Which diets work?

[Nomoney2018]

Hi. I have a heart condition and need to loose weight to help improve my health. There are so many diets out there that I dont know which is the best one to follow. Any advice would be great. Thanks 😀

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone]

Hello, Nomoney2018, and welcome to the forum 😊

Sorry to hear about your health problems and I see you're involved with other forums related to that.

The simple answer to your question is that none of them work. Diets are designed to get you to a target weight, at which point you can go back to eating "normally", which is when the weight piles back on, bringing more with it.

I suggest you think instead of developing a healthy lifestyle that you can maintain and enjoy for life. Fresh food, home cooked, plenty of veg, avoiding processed foods (and that includes anything labelled low fat or diet or light - all ultra-processed) and sweet stuff; eating well, two or three meals at the table, not eating between meals. These are just some pointers. If you get involved with the forum, you'll pick up plenty of ideas.

This welcome pack explains how the forum works and how to find your way around healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... Do take your time reading it so you get the best out of your time here. I recommend joining a weekly weigh in on the day of your choice and using the Daily Diary to post your meal plans.

For your privacy and safety online, we suggest that you lock your posts by selecting ‘members of my community’ when you write a new post. Please read our security post here healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... especially as your post isn’t locked

Wishing you every success in reaching your goals 😊

PS Please DO NOT use the HU App as it doesn’t give access to most of the important areas of the forum. Use the website with whatever device you’re using

[Nomoney2018 in reply to BridgeGirl]

Thank you for your help and advice I will definitely lock my posts. I think I do need a healthy lifestyle change.

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Nomoney2018]

Stick with us and you can work it out in good company

[Lytham 3 stone]

Hi im eating lchf and I can tell you, the food is lush and im not as hungry either! x

[Hidden]

Good luck with your diet all I did was to eat healthy food and started to walk more take it easy don't try and do to much. You will have good and bad days main thing listen to the people on here they are amazing helped me so much. Paul

[BMIBabyNow 2lbs Restart Sept 2023]

I agree with Lytham. I have tried lots of approaches, and find LCHF the easiest to follow and hoping it will be the easiest to translate in to long term healthy eating habits. Good luck!

[Caz06]

Hi has someone who also have a serious health condition which could be helped by weightloss.

Some thoughts help me I pass on to you

You need to recognise its not a diet they have a beginning and end, your weight and mine depends on changing lifes food habits for good forever, so not regain and ruin the hard work to lose it.

My habits are now very different like elevenses often was coffee and biscuit now its herb tea no milk or an oxo so dunking doesnt quite work.

It takes doing something 10 times for it becomes a new habit

Hope this helps, message me anytime it really is simple eat less move more this policy is working for me 80% sensible time and allow myself 20% in a week to have treat or non focus time.

Good luck C

[Nomoney1970 in reply to Caz06]

Thanks Caz06 I appreciate that. Yes need to see it as a forever plan and not a quick fix. I do however love my coffee with skimmed milk and and 2 candarel sweetners.( Is that bad).

🙄

[focused1 Maintainer 13kg]

Wouldn't call any change in lifestyle a diet as I feel diets are restricted and given up too easily . First start is portion sizes . Would think about anything between meals ...Do I need it ? I eat 3 meals a day . Breakfast around 350 cals , lunch about 400 and a decent 650 for tea . Add on drinks and the odd snack of fruit or a handful of nuts . This will be about 1450 -1600 cals . A eating plan for life - not a diet . Weight initially dropped off me . I now exercise too . I am not as serious as I was but I now maintain with only minor gains and losses as l adjust due to social events etc .

[scouse55mouse 2st 7lbs]

I would have to agree with the Administrator, diets don't work. The old adage eat less and move more is true. I'm no expert but I can tell you what's helped me when I've switched to a healthier lifestyle. Cutting out white processed sugar is a must and as mentioned above avoid artificial sweeteners and anything that says diet or low fat. I've read artificial sweeteners stimulate the appetite and make you want to eat more and I have to say since I've cut it all out I've lost that overwhelming desire to snack or to have sweet things like chocolate. I haven't had to put in effort in avoiding those things, it's just happened naturally. I'm a big fan of 'eating a rainbow' with a variety of fruits and veg. We have fish twice a week at home, one being oily and a veggie dish once a week and I try and limit the amount of red meat. We've switched to smaller plates, they're side plates but they're actually the size dinner plates used to be when I was a kid so we're eating a little less. I've been switching white potatoes for sweet potatoes and quinoa for white rice, I still eat spuds and rice but I've just reduced the amount. I don't feel restricted in anyway or feel like I'm missing out and I've lost weight steadily since I started. Find some form of exercise you can find to do even gentle walking to start with or chair exercises is better than nothing. Good luck with finding what's right for you and don't give up.

[Craftyperson]

I'd say what others have said don't think of it has a diet but a healthy lifestyle change. I do calorie counting the 12 week NHS plan got me off to a good start some good tips. If you do this calculate your personal allowance on BMI checker. A lot of people on here do the LCHF plan and swear by it. Follow admins links and see what you think will be best for you. Good luck and coming on here a good start

[BerlinBetty Visitor]

Morning Darling. I was about to say that diets don't work then BridgeGirl said it for me but so much better.

We need to get this message across nationwide and soon. Diets only work if you are willing to eat unnaturally or starve yourself for most of your life. Most bods can get a short-term and dramatic weight-loss effect by following a diet which starves them of sugars or carbs, or both, but then they can't sustain it because it's miserable and unnatural, and hence the yo-yo dieting.

The diet industry RELIES on our failures, because then we come back for more. Most official diets are a national and international disgrace, but it is actually Britain which seems to have faith in these more than any other European country I can think of.

As BridgeGirl has pointed out, we need to examine long-term eating and exercise habits (or lack of them) and adapt gradually. This forum is full of posts which constitute success stories written by people who have made this long and sometimes arduous journey back to good health. You won't find the diet companies advertising these successes because there's no money to be made out of quiet and persistent self-discipline.

Good luck. Why not chuck out the flash diet books, miracle-result courses and other waffly wotnot, and set out with this forum.

No more yoyos; you can do this. love Betty

[Senkimekia]

Listen to the podcast Losing 100 pounds with Phit N Phat, she teaches how to manage your mind around weight loss and it is just plain common sense and so helpful! I have been listening since August and there is so much helpful information there.