I've managed to find a fantastic balance. I limit myself to 1600 calories per day. It's amazing how much you can eat if you practice portion control. I'm able to incorporate, daily, healthy fats,e.g., walnuts, 1Tbs. olive oil, sunflower seeds. I go for whole wheat as much as possible and I'm still able to have 3 ounces of meat once a week and a few slices of pizza once a week. As long as I exercise and keep track and eat smart, I can pretty much have anything I want. If I want something and I know I'll be over my 1600 calories by a lot, well, I'll plan to have it another day. It will still be there. I have Graves disease which is a thyroid condition. Once it was discovered and treament began I went from 125 to 150 in a matter of two weeks. Even on the proper medication I was not able to lose the weight. The "standard" diets did not work. I had to do something that would work for me. This worked for me; I went from 150 to 128 in 3 months and I've maintained it for 2 years.

It's simple--calories in vs. calories out--you can eat anything you want but if you burn more than you eat, you will lose.

i dont have a cooment but i do have some questions about your page?? do you know anything about angioplasty.. about the affects on the procedure... why do people haveto have angioplasty done and why do they choose angioplasty over conary artery bypass surgery??? please if you have any comments on the matter please reply to this message... thanks heaps

I enjoy healthy foods, so it is not extremely hard for me to forgo the more fattening foods. I try to eat every few hours and try to drink a lot of water. I have a veggie burger with cheese every morning, which gives me unrefined carbs, protein, and calcium. Usually I will have mostly vegetables for lunch. Eating pretty much the same thing for breakfast and lunch helps keep me on track and limits my choices, so I can't give in to temptation.

I find that when I do a low-carb diet I do lose more than with a low-fat diet & I feel better as well. I don't go to the extreme with it & I do occasionally give in to some carbs, but I try to eliminate processed foods (sugar & flour) and eat lots of veggies & lean meats. I also drink lots of water, when I gave up the soda's it made me feel so much better.

An important point to make is that there were a small number of women on the study, and that they lost most on the Mediteranian Diet!

Diets do work. Each person is different and one has to find a diet to fit them. Always consult your doctor before starting a diet. My doctor has advised that it is all caloric (not low carbs, low fat, etc.) Healthy low calorie diet for women is about 1200 to 1500 calories a day with exercise.Eat a lot of fresh fruit,vegetables, and fiber and less processed food. Drink plenty of water. Keeping a food calorie diary of what you eat every day helps. You have to change your life style and do not go back to your old eating habits after losing weight. It is ok to eat dessert in moderation. Don't deprive yourself but don"t go crazy either. Eat healthy and exercise daily; if you want to keep the weight off.

Hi, I'm a diabelic and have not followed any diet except not using my insulin as I shoul. In the past year I have been to 3 different eating disorder places and have finally started to get my life right. I have a nutrionist who has been helping me for almost 2 years. She has been trying to help me with carb counting. I have finally decided with her help that for me the best way to lose weight is I've put myself on 120 carbs a day and or 1200 calories. I usually use the carb count because it's harder for me to stay on calories than carbs. I do slip maybe once a week but I try not to beat myself up about it I just work harder the next meal. When I started the carb counting back at the beginning of June I weighed 157 pounds,I now weigh 143. I am 5'6" and would like to get down to at least 135. I do try to save carbs for evening snacks,which usually includes 1 Oz. of Frato reduced fat cheese,1 tastykake sugar free sensable finger cake,Keebler toasteds wheat crackers, and maybe a Breyer'scarb smart fudge bar. Any help

i limit myself to 1000 calories a day..i just eat veggies no fruits,non dairy products,2 liters of water a day, green tea,and once in a week i eat 1 bar of snickers with 511 calories coz sometimes we need sugar too.in just 3 weeks i lose 10 kilos..

Thank you for the sound advice, but as you know more information comes in daily.

Eat a lot of fruit,vegetables with fiber and less processed food.

What about diet sodas?

I have lost 40 lbs in a year by walking and cutting my carbohydrate intake. My cholesterol is lower and the ratio with LDL/HDL was excellent!! Caloric intake is less because I am not as hungry as when I eat a lot of carbohydrates.

But everyone must choose what works best for them.

Selma

I have lost about 75 pounds in a little over a year by changing my lifestyle. I am not on any particular diet and do not count calories or carbs. I still love chocolate and ice cream so I buy them in smaller packages. Some of the main food changes I have made are almost never eating any type of fast food, using whole wheat bread, keeping nuts, rasins, and fruit around for snacks, and paying more attention to my body about really being hungry and eating slowly so I know when I am full. I also have become more physically fit and do things like ride my bike or go for a walk about 3 times a week. I just joined the YMCA a couple weeks ago too so now I an lifting weights and swimming a couple times a week. I don't weigh myself all the time either. I already know I can gain almost 10 pounds just because its that time of the month and I'm retaining water really bad and weighing myself all the time stressed me out so I stopped. I thing lower stress helps with weight loss so it works for me.

I eat no shugar, no meat, no any dairy, no bread, only vegies and fruit, but I have not seen great loss of weight. Am I in right direction?

It has taken me about 2 years but I have lost 40 pounds and kept it off. I just found out that I needed to cut back on quantities and that way I can even have a cookie or whatever without blowing it. Believe it or not, meal substitute drinks help if you don't depend on them and add a salad of half of a sand to them. But we each have to find what is best for us. I used a Bible study support group and the other women were great help because they were trying to do the same thing.

