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ORIGINAL: Level

*rolls out the low carb mantra*
 
I've went from 260 pounds to 157 with low carb, started late last year.
 
A whole shat-load of my blood tests improved, as well.
 
I feel better.
 
Some are fat-phobic. For them, there are the "good" fat low carb plans. For more adventurous souls (and this is what I do, presently), there are the plans that explain why any natural fat, whether saturated or not, is good for you, AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT MIX IT WITH EXCESS CARBS.
 
Sorry about the caps.
 
There are three ingredients that make up food. Fat, protein, and carbs. There are essential (meaning, our bodies must have them) fats, and essential proteins. There is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate.
 
Carbs, once they hit the inside of your body, turn into sugar. "Good" ones, too. Sugar wreaks havoc inside the body, including making you fat.

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ORIGINAL: DiurnalVampire

I cut out drinking soda, started essentially living off water and crystal light and coffee. I limited my carbs, though i never have tried cutting them completely out. Snacking between meals was vegetables, or beef jerky.  No sweets, aside from a chocolate bar once a week (sugar free hersheys is actually pretty good)
I get the excercise I need on my feet 8 hrs a day at work, and since I am not alowed to have any drink with me that isnt a bottle of water at my counter... that helped with the snacking.
Oh, and most definately do not skip breakfast.  I have yogurt, and that keeps me from looking for junkfood before lunch.

Worked for me, since my divorce a year and a half ago, Ive dropped 30 lbs and kept it off

DV

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ORIGINAL: Level

Okay, oKAY, G........  Behold the power of cut and paste:

I get 99% of my carbs from vegetables. Lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, spinach, green bellpeppers. I smother them in butter, and I put cheese on them often. I eat far more vegetables now than I did pre-diabetes. I eat chicken, catfish, talapia, tuna, salmon, pork chops, steak, pot roast, hamburger, and plenty of eggs (look for organic or Egglands Best, they have a great deal of Omega 3 fatty acids, and lutein, which is good for your eyes). I eat cheese, but no more than 4 ounces a day.  Use full fat, not reduced fat, as the reduced fat adds sugar to the product. Use extra-virgin, cold-pressed olive oil, mayo, and butter, without fear.  Avoid trans-fats! Avoid processed food as much as possible. If a label has "partially-hydrogenated oil", avoid it. These are the culprits in heart disease and obesity, not natural fats. Why not fear fat? Won't it make me fat, and clog my arteries? I beleive the answer is no, and no, as long as it's eaten in the absence of carbohydrates. There are three things that make up all food: protein, fat, and carbs.  The body prefers carbs as energy. If there is not enough carbs in the body for that purpose, the body will instead use fat or protein, whichever is most abundant. It burns most of the fat you put in it, and uses the rest for essential body functions. This process is called "ketosis", which is NOT the same thing as diabetic ketoacidosis, which occurs in diabetics with extremely out of control blood sugar, almost always a Type 1 diabetic. If you eat fat WITH too many carbs, then yes, it can cause damage. The body takes what carbs it needs for energy, and the rest, along with the fat, is stored as fat. Carbs to avoid: sugar, starch, bread, crackers, pasta, almost all fruit, cereals, potatoes...... And for crying out loud, avoid most of the shit you find in the store that talks about being "fat free".

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ORIGINAL: cuddleheart50

Everytime I have ever had to lose weight(which is all my life) all I have to do is walk...takes it off of me everytime.

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ORIGINAL: LuckyAlbatross

I did South Beach and when I was disciplined to it, it worked very well for me.

But I've taken my perspective into a more long term view and keep it simple- limit my portions, very much limit my "reward foods", drink at least 1.5 liters of water a day, no eating after dinner, gym three times a week which is a 20 min cardio....