I have been having very good success with portion control.

[Peacetrain]

I have lost 9 pounds in the last month..and it has been fairly easy. I have tried everything under the sun to lose weight, I have tried weight watchers, counted points, kept food journals, rotation diet, heck I even did the cabbage soup diet.

Of course they worked for three days or so, then I just could not keep up a separate diet from what my family eats.

I am if I say so myself a very good cook..and we are basically vegetarian, with meat maybe once or twice a month.. It is just not one of our favs is all... so the Adkins diet was really out.

Finally last month, I gave up on counting calories, points, keeping a food diary.. I started eating six times a day (which is really really hard) including breakfast (which is the worst)..but I eat everything the family eats.. I just limit it to 1/2 cup.

If we are beans, new potatoes in cream sauce, lentil walnut burgers.. it is 1/2 cup of each.. and at all six times I eat, I drink 1/2 cup skim milk.

I have had no severe cravings at all.. I am comfortably full.. I eat every 2 to 2 1/2 hours so my blood sugar does not drop.

It has been quite easy. The worst for me is eating breakfast, because I am not hungry when I get up, so I have to force it down, otherwise than that, pretty comfortable way to lose so far. I have not felt deprived once.

[justgamma]

1. WTG!!

That sounds like a sensible plan and it seems to be working for you. That's what counts.

[wildflower]

2. That's a really interesting idea!

One thing it seems perfect for is eating out, which so many of us have trouble with. That way, you can order anything you want and eat anything you want, as long as it's a half cup.

So many diets are easy to follow at home but make it very difficult to eat at a restaurant or a friend's house. This is very simple.

I see you posted this in July; how are you doing on it?

[alfredo]

3. Smaller plates and a touch of discipline has helped me lose weight.

I enrolled in this plan:

http://www.move.va.gov/