Best Diet??

[jofeb04]

Ok, so starting 2007 I am going on a diet. I know why I am not loosing any weight at the moment, I eat chocolate and drink coke!

I am going back swimming three times a week (I only stopped because of Christmas).

So, is there a diet suitable for me, or is basic healthy eating best?

BTW, we don't have much money so can't afford the expensive diets etc.

TIA

Best thing is always calorie controlled, plenty of fruit and veg & water and exercise, cut down on crap. All these fad diets are tough going, pretty unhealthy and IMHO money spinning.

cut down on processed carbs ,ie white bread ,rice,pasta ,chips,and anything sugary .No need to count calories ime,have lost 2 stone since september just cutting out the processed carbs.I also exercise .
Fill up on veg/protein and you'll lose.

Thanks for that, made me a lot happier!

I didn't really want to spend £5 a week just to follow a diet!

If you think that you're on A Diet, food will become quite an obsession, and unless you're going to stay on it forever, you'll have to go back to "eating normally" at some stage. Much better to try to just make healthier choices day to day (smaller portions, jacket spud instead of chips, grilled chicken instead of chicken kiev) and make that the way you eat, so that it doesn't feel punishing. The weight won't fall off at top speed, but it will shift and stay off. And a bit of exercise really works wonders.
Good luck, it always sounds much easier than it really is - especially at this time of the year with so much chocolate around!

For me, cutting out carbs has definitely worked wonders. I've lost a stone and half over the last 3 years, getting down to 9 stone 5 and maintaining (roughly) at that level. I've still got about half a stone to go, but I'm not really strict enough to do it! I'm wearing size 10 clothes (some size 8s) so pretty happy with the way things are.

It's hard to avoid bread - sandwich lunches or any food on the go usually involves bread/potato/sugar in some form.

On the up side, I can eat quantities of food, never have to weigh/count anything, and am never hungry. And I still drink wine most nights.

Definitely worth checking out Atkins or Charles Clarke - not necessarily to follow their diets, but just to read up on the theory of why high carbs causes us to put on weight.

Agree much better to change to healthy eating than going on "a diet". It can help to count calories or fat grams to get you portions under control and help you to understand how much you should be eating. I think we all know the principles of healthy eating though.