My best friend is on another fad diet. I give up.

janejellyroll

happytree923 wrote: »

Hadn't heard of the "Pegan" diet so I looked it up and it looks like a Mediterranean diet with trendy terms slapped on it. Might want to let her know that there are hundreds of free Mediterranean diet plans online if she's planning to blow money on Dr. Oz materials (I assume he's selling a book), otherwise not much to be done.

In an uncharacteristic move, it appears you don't have to pay to learn about it: http://www.doctoroz.com/feature/pegan-365-diet

jefamer2017

I have 2 friends who are losing weight by alternative methods. One got an Obera implant, the other is eating some kind of mail order meal plan that cost 400 a month. The obera is essentially a removable balloon that is placed in your stomach for around six months. She lost 50lbs now that it's removed she has maintained for 3 months. The friend using the mail order meals can't stay on track she "cheats" daily she lost a couple of pounds in the first week but she was only eating 800 calories a day. I have tried to get her to eat real food not the processed junk and eat more but she swears that it will work. So I just let her be. When she asks questions about my weight loss I tell her that I log everything and exercise. She says it's too much work and changes the subject.

DomesticKat

My friends ask me pretty frequently about weight loss or look for my validation about something, and I will tell them what I think. Otherwise I give no unsolicited advice. I was in their shoes once and I know they have to arrive at the decision to do something sustainable on their own. They know what I'm doing and I figure my results speak for themselves. I really don't trouble myself about what they're doing unless they're doing something dangerous (which some of them have unfortunately).

goldie21047

I feel your pain. I'm struggling with a sister that works for a chiropractor who is currently offering a weight loss program. It's a well-known fad consisting of a very low calorie intake and hormone injections. She refuses to accept that the way to lose weight is to eat less and/or move more. She wants some doctor somewhere to find out the special reason she "can't" lose weight, tell her it's not her fault and give her a magic potion. When she told me she was doing this diet, I told her I'd heard of it and it's associated drawbacks, and suggested she do some reading from disinterested sources. Instead, she's signed on and, worse, is trying to recruit family and friends. I'm not saying another word about it, but it'd sure be nice if there were a magic potion that could grant critical thinking skills.

sgt1372

janejellyroll wrote: »

sgt1372 wrote: »

FWIW, the Pegan Diet was NOT created by Dr. Oz.

It was a term fashioned by Dr. Mark Hyman who touts this diet in his book: "Food: what the heck should I eat?"

I watched his infomercial on PBS and took notes on it. It's basically a modified paleo, heart healthy diet (that I generally follow) w/a few recommendations that certain people on MFP would woo.

Will be happy to post my notes on it, if anyone is interested.

I believe Dr Oz is currently promoting his "own" version of this diet (if the magazine cover I saw yesterday is any indication).

Apparrently so.

Don't think Hyman trademarked the term but, if Oz is stealing the ideas from his book and infomercial, Hyman may have grounds for a lawsuit.

I don't watch or pay much attn to Oz but, from what l've I've seen/heard, I don't think it would be the 1st time Oz took credit for someone else's ideas.

janejellyroll

sgt1372 wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

sgt1372 wrote: »

FWIW, the Pegan Diet was NOT created by Dr. Oz.

It was a term fashioned by Dr. Mark Hyman who touts this diet in his book: "Food: what the heck should I eat?"

I watched his infomercial on PBS and took notes on it. It's basically a modified paleo, heart healthy diet (that I generally follow) w/a few recommendations that certain people on MFP would woo.

Will be happy to post my notes on it, if anyone is interested.

I believe Dr Oz is currently promoting his "own" version of this diet (if the magazine cover I saw yesterday is any indication).

Apparrently so.

Don't think Hyman trademarked the term but, if Oz is stealing the ideas from his book and infomercisa, Hymanmay has grounds for a lawsuit.

I don't watch or pay much attn to Oz but, from what lite I've seen/heard, I don't think it wod be the 1st time Oz took credit for someone else's ideas.

It looks like he just completely copied Hyman's plan (same limit of 1 cup of day of beans, for example), but I don't see any references or credit to Hyman on the website. Oz truly is slimy.

seltzermint555

Most of my friends have tried MFP at some point and quickly stopped. Many of them only have 20 or 30 lb to lose, and I think they don't care quite enough to commit to logging their calories or really changing any of their habits.

It makes me a little sad that a few other friends have more to lose (50-100 and more) but continue to try all of the fads, pills, superfoods, wraps, and so on. They know not to even start a conversation with me about those things though. I was adamant about that when I weighed over 300 lb and I'm the same way now that I'm at a healthy weight...I have no patience for it at all. OF COURSE I've suggested MFP. They didn't even consider it.

