What Diets Have Worked for You?

If you're serious, Weight Watchers. I did their online only program and lost the stubborn 20 lbs. I couldn't lose. WW provides you with a lot of recipes and most in Cooking Light magazine are also very compatible.

Be very leery of any diet plans eliminating any foods. You want realistic ones. If I had to cut carbs or eliminate sweets, I'd completely fail. Look for a plan that preaches moderation rather than elimination.

Also be careful of the free online plans. I did SparkPeople and it restricted my calorie count down to 1,200. I was constantly starving and after two weeks lost nothing. My body went into starvation mode and wouldn't shed a thing. Decided then to try paying for a program and went with WW. I was able to eat a whole lot more and the weight finally started to come off.

I've tried many.
Had some small success but gained it all back again and then some.
Finally last year I saw my doctor.
He put me on 1200 calories per day (I can eat anything as long as I don't go over my 1200 cal limit), Adipex, I started a food diary, and I walk 3 times per week.
I also drink a lot of water.
I've learned to watch the salt.
It seems salty things puts a stress on your liver and that makes it difficult for your metabolism to stay high enough to lose the weight.
If I eat a lot of ham, bacon, etc but stay true to not going over my 1200 per day, I still won't lose weight.
A little bit of salt is necessary but it's really easy to get enough with out trying very hard.
From Dec 1st last year to now I have lost 70 lbs and gone down 6 clothing sizes.
I still have more to lose but I'm getting there slowly but surely.

What about making small changes to what you already eat? That way, it's not a diet, but a lifestyle change that you will continue to do (and therefore continue to keep the weight off)? For example, if you want to snack, limit yourself to only fresh fruit or veggies, paired with a few unsalted almonds. Or slice an apple and put a small amount of peanut butter on it. Or ditch snacks altogether, and stick to balanced meals. Aim to increase your fruit and veggie consumption to 8-10 servings a day. Your meals will feel big, but they will be full of good for you fiber and nutrients. Rather than working to eliminate foods, I find it's easier to try to increase fresh fruit and veggies consumption.

Good luck!

Diets don't work. Lifestyle changes can work. Regular exercise and eating healthfully, making sure to get enough calories every day so that your body doesn't go into starvation mode and cling to the calories.

I highly recommend Weight Watchers. It isn't a diet, it is a lifestyle change. But you do have to be 100% committed to it to be successful. I lost about 60 pounds in a little less than a year. And I know half a dozen people at least who have lost 80-100 pounds and have kept the weight off for several years. It does take some time to count points, but you can find meal plans and lots of recipes on their website that make it easier. It basically is portion control, cutting down on treats (but not avoiding them all together), moving more, and making changes to things around you like what is in your kitchen, how you grocery shop, and how you order in restaurants. You don't have to attend meetings, but I find I am more successful when I do. You can do an on-line membership.

There is no "diet" that works. You have to change your lifestyle and the way you eat. Weight loss is about calories in vs calories out (assuming everything else is healthy).

1200 calories a day to lose. 1500 to maintain once you've lost. Anything more than that is just extra that your body packs on.
Start paying attention. You'll be FLOORED how fast things add up if you're limiting yourself to a number.

You'll go nuts if you worry about carbs, proteins, sugars, etc...
In short, count your calories in whatever way you need to. Get a food scale, read labels, pay attention to serving sizes.
You'll find that you start to gravitate to foods that will keep you full without adding a lot of calories.

Also, give yourself 2-3 cheat meals (not days...meals)/week to treat yourself for your efforts. Plan ahead.

And remember...the only way you're going to actually lose weight and keep it off is if you are willing to put in the effort to do it.

The old Weight Watchers. Teaches you how to eat healthy. I lost 85 lbs. in 1973. Marriage, four kids, and menopause and my total weight gain is 15 lbs. that "diet" is embedded in my brain. Never felt deprived, because there were plenty of ways to satisfy the cravings. I do not believe in the point system. I am sure you could find the old diet somewhere.

Fill up on water, eat as much real, whole food as you can. Avoid anything frozen or otherwise processed. Try to make a few meatless dinners a week, that not only saves calories/fat it saves $. Don't keep "treats" on hand (ice cream, donuts, chips, etc.) make those something you go OUT for. Avoid bread and pasta as much as you can. Become a label reader, especially when you go out to eat. Some single meals have an entire day's worth of calories in them! If you're craving fast food get a kid's meal. If you're craving pizza order it by the slice. Practice portion control. The entree on your plate shouldn't be any bigger than your fist. Don't drink soda or other sugary drinks, including juice. I like those 100 calorie almond packs and mini chocolate bars from Trader Joes, those are my go to snacks when I need a pick me up.

Have you heard of Trim Healthy Mama? It's not a diet, but a way of eating that enables your body to process the fuel you are feeding it. In a nutshell, all meals have protein at the center, and you either have fat or carbs as the primary fuel. When you mix fat and carbs, your body releases too much insulin, which is stored in your cells as fat. They have a book, which is about 600 pages long. But, it is so packed full of information, explaining how and why to eat this way. And, they have a huge section of recipes to help you learn what goes together. They don't eliminate any food group. But, they do eliminate sugar. If you check with your library, you can probably find the book there. Most libraries will order a book if they don't already have it, so be sure to ask. If you are on Facebook, you can find the THM fan page. Lots of recipes and testimonials (with pictures). It isn't a lose weight fast gimmick. It is a new way of eating, which is manageable. You don't feel hungry or like you are missing out at all.

Eat roughage, drink water afterwards and you will eliminate all of the nonessential goods from your system. If you are over 40, you've also got to lift weights to rebuild muscle loss.

Try Shred by Dr. Ian Smith. It helps kickstart weight loss. It's a 6-week plan, but you can continue working the plan as long as you want! You can take his suggestions and work them to fit your life when you're done losing weight. The basics is that it's diet confusion with 4 meals and up to 4 snacks a day. Be forewarned, though, it's a lot of chicken, fish, smoothies, and soups. He does give recipes for smoothies, soups, and shakes as well as a list of 100- and 150-calorie snacks.

Paleo. It's an amazing lifestyle. We are doing it in our family and it's working! I would buy one of the Paleo Diet books and start there. It's not just a diet, it's a lifestyle.

My Husband has lost weight, by "accident."
Meaning, he just started to eat more vegetarian.
Less processed stuff and less eating out per work.
Although I personally do cook healthy and from scratch anyway, he took it a few notches more, streamlined per his eating habits. He cut out all starches and animal based proteins, and has less salt, etc. Sure he has carbs. But it is now, complex carbs and whole grains etc. Which, even when I cooked that way all this time, he did not eat it much. He was mostly a meat and potatoes guy. Not now. And now, he enjoys eating vegetarian and will eat tons of veggies now. Although for me and the kids, we still eat the way we always did, which was healthy already. But we are not as hardcore as he is about it now.
But his point was just to eat healthier. Not to "diet." But along the way he has lost weight. And he needed to anyway. And he saw his Doc and he is fine and his intake is balanced and what he needs, per his physique.

As I am sure others have mentions, no "diet" will work because once you fall onto bad habits again the weight will come back. You need to make small changes one at a time (like one a week, allowing you a few days to adjust to each change before adding another) and stick with them for the long haul to see real and lasting results.

Best of Luck!