What's the difference between a lifestyle change and a diet?
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I call what I am doing a diet because I'm doing it for a short amount of time. I'm cutting fat, then once I'm ready to start bulking I will probably go back to intuitive eating. If I decided to start counting for the rest of my life.. which is not something I want to do, then I'd consider this a lifestyle change.0
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Diet is about what food and drink you consume. Lifestyle includes more than just diet.0
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tinamarie6624 wrote: »To me, I have changed my lifestyle. I've changed the person I was before and I like it. In 1997 I lost 130 Lbs. That was great and I was at my goal weight and I was happy. I had dieted and exercised to get to that point. Here is the problem with that. I tolerated the diet and the exercise for the weight loss. Once I had achieved my goal I stopped doing the things (eating less and exercising) that had got to my goal weight. I started to slowly gain the weight back. Fast forward 15 years and I was once again massively obese 378 Lbs. The problem was that I hadn't changed my lifestyle in 1997. I went back to my same eating and exercising patterns and I gained all of the weight back plus more. I now know that regardless of being on my weight loss journey or when I am on maintenance, I will continue to log my food and exercise. I also love the exercising. I hated to walk before and now I find that the stress relief from the walk so helpful. I'm shocked at the change in my attitude so is my family. I also am breaking the patterns that I have used so badly in the past. A diet does little good if you don't change the things that caused the problem in the first place.
I'm no expert but this is my opinion. So far I've lost 175 Lbs in 14 Months and have 88 left to lose.
I wish you all of the best luck on your endeavors.
And the reasons will really vary between people. In my case it was as simple as me not realizing how calories and portion sizes actually worked (like, I literally did not know what the word calorie even meant
). Once I got that sorted out though everything fell into place relatively easy. Someone else is going to have a totally different situation /need a different way of approaching weight loss /maintenance. The important thing is that we all figure out what we need to do, for our specific situation, and then go with that 
Side note -congrats on your amazing loss so far and your dedication to stick with it!
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lemurcat12 wrote: »Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »I've also heard people finding the word "Journey" annoying lol
I think it is a bit of a cliche term.. but i guess it all depends on how the word hits you... i can't stand the word blouse lol
Yeah, I get annoyed by terms that seem overly fancy or pretentious for what they describe or else which seem like jargon/common phrases that all of a sudden everyone is using in a particular way.
I hate "journey" most of all since it just seems dumb to me. No, it's not a "journey," you are losing weight, not going around the world. I've seen people say "I want to lose 10 lbs, and need some tips for my journey" -- I mean, seriously? It's like they can't just call it what it is (and it's related to the idea that you need some fancy special diet often too).
I also hate "lifestyle change," although I get the idea that it conveys more of a long-lasting thing than just a diet. But to me "diet" = eating at a deficit/in a way that causes weight loss, whatever long-term plans are. Personally I lost a lot of weight (by going back to stuff I used to do, mostly), and now want to eventually lose 5-10 more. I see no need for a lifestyle change, but a deficit or diet? Sure. Also, IMO my lifestyle is made up of a lot more than just how I eat or even how I work out.
Other things I hate: WOE or Way of Eating. I try to eat healthfully, but don't have this level of identification with how I eat and people who eat just like me, I think that's weird, and I honestly thought the WOE thing was a joke when I first saw it.
"Incorporate" when what you really mean is just add or adopt or some such, or even just occasionally eat. I fall into it sometimes too, but "I am going to incorporate almond milk into my breakfast" just sounds so self-important and is definitely dieting jargon.
"Packed with" -- for some reason for dieters (I think it must be common in women's mags or fitness blogs) everything is "packed with" stuff -- nutrients or sugar or whatever.
Also hate marketing and corporate speech unless it's used ironically.
And again I am sure I often thoughtlessly use some of the things I hate -- often using them and then wondering "why did I use that word" is even how I notice them.
Anyway, I admit I'm a grouch.
(I agreed with you -- totally hate the word "blouse" for no particular reason. Also hate "tummy" unless it is being used with a child.)
