healthy?
I'm so confused with all this Atkins, harcombe, paleo, slimming world, 5:2diet.
I'm doing low carb but eating high fat stuff just dosnt feel right. Also missing rice.

The best plan is the one that works for you.
If you hate cutting carbs then Atkins won't do it.
If you like fat in your diet then Rosemanry Conley won't either.

Myself, I eat a high-fibre, plant based diet with moderate amounts of other higher calorie things included, but that is what works for me!

If you don't find an eating plan that you like, you may lose weight during the restrictive phase, but you sure as heck won' keep it off

I think the best plan is the one which makes you feel good while you are doing it and which isn't massively inconvenient. Hardly anyone has the willpower to stick to something that is hard work and causes them to feel massively deprived, and the one that works best is whichever one you actually stick to.

Its the one which works for you

and don;t let anyone tell you that the one which works from them is the best!

UNless you have a very small amount to lose then the plan which you can stick to long term is the one which will work regardless of what anyone else thinks of it. Low carb might be great but I just can;t stick to it so its pointless. I have found weightwatcher type thing good as I can be obsessive about point/calories counting. I've also found 5:2 good but I have to be very motivated to actually start it!

Generally I find upping the poretin (without particularly restricting carbs) cutting the crap down (like biscuits) and upping the exercise a lot works but I still fall off the wagon regularly.

I have been doing a form of Paleo for about a year and I have lost 5.5 stone, I don't cut out all carbs but I cut out the majority of them and I do lots of exercise (talking 4-5 times a week) and I have a personal trainer.

Paleo is basically lots of protein and very little carb but it does work. I know a few people who have done it and have lost a lot of weight.

If you don't find an eating plan that you like, you may lose weight during the restrictive phase, but you sure as heck won' keep it off

that's me, portion sizes keep creeping up till I end up permanently hungry & stuffing myself

I'm currently on that Clean9 program. It only lasts for 9 days but you're supposed to come out the other end detoxed, lighter and more aware of calorie intake and portion size. I've lost over 5.5lb since Friday. When it's over you kinda go back to normal but control your portions better.
I've also done the no carbs and that was good but couldn't stick to it.

Have you tried grating a cauliflower, mixing it with a bit of salt, pepper and oil, spreading it on a baking tray and putting it in a moderate oven for 20 minutes or so until it is brown at the edges? I use that instead of rice all the time.

So add in some high-fibre, low GI carbs and some lean protein.
Cut down on energy-dense snacks that don't satiate.

Lean protein, lots of veg, salads, fruits, healhty carbs (porridge, lentils etc) limit alcohol and junky snacks!

This is what works for me.

I'm reading a book called Carbophobia which basically shoots down all the "science" behind Atkins.

Its conclusion is that the only diet that works over a long time is eating healthy, whole foods and not calorie counting. Really what DamnBamboo says - eat lots of veg and fruit, carbs are fine so long as they are unrefined and don't eat processed stuff.

I know you're supposed to follow a healthy and nutritious lifetsyle change blah blah but the most effective diet I have ever been on was just calorie counting. The best way of doing this is by buying pre-packaged foods - shop bough sandwiches, ready meals etc.

Not sustainable long term and I assume not particularly "healthy" but I lost half a stone every three weeks while I was doing this. Haven't been able to do it since having kids though - couldn't subject them to it and I CBA doing 2 meals.

I got on well with My Fitness Pal. It's sustainable rather than gimicky, and is free. It even lets you put in your own recipes and works out the calories for you, which I loved because I like home cooking. It's basically calorie counting but it's geared around also keeping tabs on your nutrient intake and exercise.

I think step 1 is to work out what you do eat normally, and where there are 'extra' calories that you just don't need. So, if you regularly pick up a bag of crisps to eat at the bus-stop, say, more out of habit and boredom than actual hunger, then it would be an easy thing to ditch.

You can also count calories and keep a detailed note over a week or so - I did that and found that one or two things I ate quite often were way higher in calories than dinners I ate on other days (and felt equally happy and full). Rich foods go into the 'occasional' category and lower ones more often.

Then obvious things like portion size, and upping the veggie and salad parts of meals while keeping the meat/fish/stodge a bit smaller and leaner.

All of that is something you can continue lifelong, which is more effective as a long-term measure than any fad you can't stand for more than a week.

Eat less, exercise more.
Move around and walk more,its worked for me and have kept weight off. Don't avoid food you love. Enjoy but in moderation

It's not only about losing weight, it's about keeping it off. And that's why I don't think faddy diets work because you can't sustain them longterm. Like others I'd advise MyFitnessPal, helps you to eat healthily and exercise.

For me healthy eating and exercise are the only things which work. Diets don't work in my experince

Low carb (not Atkins) works best for me.

Sugar cravings disappear, meals leave me satisfied and I lose weight. Easy to sustain once target weight has been reached too.

there are so many because everyone is looking for an easy way out. Do a faddy diet (which is any of them) and you will fail as soon as you return to your normal eating pattern. Anyone who says 'xxxblab diet works for me every time' is blind to the fact that means it FAILS every time.

the only way is to change your normal eating and exercise pattern.

boring old science again, sorry. No money in it.

I agree about finding a 'plan' that suits you.
For me, this means -
Using smaller plates
Lots of fruit and veg
Reducing both carbs and fatty foods. It doesn't have to be one or the other.
No, or very little, 'junk' ie sweets, biscuits, takeaways, frozen pizzas, crisps etc.
No alcohol . I already was teetotal, but if you drink then keep an eye on the calories.
Exercise that you enjoy, and up your general activity ( walking, climbing stairs, etc).
That's it really, it worked for me.

I seem to remember that the research shows that the most successful diets for weight loss (in general) are high protein low carb or high fibre low fat. These work because the protein or fibre makes you feel fuller.

Atkins is not great, as I recall, because it tends to be a bit out of whack in terms of fat intake.

However, as other people have said, the best diet plan for weight loss is the one that works for you.

Everyone knows how to lose weight but the most important thing, and most elusive thing, is to get yourself in the right frame of mind, to visualise yourself at your ideal weight. Sounds like hokum but works for me.

Tell yourself that small setbacks won't throw you off course.

The best one us what's right for you. We all gain weight for different reasons. Some drink their calories, some take too much sugar or fat.

So what I'd advise is a food diary to allow you to identify your issues. Once you've done that you'll be able to take the action you need for your problems, not any body else's!

I really don't understand all these low carb, high protein, low sugar, high fat, mono food, paleo, 5:2 type things.

The calorie count is the only thing that matters (for weight loss that is not for general health!)

You will lose just as much weight on 4 mars bars a day as you would on 1600 calories of lean chicken and vegetables.

Of course, you'll be a lot healthier on the latter though!

I'm too lazy to calorie count, and it leaves me feeling hungry.

I'm not hungry on low carb.

I urge you to join My Fitness Pal and find out what your daily calorie requirements actually are. They vary greatly from person to person and I think some of us are overweight because we overestimate (just by a tiny amount, but it creeps on slowly) how many calories we actually need.

slimming world is the best for me, I have lost 2 and half stone so far in 4 months, I dont have to count calories, can each more or less what I want and probably eat way more than I used to but better stuff. dunno quite how it works but seems to.