BlogHer - How Do You Choose a Diet? - Comments

South Beach is not for beginners?

JenniO — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 10:16:06 -0600

Hi, and thanks for interesting thread.

I have looked at the South Beach Diet and it is not that different from Atkins is it? it is a little less strict on carbs but from my perspective it is still too strict. During phase 1 you are meant to go on a very limited amount of carbs.

The first time dieter will probably have lots of problems with this. Getting tired and such.

There are too many fads that are based on non-behavior (non-carb, non-fat and so on) and these are extremely hard to follow because our body have needs for the variety of foods.

Eating too little carbs means that our brain runs on fat and to me it is like running your brand new car on low grade petrol.

Well, thats my opinion and also my first post here! English isn't my primary language so you'll probably find some grammar and spelling errors.

/Jennifer Olsen

Not so sure about the Mediterranean diet

lery84 — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 11:38:14 -0600

I don't agree exactly when you say:

--
My commentary: This type of eating might be healthier. But if you don't eat in moderation, you're not going to lose weight.
I don't think you can eat 2500 calories a day, from this list of foods, and lose weight.

Eat 1500-1700 a day, depending on your height, weight and activity level and yes you can lose weight. Whether you can eat high amounts of these foods and be healthier has not been determined. My guess is no, not without a lot of exercise.
--

I was born in Sicily, Italy and I can clearly tell you that by eating the Mediterranean diet you won't gain weight.

It depends by 3 points:
1. Metabolism

2. Start the main meals (lunch and dinner) with a salad can help you being less hungry

3. The foods are so complete that you won't need to eat big quantities to absorb more nutritional

I'd like also to read this article that compare other diet pyramids

Thank you!

Valeria

Agree With Everyone

abswyg — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 10:17:51 -0600

Down with diets, up with real foods and let's commit to eating healthier for good.

That being said, I lost 20 lbs a year ago on WW and have kept if off (give or take a few holiday pounds that I'm working on shedding right now). For me, WW wasn't so much a diet as it was a way to help me re-learn how to eat healthy. WW re-introduces you to appropriate portion sizes (we've forgotten what a real serving size is) and helps you keep track of what you put in your mouth (ever add up those little "bites" and "nibbles" you take throughout the day -- you'd be surprised). WW's online tool makes counting so easy, it does the counting for you. After doing WW for a year, I can pretty much maintain my weight without having to log my points because I know what my limits are. And I can eat anything I want as long as they're within those limits.

Amy S.
Up With Moms (http://upwithmoms.blogspot.com/)

Hear, Hear!

Kalyn Denny — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:12:24 -0600

That's just how I feel about South Beach too! I went to look at your blog thinking, "I might want to link to this blog on my own site" and realized I already have a link to you!

Good luck with the exercise program. I am a pretty committed exerciser, but I still get in slumps where I don't exercise for a while. It always feels good to get back to it.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

South Beach

Bellasboldbrilliantblog — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 14:51:04 -0600

Thanks for including my blog in your roundup article.

I have to say, I've tried lots of diets in the past (Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, cabbage soup, etc.) and the South Beach Diet is the one that seems to make the most sense to me. The book really made me understand how sugars are processed by the body. It's logical and realistic.

It is also the first diet that doesn't have me obsessing over food. No counting points, etc. I eat low carb, low fat foods when I'm hungry, and that's that. I don't have to constantly think about how I'm going to squeeze in 4 more points at 11pm at night. I know which foods I should avoid and which foods I should include. It's really been easy.

Now that the food is easy, I have to begin an exercise program in earnest so that I can see even greater results on the scale.

As you mentioned, no matter which program people choose, the best way to be successful is to follow it whole heartedly. You have to make the commitment to yourself and know that you're doing this for life -- a more healthy life.

Bella
http://bellasboldbrilliantblog.wordpress.com
http://southbeachtrio.wordpress.com

No Carb Diets

SheilaRae — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:26:55 -0600

Diets without Carbs just sound weird to me. I think the diets that say meat, meat and more meat are going to cause major health concerns in the future. We need fiber which is associated with Carbs to make our bodies work right. I like the Maker's Diet idea and that is just to eat as natural as possible. I shop around the outside of the grocery store and try to avoid the inside as much as possible. Lots of fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, dairy, meat and whole grains as possible but like I said in anothe post NO WHITE FLOUR and actually I don't even do alot of wheat in general. My father looks at me funny when I say that because he is a farmer.

