OT but related--favorite diet?

[Autopapdude]

What are the diets most favored by folks around here? I don't need to lose weight, but need to maintain at current weight, and decrease overall cholesterol. I have had success with the South Beach diet, as it allows one to eat a variety of interesting foods. Comments and suggestions welcome.

[Gerryk]

I have gone on a low carb diet with as few carbs as possible and have lost about 50 pounds. I also got back on the treadmill for an hour every third day and just recently went to every day and also walking at least an hour a day.

If your looking to just maintain and help with the cholesterol, consider how much you exercise. Walking is a good low impact way of helping maintain weight and help with your cholesterol.

Gerry

[Autopapdude]

I walk 5 miles a day, cuz I have bad osteoarthritis in my knees--just want a good healthy diet for cholesterol and preventing weight gain.

[Muse-Inc]

Very low carb with generous amts of coconut oil, tree nuts, no veggy oils, a ton of supplements.

[SnoresLikeWalrus]

Vegan. Lots of fresh veges and fruits and whole grains. I am nicely maintaining my weight and have greatly improved my health on this diet.

I didn't have much to lose....20 lbs....I am maintaining at 140 (5' 7").

My disrupted sleep is not weight related.

[DreamStalker]

A diet/lifestyle based on principles found here -

Primal Blueprint
PāNu
Anti-Inflammatory


Yumm! ... My favorite.

[timbalionguy]

For a maintenance diet, you don't want really low carb. You want a moderately low carb diet, with the carbs being mainly low glycemic indes carbs. You want enough carbs to keep your body out of ketosis, but not enough to completely replace your glycogen stores. The 'new' Atkins diet is a good choice. The Zone diet and even the South Beach diet from what I understand fits this definition. However, a low fat diet is more appropriate for some people. Find, if you can, a copy of the book 'The Metabolic Typing Diet'. Take the test given in the book, and that will give you an idea if you want to lean more towards low carb or low fat.

Everyone should really limit their intake of foods with simple sugars. Cookies, cake, candy, ice cream, etc. No one benefits form large amounts of these (unfortunately) tasty foods.

[Cobalt Panther]

The No S Diet. Can be researched at nosdiet.com. The basic idea is no sweets, no snacks, and no seconds except on days that start with S. It is more of a new way to eat than a diet. Although, it can help you loose weight if you want/need to. Since I have enough trouble finding things I can eat (need dairy free, soy free, and gluten free), I need a diet that will allow for my eating restrictions. This is a plan that you can follow for the rest of your life with little to no tweaking.
Good luck finding the right plan for you.
Cobalt Panther

[carbonman]

You want enough carbs to keep your body out of ketosis, but not enough to completely replace your glycogen stores.

A different perspective:

Carbs are my friends.....and I am always aware of getting enough TO replace my glycogen stores.
I want the glycogen pantry to always be full......except when I return from a ride.....longer than 90mins.

I follow an eating plan that is geared toward my cycling.
I never eat anything before a long ride or at least 3hrs prior to a ride.
The thought being that when I eat, the insulin spike will increase the rate that the
glycogen pantry will be burned. I want the burn rate to be as steady as possible.
I have been practicing this regimen for 3yrs and found it to work very well.

Depending on the duration and length of a particular ride, on board/in flight fueling begins
about 20min into the ride. I use HEED/gel bottles. HEED being a energy drink made up of
complex carbs and electrolytes. The gel is a concentrated complex carbo.
All of this is taken in a liquified form, so it is easy to process. For rides longer than 90mins
I will have a flask of straight gel and Cliff shots(complex carb gummy bears).
For rides longer than 3hrs. I will also have a Cliff bar for some solid fuel.
All of this taken in at about 60gr/hr, the rate at which your body can process carbs.

My daily diet is made up of a balance of carbs and protein.
AM/PM snacks at work are fruit and oatmeal/flax pancakes covered w/Hammer gel, same as above.
The oatmeal/flax is for cholesterol control.
During the peak of cycling season, I will be on the see-food diet.
In the winter, not so much......more careful what I eat.

We generally buy food from the outer edge of the grocery store.
That is where most of the unprocessed food is. The food toward the interior of the store is
usually all processed.

All things in moderation. I will treat myself to the occasional bacon/cheese burger.
There has to be some enjoyment in life....no matter what you eat....you're not getting out alive.

[YawnGirl]

What are the diets most favored by folks around here? I don't need to lose weight, but need to maintain at current weight, and decrease overall cholesterol. I have had success with the South Beach diet, as it allows one to eat a variety of interesting foods. Comments and suggestions welcome.

My cholesterol is 110, so I guess I will add my 2 cents. I concentrate on what I CAN have as opposed to what I CAN'T have, example:

skinless chicken breast, any day.
7 oz of steak per week (sirloin is leaner than rib eye)
1 egg per week
4 slices of louis rich turkey bacon per week
1 turkey sausage pattie per week
1 thing deep fried per month

Eating out is the hardest thing is my opinion. I use this site dwlz.com. it has a lot of restaurants and their menu broken down by weight watcher's points.

hungrygirl.com is great too. She shows you how to make "knock-offs" of popular foods for under 200 calories.

-Paula