I don't follow a diet plan. I think diets are dumb and not something to be followed long term. They're usually unrealistic for everyday life. We, as a society, are social eaters. Whether it's a holiday, sporting event, birthday, or even death... We eat. And not everyone is going to have something available from a certain diet plan.
My plan is 80% healthy and 20% indulgence. I enjoy healthy food. I love to cook and I love to be creative in the kitchen. Which is why when I want to eat something bad for me, I do. I don't over think it or wonder how much time I need to spend on a treadmill to burn it. Why? Because as I type this and breathe, I am burning calories. We burn calories every single second.
I also stay accountable and I don't lie to myself about what I'm having. Tonight, I had Harvey's (Canadian fast food). I had a grilled chicken wrap and a poutine with a smoothie on the side. Calorie total was 1,630. That's pretty much my daily allowance. Am I beating myself up over this? Of course not. I wanted it, therefore I had it. I'm also aware that in order to reach my overall goal, I won't be successful if I have many days like this. Which is why I only indulge 20% of the time. And I always track my food - good or bad.
I use MyFitnessPal and I love it. I tend to over estimate sometimes because I would rather be too high than too low. I find tracking helps me be aware. Aware of portion sizes and of what I'm actually eating. It's not as tedious as I thought it would be. Luckily, being in the technology age, it's so much easier these days. My daily allowance is 1950 calories. And I only eat 1500-1800 usually in a day. And that's eating whatever I want basically. Luckily what I want is decently healthy.
You dont need to pay for an expensive plan or a nutritionist. You need to do some research on what best suits you and your lifestyle. This is what best fits me, and I wouldn't change s damn thing!