Sheila Rae
http://www.sheilaraellc.com

I think the perfect diet is no DIET

SheilaRae — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:20:11 -0600

Sheila Rae
www.bizzylizzybakery.com

I am not against diets but I do think this industry is not very kind to all of us that need to loose a few pounds. All the gadgets and books we could read to make the process so easy. And the people that stand up there and say yes, I lost weight in just 10 days using this machine or that. Weight loss is holistic. It is a combination of a bunch of components. The right foods and of course exercise and I think NO POP, which by the way I love. My New Years resolution is just to leave out White Flour products. I have been doing a lot of reseach on this topic and have found ties between Diabetes and White Flour and of course the food allergies that are associate with it. I think if we take the life out of food which is what happens in the removal of the germ from white flour it just is not good for us. I also don't believe in seedless-fruit. ]

best wishes on dieting??

I have to weigh in

Kalyn Denny — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:36:36 -0600

Of course I have to weigh in on this one (no pun intended). Great job Denise, although there are a few things I don't agree with (what a surprise!).

Of course I'm sold on the South Beach Diet or I wouldn't be writing a blog about cooking that way. I'm also a total believer in eating "real food" not packaged meals. I love that South Beach allows me to still be creative in the kitchen, eat "gourmet" food and maintain a size 8-10 (which I've been able to do since 2004, with a few returns to phase one when the size tens are getting a bit snug.)

Another blogger I'd recommend for anyone who has a lot of weight to lose is PastaQueen who writes the blog Half of Me. She has basically lost half her body weight on South Beach, and she didn't even cook when she started, although she's learning. She's writing a book about the experience of losing a lot of weight. She's a great writer, and her blog is always a good read.

Now, my two cents worth on what Denise said and some other comments.

First, everyone in the comments who is having heartburn about the word diet, you're forgetting there are two meanings to that word. Your "diet" is simply what you eat. I plan to eat the South Beach Diet way for the rest of my life, for me it is a complete lifestyle change. I will always be grateful to Dr. Agatston for helping me to understand why it mattered what I ate as much as it did how much I ate.

Second, South Beach is basically the same as a low-glycemic index diet. For the most part, on South Beach food lists whether foods are considered "good", "limited", "very limited" or "avoid" is based on the glycemic index of that food and/or whether it contains saturated fat. I've been amazed to watch more and more "low GI diets" spring up, which are just different incarnations of South Beach.

Third, Denise you know I love you to death, but you're just wrong when you say this about phase one: "That really deprived feeling you get from a very restrictive diet is what tends to cause you to stop using the diet plan, why Dr Agatston puts people through that is beyond me. "

I've had many people tell me (and have experienced it myself) that when you stick to phase one you will develop almost a "high" feeling with lots of energy and not feeling hungry. The truth is, when you're on phase one you feel so great (and are losing weight so quickly) it's hard to get yourself to move on to phase two. Dr. Agatston made that claim in the book, and I was so skeptical, but I've experienced it several times now when I've gone back to phase one for a "tune-up" after I've over-indulged (which I still do sometimes, I'm human!) Also, if you read the South Beach Diet book it explains how eliminating starchy vegetables, fruits, grains, and alcohol for a period of time (all things that turn to sugar quickly in the body) actually causes your body to stop craving those kinds of foods. In my own experience, when you go to phase two and start to add things like brown rice or converted rice, low-carb or whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, and fruit back into your diet, it's much harder to regulate what you're eating without overdoing it than it is to stick to phase one. (That is where knowing the glycemic index comes in. Once you understand it, there is no counting, measuring, or weighing. You will intuitively know which foods are best.)

The advantages of eating the low glycemic way are more energy, greater feeling of well-being, elimination of mood swings, and elimination of cravings for sweets and overly-starchy foods.

Thanks for starting a great conversation about this topic. As someone who lost over 40 pounds (and I was over age 50) I can tell you that life is a lot more enjoyable when you're at a healthy weight. I also believe (as Alanna mentioned) that everyone has to choose a diet based on their own food preferences. I don't find the South Beach way of eating that hard to stick with, I feel better when I do stick to it, and I'm happy to have found a way of eating that works for me.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Knowing how to eat vs. knowing how to cook

Pam — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 15:43:20 -0600

I'd argue that the problem is that people don't know how to MAKE food, not they they don't know what they should be eating. Even with packaged food, the rules apply - if you don't know what the hell it is, you probably shouldn't be eating it. Yeah, there are generations of pre-fab food eaters, but it's not a huge stretch to go from eating prefab food that has weird-ass ingredients to eating prefab food that we can understand. Salad in a bag is a better veggie than boxed mashed spuds, surely we know that.

