The myth I will power & eat less move more...

JohnMessmer

I read the article, and every response up to this point, and I don't agree with the author on a few points.

"Oh yeah, cardio alone is also ineffective at weight loss. Tack on a diet of only low-sodium foods (which doesn’t really do anything by the way) and you have a whole lot of pain and not much reward."

Well, Cardio is all I do at this point. I decided, thanks to a scary doctor consultation, that it was now time to do something about my weight back in Sept of 2012. I read and decided that I needed to "eat less, move more" so I started walking, no marathons, just 1/4 mile...sometimes less. I gradually walked more and more, and I logged everything that went into my mouth (knowing that being honest with myself was the only way I could accurately track anything). Well, now it is July 2013 and simply by walking (I now walk between 4 and 5 miles a day...I really like Fitbit) I have lost over 120 pounds and no longer consider it a "choir" to go for a walk, in fact I consider it relaxing. I realize it has only been 9 months, so I am certainly not in any position to claim these results will last...but I know they will, and they will continue to improve.

"Willpower will not bring you success. "

Wow, I could not disagree more with this statement. I quit smoking after 26 years of a pack a day habit, using willpower. I enjoy smoking, I like the feeling, I like the flavor, yet I simply decided one day, many years ago, it was time to kick that bad habit and that was the end of that...no drugs, pills, vapor smoke, patch, nothing but willpower. I simply decided that "it is not an option". Fast forward to Sept 2012 when I decided that continuing the direction I was heading regarding my general health and weight "is not an option" and so I began to make the changes I needed to make to reduce my weight and become healthier.

I am certainly no fitness guru, nor do I claim to know everything about weight loss and fitness, but I do know common sense and common sense tells me it is just as simple as, and as hard as, “eating less and moving more.”

aakaakaak

John, yes. Everything, yes.

I'm not pushing it on you, but if you end up with loose skin then anaerobic exercise, I.E. weightlifting, bodyweight, kettlebell, etc. has a tendency to help bring the skin back to where it's supposed to be. Since you've lost over 100 lbs that might be something you're dealing with now. Just thought I'd toss that your way as something to consider.

teagirlmedium

I agree with some things the author wrote, but disagree with some things too. I eat what I like. If I do not see the point in eating something just because it is supposed to be healthy for me. I will also not give things up that I like. The part he wrote about eating salads and giving up pizza make sense to me, because I have already tried doing that to lose weight in the past and while I lost weight for a while I did not keep it off because I was not happy eating things I did not like and giving up what I did like just to be thin so I did not keep up the habit. However, I think you can lose weight by just adding cardio to your weekly routine. So I do not agree with the part he wrote about cardio. I do agree with the part about what works for you does not work for everyone.

STrooper

We generally seem to have gone to an eat more, move less culture with specific and measurable results.

shed50kg

I got bored reading it half way through, it is the same old story, someone else's theory about losing weight.

If I quit every time I did not see positive results in something I tried to achieve then I would be sad poor man. If one way does not work, then you simply get off your backside and try another. WILL POWER and DETERMINATION will make you succeed.