Losing weight is a very different experience for everyone. The type of diet that works for one person will not necessarily work for another person of the same height, weight and lifestyle.
The two most traditional diets each have great flexibility and fit different lifestyles.
Weight Watchers gives ability to eat anything you want in moderation suits a lot of people because you dont have to give up anything at all just moderate what you do have
Slimming World allows the mixing and matching different food types in unlimited quantities allowing those with a big appetite to maintain volume whilst eating healthily and the syns allow indulgence in the nice things
On both these diets you can do as much exercise as you want and if youre following the plan religiously youll lose weight.
For some people the flexibility of these diets is the downfall in them, you kid yourself youre on plan when actually youre cheating it, one glass of wine is half a bottle (assuming you have a big glass and you didnt really go that over when you got the munchies late at night and had that little cheese sandwich where the 28g of cheese wasnt weighted out its judged by eye because you know how big 28g is
)
I first started to lose weight with weight watchers around 1998 weighing 14st 2lbs, lost a stone and a half plateaued stopped then rejoined a little later at 15st, repeat process add a stone to previous WW start weight then slimming world repeat process, add another stone to the SW start weight and back to weight watchers. I learnt a big fat nothing
For every person its personal I have a friend who lost a similar amount to me but with WW and she has maintained for a couple of years now, it worked really well for her with her lifestyle and with 2 young boys shes very active.
For me what actually finally worked was my rapidly approaching wedding day and doing the Cambridge diet, I started in November 2010 at a massive 17st 5lbs and at size 20 morbidly obese with joint problems unable to climb stairs without being at the brink of exhaustion. I had dietary problems and allergies to pretty much everything. In short at the age of 38 and yet to have kids had I even been able to I would have probably been unlikely to see them leave school let alone marry and have their own kids.
As of June 2011 Ive been maintaining at 12st +/- 3lbs and a size 10/12 all over. Im living a normal life and eating and drinking normally (well like normal people who arent fat do not like I used to which wasnt normal at all) Losing the weight wasnt a magic button, Ive accepted that I got that fat because Im the food version of an alcoholic and whilst I dont diet now Im never going to be able to stop watching my diet if that makes sense ???
Hope it this helps with some thoughts about the types of diet out there and maybe provides a little inspiration from my experience. However you chose to lose weight its bloomin hard and not for the faint hearted
If you want to see some scary pictures of before / during / after drop me a PM
