I am doing a presentation at my TOPS meeting in a few weeks about the different diet plans out there (and there are many!!!).
I am trying to give an educated discussion and I will be checking out the different forums FAQs.
What I want to know from you is:
1. What plan are you on?
2. What do you like best about it?
3. What do you like least about it?
4. Are there certain foods you have to stay away from?
5. Are there certain foods you have to eat daily (or as often as possible)?
6. Do you think you can do your diet for life?
7. Anything else you can add to describe your diet and/or why you chose it.

Please keep in mind that your response should be based on YOUR current diet plan only. Please, no bashing of others diet plans.

Thank you in advance for your openness and willingness to discuss your plan.

:rose:

hi julie..here are my answers:

1. What plan are you on? I am on my own plan, based on all the diets i have ever done in my life..it boils down to low fat, healthy, high quality, high fiber, well balanced, portion controlled, 3 meals a day and 2 snacks, plus water and exercise. Lean protein, whole grains, non fat dairy, fruits, veggies, some fat.


2. What do you like best about it? I like it because i am eating every few hours, keeping my blood sugars even, and eating healthy FUEL that has tons of nutrients.


3. What do you like least about it?
hmmmm...well, i guess that i didnt start doing it sooner? cant really think of something i dont like about it..


4. Are there certain foods you have to stay away from? my goal is to be able to learn to eat all foods in appropriate amounts..but right now i dont feel like i can control certain things...so i am staying away from ice cream, which in the past has been a summer staple.

5. Are there certain foods you have to eat daily (or as often as possible)? I tend to eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch for convenience. Foods i eat daily include high quality cereal, non fat milk, whole wheat bread, carrots, often turkey or chicken breast, non fat yogurt almost daily..fruits and veggies varry in variety but are eaten daily.

6. Do you think you can do your diet for life? yes, definitely!!!

7. Anything else you can add to describe your diet and/or why you chose it. I chose it because i am most interested in not only losing weight, but also improving and maintaining my health. I want to become stronger, more energetic, more optimistic, and be able to move as much and as easily as i can. I feel this way of eating and exercise provides the best possibilty for those outcomes.

:rose:

1. The program DH and I are following is called ChangeOne from the Reader's Digest people.

2. What I like best about it is: it is a 12 step program so you make changes to your diet/lifestyle gradually, not all in one day. And it is EASY.

3. The only thing I don't like about it is it calls itself a diet, and I really cannot think of it that way. It is a plan for healthy, well balanced eating and moderate, regular exercise.

4. All foods - and I do mean ALL - are included in the program. There really is nothing you have to avoid.

5. Are there foods you have to eat daily? Yes. Everything from the food guide: dairy, fruit & veg, fat, meat and alternatives, and grain products.

6. Do you think you can do this for life? Yes, or I wouldn't have started it.

7. We chose this plan because we were simply looking for a guide to healthier eating. One that didn't cut out food groups or make you eat 100 celery sticks a day. We just wanted to understand portion sizes, what a balanced meal is, how to lower our fat intake without going too low, and most importantly, we wanted something we could live with. This plan teaches what a portion should look like without having to weigh or measure, for example, a serving of 'lunch meat' should be the size of 3 CD's, meat should be the size of a deck of cards, cold cereal, rice or pasta the size of a baseball. Best of all...it is EASY to follow and we are achieving excellent results.

1.program;WW
2.like best;coming from a "clean your plate and no left-over family,I needed to learn about portions,WW helped me learn that.The group support at the meetings and the friendships that develop.
3;like least;as awful as it may sound,the cost(I know we shouldn't't put a price on our health,but,MAN!!!After the first 12 weeks(which you Recife printed material each week you weigh-in,you get a recipe a month and 4 times a year you get a small magazine(I am sorry,but,they take my money,I have a LONG way to go to goal,and they do nothing to keep me motivated,OK,I'm greedy,I want something every week,just like the new people get!)
4;foods you stay away from;WW teaches you about food and also tries to encourage you to understand why you gained in the first place.By helping you see any harmful patterns in your consumption of food,you can then make the decision whether or not to add it to your diet(red light food,yellow light food and green light foods)So,no,there is no food that you have to stay away from,you just learn to control the food,don't let the food control you.
5;eat daily;foods from all categories
6;for life;YES
7;I chose this plan because it is based on facts,food has now become something that I can enjoy without feeling guilty about eating it in front of others and the plan is easy to follow.

1. What plan are you on?
My own, no diet approach.

2. What do you like best about it?
Nothing is forbidden, I get to make my own choices.

3. What do you like least about it?
I guess there's really nothing I dislike about it. If I do something crazy, it's easy to pick up and move along to the next meal. Plus, I'd be just as likely to go "off the wagon" with a structured diet plan.

4. Are there certain foods you have to stay away from?
No, although I do stay away from certain things for non-diet reasons.

5. Are there certain foods you have to eat daily (or as often as possible)?
No, at least not for diet reasons. I do have a tendency to eat certain things every day because I like them.

