Why Diets Don't Work

[cathyy]

Diets don't work. The reason that they don't is that they are mentally a temporary thing. You diet until your have lost the weight you wanted to lose. Then what do you do? You stop "dieting" and eat "normally" again. And then the weight returns. Diets don't work.

Lifestyle changes work. The change in how you eat has to be something you can live with. Sure, when the weight is gone you can add a treat here and there without gaining weight. But the overall concept of how and when and what you eat has to be something that can keep you happy, or you will quit and go back to how you ate before.

A fabulous website for people looking to make permanent changes in how they eat is Healthy Exchanges. It uses a way of eating that is based on the ADA Diabetic Exchanges. There are a number of cookbooks written by the founder (now passed away from breast cancer) of which I have several. Some recipes use a lot of ingredients that can't be found easily in Thailand, like fat-free sour cream, and low-fat evaporated milk. But not all of them do, and subsitituting one or two ingredients will raise the calories, but not always enough to make it no longer a good food choice. I'll be happy to post recipes here from her cookbooks and newsletters, just let me know what you are looking for. My personal favorite is her baked macaroni and cheese with ham. It would be just as yummy done in a skillet, with the final baking step left out.

[pedro01]

Sorry - but this is just wrong.

I went on a diet and lost 45lbs. I was eating 6 small meals a day aiming for around about 500 calories deficit a day to lose 1-2lbs a week.

When I finished the diet, I pushed the calories back up to maintenance level. I did not put the weight back on.

It's that simple, people.

[Amonik]

And what about exercise ? I'm not a big fun....

[cathyy]

When I finished the diet, I pushed the calories back up to maintenance level. I did not put the weight back on.

Yes, but maintenance level isn't the same amount you were eating before the diet. It has to be less, to maintain the lower weight without gaining. If it was the same amount, you wouldn't have gained the weight in the first place. That's what I mean about not being able to resume your former eating habits, and gaining weight if you do. You DID do a lifestyle change. It worked. Congratulations on your wonderful success!

[pampal]

I agree with Cathyy that diet's are a temporary solution.

You have to make a lifestyle change in the long run or you will regain

the weight you lost dieting.

Also exercise is important to impart balance to any lifestyle change.

It doesn't have to be strenuous for you to see the results.

[Jingthing]

The problem MOST people have who have lost alot of weight is that their metabolism resets to expect starvation level eating. Then, if this starvation level eating is changed (as it must eventually) for most people, the weight pours back on. This scientific study indicates the main defense against this is exercise:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=10097

[Amonik]

Jingthing, thanks for the article, I must have to start doing some physical activity.

Chatyy, I agree with you that if you don't make lifestyle changes, you will regain the weight that you loose and even more ! It happened to me two times.... now, I have to loose 10 kg and it's being very difficult, I already lost 2 kg in 2 months...... (pre and post pregnancy weight) and for me it's very difficult to exercise being alone with a busy 10 month's old baby. My husband works all day and travels a lot.

I'm wondering if the glucose levels can interfere with the diet because I had GD (gestational diabetes).

Pedro01, did you do some physical activity while dieting ? or was just a calorie restriction ?

[Jonson83]

If by lifestyle changes you mean being serious about dieting/exercise then yes you have a point.

I don't understand what you mean by:

"That's what I mean about not being able to resume your former eating habits,"

The tastiest foods in the world are full of fat and sugar.The old man upstairs was obviously taking the p'ss when he decided this! Its just something we have to deal with.Unless someone is happy being overweight,they can never eat that sort of food everyday for the rest of their lives.

In your mind,you should have an idea of what you would like to look like.Your diet/exercise regime should be built around achieving this...then maintaining it.

[Billfo]

Diets are both short term and long term (aka lifestyle changes). I agree, you definately can't go back to eating what you were prior to the diet if you were eating sugary, fatty foods all day every day, but after working hard on loosing weight/fat surely you wouldn't want to go back to eating the same quantity of bad foods, other than the occasional treat of course.

What I'm basically trying to say is the lifestyle change shouldn't be something you need to do but something you want to do and something that you don't really realise your doing because its natural.

