Discuss nutrition plans: Atkins, South Beach, Body Rx.....

[40something]

I've been reading on this site for a few days now and I'm confused about all the nutrition plans that people are following. What is the 'best' plan going? My goal is to just plain eat better, i.e. healthier. I'm not a junk food person so that isn't an issue but better overall nutrition for myself and my family that I cook for is. I have the problem of not eating enough during the day and as a result I feel tired. I'm also not a big meat eater so I'm not getting enough protein I'm sure...but I'm not a vegetarian either.

Anyway, I'm hoping that those of you on this forum who are living the nutrition plans that these books advocate, or others, will post here with your comments on why you like the program you chose and what benefits you have felt.

 

[kathryn]

I don't follow any of these plans, but in general, I think there are a lot of "diets" you can follow to lose weight, at least in the short term. That doesn't mean you can follow them in the long term, or even that they are healthy for you.

I'm sure you're probably getting enough protein if you eat a balanced diet, especially if you do eat any meat. With the current "high protein" diets around, there seems to be a paranoia about not getting enough protein. Most Americans (unless they eat mostly junk food or fruit) eat above and beyond necessary amounts of protein, even without following a "high protein" way of eating.

Even Arnold Schwarzennegar (sp?) says that to build muscle like his, you need .5 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

My favorite diet (as in "way of eating") books are the "picture perfect weight loss" books, which teach you how to make choices that are lower calorie and more healthy, but without prescribing any kind of specific eating plan. They're also very pretty to look at, because the pictures of the "better" choices look delicious!

 

[dlp252]

IMHO, the best plan is the one you will be able to do for life. I follow a low carb (Atkins) which is easy and right for me. I have a candida issue, so cutting out most kinds of sugar/yeast was a necessity for me, but beyond that, I really like my food choices, I have tons of energy and do not crave sweets anymore. My allergies (some symptoms were aggrevated by the foods I was eating) are much better than they were a year ago (when I started my plan). I chose Atkins because it was simple for me to "get". I read his book before deciding, and also read Protein Power, Sugar Busters and one other I can't remember (maybe Suzanne Somers' book). I just like Atkins because it seemed easier to me and I knew people who were following it (correctly, lol) so I could ask questions.

 

[Sheilaraecote]

I like the Protein Power and South Beach approaches to eating. It has worked quite well for me and has reduced my belly and hip fat. It is easy for me to follow. The other approach was The Zone and that is a 40/30/30 plan and also beneficial (40% carbs, 30 protein, 30 fat). I do not like the Atkins diet because I believe that saturated fats are not that good for you but I have not investigated Atkins either so I am not well informed on it.

Sheila

 

[Carol_is_fit]

I agree with Donna in that whatever you pick, it should be something you know you can stick with for life. If it sounds like too much trouble, or too rigid, or just not something you'd get into, then you won't stay with it and you won't get the results you want. Best of luck with whatever you choose to do!

Carol