I'm doing low carb. I'm also diabetic.
Low carb is the only thing that works for me because you don't have to starve yourself. And it keeps my BGL down.
Yesterday we gave in to a pizza craving and my blood sugar after 2 hrs was 176.
OMG. Sugar free desserts are yummy, cheesecake, etc. There are many websites with great recipes out there.
Oh BTW 120 carbs a day on a low carb diet it completely wrong.

I eat mainly protein foods n fibre rich foods eg: fruit n veg...portioned carbs and tofu is gr8! Lots o water and walking weights n cycling...Lost 11kg and kept it off for good...
Heidi...

At the beginning, I had to reduce around 10 kg from my weight. I was like a ball with 150 cm tall and 61kg. Then I followed a died program of 1000 daily calories. I eat whatever I want to eat. The key is, I measure my intake carefully, it must not over then 1000 calories per day in low carbohidrate and fruits, but lots of vegetables and enough protein. With this method I reached 50 kg in 7 months. I'm very happy that I have been keeping my weight in 50 kg over 6 months. The most important thing of 1000 cal is now becoming my habit. I feel so happy and health.....

I did Atklins a couple years ago for almost a full year and dropped 60 pounds but the scary thing is, it totally ruined my healthy/body. My PCP warned me about too Extreme diets and they can ruin your health if you use them too long. My thyroid shut down, I gained it all back and have had a hard time gaining my health back again. I will never ever do Atkins or any harsh diet again. I have now incorporated just common sense, lots of fresh veggies, fruits, whole grain breads etc. NO JUNK FOOD or candy. lots of water and very little sugar, and I exercise about 20-30 minutes daily with bike or treadmill and use weight bands(so much more results than barbell type weights) which I love. I DONT live at a gym! A friend had gastric bypass and she is miserable. Skinnier now but so depressed all the time and hungry. Just not worth it. Find something that you can live with but be VERY CAREFUL of extreme dieting programs. In the long run they will mess you up bigtime.

I HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND HYPER TENSION.I CHECKED NY HEART MATTER AT ASIAN HEART INSTITUTE BANDRA EAST UNDER THE SUPERVISON MR.SUVARNA TILK A HEART SPECIALIST AND SECO HIGHEST DOCTOR IN ASIAN HEART INSTITUTE. I AM HIS PATIENT AND AS PER HIS ADVISING I AM TAKING AMPLOPIN AT AND IROVELE H ONCE DAILY.MOREOVER, PRACTICAL I AM VISITING COUUNTRY CLUM IN THE CITY WEHERE I LIVE NAMELY MUMBAIO AND USEING TREND MILL WALKING FOR 20 MINUTES AND I FOUND MY CALIRIES 266 GOING DOWN BY 85 CALERIES AND LAST ON LAST SATURDAY I.E.31ST AUHUST 2008 103 CALARIES FROM 266.TO-DAY I ORDERED FOR BALANCED DIET COTAING VEGETABLE SALAD,3 CHAPPAIS,AND ONE VEGATABLE NO RICE,POTTATOS ETC WITH LAW SALTS.IT IS O.K? CAN YOU SUGGEST BETTER ONE? PLEASE DO REPLY.

I'm using a plan that works by eating foods that work for my body type (endo-mesomorph). I eat lean protein, certain types of carbs, veggies and fruit 5 or 6 times a day. Important to this plan is: no added salt, sugar or fats/oils during the reduction phase. Also, the foods I eat are "close to the source." No processed stuff. I will be able to add a few healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, salmon, nuts) in moderation after I get to my healthy goal weight.

I've lost 45 pounds since May 1 (today is September 3) using this plan.

Prior to this, I lost about 40 pounds on the Rice Diet. From my highest weight, I have lost a total of 92 pounds. I have about 50 more to go!

Currently, I do water walking 5 or 6 times/week and some resistance exercises a couple of times/week. I'm also taking Tai Chi classes.

One more comment: Diet sodas?????? YUCK! They are a nutritional disaster area. I haven't had a soda of any kind in over 10 years!

Drink water. That is also an important component of the plan I'm using

i did many of diets but non works with me i became depressed and fat too
of eating so much
i dont know what to do
i feel sorry for my self
plus am 23 yrs old my weight over 80 kilos
plz doctor is there anything u can do??

I have been following the Flat Belly Diety (Rodale Press) since 01/01/08. I have lost over 60 pounds and 11 inches in my waist. I eat 4 meals of 400 calories each, with a MUFA (mono-unsaturated fatty acid) at each meal (olives, avocado, chocolate, nuts, seeds, canola or olive oil) My HDL has gone up from 28 to 70. I also eat only whole grain bread and pasta, lots of fruits and veggies, and healthy protein. I certainly never feel deprived. I think the most enjoyable thing about eating like this is that I can now have tuna or egg salad sandwiches, with mayonnaise--since I use canola mayonnaise. I had avoided mayonnaise for years.
I also have been walking A LOT, playing ping pong twice a week, and lifting weights.
I am 69 years old. I would recommend this diet for everyone.

I am 36 yrs old.I dont drink,avoid sugar & milk products,walk a lot in hilly areas, still not losing weight. Pl suggest

I have a spinal cord injury that limits the amount of walking I can do & many of the exercises that have been recommended. I need to lose about 125 pounds....HELP!? I have been trying to eat according, but also have no teeth, so raw fruits & veges are not possible. How I would love an apple or raw carrot!!!

I eat mainly protein foods n fibre rich foods eg: fruit n veg...portioned carbs and tofu is gr8! Lots o water and walking weights n cycling...Lost 11kg and kept it off for good...

Many people wanna lose weight,in fact,i think the best way to lose weight is do sport,such as:swimming,running,yoga and etc. i do not mind go on a diet. just my opinion~haaa.