Calorie control or commercial diet plan? Discuss.

[weightaminute]

Morning all,

I guess this us a dilemma which many of us face...do we calorie control our own life or let someone else do it with a commercial diet plan?

My own opinion is that diet plans are good to get you started, but in the long run there's no better option than calorie control?

What are your opinions? What do you think is best? How are/did you lose weight?

Look forward to some good and positive discussion around this.

[Itsbab]

Hi years ago I had a couple of months using a deliver to your door commercial food company I got so bored and it cost more in pound sterling than I lost in pounds weight. I guess it is what suits you best, what you can afford.

Personally I find calorie counting best for me, it is easy to fit around family meals and adapt to suit. My new way of eating has already rubbed off on my husband who unconsciously I have noticed is making better food choices himself.

Just cutting out most processed foods, having natural ( I will have the odd treat here and there but not very often) I feel much better I have even noticed my food bill is a little less as I am not buying as much rubbish.

My weight loss seems to be about 3lbs per 2 weeks but I am happy with that and hope to keep to my new way of eating.

What grows in the ground meat and fish are my main food basket now with the odd man made product sometimes making an appearance.

Hope you are doing well on your journey best wishes Bev 😊

[muffintop67]

Hi weightaminute. It has to be calorie counting all the way for me. Firstly, I wouldn't want someone else dictating what I could eat and secondly I don't think a 'diet' works - it needs to be a plan for life and I don't think you would want to stay on the commercial diet plan longterm. Calorie counting enables you to become aware of the values of foods and helps to retrain you to eat more of the healthy stuff and have treats occasionally. Great discussion topic and look forward to reading your replies. Thanks for posting

[Hidden]

I did try SW a while back but it was too expensive for me and I couldn't get my head around the 'free' foods you could eat. How can you eat as much as you want and still lose weight? So it's now calorie counting every time for me although I've only just started, it's cheaper, healthier and allows me to cook from scratch which I love to do. X

[tequila in reply to Hidden]

I too cant get my head around SW portions and lots of fruit.Ive lots to lose but how many caleries do i start with ? I also like everything done quickly, which is probably why i fail...And planning ahead is my downfall...Any suggestions greatly received...😊

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to tequila]

Hi and welcome tequila

You can check your calorie range on the NHS BMI calculator

nhs.uk/Livewell/weight-loss...

Have a look at the Pinned Posts section, to the right of your screen, (bottom if you're on a mobile) and read our Welcome Newbie post. It has a link to the NHS 12 week plan, which is a great place to start. It doesn't give a specific diet plan, but gives guidelines for healthy eating.

Consider signing up for any, or all of our challenges, as they're fun and motivating.

We also have a monday group weigh-in and if you click follow on my profile, you'll get a notification when I post it on monday. You can have a look at the latest thread in the events section, to the right of the home page.

Be active on the forum, as that's where we meet to exchange ideas and get our daily fix of inspiration and motivation

Wishing you all the very best

[tequila in reply to moreless]

Hi,Thanks.I know my bmi....but how many caleries am i allowed to lose wt....?

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to tequila]

When you enter your details, it gives you a range of calories, underneath where it tells you what your healthy weight range is

[Pamed]

Calorie control every time , I have tried every diet under the sun , they just done work !!! So now I know with counting calories I know what I am eating

Hopefully it will work

Good luck

Have a good weekend xx

[IndigoBlue61]

I follow a dietician led plan whereby I count portions, very similar to the British Heart Foundation plan 😊 It suits me because I can make my own meals etc without having to account for every single calorie 😊 It is actually very similar to the original WW "exchanges" plan I followed successfully for years, but more generous 😊 Following the right plan is absolutely essential, without a doubt, having enough to eat and feeling completely confident I can follow the plan for life 😊

Very interesting thread, like others have said, it makes you accountable, and calorie/portion aware 😊 I have also realised how long I have to walk/swim/cycle to burn off 200 calories which really makes me think twice about overeating 😊

Onwards and downwards 😊

[Osiris275]

Diets don't work for me and I feel they don't work long term for most people. Counting calories is the only thing that works for me.

[weightaminute]

Great replies everyone, thank you. It seems most of us favour calorie counting as it seems the easiest to monitor. It's a relatively new departure for me as I've been an SW boy for a long time. I exercise regularly (bike) and so it will be interesting to see what happens.

Onwards and downwards!

[radioactiveblue]

I haven't yet seen a commercial plan that would work for me. I think I could get by without calorie counting, by eating the 'right' foods and keeping a check on the scale, but overall I think calorie counting is a good way to go.

For me it's now more about the quality of the calories I'm eating than the number of calories, and this is where most commercial plans just wouldn't do. But I'm saying this at 80+ pounds down and a couple of pounds from a healthy BMI. I had a different opinion six months ago when I was just starting out. Back then, I would have said it's just about the calories.

[Hidden]

I agree that counting calories is by far the best way to know what you are eating, and lose weight. But, my goodness, it is dull doing it! Weighing out 2oz potatoes and peas etc. every meal is so boring, even though it is worthwhile in the long run.

I have looked into those deliver-to-your door diets, but they seem incredibly expensive, and, for me, the actual food packs don't look very appetising. It's got to be tastier and cheaper to cook your own chicken casserole, for example, than open a packet.

Plus, if you count your own calories you can, within reason, eat just what you want instead of being stuck with some food you don't like very much just because it is on the diet plan. Cutting back is difficult enough without having to force down cottage cheese and tofu (unless you like them, of course!)