Depressing articles about how dieting do not work
Sojo15
Posts: 87 Member
I am very committed to a complete lifestyle change two weeks ago. My loss is going slowly (1 lbs per week) but I feel better and lost 2.5 inches in my waist. I am creating a system for eating that I find pleasurable on 1200 cal per day. It helps that I love vegetables and fruit. I found bread (here in the US) and grains (rice pasta etc) not so good anyway, it is the main protein or sauce that is good. I find that the food I craved before, like dairy, cheese, sugary carbs etc, is inferior to the dishes I am learning now. Processed sugar now have a weird taste to me. But of course I want results, I want to feel in control and be healthy. I found it so hard to read NYT and other newspapers that talks about how dieting never works. We are genetically disposed to have a certain weight etc. It just made me want to give up. I need hope that this creates results. I would be happy to restrict calories for my entire life if I just got results. Is it really that impossible? These articles are cruel.
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Replies
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If we were genetically determined to have a particular weight, how could the average weight and BMI have gone up so much and so quickly?
Focusing just on a temporary weight-loss change may mean you put weight on as soon as you go back to your old habits, but if you can find a way to make changes longer lasting no reason why you can't keep it off. I focus on the fact that I know people who stay slim for their life or who have lost weight and kept it off long term and ignore those articles unless they have information that will help me.18 -
Stop reading them. It's hogwash! If you change your lifestyle and are commited to do that the weight comes off and stays off. If you stop paying attention at your goal weight and revert back to old habits you will gain it back.8
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Your genetics will only really be a determining factor when you're peaking performance. Unless you plan on being an Olympian I wouldn't worry. Reasonable sustainable dieting is key mixed with strength training and you'll be fine. Don't let articles written by an entertainment company tell you what's good for your body.3
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Trust the process you are doing today to lose weight. News articles and such are just garbage.
If you need to see proof this works, visit the Success Stories section of MFP.5 -
Most diets don't work long term because people feel they can go on a diet, lose the weight and then jump right back into the behaviors that get them to the point of needing to diet in the first place. The only sustainable way to lose the weight permanently is to commit to changing those behaviors and making that change forever.
The diet industry is a multi-billion dollar industry because they preach 'quick-fix' solutions without dealing with the long-term fixes that are required to keep the weight off.20 -
Like others said, "diets" don't work long term because people see it as a temporary fix to a long term problem and don't address the underlying issues and behaviors. Many people want to get to a certain weight, and then go back to their old lifestyle, which never works.
The commitment is where most people fall short. It's not a quick fix. To make it a permanent thing, it takes time, dedication, and trusting the process. Every single day, for the rest of your life.
A "diet" will never work to keep weight off if you are using the term "diet" as "restricting oneself to small amounts or special kinds of food in order to lose weight" as opposed to the long term solution of "the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats." Both are proper use of the word, but when it comes to real-world, keeping a healthy weight use, the second one is a better one to use.6 -
Set point is just a theory. If you commit to good habits and set up a conducive environment then it will work. Why are so many overweight today compared to 50 years ago? Habits and environment. We live in a world with unhealthy food at every corner and portions have gotten huge and we are more sedentary (driving, internet, automation) Cook at home, don’t keep junk food in the house, small portions, and regular activity.2
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OP: If you want to give up, you'll give up - the NYT or other articles just make it more palatable for someone to do so. I agree that diets in the medium to long term do not work. I believe only lifestyle changes are sustainable irrespective of one's genetics.
Having said that, we all know its not a one size fits all approach when it comes to weight loss, weight maintenance and keeping our mind on point. Whatever your approach, good luck on your journey.5 -
I am very committed to a complete lifestyle change two weeks ago. My loss is going slowly (1 lbs per week) but I feel better and lost 2.5 inches in my waist. I am creating a system for eating that I find pleasurable on 1200 cal per day. It helps that I love vegetables and fruit. I found bread (here in the US) and grains (rice pasta etc) not so good anyway, it is the main protein or sauce that is good. I find that the food I craved before, like dairy, cheese, sugary carbs etc, is inferior to the dishes I am learning now. Processed sugar now have a weird taste to me. But of course I want results, I want to feel in control and be healthy. I found it so hard to read NYT and other newspapers that talks about how dieting never works. We are genetically disposed to have a certain weight etc. It just made me want to give up. I need hope that this creates results. I would be happy to restrict calories for my entire life if I just got results. Is it really that impossible? These articles are cruel.