6. Do you think you can do your diet for life?
Yes.

7. Anything else you can add to describe your diet and/or why you chose it.
Well, my approach is to choose items that are healthful for most of my meals, and have smaller portions (this is the new part of my plan) - especially smaller portions of treats. I don't like the idea of some person or group telling me what to eat or how much to eat. I want to make that decision for myself. I like being able to adjust my diet as needed, and I like variety.

1. What plan are you on? - I follow the Richard Simmons program of healthy eating, portion control and exercise. I have been doing this since January, 2000.

2. What do you like best about it? - It provides me with a "balanced WOE" that is, so many portions of veggies, so many portions of protein, etc. As I am a diabetic I need to follow the ADA exchange program, and the Richard Simmons program is based on that. It also encourages exercise - I use some of Richard's videos often. Water consumption is also encouraged.

3. What do you like least about it? Can't think of anything right now.

4. Are there certain foods you have to stay away from? Actually no, all foods are allowed on this WOE. But there are foods that I choose to stay away from, but that is my choice.

5. Are there certain foods you have to eat daily (or as often as possible)? The RS program encourages the eating of veggies, fruits, etc. I don't "have" to eat them daily but I choose to.

6. Do you think you can do your diet for life? Certainly.

7. Anything else you can add to describe your diet and/or why you chose it. Well, it is a healthy way of eating. It encourages me to control the size of my portions, it encourages me to get in some exercise, it encourages me to stay motivated and positive about myself. It is suitable for all ages (I lost weight at the age of 74). :D

Thank you for responding, Sooz, CathyC1, v-bea, dea and JoThrive. I really appreciate your assitance in this.
Bumping for others to read and respond.
Thanks again!!!
:rose:

1. What plan are you on? Doing my own thing. I figure I know how to eat healthy so I don't need anyone else telling me what to do, never mind paying them for that service LOL!

2. What do you like best about it? No hard and fast rules- no restrictions, etc. If I want to eat something, I do. Since it is only up to me whether I succeed or not, I am accountable to myself and need to weigh how much I want that sundae vs how it effects my attaining my goal. If it's worth it and I am eating reasonably, I go for it!

3. What do you like least about it? Hmmm... nothing really! But I *would* love a personal chef to make me all these healthy meals- save me the time and thought! :D

4. Are there certain foods you have to stay away from? Nope. Like I said, it's up to me whether I succeed or not. Eating crap all day sure isn't going to get me there!

5. Are there certain foods you have to eat daily (or as often as possible)? Lots of fruits and veggies, lean meats, lots of yogurt, more whole wheat products. Just your basic healthy foods.

6. Do you think you can do your diet for life? Most definitely. There's nothing hard about it- if I want it, I eat it. It's my decision whether it's a wise choice or not.

7. Anything else you can add to describe your diet and/or why you chose it. Everything I already said. I think common sense is the way to go for me. I am very motivated and like to feel in control of my own destiny. I don't need a book, plan, video, group, whatever to tell me what I should and shouldn't be eating and how often to exercise. I eat when my body needs it and try to be as active as possible. I know what is healthy and what is not. Healthy, reasonably portioned meals most of the time will get me where I am going and that's fine with me!

HTH!
Melissa

1. What plan are you on? Calorie counting and exercise, currently. (Just came off of Body For Life, which I love but responses are based on my own program of calorie counting and exercise.)

2. What do you like best about it?It is simple and based on what I believe to be the key point in weight loss ... calories in versus calories out. If you burn more calories than you store, you lose weight, eventually.

3. What do you like least about it? This is not meant to be flippant, but I like least that I can't eat all the junk food I want and lie on the couch all day. That's the truth.

4. Are there certain foods you have to stay away from?No, but it's a good idea to eat high quality calories versus junk calories.

5. Are there certain foods you have to eat daily (or as often as possible)No.?

6. Do you think you can do your diet for life? Yes, with lots of backsliding.

7. Anything else you can add to describe your diet and/or why you chose it. I lost 100 pounds that way, so guess it works for me. :)

1. What plan are you on? I'm following the weight watchers plan

2. What do you like best about it? It helps me with portion control. I have the freedom to eat what I want, but I have to stay within my points. I don't have to worry about limiting a certain food group because I can get a variety of everything.

3. What do you like least about it? With the weight watchers system I can basically eat what I want during the day just as long as I stay within my daily points range. What I don't like about this sometimes I'll find it much easier to grap a cookie or some pretzles instead eat veggies. I don't eat hardly any veggies and that's not good.

4. Are there certain foods you have to stay away from? None that I can think of.

5. Are there certain foods you have to eat daily (or as often as possible)? None that I can think of. Their are certain foods that I do eat daily like cerel, milk, and fruit. However these aren't foods that I have to have I can take them or leave them.

6. Do you think you can do your diet for life? yes

7. Anything else you can add to describe your diet and/or why you chose it. I choose weight watchers because you get to eat a variety of food. It teaches you about portion control. And I don't have to eat like I'm on a diet I can eat real food.

~ Katherine