I believe you can have a quite comfortable maintaining diet once you have met your desired goals if you're still exercising. exercise with suitable diet to what you want to achieve is the key.

[samtam]

I agree with the lifestyle change concept, and that also means wanting to lose weight, or at least maintain the weight loss. I'm careful about what I eat, so for me that's a permanent change in my life. Also, I find that I no longer like high sugar, high fat foods. Ditto with meat. However, a moderate amount of any of these once in a while is OK, but it's usually enough for me to remember that I don't "really" like them. I find the biggest incentive to keeping weight off is feeling uncomfortable in clothes that become too tight. I try to resist upsizing clothes, but instead lose the weight to feel comfortable again. It's also a question of caring what you look like.

[cathyy]

I'm wondering if the glucose levels can interfere with the diet because I had GD (gestational diabetes).

Amonik, please get a fasting blood sugar test done, if not a glucose tolerance test. Gestational diabetes is a precursor to later diabetes, but there is always the possibility that it hasn't gone away. And, yes, it can affect your weight. It made me gain almost 40 pounds in about 6 months.

[Amonik]

I'm wondering if the glucose levels can interfere with the diet because I had GD (gestational diabetes).

Amonik, please get a fasting blood sugar test done, if not a glucose tolerance test. Gestational diabetes is a precursor to later diabetes, but there is always the possibility that it hasn't gone away. And, yes, it can affect your weight. It made me gain almost 40 pounds in about 6 months.

Thanks Cathy, about 9 month ago I did the GTT and fortunately it came back normal but yes, the doctor told me that I'm prone to have diabetes in 5-10 years than someone who do not have gestational diabetes (GD)..... but that if I lost 10-20 % of my body weight, the chances of getting it goes down. So, I'm working on it but it's taking a long time for me. So, do you have diabetes or you had GD in the past ? What the doctor told you ? what can you do to lose and control your weight in case of diabetes ? Good luck

[CTM]

Sorry - but this is just wrong.

I went on a diet and lost 45lbs. I was eating 6 small meals a day aiming for around about 500 calories deficit a day to lose 1-2lbs a week.

When I finished the diet, I pushed the calories back up to maintenance level. I did not put the weight back on.

It's that simple, people.

Maybe the title should be “dumb starvation diets don't work”. Yours was a sensible and mild caloric deficit combined with frequent small meals so the body doesn't panic and go into starvation mode.

[Stekmer]

Loosing weight was easy – I lost 22 Kg in 4 months and it felt great.

Giving up smoking was hard – from 35 a day.

Not going back to smoking is easy.

Maintaining a sensible diet and exercise programme is more difficult – it is hard relentless work..

I think it is definitely a life style change that is required – a completely different way of thinking and behaving.

I can't / won't go back to how I ate before and I will maintain my exercise programme.

After 14 months, my weight is stable and I hardly ever think about most of the foods I used to indulge in. Most were very unhealthy. I do have fond memories of mars bars though :-)

If I want to indulge myself I do a deal with myself and increase my exercise regime. I know if I walk briskly for 3 to 4 Km each day I can have small treats.

Unfortunately I fear I have a natural tendency toward gluttony. I think that the whole weight loss debate is prone to oversimplifications and underestimations.

Edited February 19, 2007 by Stekmer

[Ulysses G.]

I lost a good amount of weight as a teenager by combining exercise and diet and kept it off for 18 years, however, much later, as an an adult I came down with Rhumatoid Arthritis which is very painful and so my exercising is severely limited after years of excercising fanatically. I do exercise almost every day, but swimming, the elliptical machine and light weights. Nothing like before.

No matter what I do now other than starve, I keep gaining weight.

The choice seems to be between constant hunger or being extrememely obese.

[Yamantaka]

I will make the same suggestion for losing weight that I have for high blood pressure: meditation and exercise.

Find a good meditation teacher who can teach you the basics and then develop individually structured analytic meditations that are directly applicable to you and your lifestyle. I have no doubt this will change your view of yourself and give you the mental strength to eat properly and exercise regularly.

I learned to meditate 28 years ago. It has changed every aspect of my life including the physical. Most people think I am 15 years younger than I am. I attribute this to my using structured meditations to "amplify" the positive effects of proper diet, exercise, good sleep, tranquility, good attitude, etc.

