I have heard so much about various plans - I am really confused - all I want to do is to lose about 15 - 20 lbs and keep it off.

I eat well (I'm a veggie) and ensure I get a well balanced diet.

Any one got some suggestions and why?

Hi Tinlge,

Nightmare

is 1 diet better than another? i would suggest try and find a "diet" which you you can sustatain ie gives you enough flexibilty to live a life, but not only that you can slowly lose weight but also when you reach your goal... i found that getting there is ok but its keeping it off is the hard part?

 

good luck,,,

Hi:

Many veggies actually carry a bit of extra weight because they eat so much carbohydrates.

If dairy is permitted in your version of veggie, one solution is to drink protein shakes.  If you also reduce your carbs a bit (particulary simple carbs), you'll change the overall balance of your diet a bit.

The advantage of this is that the extra protein reduces muscle loss while the lower-carbohydrates produce less insulin, allowing you to burn more fat.  There's a growing body of evidence supporting this approach for people trying to lose weight.

Increasing your workouts at the same time should start to shift the weight in a healhty sustainable way.

BTW, don't confuse this with the very high protein (and fat) approach of the atkins diet, which I wouldn't recommend.

hi mcnab 38,

do you have any particular diet plans in mind or is just the concept of higher protein lower carbs?

if you already eat well, maybe you just need to exercise more?  or maybe there's one particualr thing that's sabotaging you that you're not seeing?  maybe too much wine, or too many sweets or whatever - just one thing can mess up a good healthy diet over the long haul.

Hi:

I'm really just talking of it as a general principle.  Research really seems to suggest that slimmers who eat a higher proportion of protein (e.g. protein as 30-40% of total calories as opposed to the usual 10-15% ) lose significantly more weight even when total calories eaten are the same.

There's various scientific reasons to support this, but the bottom line is, it works!

Just be sure to eat lean protein (fish, chicken, non-fat dairy) and ditch the processed carbs rather than the fruits and veg.

 

Like a lot of other forum users, i'm really impressed with the GI diet.  I know a bunch of people who've had good results with it.  It's pretty easy to follow, it's good for you, and you lose weight!

As a veggie i'd try the GI diet with a bit of extra exercise - lose it gradually that way and you'll keep it off.