What's your "favorite" diet these days?
 

Oy! So I went in for a check up last week and was gob-smacked to learn that I had high cholesterol! I don't think I've ever been out of range on any tests and while I've got a little bit of love handle action going on, I'm only in the 130s for weight and (I thought) in pretty good shape for 51.

Anyhoooooooooooo, now I have to think about diet and all that #$*%. :cursing:

So, what's your "favorite" diet plan these days? Low carb? Weight watchers? Paleo? Atkins? I tended toward low carb (and higher fat) but may now have to re-think that . . . Are you DONE with diets completely?

The last meal plan I followed was 21DayFix which a Beachbody program. I didn't follow the exercise portion. Just the eating portion. Works great if you don't mind measuring out all of your food portions.

I'm just back to counting calories & tracking them & fitness. It is only thing that has ever worked for me & my colesterol was high too so I have to do something about it. Have a blood test this week to see if it has improved & if not I'll be on meds for it I guess ugh. I upgraded to a fitbit Blaze which is great for tracking ftness (I HATE exercising so I only do a walk & play basketball in the driveway with my hubby) and I use My Fitness Pal for tracking food.

I did the Whole 30 last year, and I've found that the mix of protein and vegetables is really good for me. I don't stick with the program 100%, but it has influenced my eating habits significantly.

Yeah, I think protein and veggies is what I'll focus on with some small amounts of whole grains. The trick with protein is that some are bad for cholesterol but salmon and chicken get boring pretty quick. :D

I live a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle and have for several years now. No meat, no dairy. Whole foods that are plant based. No need to count calories and I've never felt better - I feel better in my 50s than I did in my 20s and 30s.

And before you ask "How do you get enough protein?" Let me ask you, how much fiber do you get? 97% of Americans don't meet the MINIMAL requirement for fiber intake ;)

Two great reads are Proteinaholic by Dr. Garth Davis and How NOT to Die by Dr. Michael Greger. It's not a diet, it's a way of life now.

I just finished a round of Whole30. I'm not following it completely now but it definitely helped me to break my sugar addiction and get a handle on my emotional eating. I went down almost an entire pant size but I won't know how much weight I lost until I get to my parents' house this week & use their scale. :)

I'm incorporating more vegetables into our meals by including them in the sauces I make, I'm making seasonings & sauces from scratch, and I'm snacking on fruit vs. junk food so I'm calling it a win! Dairy does not bother me so I am using that as an additional protein source.

It helped my husband to discover that he feels better when he doesn't eat dairy (and he already has a gluten intolerance) so I'm doing my best to cook GF DF family meals (which is hard but manageable).

I don't like micromanaging my food by counting calories/points or measuring portions so eliminating entire food groups is definitely easier for my 'all or nothing' personality.

I was browsing Dr. Greger's website the other day. Interesting stuff. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to go completely plant-based but I definitely want to move more in that direction. I find it challenge because I have the gene that makes me a "super-taster" which means that a lot of veggies simply taste bad/bitter to me. But, I think I need to try to be a little more creative too and find ways to prepare them that I would like better.

Will you share what you eat for breakfast if you are plant-based, gluten free and dairy free. Since giving up eggs (cholesterol) and not wanting to go to bread or cereal kind of breakfasts (simple carbs), I've mainly been having steel-cut oatmeal all week. I need to figure out more options! :)

[Edited: oh, wait, maybe you aren't gluten free? I think I was combining everyone's responses in my mind.]

Making sauces with veggies is exactly what I need to do more of to get more creative. When it cools off -- soup too, since I love soup. I agree that it's easier to eliminate certain foods or food groups because having to think about it all the time is exhausting.

After trying all the diets... at the end of the day I follow a clean, whole food diet. Watch portions, you can go hungry, isn't going to kill you (something I tell my husband all the time). And watch sugar intact - that is my downfall. I'm addicted to that monkey and it sneaks in so many premade foods. The whole "cholesterol" thing is very much a sore point for me... which I wont't go into why western medicine is so wrong about it and the meds cause more health problems. :glare:

Yes, I'm not gluten free - Gluten doesn't bother me at all. For breakfast I eat a lot of oats - either overnight oats (cold from the fridge) or hot or I make granola and eat it with yogurt (coconut) and berries. Sometimes I have Dave's Killer Bread toasted with peanut butter or hummus or sometimes I have leftovers from dinner or an apple with almond butter and some other fruit :)

mmm. That all sounds yummy. I need to try that bread.

I have been on Weight Watchers for a little over a year and have lost 62 lbs so far. They revamped the program right before I joined and it really pushes you toward low carb, high protein, whole/natural food eating. Staying away from starch and sugar. It's easy to follow on the phone app. I love it. It's worth the money to me because I have to lose so much (I'm about halfway there) - but you can just join online and it is less expensive. I bet the Whole 30 plan is similar.