Bruh you've got to chill with the humour -- I'm sitting here in class laughing my butt off (well now I'm typing this as if I am writing something very serious that requires 120% of my focus) so that was awkward lol. But thanks for your insight. It was packed with information that will surely help me on my journey as I lose these last few pounds. I will use your tips to help me incorporate a healthier way of eating into my brand new lifestyle change! And I also got a new blouse today -- it really makes my tummy look nice and flat.
I am so sorry -- I just had to (think of it as payback for making me laugh too loudly in a dead-silent class)
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Diets DO work. Just not the "diet" we see mentioned. When people say they are ON a diet this usually implies a short term change in their way of eating for what they hope to be a permanent result which usually is not permanent because they did not make a permanent change.
When we hear someone say something like, "MY diet i consist of...." or "My diet is mostly...." they are usually referring to their diet as a permanent change which is a part of a lifestyle. Not just a temporary change.
While the word semantics seem absurd they matter in this case. When I say, " My diet is low carb" I mean that this is my lifestyle. Not "I am on a low carb diet" as a temporary fix. When we stop thinking of adopting a temporary change such as "going on a diet" and adopt a permanent change with a sensible diet we then change our success. So you may not want to "go on a diet" that is just going to end and land you right back where you started but rather change your existing diet to promote health, weight loss, relief from gastrointestinal woes etc...
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ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »Diets DO work. Just not the "diet" we see mentioned. When people say they are ON a diet this usually implies a short term change in their way of eating for what they hope to be a permanent result which usually is not permanent because they did not make a permanent change.
When we hear someone say something like, "MY diet i consist of...." or "My diet is mostly...." they are usually referring to their diet as a permanent change which is a part of a lifestyle. Not just a temporary change.
While the word semantics seem absurd they matter in this case. When I say, " My diet is low carb" I mean that this is my lifestyle. Not "I am on a low carb diet" as a temporary fix. When we stop thinking of adopting a temporary change such as "going on a diet" and adopt a permanent change with a sensible diet we then change our success. So you may not want to "go on a diet" that is just going to end and land you right back where you started but rather change your existing diet to promote health, weight loss, relief from gastrointestinal woes etc...
I see what you mean. Going ON a diet implies that the diet itself is not an integral part of your being. But saying something is MY diet implies that the diet is a part of who you are.
Why is this sounding so wishy washy and mushy!? I promise it's not.1 -
Lifestyle in my mind implies something automatically done, a daily action or habit. You know what you need to do, and you just do it. For example I get up and do some form of exercise every morning. If I'm short in time, I'll cut it short but I never blow the whole thing off. That's my life. Yesterday at Trader Joes I automatically went for the nutrtion data to check calories and servings. Then I started thinking of how these foods would fit into my day. Calorie counting became my lifestyle.0
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GoCleanGoLean wrote: »I know I'm supposed to be doing a lifestyle change, but if the new lifestyle is counting calories, isn't that just a diet? If I decide to count calories for the rest of my life, does that count as a lifestyle change? How much has to change before a diet becomes a lifestyle?
Paying attention to what you eat is the 'lifestyle change'. Logging my calories every day helps me build that habit with some accountability or feedback.
I think I will log calories through 1-2 months in maintenance mode, so I'm stable at the higher calorie count and don't revert to old habits. I expect I'll then be able to ballpark my daily calories in my head, before I decide to grab an extra doughnut.
They say research shows it takes ~66 days for something to become an automatic habit.
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The trope "It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change" has become so embedded that people use it preemptively. I recall a few threads where new posters wrote something in the vein of "I'm on day 3 of my 'new lifestyle' and..."3
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GoCleanGoLean wrote: »ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »Diets DO work. Just not the "diet" we see mentioned. When people say they are ON a diet this usually implies a short term change in their way of eating for what they hope to be a permanent result which usually is not permanent because they did not make a permanent change.
When we hear someone say something like, "MY diet i consist of...." or "My diet is mostly...." they are usually referring to their diet as a permanent change which is a part of a lifestyle. Not just a temporary change.
