I'm sure there's already been loads of debate here about what kind of diet is best and I have my own opinions, based on research and personal experience, but when I choose my approach to weight loss, I really struggle to stick with a program without easily swayed by someone else's ideas and I can end up incorporating conflicting approaches and then getting fed up or confused or desperate and feeling like I'm sabotaging myself.
I do think that low or non-processed food (Paleo) is technically the right approach to health and it has been successful for me twice in losing weight, but then I see someone having success with Weight Watchers and I think low calorie with some snacks looks easier but after trying 4 times with WW I only had success once, when I was 24. I think keto would be effective but I can't see myself sticking too it, but it's only a step away from paleo so it keeps bothering me that if I was a little stricter I could make it work. Intermittent fasting - I can go all morning without eating but once it hits 9pm I really want to eat treats. If I'm being too strict does that make eating treats more likely?
I'd really appreciate it if people could share which approach which approach they think is: 1. Healthiest, 2. Effective and 3. Sustainable. Because I really want to choose an effective method and stick to it for a long time and improve both my health and my weight. Any insights are appreciated! 🙏
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TeganSara
3kg
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I guess only you can answer what you think is best for you long term! I don't think any way is necessarily 'easier' than another as such. For me, I eat lunch every day with my gran who has had potatoes every day for the last 80 years and ain't going to change now! So personally I've found stopping unnecessary snacking (I'm a big snacker, especially of biscuits and cake and other unhealthy things) and being a bit more mindful of incorporating veg and portion sizes has been enough to make a difference without a massive shift in what I eat.
My parents on the other hand love their keto/low carb. They've been doing it for 6 years now, they love their meat, eggs and veg. Dad loves that he can eat lots of cheese and double cream and it's fitted into their lifestyle really well, especially as mum is gluten free anyway. It isn't the cheapest way to eat though.
Just because it works for someone else doesn't mean it's going to be a good long term fit for you. Try not to let other people influence you too much and you go for what you want to go for!
Thanks for that, I think I hope someone else might have come up with a more reliable and consistent way, a hopefully easier way, that includes more chocolate 😂 I do feel like I'm having to make huge compromises, nothing comes easy so it can be really disheartening to cut more and more things out and feel like it makes little to no difference. I assume I've just buggered my metabolism up by overeating and gaining and losing weight so many times. Which is why I want a long term solution as well as trying to shift the weight. I'll keep working on it and cut more out in hopes I see better results.
It's true that most of us here have buggered up our metabolism so we can't just eat thoughtlessly, like those with a functioning metabolism can. There's an old but good post about it here. healthunlocked.com/weight-l...
I'm afraid that, if we want to lose weight, we have to make changes that we'd prefer not to. When I'm consistent about it, it becomes easier so, for me, it's about getting back into the groove
Thanks I'll have a read through it! I know it takes a good long period of consistency to lose weight and it gets tiresome to eat the same things over and over. I need to focus on my goal and accept the circumstances I'm in. I'm sure I've eaten so many treats in my life, it's enough for 4 average people so I've certainly got my money's worth. I have to buckle down and get sensible at some point and I am motivated now, despite the bumps.
Another suggestion: think about the definition of "treat": "an event or item that is out of the ordinary and gives great pleasure". If it's something we do every day, it's not a treat it's just ... eating, or part of our everyday diet or ... whatever we want to call it but not a treat
I’m struggling too TeganSara. I have always kept an eye on my weight, but the last 15 years have been difficult. I am a big supporter of Michael Mosley’s work, since he tested things for himself. Like you, I am somewhat p….ed off at having to avoid so many foods. I already eat within a 6 hour window, don’t snack, eat high protein & low carbs and calories. I’m not yet convinced about the evidence for drinking lots of fluid. If I keep at it the weight comes off very slowly; if I eat what other people eat, my weight goes up!
I think you've answered your own question. Paleo seems to work for you. And for most people, eating homecooked meals with minimal UPFs is healthiest. Maybe you've just been too strict in the past. If you aim to eat healthy 80% of the time, and just 20% "treats", you should be fine. Best of luck with your journey!
I know it's true and I can eat plenty of food that I enjoy that way. I think I want to be really strict and my willpower wavers. So I'm not being reliable. I'm going to make my rules, with the 20% built in and just keep going onwards and upwards!
Gosh, you do sound confused. It sounds like you rather have diet overload. I think one of the problems is that every diet seems to have to have a label. Why do we all have to be in a group, vegan, vegetarian, paleo, low carb, pescatarian, upf ...and so it goes on. As humans we are are all omnivores, essentially we can get our nutrition from pretty much anything. So maybe forget fitting a group and eat what you know is beneficial to you, proper food, fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts and grains, a sensible amount of carbohydrate foods, meat and fish. What do you want from your diet, gut health, to be thinner, to be fitter, only you can know your goals but maybe just change your focus. I hope you find a path that gives you what you want.