Admitted: I live in a lefty, foodie, west coast ghetto, not in a place where Canadian Bacon is a vegetable. :-)

Nerd's Eye View

I don't like the word diet

Carmen S — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 15:34:25 -0600

and I try to avoid using it.

I made a lifestyle change, one step at a time. I did it slowly and cautiously, and it worked.

The word "diet" indicates a beginning and an end. What are you going to do when the diet ends, and your real life returns? You have to learn to eat the right foods, in the correct amounts. And move more.

---

Keep posted with my life on my blogs:
www.momtothescreamingmasses.typepad.com - a story of one woman's insanity with her six kids
www.theelffdiet.com - how I lost 80 pounds with a New Year's Resolution

I cringe!

Laura Collins — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 13:44:02 -0600

Count me in as a "cringer."

I live in the world of eating disorder advocacy and dieting by any name sounds bad, bad, bad. And a little scary.

Part of that is the PTSD reaction to living with someone (now recovered) whose eating disorder sounded to the ear so much like a dieting commercial.

But also because there is no evidence I've seen that any sort of restrictive eating makes permanent body composition change. Except, in some cases, to result in higher fat/lean mass ratios.

The two authors great to read on this are Gina Kolata of the NYT, who wrote "Rethinking Thin" and the blogger Sandy Szwarc at junkfoodscience.blogspot.com

Great Round-Up, Denise

Alanna Kellogg — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 13:27:19 -0600

And you're absolutely right, picking the "right diet" for one's taste is so important. I love Weight Watchers and can't imagine giving up fruit or bread. Kalyn loves South Beach and can't imagine only using a tablespoon of olive oil for a salad dressing serving four. (Yes, we do compare notes! I've learned a ton about how diets work differently with different people since knowing her.)

But the "best diet" is one I saw detailed (if you can call it that) is from Escape from Obesity, STOP EATING SO MUCH AND START MOVING.

It's just so basic, reminding me of my godson when he was about five and wanted to be a basketball star. I asked what what it would take to become one, thinking he'd say, "Grow tall", "Work hard", etc. Instead he said, "Well, I guess I'd have to be able to make a lot of baskets".

Right on. So basic!!!

BTW the Weight Watchers "core plan" doesn't require counting points. Basically, you eat from a list of certain foods so in that way it's more like South Beach/others that focus on WHAT you can eat first.

Alanna Kellogg, A Veggie Venture

Glycemic Index

Denise — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:59:46 -0600

I know what you mean. Many of the "big diets" that used to be labeled "low carb" are now calling themselves GI diets and that makes me nervous. It's another gimmick to sell books and eating programs. And, I think it can dilute the entire GI issue for those with health conditions that really do call for Glycemic Index monitoring.

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings

Monthly food challenges, Lauren?

Denise — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:57:01 -0600

I won't join your monthly food challenges, because for me that's just like the diet/nutrition obsession and I do not do food obsessions. Yuk. But I can also guarantee you that I'll be reading them and it's very likely that I'll be blogging them too.

Thanks for posting your link. I'm subscribing now.

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings

GI "Diet"

Kuri — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:55:39 -0600

Interesting to see the GI values as a "diet" - I was familiar with them as an approach to eating reputed to be good for the prevention of diabetes and good health, but was unaware they were being marketed primarily as a weight-loss regime.

That worries me a bit, because I'm skeptical that diet marketing will be as accurate as the peer-reviewed research tables that the GI folk present and diet marketing will probably make this approach to eating seem more regulated and less flexible then it is.

- Kuri
Thought, Interrupted By Typos
http://www.thoughtinterrupted.ca/

How Do You Choose a Diet?

Denise — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 10:33:42 -0600

A funny thing happened to me on the way to making a living, I went from being someone who had never dieted in her life and hated diets to someone who had never dieted in her life, hated diets and found herself a bit of an expert in diets and dieting. Funny how being good at your job can lead you into fields you never thought you'd explore.