We aren't genetically pre-determined to be a certain weight. I've maintained my weight loss going on 5 years. It was a matter of developing healthy habits and changing the way I live my life overall that has made the difference...I eat much better than I did when I was fat and I exercise most days of the week...before, I ate whatever, whenever and spent most of my free time drinking beer and smoking 2-3 PAD of cigarettes and could barely walk my dog around the block.
Many people fail long term because they don't make the long term changes necessary to maintain a healthy weight. People are generally pretty good about losing weight, and once they've accomplished that, they just go back to "normal"...there has to be a new normal and a lot of people simply don't understand that for whatever reason.
Many, if not most see reaching goal weight as the end game and have no plan for maintenance...goal weight isn't the finish line...it's the starting line of the actual race...everything to that point has just been practice.13 -
Diets work great, for the diet industry! "Diets" as in fad diets, or temporary diets, don't work for dieters - you lose, but regain. Dieting, as in eating less, but sustainably, to lose weight, works. Your diet is also just what you eat. If you eat like a fat person, you become and stay a fat person. If you eat like a normal weight person, you become and stay a normal weight person. I was overweight for many years, lost and regained a couple of times, at one point I was slightly obese. Then I decided to lose weight, again, but also to lose the lifestyle that made me overweight. It worked. I eat, move and think like "we" did in the 50's, and my body is how it would have been all the time, if this was the 50's.
There's always a kernel of truth in these articles, and yes, you have to eat less to weigh less, but you' renot going to eat less than a person of the same size that has never dieted - it may feel that way, because a person who is, or has been, overweight, tend to underestimate food intake. If set point theory was a thing, your weight would set, not go up, and it would'n find a "new set point". It's all about behavior, and most of us like better to eat than to move.
I'm just going to give you an unsolicited heads-up: What you are trying to do now, is to put yourself off the foods you love. It doesn't work. Telling yourself how weird sugar tastes and how much you love broccoli, only works for a short while, sooner or later temptation will strike, and you will fall for it, and if you think that those foods are better avoided completely, a lick will mea that you've failed, so you can just as well eat the whole bag and get it over with, after all this is the last time, ever, it just has to be.12 -
I saw some discussion on Reddit about these garbage articles, and a comment stuck with me: people think of yo-yo dieting like this (more or less):
"If I just restrict my calories I can get down to a weight that's acceptable to me, and then I can go back to eating the way I like." (The implication being that somehow they won't get back to the weight they were at the outset).
Thinking that way doesn't make any real sense. No one would train themselves to deadlift 600 lbs, take five years off lifting, and then come back expecting to be able to do the 600 lbs again. Of course they have to put in the work to maintain the strength level they want.
Maintaining a certain bodyweight is conceptually no different - you identify what you want to weigh, you eat according to that goal weight (factoring in exercise etc.) and you stick with it for as long as you want to stay at that weight. The science supports this view, and so do anecdotal stories from all kinds of people who have successfully maintained for years.
Set points are just the level of bodyweight people arrive at through their unconscious or unmonitored general eating habits. Funny how almost no one's 'set point' ever seems to go down but they all seem to conspicuously drift upward over time.10 -
It is encouraging to hear the arguments against the article. I actually think turning myself against food works. To be honest, I do not love the food I have given up. Bread in the US sucks, inferior to Sweden where I am from. I can't bake it either, can't get it right. The same with baked goods here: just too sweet. I was a vegetarian a huge part of my life, and like broccoli. I discovered many recipes I really like. Almond milk taste very much like milk to me. I think I am trained to eat certain foods, and am surprised how tasty you can make low calorie food.5
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The woman who wrote the WaPo "dieting doesn't work" article I read today is selling an alternative medicine weight management plan that involves naturopathy, acupuncture, and probably other stuff that has nothing to do with weight loss. In other words, she's slinging pseudoscience to profit from people who don't know any better.14
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That is good to know. I just feel really tricked into eating badly. All this sugar in everything. I feel good this far, I do. Love the success stories. I am so happy that being fit is at least a possibility for me.3
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There are many people on these boards who have reached their goal weight and maintained and you can too. Don't worry about the articles that say it can't happen. Lots of proof exists right here to prove them wrong.2
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The facts of weight loss can be disheartening. Most people who lose weight will not maintain that loss. Whether it's printed or not, it's still true. Whether you read it or not, it's still true. But most people is not the same as all people.8
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Dieting doesn't work! It's true. That's why you can't diet. You have to look at this as a new life. As the posters above have mentioned, when you reach your goal you cannot expect to go back to eating what you were eating before you lost weight. Of course you can have cheat days. But you cannot have cheat months, and cheat years, and cheat decades and expect your weight to stay low.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Eating healthy has to be a life long commitment. I do think genetics play a role in things. We all know those people who are naturally thin and don't have to eat healthy to stay small. But if you're designed to be bigger, then you CAN beat it, you just have to be honest with yourself. You aren't naturally thin, so you have to watch what you eat, forever.
