The Woo That You Do (Or Did)
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I tried:
- 'Eat right for your Blood Type' - Fail... No idea what I was thinking.
- Slimfast - only I didn't actually follow the program. I had 2 shakes a day, and figured I should just magically be losing weight. Fail.
- Childbirth... immediately lost 20(ish) pounds... gained it right back. Twice.
- Um - I tried the South Beach diet, which I failed at.
- I did the Adkins diet and lost 50 pounds, so that worked. Some of the foods I was making were absolutely delicious. But as soon as I stopped low-carbing it I gained the weight right back. Plus 20 lbs. Weight loss success. Maintenance fail.
- Tried MFP. Success. 3 years and counting, 70 pounds lost and kept off.
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First of all, "We" are the reason for success (and/or failure). Not MFP or any specific "diet plan".
Second of all, 99.999... percent of diet plans are BS (JMO). The diet industry makes billions of dollars a year off of poor people who lack the knowledge to maintain a healthy body weight on their own, and most of them do not advise a healthy weight loss rate (that should be a red flag right off the bat).
I was lucky enough to learn the basics of fitness and nutrition when I was in the army, and when I became obese, I had enough knowledge to know what I needed to do to get back to and maintain a healthy weight.
I found that keeping it "slow" and "simple"is the best way. my plan was to do it over years, and not weeks or months. This allows time to develop good habits, learn how to eat smarter, and gradually reduce the bad things without shocking my system and setting myself up for failure.
The hardest part for me was the exercise (yes, exercise). I was so out of shape and over weight that I thought I was going to die at first. But once I got to the point where I started increasing my fitness level, it slowly became the main factor in the process.
Here is my simple plan
don't try to lose more than 1 lb. a week
steady state cardio for at least 30 to 60 minutes every day (you can take a day off per week if you want to)
muscular exercise 2 to 3 times per week
eat a variety of food to insure you get enough nutrients to keep your body healthy
eat smart, and gradually reduce the junk foods
once you reach your healthy body weight, you can maintain it very easily with the good habits that you have developed. You can eat that extra 500 calories a day, and reduce your exercise down to the recommended 150 minutes a week, and 1 to 2 sessions of muscular exercise (if you want to).0 -
Great thread! At last it "clicked" for me how I could have been so full of misconceptions, when I actually knew about calories - I understood something about calories - exactly! My knowledge was superficial and not really useful for real life. I believed that I had to eat low fat because fat had "too many" calories, and that I "couldn't" eat candy or chocolate or chips because it was too energy dense. Somehow it would eradicate all my effort. I also believed there was an "ideal" diet, not very clear to me, but I think it included celery, cottage cheese and black rye bread.
I haven't done any spectacular diets, but I dreamed for years about liposuction, fat camp (even had wild ideas of a concept resembling WW2 concentration camps
) and hypnosis. I also tried, half-arsed, chromium and chitosan, and bought some other obscure "weight loss supplement" and a scary looking bottle of "fat burner" pills, neither having any effect, of course. 2 -
I know someone that's doing that right now, thought I'm not sure the exact calorie count. It's working for them because they're a heavier person, are already active at work, and aren't really able to eat during the day due to being busy.RunnerGirl1402 wrote: »Thinking running every day meant I could eat whatever I wanted. And I usually did eat around 2,500 calories per day. Not good when you're 5'2"
She keeps telling me she's fine because she runs. I can't imagine what it's going to be like during the summer.
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Tried Atkins in high school, couldn't maintain it long enough to lose. Felt like crap, low energy, head in a fog, increased migraines. I'm never doing low carb again
In college tried to only do exercise but wasn't willing to watch what I ate. Got slightly more toned, didn't lose.
After college tried just drinking green tea every day and changing nothing else. Yeah, that didn't work haha
Finally started MFP 2 years ago, lost 20 lb and got to my goal weight...then immediately got pregnant.
Now I am back and only a few pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight thanks to MFP.
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I tried Dexatrim in high school and thought that taking it would magically make my body not absorb calories in food (even though that's not what it advertised to do, I made that *kitten* up in my head). I tried Slimfast and Nutrisystem and gave up after 2 weeks only losing 2-3 lbs.
I figured it was easier to just stay fat.2 -
The first time I lost a significant amount of weight (30 lbs) I was in 9th grade and decided to give up junk food (candy, cookies, etc.) for Lent. Not sustainable, because I love my sweets!
In the 90s I was totally into Suzanne Powter's "Stop the Insanity". I believe the cornerstone of her plan was not to eat anything with more than 3g of fat in it. Again, not sustainable for me.
I've done South Beach, which worked initially. But it didn't teach me anything about portion control, and once I was able to add in the foods that were forbidden in the early phases, the weight came back on. I have no idea what it means to eat "to satisfaction". I have to weigh out a portion and eat that; I've come to terms with the fact that I'll probably always have to do that.