While the word semantics seem absurd they matter in this case. When I say, " My diet is low carb" I mean that this is my lifestyle. Not "I am on a low carb diet" as a temporary fix. When we stop thinking of adopting a temporary change such as "going on a diet" and adopt a permanent change with a sensible diet we then change our success. So you may not want to "go on a diet" that is just going to end and land you right back where you started but rather change your existing diet to promote health, weight loss, relief from gastrointestinal woes etc...
I see what you mean. Going ON a diet implies that the diet itself is not an integral part of your being. But saying something is MY diet implies that the diet is a part of who you are.
Why is this sounding so wishy washy and mushy!? I promise it's not.
I don't know. It's all mental I suppose. When a commitment towards a healthy diet and we look towards changing how we eat as a part of our life it's more meaningful. Think of dating. Some people date with no intentions of a serious relationship. Others are looking for a commitment with that person who makes their life complete. When we do enough shopping around for the wrong people ( or the wrong diet) we start to see where we are going wrong and eventually opt for the right one. Some people are content always looking for love (or health or weight loss) in all the wrong places. Others settle down with "the one".0 -
The trope "It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change" has become so embedded that people use it preemptively. I recall a few threads where new posters wrote something in the vein of "I'm on day 3 of my 'new lifestyle' and..."
Yeah...and to add, people tend to talk a good talk but most often actually fail long term to implement any meaningful change to the way they live their lives...3 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »The trope "It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change" has become so embedded that people use it preemptively. I recall a few threads where new posters wrote something in the vein of "I'm on day 3 of my 'new lifestyle' and..."
Yeah...and to add, people tend to talk a good talk but most often actually fail long term to implement any meaningful change to the way they live their lives...
I'm in a group of people losing 100+ lbs, so I invite newbies who post they've started their change and want support. This allows me to go back and see who didn't accept the invitation after a week. Most came to MFP for a couple days/posts and haven't been back.
It would be interesting to do some analysis on the data collected by MFP2 -
Diet vs lifestyle change is nail polish vs tattoo.
Diet and nail polish you put on with the intent f it lasts a few weeks and it lasts 3 days. Tatoo and lifestyle changes are with you for the rest of your life.2 -
Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »I've also heard people finding the word "Journey" annoying lol
I think it is a bit of a cliche term.. but i guess it all depends on how the word hits you... i can't stand the word blouse lol
"Journey" is my biggest pet peeve on these boards. I mean, get over yourself, people, it's not a "journey", it's just a thing you are doing to get healthy. You don't get a gold star at the end either. End rant.1 -
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Ditto for me on "lifestyle" and "journey" being annoying. I'm on a diet. I will be on a diet of my choosing for one reason or another the entire 2nd half of my life. For me, diet does not equal deprivation. Diet is what I chose to eat, and I feel so fortunate to be able to chose from an abundance of healthy foods available to me.1
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I think "lifestyle change" gets overused and is pretty annoying. I never used to go to the gym; now I do. That's not a lifestyle change, that's me tacking on a one-hour-a-day activity to my current lifestyle. I used to eat bigger portions; now I eat smaller portions. Not really a lifestyle change. It's the same exact food. (Girl Scout cookies, mmm.)
I mean, I didn't describe it as a "lifestyle change" when I tried to toilet-train the cats, and that required waaay more focus. (It worked, but I eventually quit because they were so unenthused and I was tired of spending so much time obsessing over my cats' bowel movements.)
I don't mind "journey" though.3 -
BlueSkyShoal wrote: »I think "lifestyle change" gets overused and is pretty annoying. I never used to go to the gym; now I do. That's not a lifestyle change, that's me tacking on a one-hour-a-day activity to my current lifestyle. I used to eat bigger portions; now I eat smaller portions. Not really a lifestyle change. It's the same exact food. (Girl Scout cookies, mmm.)
I mean, I didn't describe it as a "lifestyle change" when I tried to toilet-train the cats, and that required waaay more focus. (It worked, but I eventually quit because they were so unenthused and I was tired of spending so much time obsessing over my cats' bowel movements.)
I don't mind "journey" though.
You just listed changes to your previous lifestyle which means you now have an altered lifestyle which means you changed your lifestyle. A change can be a small as adding a vegetable at each meal or adding an hour each day to gym activity. You changed your lifestyle. Whether you like it or not.0
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