You can do this!9 -
Here's the harsh reality:
Once you have gained weight, it is pretty much irreversible health damage for most people.
People who are able to lose the weight and keep it off have one common trait: They make weight loss/maintenance their life-long single most important focus.
There is lots of real science now that indicates that the human body acts defensively to protect fat stores. Body fat produces the hormone Leptin, which our bodies use as a proxy for measuring how much fat we have. The more fat you have, the more Leptin you have. And when our bodies detect lowered Leptin levels, they respond with a host of physiological responses designed to restore fat (and thus Leptin) levels back to their previous "high water mark". Among these responses are increased sensations of hunger, increased feelings of cold, menstrual irregularity, and an increase in skeletal muscle efficiency of about 20% which results in an overall reduction in metabolism of about 10-15%.
Initial indications were that these symptoms persisted indefinitely. New research indicates that after approximately one year of maintenance the body may "reset" to the new fat store levels.
Currently the only known mechanism to force an immediate reset of these body responses is bariatric surgery.
In order to persevere and succeed with weight loss, you have to endure that discomfort for however many years it takes to lose the weight and achieve your maintenance weight, and then you have to continue to endure it for a year after that.
If you are 100 pounds overweight, you are looking at at least 2 years of weight loss plus an additional year of maintenance before you body might stop rebelling against the weight loss.
Most people are unable to stick it out that long, and this is why the majority of people who attempt weight loss fail at it long term.
It can be done - lots of people do it. You have to make a multi-year commitment to it.24 -
I feel like I've been very destructive, and want to take care of my body. I hope it is reversible. I need to lose 30 lbs. However, after two weeks on here, I now am in the "normal" BMI range.3
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shannonprovenzano2812 wrote: »
Eating healthy has to be a life long commitment. I do think genetics play a role in things. We all know those people who are naturally thin and don't have to eat healthy to stay small. But if you're designed to be bigger, then you CAN beat it, you just have to be honest with yourself. You aren't naturally thin, so you have to watch what you eat, forever.
This variability exists but with less skew than most people think. I am 'naturally skinny' but this is a 300 calorie/day variation, e.g. one muffin.
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There is no reason to be discouraged by the results of others. You are not them. Educate yourself with the experiences of others who have lost and maintained long-term and imitate the strategies that make them successful. That being said, you started a previous thread that indicated you are pursuing a rather restrictive diet unnecessarily, and unfortunately this is a factor that often limits a person's success.3
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Much, if not most, food processed in the US includes added sugar "to improve palatability" which of course adds calories. Before the flame war starts over whether added sugar is or is not "evil," let me say that unless I am eating stuff that is supposed to be sweet (like cookies, cakes, pies, lemonade, etc) I prefer to leave out the added sugar as a matter of personal taste - probably part of how my tastes developed as a kid. I stopped making bread because it was just too darn easy to eat too much! But I love whole-grain, seed-laden, heavy bread and have found a few brands I enjoy.That is good to know. I just feel really tricked into eating badly. All this sugar in everything. I feel good this far, I do. Love the success stories. I am so happy that being fit is at least a possibility for me.
As folks have noted, the "diet industry" is a hugely profitable enterprise which does nothing to promote sustainable, healthful food habits. People who "diet" with the then-current fad plans mostly gain back what they have lost, plus some, in a couple of years. People who "diet" often lose more lean mass (muscle) than is optimum, and then when they re-gain weight it is often mostly fat, which for many people makes them look heavier than they did at the same exact weight decades prior.
The sweet spot seems to be finding a healthful way to eat and move that is sustainable for the particular individual.
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You're probably 1 of many resolutioners that start out with great intentions. Do you want to be one of the few that makes it? Read this. All of this.
https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/how-to-lose-fat/5 -
sure, DIETS don't work. You however, say you are committed to making a life long change to eat healthier. I am sure genetics play some part, especially on how the fat sits on your frame but that's a cop out for people who don't want to change.4
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There is no reason to be discouraged by the results of others. You are not them. Educate yourself with the experiences of others who have lost and maintained long-term and imitate the strategies that make them successful. That being said, you started a previous thread that indicated you are pursuing a rather restrictive diet unnecessarily, and unfortunately this is a factor that often limits a person's success.