I've also done Weight Watchers, which I don't really consider woo. The first time I did it was after the weight came back on when Lent was over in 9th grade, LOL. It's just calorie counting with smaller numbers (first it was "exchanges" then "points"). But I got tired of paying for it, hence my arrival here on MFP.
I had a mother who was always thin and never had to try to lose weight. But she had a lot of common sense and was able to steer me away from any of the crazy fads that a lot of people fall victim to.4 -
Atkins. Stayed on it for about three days. Felt worse than I ever had with the exception of when i had the full blown flu. Threw it out the window. Any diet that tells me I can't eat an apple is for the birds!!!!!3
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I never really tried to lose weight before apart from the occasional fad diet ala cabbage soup and its ilk when my friends did them just for fun, so I'm afraid I don't have and particular diet woo under my belt.
It wasn't for weight loss per se, but when I was a in my late teens I bought into this whole "water fasting is the ultimate health elixir" things. I came out of it with intestinal obstruction and anemia. This whole kick lasted about 5 or so months of short 1-3 day fasts and the occasional 5 day fast which weren't that bad. It's when I decided to go 2 weeks that all hell broke loose.0 -
I never really tried to lose weight before MFP so I didn't try any specific failed diets, but I would say what I fell for for a long time was the belief that because I was getting older, had kids, etc that my metabolism had slowed down and my weight gain was just a natural part of all that. I had an overweight mom and sister and just figured it was my genetics that was allowing the weight to slowly creep on over the last 10 years or so before finding MFP.
Now, 3 years later, I weigh less than I did at my wedding and am about 5 lbs from the weight I was when I was my healthiest and most active in college. Take that "women can't lose weight over 40" and "your metabolism slows down when you get older it's just part of life" proponents!11 -
Hoo boy... during college, I drank slim fast like a fiend. Nevermind that "dinner" often consisted of more than a day's worth of calories of chocolate or other candies. I tried restricting my food intake. Didn't work. I felt cheated, as I often tried to "eat my feelings" or soothe bad feelings away with junk food. I also tried nutrisystem, which was pretty disgusting, to be honest.
For me, calorie counting is much easier. If I want the damned chocolate, I can have it, BUT it has to fit into my daily allowance! LOL!3 -
I was afraid of fat for YEARS thanks to Susan Powter:
But my biggest regret is taking Fen/Phen, which wasn't woo, and actually worked really well, but taught me nothing about healthy eating habits, and now I worry every time my heart flutters that I messed it up.
Additionally:
- South Beach - worked, but was not sustainable for me.
- Juice fast - worked, but gained the weight back as soon as I started eating solid food again
In 2012, I complained to my sister that Weight Watchers was more expensive here in Massachusetts than I'd seen advertised elsewhere, and she told me about MFP. I lost 30 pounds from Easter to Halloween, but stopped logging amidst a relationship breakup and a move. I gained 25 pounds back over the next few years, came back to MFP Easter 2015, and have lost 36 pounds. This time around I discovered these discussion boards, and despite (or perhaps because of) all the MEAN PEOPLE :P the things I needed to know have finally sunk in.6 -
Slim Fast and Lean Cuisines for 4 months in college. Lost the 'Freshman 15', but it was a miserable experience! It did work, and I was mindful not to gain the weight back, so really any diet will work. It is adherence that counts, and some programs make you so miserable that you quit plus they don't teach you better eating habits.1
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I've done slim fast (disaster), low fat plans, switching to whole grains, cutting "added" sugar, watching portions, just exercising without changing diet.. Some of these things worked initially but weren't sustainable for me, other worked okay, but I would get "stuck" at a weight that was still too heavy for my height. I started doing LCHF three years ago and have been smack in the middle of normal weight for my height ever since (outside of a recent pregnancy, but that weight is all gone now). It works for me.0
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What bad weight loss plans or advice did you follow before getting onto calorie counting? How did you come to the conclusion they didn't work?
For me:
* Nutrisystem: Under the old shelf-stable plans. Tasted awful, lost a little, but not worth it. Sad cracker pizza.
* South Beach: Worked ok for a few months, but the rules were hard to follow where work had me eating out a lot and/or I couldn't keep the schedule that was recommended. Also pretty expensive for the foods you had to choose.
* 4-hour Body: Just dumb...didn't work
* Various supplements at various times. Never made a difference.
* Weight loss center: Worked great, I did lose and a lot. Also was expensive, and would have been more if I had bought all the bars and supplements and other stuff they peddled. I also realized I was eating extremely low carb and low calorie and that made me feel like crud. I felt much better once I re-upped my carb level.
While I was doing the weight loss center plan I started using MFP and realized I could still make progress while eating more than their mail plan recommended (same time I upped the carbs). After the plan, I didn't need to follow their recommendation anymore but kept with MFP.