To be honest I think I've always had diet overload. And have always been ready to jump on the next bandwagon, looking for an easier fix. I need to get my excitement from elsewhere 😂
I think if you feel a paleo diet is for you then I would stick with it and enjoy the journey. Research new recipies, new ingredients etc. gather and share information with others if that supports your journey.Different ways of eating suit different people, but it is hard not to feel as if we are doing something wrong, when there is so much information out there.
If it is an utter burden, making you unhappy, causing you to cheat or snack a lot, then that particular diet is never going to work.
I'd love to stick to a strict diet and lose all of the weight quickly but I've been trying my whole life and not succeeding. I'm just going to work on a sensible plan and be patient, then adjust the plan when I plateau. There just isn't going to be any quick or easy fixes!
Hi TeganSara. I’ve tried many different diet programmes, and the funny thing is - they all work for as long as I keep them up! So you’re absolutely on to something when you require your next one to be a a sustainable programme, and not just healthy and effective.
I’m here again, restarting - again - which indicates that I have not found the answer to your question.
But it’s basically about asking yourself- am I willing to keep this way of eating up for the rest of my life?Not just for 3 months. And that is why I can’t calorie count and I can’t de keto or strict lchf.
This time around, I’ve decided that I’m eating three meals a day (i.e. no snacking) and each meal consists of:
1 handful of protein (meat, fish, egg, beans, lentils, tofu, low fat cheese, protein powder)
1 handful of starchy carbs (bread, rice, pasta, bulgur, corn, potatoes etc, that can occasionally be replaced with a glass of wine)
1 handful of vegetables
1 optional handful of vegetables or fruit.
1 tablespoon of fat (oils, butter, nuts, seeds, cream, mayonnaise) or a slice of full fat cheese or half an avocado.
And if needed, 1 tablespoon of sweetness from sugar, honey, ketchup, dark chocolate, dried fruit …
Plus a daily allowance of 3 dl of low-fat dairy products.
I’m not sharing my programme with you to convince you that it’s the right approach for you (it probably isn’t if Paleo is where you feel most at home). It’s just to give you an idea about how I have given myself a flexible framework to work within.
After a week of eating like this, I can say it’s flexible enough for me to eat with my family, eat out and cook the kind of food I like.
It’s also keeping me feeling satiated. I do get hungry before my next meal, but I’m not raving hungry all the time.
The biggest change for me is the no-snacking part. No mindless eating of fruit, crackers with cheese or saying yes to someone’s home baked goodies at work… no. Nothing in between meals. And if I’m so hungry I have to eat, I can have a carrot or a big tomato or something along those lines, ie an extra handful of veggies.
I hope this is the kind of inspiration you were looking for.
Thanks for your insights, I agree that it needs to be something I can maintain for life, and to be honest, I've been mostly Paleo for ten years, but I do kind of resent having to stick to a plan when the lure of sweet treats is so strong. Which is why my issue is probably more a mindset thing than a which diet thing. I definitely have been able to be more mindful this time around and I've often surprised myself by overcoming thoughts of eating chocolate, so my mindset is improving. The only reason Weight Watchers appeals is that then I could justify eating chocolate 😂
You sound really well informed, and therefore well equipped, to tackle various diets. I remember a friend of mine saying that all diets work it is just a matter of finding one you can stick to. I think that is true but I also recognise that any diet may put in restrictions, and for me there the demons lie. Tell me I can’t have something and I am capable of obsessing about that one thing.
I have switched my attention to focussing on my motivation. So, rather than I should have this or I shouldn’t have that, when tempted to stray from the path, I think why am I doing this, I want to be healthy, I want to feel better, I want to wear that smaller pair of jeans that I optimistically hung on to from years before.
We, or is it just me, can get bogged down in the details of the diets - you know the diets, you know your preferences, have faith that you have the choice and you have the power - be kind to yourself, as the adverts say, you are worth it!
Hello and welcome to our friendly forum. It is very true that a successful diet is one you can stick to. If a diet is too restrictive you won't stick to it.
Motivation is also an important part of weight loss and relates to sticking to your plan. If you are not motivated you won't stick to it.
Here is a link to all the information you will need healthunlocked.com/weight-l.... There are several clubs and challenges you are welcome to join. We recommend the Weigh In and Daily Diary as good starting points. Have a good look around and read all the links. We find that active partiicipation is the key to success and you wil get lots of support.
Keep coming back and chatting and let us know how you are doing. If you have any questions just ask
I agree, it's the imposed restrictions that grate on me. I know eventually that this will be good for me and I'll be happy with my results but right now I have to resist temptation every day and it's tiring. I have so many old smaller clothes in my wardrobe that I hope to fit into one day!
You can do t the hard way and restrict all sources of calories or you can do it the easy way by avoiding the foods that contribute most to weight gain. Carbs are not all bad as although fibre is a carbohydrate it is almost impossible to metabolise while refined carbs like things made with flour are metabolised very quickly and spike insulin which drives weight gain. youtu.be/lwAksfOjf2w?si=R7I...
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