Seriously - do diets work?

[McSteamy]

I have been on WW and SW (tried Atkins but felt awful) and although I lost weight on both of them I found that over time I have put all (and a bit more) the weight back on

I want to loose 2 stone. I don't do any exercise and so I have just organised childcare (my mum) so I can go to a pilates class and a body pump class once a week and I have downloaded a running app and plan to give that a go too.

Just wondered what else to do - go back to SW/WW or cut the crap and see what happens.

Well I have lost over a stone recently by just cutting the crap as you put it. I have cut out all the crap carbs. Nothing made with flour or sugar - cuts out a LOT of crap! I eat porridge or granola with fruit for breakfast. Or slice rye bread and a banana. Soup or salad with protein for lunch. Snack on things like oatcakes and low fat philadelphia or hummus or salsa. Fruit. Lots of water and green tea.

Bonus is that I have so much more energy.

Diets work if you take on board why they work. For me, low carb has helped me lose 5 stone. I don't consider myself 'on a diet' anymore, but the fact that it really did change my eating habits means that hopefully the weight will stay off. I just don't want to eat sugar in the way I did before. I am at target weight of 10 stone now and easily maintaining it.
I think the problem with diets is they are seen as a quick fix with an end target. As soon as you reach target, it's too easy to go back to old habits.
Also, and there are some who would disagree with this, I weigh myself most mornings. There;s nothing like avoiding the scales (and hence the sad truth) to put weight on you. My weight fluctuates by 2 pounds, which is fine. Any more than that and I will do somehting about it. 2 or 3 pounds is always goign tobe easier to lose than 2 or 3 stone.
I should say also that I think mine worked becasue I never felt deprived, I didn't consider it a diet as I could pretty much eat what I wanted. Nothing like feelign hard done by to have you reaching for the Dairy Milk ime.

totally agree with the above

diets as in deprivation, going hungry, fads, short term regimes don't work as they make you crave the things you can't have and you fall off the wagon or reach your goal and then start putting weight on.

but changing the way you eat permanently(especially cutting out crap carbs and processed food) does work. But its not a diet as such, not necessarily.

Wow Hurley well done - good for you! When you say you followed a low carb diet was that just you cutting out the carbs yourself or did you follow a particular plan?

Thanks for all the comments!

going on a diet never works long term

changing your diet does

Idiot Proof Diet by India Knight and Neris Thomas. Brilliant book and brilliant diet. It really helped get my head around why I was fat tbh, and why I deserved not to be. I cannot tell you what a new lease of life it feels to be a size 10 when 8 months ago I was verging on a 20. I was in denial about how big I was as I'd had the year from hell, put on a lot of weight when pg and kept puttign it on. Best thing I've done for myself in a long time

That's the approach - changing your diet but where do you find your self motivation. I did find that the thought of stepping on the scales once a week did help me stick to the plan.

Well you have inspired me - I've just ordered the book from Amazon