If you were asking me for advice about dieting and weight loss, I'd point you to Kristy's Good Health-a-thon post and suggest you create very small, attainable and measurable goals that are related to healthy eating, healthy exercising and healthy body image and I'd tell you to throw away your scale. But, I know a lot of you feel like you need a real live diet plan to follow so I'm going to help you out with a bit of an overview on some of the biggies.

The most important thing I can tell you about choosing a diet plan is that you need to find one that you'll actually be able to follow. Almost all of them work, (if you don't have a chronic health condition ortake medications that cause weight loss to be more difficult), but... you have to follow the plan. You can't just say you're following the plan. You can't just pay the membership fees. You can't just buy the special food.

Kalyn is a huge fan of the South Beach Diet and it's worked for her. Why has it worked for her, and not my friend "Click Michelle"? Because Kalyn has followed the plan and "Click Michelle" has not.

Alanna has been doing Weight Watchers for ages and it works for her but Weight Watchers didn't work for my neighbor in NJ. Why is that? It's because Alanna follows the plan and my neighbor in NJ did not.

So which diet is right for you? Which one can you follow, long term?

Weight Watchers:

* The Flex Plan is based on making better food choices by tracking POINTS® values.
* The Core Plan® focuses on eating nutritious, satisfying foods without counting or tracking.

My commentary:
Flex Plan is the one that gives you X number of points and encourages you to count points (which is pretty much the same thing as counting calories - the numbers are just lower making it easier to track your foods in your head or on a piece of paper.)

There are some people who cannot lose weight unless they have something to count, or something to look out for. For those people, WW works really well. (But so would any diet that encourages you to count your calories, as long as it wasn't encouraging you to eat TOO FEW CALORIES... 1200 is not enough for 99% of the population so don't go there.) If you're a counter... if you need to track numbers, then WW will work for you. If tracking points or calories depresses you or feels too much like work, then choose another diet or choose their second option which is very similar to the South Beach and GI Diets.

Alanna Kellogg has one of the best collections of Weight Watchers Recipes and An Urban Mom lost a lot of weight with Weight Watchers and is recommitting to losing the last of her weight.

South Beach:

Nutrient-dense, fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains;
Legumes;
Lean sources of protein;
Low-fat dairy products;
Good fats from foods such as nuts, omega-3-rich fish, and healthy oils (like extra-virgin olive and canola oils)

My commentary: I've always liked Dr Agatston and his diet except for one thing - that induction phase. I don't think it's necessary for overall good health or weight loss. Many people never get past induction, or they get past it only to sabotage themselves in the first week after induction. That really deprived feeling you get from a very restrictive diet is what tends to cause you to stop using the diet plan, why Dr Agatston puts people through that is beyond me. Oh wait, I know - it's a gimmick. You'll lose weight fast with induction and Americans are all about that magic bullet of quick weight loss. Do yourself a favor and skip phase 1 and go right to phase 2. Who needs the frustration of induction? It's not the first two weeks of the program that count - it's the rest of your life.

Kalyn's blog is the one to read if you're interested in learning more about South Beach and Bella is following South Beach and trying to lose 100lbs.

The GI Diet:

High G.I. foods break down quickly and leave you looking for the next food fix. Low G. I. foods break down more slowly and leave you feeling fuller, longer. It is these low G.I. foods that form the core of the diet.

Most high G.I. foods such as those made from white flour are heavily processed where the essential nutrients have been stripped away. Conversely, low GI foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, whole grains, lean meat/fish and low fat dairy are rich in nutrients essential for your good health

My commentary: I would recommend this one before the South Beach because it does not force you to go through the very restrictive "induction" phase at the beginning. The "traffic light" system is pretty easy to remember the problem comes with the "green means I can eat as much of this as I like" idea. That's not completely accurate.

Mama Lisa is starting the GI Diet.

Atkins:

From WebMD:
The diet is based on the theory that overweight people eat too many carbohydrates. Our bodies burn both fat and carbohydrates for energy, but carbs are used first. By drastically reducing carbs and eating more protein and fat, our bodies naturally lose weight by burning stored body fat more efficiently.

My commentary: The only good thing I can say about Atkins is that it has lost some of its lustre in the USA. Yes, there are still thousands of Atkins fans in this country but SB and GI are quickly replacing this diet with a softer, gentler low carb diet. Unless you absolutely hate carbohydrates and love fat and protein, this is not your diet.

The Tired Mom's Club starts Atkins again next week.