I take your advice to heart, and wonder if I am too restricted. However, I am an emotional eater and I noticed that I do not even see bread as a possibility I am less likely to eat it. I do believe in CICO. I also think that so many recipes are more unhealthy than they need to be. I was sick as a child and could not process fats. I couldn't even eat egg yolks without pain. I was a vegetarian before it was a thing, at least in the small place I grew up. So maybe it conditioned me to like vegetables etc. I have always been a little disgusted by animal products, but I am eating chicken and fish since I do think I need it. I do dream about newly baked bread, cookies and cheese doodles. But to be honest, it would be an unhealthy binge. It is not happiness, not for me. So I might fail, but I am having a good week, with less blood sugar spikes etc.4 -
maillemaker wrote: »Here's the harsh reality:
Initial indications were that these symptoms persisted indefinitely. New research indicates that after approximately one year of maintenance the body may "reset" to the new fat store levels.
Currently the only known mechanism to force an immediate reset of these body responses is bariatric surgery.
I have been looking for research on this topic. Do you recall where you found the newest research? A link would be a amazing. Thanks.
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At the risk of being banned, NYT is FAKE (weight loss) NEWS
You're much better off perusing https://www.bodyrecomposition.com/ instead. Much better. Trees are saved, also.6 -
There is no reason to be discouraged by the results of others. You are not them. Educate yourself with the experiences of others who have lost and maintained long-term and imitate the strategies that make them successful. That being said, you started a previous thread that indicated you are pursuing a rather restrictive diet unnecessarily, and unfortunately this is a factor that often limits a person's success.
I take your advice to heart, and wonder if I am too restricted. However, I am an emotional eater and I noticed that I do not even see bread as a possibility I am less likely to eat it. I do believe in CICO. I also think that so many recipes are more unhealthy than they need to be. I was sick as a child and could not process fats. I couldn't even eat egg yolks without pain. I was a vegetarian before it was a thing, at least in the small place I grew up. So maybe it conditioned me to like vegetables etc. I have always been a little disgusted by animal products, but I am eating chicken and fish since I do think I need it. I do dream about newly baked bread, cookies and cheese doodles. But to be honest, it would be an unhealthy binge. It is not happiness, not for me. So I might fail, but I am having a good week, with less blood sugar spikes etc.
Limiting your access to foods you find particularly troublesome is not a bad strategy when it comes to building new habits. But to tell yourself you can never have these things sets a person up for trouble. That's terrific if you primarily crave nutritionally dense foods, as long as you aren't laboring under the idea that these things are a prerequisite for weight loss.
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eat well ( 12-1600 cal a day and move more and you will succeed . if you DIET in my mind that is restrictive and joyless meaning you are eating foods that do not please you you will have trouble . food is pleasure .
Like you I love fruit and veggies . I look at this as an eating plan not a diet , I build my days around nutritious foods that taste good to me and keep me in my desired calorie allowance . if I am craving a calorie dense meal I plan for it , I eat lower calorie the rest of the day and exercise more and enjoy the treat . the quickest way to fail is to not try . you need to eat to produce the results you want . the single most helpful way not to fail is to chart your foods . it really makes you stop and think about what you want to eat3 -
Limiting your access to foods you find particularly troublesome is not a bad strategy when it comes to building new habits. But to tell yourself you can never have these things sets a person up for trouble. That's terrific if you primarily crave nutritionally dense foods, as long as you aren't laboring under the idea that these things are a prerequisite for weight loss.
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That is a very good point. I am not preaching a particular way of eating. I am thinking that certain foods trigger bad behavior for me, personally. For example, I was depressed and became addicted to gummi bears. I would buy a big bag, eat 50 bears and feel euphoric. It was not pleasure, I was actually hurting myself. My partner gently reminded me that I could get the same endorphins from exercise. Yes, with my history I might fail at this. But I am trying to assess how I feel and how I can make this work for me. I only know that after 15 days I feel better than after 7 days. I have no successes in the past, I am not an authority on weight loss in any way. I am trying to seek advice from people who managed to change habits and become fit, since I am seriously worried about my health if I don't make a change. I am an older parent and many friends only 10-15 years older than me recently passed away.
I do like the NYT, but the article was stupid. Thanks for giving me counter-arguments. Our food culture is making us sick, I do believe that. I have eaten so much crap I don't even really think taste that good in the first place.
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