Curious what "schedule" south beach had? Other than 3 meals and two snacks I mean.
4-hour body is kinda dumb.0 -
When I read threads like this I feel so lucky that I didn't have to go through what many of you did.
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »What bad weight loss plans or advice did you follow before getting onto calorie counting? How did you come to the conclusion they didn't work?
For me:
* Nutrisystem: Under the old shelf-stable plans. Tasted awful, lost a little, but not worth it. Sad cracker pizza.
* South Beach: Worked ok for a few months, but the rules were hard to follow where work had me eating out a lot and/or I couldn't keep the schedule that was recommended. Also pretty expensive for the foods you had to choose.
* 4-hour Body: Just dumb...didn't work
* Various supplements at various times. Never made a difference.
* Weight loss center: Worked great, I did lose and a lot. Also was expensive, and would have been more if I had bought all the bars and supplements and other stuff they peddled. I also realized I was eating extremely low carb and low calorie and that made me feel like crud. I felt much better once I re-upped my carb level.
While I was doing the weight loss center plan I started using MFP and realized I could still make progress while eating more than their mail plan recommended (same time I upped the carbs). After the plan, I didn't need to follow their recommendation anymore but kept with MFP.
Curious what "schedule" south beach had? Other than 3 meals and two snacks I mean.
Maybe he's referring to the "phases" of SBD. Phase one is very limited in what you can eat. Then in each subsequent phase you add foods back in.
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I did keto for a while, though I don't think of it as "woo" because it did actually help me kickstart my weight loss from 210 down to 190. A lot of people don't realize that you also have to calorie-count with keto, and so they think it doesn't work. Keto is actually what introduced me to the concept of calorie counting, and showed me that it does actually work. The point of the keto diet is that the high fat content is supposed to make you feel more satisfied and full than a low-fat diet. In the end, it just wasn't a sustainable diet for me because I love fruit and baking too much. Because I couldn't stick to it, I got frustrated and plateaued at 190 for a year or so.
Before keto, I would get so frustrated trying to lose weight because of all the misinformation out there. I didn't know what to believe. I'd never heard of BMR or TDEE and had no idea how many calories I should be eating in a day. I worried about "starvation mode" and wondered if my "genetics" meant I was always going to have an overweight BMI no matter how hard I tried to lose weight. I believed that drinking green tea and sprinkling cayenne on my food would measurably elevate my metabolism. I didn't know that the calorie counters on exercise equipment were ridiculously over-generous, so I would get confused and frustrated when I was burning so much at the gym and still not losing much weight.
The amount of misinformation out there is so frustrating, and it's even worse when you see it being taken as gospel by people who are just trying to improve their health and their lifestyle.8 -
WinoGelato wrote: »I never really tried to lose weight before MFP so I didn't try any specific failed diets, but I would say what I fell for for a long time was the belief that because I was getting older, had kids, etc that my metabolism had slowed down and my weight gain was just a natural part of all that. I had an overweight mom and sister and just figured it was my genetics that was allowing the weight to slowly creep on over the last 10 years or so before finding MFP.
Now, 3 years later, I weigh less than I did at my wedding and am about 5 lbs from the weight I was when I was my healthiest and most active in college. Take that "women can't lose weight over 40" and "your metabolism slows down when you get older it's just part of life" proponents!
This. My 'aha' moment was that I control the food going into my mouth and I can lose weight, despite being 46 and having hugely overweight sister. No, it's not genetics. Nor metabolism.5 -
Ahh, perhaps. Yes, the optional phase 1 can be pretty limiting I guess.booksandchocolate12 wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »What bad weight loss plans or advice did you follow before getting onto calorie counting? How did you come to the conclusion they didn't work?
For me:
* Nutrisystem: Under the old shelf-stable plans. Tasted awful, lost a little, but not worth it. Sad cracker pizza.
* South Beach: Worked ok for a few months, but the rules were hard to follow where work had me eating out a lot and/or I couldn't keep the schedule that was recommended. Also pretty expensive for the foods you had to choose.
* 4-hour Body: Just dumb...didn't work
* Various supplements at various times. Never made a difference.
* Weight loss center: Worked great, I did lose and a lot. Also was expensive, and would have been more if I had bought all the bars and supplements and other stuff they peddled. I also realized I was eating extremely low carb and low calorie and that made me feel like crud. I felt much better once I re-upped my carb level.
While I was doing the weight loss center plan I started using MFP and realized I could still make progress while eating more than their mail plan recommended (same time I upped the carbs). After the plan, I didn't need to follow their recommendation anymore but kept with MFP.
Curious what "schedule" south beach had? Other than 3 meals and two snacks I mean.
Maybe he's referring to the "phases" of SBD. Phase one is very limited in what you can eat. Then in each subsequent phase you add foods back in.
I do see the point to it, though, for folks who have a hard time moderating sweets.
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