I was stuck in one weight and not progressing and decided I needed to change things up. I cut out rice, pasta, bread, and potatoes, except for one small serving of brown rice or whole wheat pasta per week. It has helped. I am slowly progressing again.

I personally do not think that low carb or no carb diets are a very good idea. This is just my own opinion. It is based on reading a lot of anecdotal accounts about folks losing weight on low/no carb, but then gaining it all back when they started eating carbs again. My thinking is that I have to live in the world, the world includes carbs, so I need to learn how to eat carbs in a way that doesn't cause me to gain weight. In addition, a lot of very healthy foods that are good for weight loss contain carbs, like fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, oatmeal, and beans. I don't want to eliminate any of those things from my diet, not even for a short period of time.

I think reducing one's sugar intake is always a good idea, especially if you don't replace the sugar with large amounts of sugar substitute, which I personally don't think is very healthy stuff.

I hadn't thought about carbs in veggies. I refuse to cut out veggies. So, I would probably go with something low carb, but not eliminate carbs. My understanding is that eliminating carbs can be somewhat dangerous as well. So, I don't want to go that route.

I really want to eat mostly fruits and veggies, but I just don't know how to go about doing that. Eating them raw or steamed is about all I know how to do. I add veggies into sauces and other dishes, but I'd like to eliminate the other "stuff" as much as possible.

This topic seems to have so much attention lately. I just keep hearing about it, but I hear different things from different sources. I think (and that's definately a think, not a know) that the key is to have a good amount of carbs in your diet, not too high or too low of a number. Too low = no energy and other potential problems, usually including terrible cravings. Too high = fat storage/failure to loose weight. I was told by a diet Dr. that the average American who isn't counting carbs eats like 300 or more grams of carbs per day! That's too many. Atkins or really low carb diets are too low for long-term use.
Here's an article from Women's Health blood sugar/carbs
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/blood-sugar-information
I would really like to find confirmation on how many carbs per day are good for healthy, maintainable weightloss. I've heard anywhere from 60 to 150.

@Mommy614: roasted vegetables are delicious. All you do it is cut the vegetables up, drizzle them with olive oil, and roast in the oven at a high heat, like 400 to 500, for 10 minutes or until they are done. If you want to get fancy, chop up some raw garlic and sprinkle it over the top.
My personal favorites to do this way are asparagus, zucchini, and a mixture of different colored peppers.

You can do the same thing on a barbecue grill - cut up the vegetables in small pieces, thread them on skewers, brush them with a little olive oil, and grill. Or, if you have a grill basket, just brush or toss the pieces with olive oil and then put them in the basket, no skewers necessary. Larger vegetables you can put right on the grill.

Pureed soups are also easy and great. Roast or steam or sautee your favorite vegetable or favorite combination of vegetables. Then add vegetable broth or chicken broth. Puree in a blender or with an immersion blender. Season to taste. Voila! You have a healthy and delicious soup.

I make my own vegetable broth by keeping a "scrap bag" of odds and ends of vegetables (tops, bottoms, parts I don't eat) in the freezer. I sautee those bits up lightly in olive oil, add water, season it, bring to a boil, and then simmer for about 20 minutes. I discard the vegetables and keep the broth. It's easy, fast, and costs nothing.

You can also invest in a vegetarian cook book. I highly recommend one called "The Gradual Vegetarian" which is full of delicious and easy recipes for those slowly moving towards a more plant-based diet. Even if you aren't becoming a vegetarian, the recipes are useful and great and easy. You can probably find this book and others like it used, very low cost, on Ebay or AbeBooks.

I like roasted vegetables as well, I should do that more often. Pureed soups sound delicious! I'll definitely give that a try, I hadn't really thought about that one. I love soups. I'll be making my own broth as well, it seems that I go through quite a bit of that because I like to make soup so much! Thanks, Beesley!

I really only eat veggies and fruit and really really limit grains. This has helped for two reasons: one, breads and things are sugary; two, the stuff I eat with bread is usually not so healthy either...

I think cutting down on the grains, especially processed ones, is a pretty solid step toward weight loss.

I disagree. Ask your doctor to check your adrenal function and pancreas. Mine wouldn't so I talked to my chiropractor. She did some tests and I started taking adrenal cortex extract and pancreatic enzymes. I've been losing weight steady eating grains and starches too. My body wasn't absorbing what I was eating...except fat. I am now 19.5 pounds lighter!

We're all different in terms of what works. For me, I lose better when eating whole grain. I tried low carb and wasn't able to lose anything more than the initial water weight loss, and this was after being on plan for months! Now that I'm on a WOE that includes grains, my weight loss is more steady. Good luck!

I think its good for quick weight loss in a short space of time - however its difficult to sustain. I have done a similar thing and after a week I started to feel lethargic and drained!!

For the past 5 years I have not had pasta, rice, bread, white potatoes, crackers, chips, etc. I mostly get my carbs from oatmeal (once a week or so) , some spelt, bean flours, beans, fruits, veggies, milk. We definitely need carbs but their is a difference between good & not so good ones. I blog the foods I eat/have eaten for the past 5 years at www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com it's surprisingly easy to go without those few items, body stops craving them after a while.

Best wishes with your weight loss efforts.
~Michelle "Shelly"

Thanks, eggface. I looked around your blog today and I really enjoyed it! Do you have a recipe section? All that food looks delish!

As mentioned, it is true that most people who aren't watching their diet eat 300 (or more) carb grams per day. That is way too much. Especially as we get older, we can't handle carbs as well.

Veggies, fruits, starches, grains all contain carbs. They all turn to sugar in our bodies, but "complex" carbs like grains turn to sugar more slowly, giving us sustained energy.

Too few carbs will cause lack of energy, crankiness, depression, and strong cravings for sugar. I have found that 100 gms. of total carbs is good for me. If I have a carb, I eat it along with a protein. That is eating according to the Glycemic Index.

Thanks for your post, and best of luck.

Good thought, Livingwater. I agree that some carbs are needed, I just want to vert en from the correct sources. I will try to eat carbs with a protein source as well. Thanks!

I too do the brown rice. Potatoes create sugar. I don't agree with the Atkins philosophy. I keep hearing the the vegetables need to take up half the plate, the protein 1/4 and the brown rice the other 1/4.

I feel great when I eat well. If anyone is buying processed or pre-packaged foods, those are the first things to dump.

Roasted veggies are so fabulous. I agree with Beesley on that! They are too easy to make to not enjoy them as often as possible.

I've discovered that eating animal protein at lunch is just way too much, at least for me. In order to be healthy, I must have vegetables for lunch and just have the extra protein at dinner. I think anyone who is serious about chaning their health and weight will spend more time planning meals rather than binging. Don't leave anything to chance.

Just some thoughts to keep in mind.

I was on the Suzanne Sommer's dieta couple of times this past year. It was slow for me, so right now I'm on the HCG diet, but not because of the food. Suzanne's diet is a blend between the South Beach and Atkins diets. Proteins with butter and olive oils (and cheeses (NOT fat free or skim cheeses) were to be eaten at least 3 hours apart from eating whole wheat products such as Ezekiel Bread (there's no sugar in it and it is whole wheats and sprouts). Nonfat milk can be eaten with these kind of carbs, such as Grape Nuts (I'm a huge cereal and toast fan!). When eating proteins, only cream could be used. The recipes are great! Veggies could be eaten with either the breads or the proteins as could olive oil. One can eat all they want. This is something that can be found in the library or a second hand book store. You might wanna check it out! :) Best wishes!