There is no excuse for not striving for better health.

[firehorse]

My mum suffered with Rhumatiod Arthritis, so I have some idea of the problems it gives you.

You don't say much about youself though. It would help to know a little more if you care to talk about it.

Things like your age, current diet and weight and so on. How often you exercise and for how long before it gets too uncomfortable. There has to be a way without you having to starve yourself.

Edited July 19, 2007 by firehorse

[cooldrk]

cathyy, i'm 60% agree with you.

This is what i believe, coz it work for me and some of my friend:

Diet is a practice of the health life style, diet will not help much in slimming down for long but it do give direct impact. But as if we really care of ur body, then it is important to mantain a healthy life style.

So can't say diet din't work, diet is the basic factor for weight, but there are some thing else like habit and life style.

Yah, i do admit that it is very difficult when facing the issue of tempteting food and lossing weight.

So i think here is the most important part come in, which is how strong our desire to control our weight, it is how our mental decide for us.

There many of my friend going to pro for lossing fat and weight, doing hard core excersice,but the body is fat and over weight, not thing different before and after. Thing is that, most of them din't really want to slim down. They feel easy with current chape and feel not worth to be slimmer.

So, if anyone really wanna become slimmer or weight down, try to buy my word, Diet to lost some wieght, Mantain it with healthy lifestyle ( excersice, good eating habit, picking for food, try to go vege), and Must remind ourself the merit of become slimmer and the demerit of keep on with current over weight body.

Here is my own story.

I'm used to be 105kg for years....I try to control my meal intake, exercise... but not thing seem to be work.

Then when i went to university, within 6 month i lose lot of weight, then i have with me is 80kg. Then it doesn't maintain. It will floating from 90-95 kg. But lately i when to some success related seminar than i found some thing and applied in my life then, by help of diet i lose up to 6kg in a week. Then mantain it for almost 6 month already. Now my body weight is 89kg.

But my doc advice me to down more 5-8kg if i willing for a better BMI index. So i'm now actually in progress to throw away 5 more kh first.

[Mighty Mouse]

When our lifestyle changes, so must our eating habits.

When our bodies age and our daily work activities decrease or cease, (eg. retirement from the work force) our food intake must also decrease...or...if you don't decrease your food intake, then you must increase your daily activities. (exercise)

I agree 100% with Pedro. It is the calories in our food that need to be continuously monitored. One small chocolate covered ice cream may not seem like a huge indulgence but it will take many hours of vigourous exercise to lose the calories contained in that small ice cream.

If you seriously want to lose your excess body fat then you must cut down on your calorie intake, you must reduce your overall food intake and you must exercise.

Exercise is not just about losing weight, it is about building and maintaining a healthy, fully functioning body. Exercise doesn't need to be lifting heavy weights at the local gym. It could be a very pleasant long walk, three of four times per week.

[Yamantaka]

MM, apologies but I 've got to disagree with you. Unless you're talking about a clinically obese person, who never walks anywhere, taking a nice walk a few times a week will do nothing to improve health or lose weight. Neither will playing golf, or bowling, playing pool or darts or any of the other things that we like to pretend make us "active", healthy people.

The best way to lose weight is to change diet, and yes, lift weights. They don't have to be big weights, and can be gym machines, but resistance training, done properly, burns more fat than even cardio exercise. This is because, while cardio burns more calories during the actual time spent exercising, lifting weights (with no more than 30 seconds bewtween sets) will keep the metabolism revved up the whole day. And having more muscle means your body will burn more calories just to maintain itself.

As far as diet goes, there are a few simple starting points that will help kick off a lifestyle/body image change: eliminate all deep fried foods; try not to eat stir fried food from restaurants and street vendors since they use palm oil which is great for running your car but deadly for your arteries; stop eating white rice - the "brown" that they remove when polishing it has all the nutrients, so the white rice is empty, and fattening, calories; don't eat white pasta, bread or anything else made with white flour - go whole wheat (and watch that the label doesn't say just "wheat" - that's a marketing ploy); cut intake of dairy products except 0% fat milk and low fat yogurt; eliminate "prepared" meats and canned/frozen foods - they are full of chemicals that interfere with proper conversion of foods.

