Which diet is best?

I need to lose about 40-50 pounds. I do best if i have a specific diet to stick by with several options for each meal. I was thinking about slim-fast. I like the shakes and bars. Has anyone tried it? Does it work? Are there any other sugestions?

Why would you wanna "drink" your meal and be hungry again faster than you would if you had eaten a real meal? I know you feel you need some structure, but fad diets such as that one is only going to cause failure. It'll take no time at all before you get sick of the shakes and bars cuz there's only so many options. It gets boring. And then if you think about it, a shake and bar is 190 - 230 or so calories, right? Imagine how much bigger your portions could be if you replaced those with vegetables and lean protein.

Plus, you said you want "several options" for each meal. Slimfast won't give you that. "A shake for breakfast...a shake for lunch, etc..." Kinda feels like prison food. LOL

The best way is to treat it as the way you plan on eating for all times, just less. If you need structure and planning, that's not hard. All you have to do is plan out for the week what you wanna eat for each meal, write it down, do the shopping, and voila!

Ideally, you are going to want to choose a diet that not only loses the pounds but one where you can stay at your ideal weight.  Drinking slimfast shakes isn't something your average person is going to want to do for the rest of your life.

What you are looking for is a balaced diet rich in fruits, vegetables and lean meats or alternative protein sources for vegetarians.  When you observe portion control and reduce empty calories you should slowly lose weight in a way that is long term and sustanable.

It is simple but not easy.  I suggest that you use the tools provided by the site to calculate your maintenance calorie intake and then plan a diet that is about 500 caloris less than maintenance (while staying above 1200 for women and I believe about 1500 for men). 

I have been eating a 500 calorie deficit for the last six weeks (with a two maintenace days thrown in) and have not had any problem.  It isn't hard when nothing is denied.  Everything is okay in moderation.

try healthy choice prepared meals, and complement with fruit and salads.

it is kind of the nutrysistem program since you can control your calories with pre-made meals.

it is not the ideal thing, but it will help you more than the slim fast shakes.

Picture the lifestyle you want to maintain once you are at goal weight.  How active do you want to be?  What kinds of foods do you want to be eating?  The best way to get to that goal weight shouldn't look very different than what you can see yourself doing happily for the rest of your life, because it is well established that diets, per se, don't work for most people.

Use the tools here on CC  (if you are older than 21) to calculate maintenance calories for yourself at your current weight and activity.  Then, put in your goal weight and a slightly higher activity and calculate your maintenance calories once you are there.  There will probably be about a 500 calorie difference between the two, since you say you want to lose 40-50 pounds.  Now, start living as if you are already at goal, and you will gradually get there (about 1 pound per week).  Not by dieting, but just by living as if you are already there.  Think of this as how you want to live for the rest of your life, and you should be gold.  Make healthy choices for food at least 80% of the time, get plenty of vegetables, fruits, lean meats, and whole grains, and you will be healthy at every stage of the journey.  Good luck!

Original Post by styldeon1980:

try healthy choice prepared meals, and complement with fruit and salads.

it is kind of the nutrysistem program since you can control your calories with pre-made meals.

it is not the ideal thing, but it will help you more than the slim fast shakes.

I agree with this for being the best mix of informative and helpful to the poster's original question.  I don't like fruit too much, so I'd go for extra veggies instead.  A lot of those meals give you a ton of sauce, so you can use that on the veggies.

the absolute best "diet" for someone wanting to achieve ONLY weight loss

is calorie counting

The best diet is the one this site has obviously been set up for: calorie counting!

Correction, calorie counting is not a diet it's a change of lifestyle!

Focusing on high fat, protein, low carb all natural foods has worked wonders for me. 

The best diet is your OWN diet. It's the only diet you'll stick to. It really is calorie in / calorie out.

I started out with slim fasts and lean cuisines. After feeling deprived of food, I switched to salads/sandwiches and fruit for lunch (on most days) and oatmeal for breakfast (a LOT more filling than those shakes). Then tons of veggies, lean meats, good fats, etc for dinner. And I've been maintaining for nearly 2 years un-deprived.