The Zone:

It’s moderate in:

• Low-fat protein

• Low glycemic-load carbs(mostly fruits and vegetables)

• Heart-healthy monounsaturated fats

The Zone Diet is about balancing your hormones within a specific range to control hunger on fewer calories while still getting the proper nutrients your body needs for long-term health. The Zone Diet can best be described as a moderate-carbohydrate, moderate-protein, moderate fat diet that has approximately one gram of fat for every two grams of protein and three grams of carbohydrates. These ratios represent the newest dietary recommendations from the Joslin Diabetes Research Center at Harvard Medical School for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

My commentary:
Here's a diet that gives you "blocks" and encourages you to select X number of protein blocks based on your gender (you'll have the same number of carbohydrate blocks and fat blocks.) The "low density carbohydrate list" to choose from isn't a bad list and it certainly isn't as restrictive as Atkins. The Zone is also kind enough to realize most people will still want carbohydrates like bread, rice and pasta so it gives you applicable blocks for those. Unfortunately 1 carb block of brown rice is 1/5 of a cup. And 1/2 of a biscuit is also a carb block.

The Zone also encourages you to eat every 4-6 hours, whether you're hungry or not.

If you don't like to count calories and you have will power when it comes to carbohydrates, The Zone wouldn't be a bad diet for you. It allows you to have healthy carbs in very, very small portion sizes. I could follow it, but if you are the type of person who would eat 1/2 of a biscuit and immediately begin craving more... skip this diet. The cravings will kill you.

If you have a problem with irregular eating and skipping meals, a Zone type diet for six months would probably be helpful in getting you back on a healthy eating schedule.

The Poor Rich Girl is going on The Zone this month.

Slim-Fast:

Slim·Fast helps you reduce your calorie intake by providing portion control along with good nutrition. The plan features two daily Slim-Fast Meals-delicious, satisfying, nutritionally-balanced shakes or meal bars-along with a Sensible Meal and healthy snacks. It’s easy to follow. Simply replace, combine, dine and snack!

My commentary: Slim-Fast provides you with a "meal plan" based on your weight. It does not take your height, age or activity level into account. Daily food needs are dependent on height, weight, age, gender and activity level - not just height. The plan recommends Slim-Fast meal replacements for breakfast and lunch. The only "real meal" tends to be dinner and fruits and vegetables are allowed all day long and as supplements for lunch and snacks.

I'm not a fan of meal replacement programs. They don't teach you to eat normally so as soon as you lose the weight you end up returning to your regularly scheduled over-eating or less than healthy eating habits.

Bethan is 18, she's 5'4" and weighs more than 300lbs and she's just started Slim-Fast.

Mediterranean:

There's no such thing as a "Mediterranean Diet" but let's pretend there is.
high consumption of fruits, vegetables, bread and other cereals, potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds
olive oil is an important monounsaturated fat source
dairy products, fish and poultry are consumed in low to moderate amounts, and little red meat is eaten
eggs are consumed zero to four times a week
wine is consumed in low to moderate amounts
There's a lot of fat in this diet but the difference here is the saturated fat. A "mediterranean diet" is lower in saturated fats.

You might also know this as The Sonoma Diet

My commentary: This type of eating might be healthier. But if you don't eat in moderation, you're not going to lose weight. I don't think you can eat 2500 calories a day, from this list of foods, and lose weight. Eat 1500-1700 a day, depending on your height, weight and activity level and yes you can lose weight. Whether you can eat high amounts of these foods and be healthier has not been determined. My guess is no, not without a lot of exercise.

Kelly is going back on the Sonoma Diet. It will be interesting to watch her progress this year.

Nutristystem:

NutriSystem, Inc. provides a weight loss program based on quality foods and a nutritionally balanced meal plan;

My commentary:
Need I say anything? $350 for prepared, highly processed, frozen food? A plan that you're probably not going to follow if you have to cook for your family and then sit down to eat your "yummy frozen foods"?

This program forces you to eat highly processed, prepared foods - 3 meals plus 1 snack/dessert - delivered to your door every couple of weeks and you supplement those deliveries with fresh fruits and vegetables. The program tends to be low calorie and in some cases, very low calorie. One month of food, to lose 10lbs or less, is around $350 - $300 a month if you're going to go on a long term, auto delivery plan.

Here's a couple who had significant success with Nutrisystem in 2007.

What's your favorite diet? Or do you cringe when you hear people talking going on a diet?

~~Denise
Flamingo House Happenings