And for god's sake stop drinking so much! And when you drink, drink lower calorie drinks. Beer believe it or not, is not nearly as fattening as some cocktails, ie 160-200 calories per half litre vs 740 for a margarita and 780 for a L.I. Iced Tea! But considering that a 80kg man who doesn't work out regularly should not consume more than 2000 calories a day, drinking only six beers a day can make up half of his daily diet. With almost no nutritional value, those beers are starving your body of life as well as adding a number of toxic substances.

I hope this helps everyone who wants to get healthy but doesn't know where to start. Without good health nothing else matters much.

[Mighty Mouse]

No need to apologize, Yamantaka. People are always disagreeing with me.

Perhaps I didn't explain my thoughts very well. I suggested walking as an exercise for those people who are aging and have left the work force. In other words, for those people who find themselves sitting in front of computers or television sets all day.

Walking will burn calories, the same or more amount of calories that many employees will burn during an 8 hour shift.

Walking for a few hours is better than sitting around doing nothing. Power walking for a few hours is better than just walking. Lap pool swimming is better than power walking, bicycle riding and jogging may also be better than power walking. We could go on forever....

Resistance training ( high repetitions) is the best way to lose fat, but not necessarily weight. In fact, any weight training routine will increase muscle mass and therefore can increase body weight.

A combination of aerobic exercise with regular strength training should provide maximum benefit for those prepared to work towards a healthy and strong body but many women abandon their strength-training efforts, opting instead for strictly cardiovascular activities.

Just mentioning lifting weights at the gym on a regular basis will put many people, particularly women, off exercising at all.

A lot of women don't want to replace fat with muscle, they just want to lose their fat by the easiest method possible. So, they usually choose dieting.

Unfortunately, in many cases, dieting alone will not always give the desired or permanent results.

Both you and I agree that exercise is the missing ingredient. We could argue all week about what form of exercise will achieve the best results and in what time frame.

It all boils down to how desperate the OP is to lose her excess weight, how far she is prepared to go to reach her goals.

[Ritti]

Crash Diets don't work

A "healthy eating plan" is not so much as a diet as such....watching calories is just sensible

[Jingthing]

Sorry - but this is just wrong.

I went on a diet and lost 45lbs. I was eating 6 small meals a day aiming for around about 500 calories deficit a day to lose 1-2lbs a week.

When I finished the diet, I pushed the calories back up to maintenance level. I did not put the weight back on.

It's that simple, people.

Congrats!

You are the one out of a 100 people that works for.

The exception that proves the rule -- diets do not work for the vast majority of people. The science is out there and has been for years.

[Yamantaka]

Just mentioning lifting weights at the gym on a regular basis will put many people, particularly women, off exercising at all.

A lot of women don't want to replace fat with muscle, they just want to lose their fat by the easiest method possible. So, they usually choose dieting.

And that is soooooo sad, 'cause there is nothing sexier than a woman with toned muscles! Not bulky or big, just hard and defined. Women almost never bulk up when weight training. Their bodies don't usually produce enough testosterone for that so they just get a fantastic shape, more energy and a vastly increased libido.

[kiakaha]

what alot of people fail to recognize is that muscle metabolizes fat !!

just starving yourself alone is not as effective as building some muscle.Most obese people have been so inactive for so long, that their muscles have deteriorated alot.

taken from an online source :

" If you lose a pound of muscle, you will metabolize 50-100 calories a day less than if you had kept the muscle. Lose 10 lbs of muscle and you get to eat 500-1000 calories less each day "

to get a great bod you need a combination of :

1) weight / resistance work

2) aerobic exercise (jogging, cycling etc..)

3) a balanced diet

4) if your really keen you'll target your diet and the times you eat to your exercise regime

but for most people who dont want to be cover models, the above seems to serious, so I say :

1) eat lesser portions, cut out the junk food, but don't diet per say, eating is fun !!

2) walk, slow jog,swim or cycle 3 times a week for 30 mins

3) do some basic weights 3 times a week for 30 mins.