Evamutt

When I started my best friend gave me a LOT of advice, from ww & things she learned on tv etc. She lost 60 lbs 3 times, gained it all back, so she's very knowledgeable she says. It drove me crazy! She said she's happy maintaining her wt-230 lbs (she's tall but still overweight) she knows what I've done to lose but won't try, nothing I can do. She's the one I give all my big clothes to

Annie_01

I think some people just want a magic pill...(if there was one I would want it too). When they find out one pill is not magic...they search for another. Hopefully somewhere along the way they get tire of searching and give in and do it just by cutting back on what they eat. Sadly many of them don't. They just keep hoping that the next pill will be the one.

I get it. Losing weight especially a lot of weight can be hard and tiring. There are days that I get tired thinking about it.

Running_and_Coffee

"Fad" just means it's popular, not that it won't work. Some of the best diets are "fads." As long as she's not going to do damage to herself or throw money away on something like vitamins or plastic body wraps that literally have no association at all with weight loss, I think all diets are worth trying because different people like different approaches. Some people prefer counting calories and some like to call things "points" and some people prefer to just restrict a type of food to make it easier to stay on track...some people like to do things the way a celebrity from the 1990s does things. It's really personal.

Annie_01

Evamutt wrote: »

When I started my best friend gave me a LOT of advice, from ww & things she learned on tv etc. She lost 60 lbs 3 times, gained it all back, so she's very knowledgeable she says. It drove me crazy! She said she's happy maintaining her wt-230 lbs (she's tall but still overweight) she knows what I've done to lose but won't try, nothing I can do. She's the one I give all my big clothes to

It sounds as if your friend knows how to lose weight...just not how to keep it off. Keeping if off is what most people struggle with.

cwolfman13

Different things are going to work for different people and some diet plans are better than others. I'm the only person I know who's ever calorie counted. I know several people who've had success with South Beach and with Mediterranean plans. I tend to like those plans as well because they focus on whole food nutrition and not just eliminating things (at least long term) and they provide a road map for going forward into maintenance...not that everyone succeeds with that.

Calorie counting isn't for everyone...it's pretty tedious, and frankly, I think you have to be at least a little into numbers and be a pretty meticulous person for it to work.

Unfortunately which ever way people go about it, the percentage of people that maintain their weight loss long term is pretty low. Maintenance requires you to hang on to healthy habits into perpetuity and people tend to not be very good about that.

Debmal77

AnvilHead

MoiAussi93

For many (probably most) people, losing weight and keeping it off requires trial and error. Your friend will keep trying different diets until she finds one she can stick to and stay with. Or she will never find one she can live with and stay fat. Either way, you can't do anything about it. It's about finding an eating style that she both likes (or at least doesn't dislike) and can stick with. Counting calories works, but it is not necessary.

But there is nothing wrong with many "fad diets". Obviously, if it is something extreme like eating only grapefruit you would eventually have nutritional deficiencies...but these types of diets are exceptions and aren't what most of the public try. If you are doing something like keto, paleo, low carb, low fat, Mediterranean, etc...all have helped many millions of people lose weight and keep it off.

By the way, counting calories is not for everybody. I only use it when I am making changes to my diet...mainly to focus on macros and how different mixes work or don't work for me or to check to see if I am getting enough protein. There is no way I could count calories every day for the rest of my life. I simply find it too much of a burden. Obviously, many people on this site feel differently. I'm happy for them, but that doesn't make them right and me wrong. It just means that the method that is sustainable for them (calorie counting) isn't sustainable for me. For me, it is much easier to just follow a low carb style of eating. Personal preferences and personality differences mean that different people find different "diets" beneficial.

Maybe your friend will decide to eventually try calorie counting. But even if she does, there is no guaranty she will be able to stick to it. Many have failed at it...just like with every other method. As her friend, you should just hope that she finds some method that she can live with long term. That's all that really matters.

saragd012

I googled the pegan diet, and all things considered (the original version) seems fairly well balanced so I guess there's a blessing there that it's not some crash diet. My mother is notorious for jumping onto the fad diet bandwagon, she knows CICO works but she still inevitably gets tired of counting and drops off MFP. Then after she puts weight back on she panics and decides to go on some "cleanse" or otherwise incredibly restrictive diet. The last one was delivered pre-packed foods (NutriSystem I believe), the last few months are super low-carb. I stay out of it unless she directly asks for input, today we actually talked about portion sizes, but I don't invest either way because it's not my body or my business.

Evamutt wrote: »

When I started my best friend gave me a LOT of advice, from ww & things she learned on tv etc.

This is why I stay out of it, I have a coworker who is always trying to tell me about some new special herb or magical vitamin that will apparently cause the fat to literally melt off her stomach, but just her stomach. It kills me to bite my tongue during these monologues, so I refuse to be the person giving out unsolicited advice

Lounmoun

Yes let it go.
You gave her the information and tools and she isn't ready to use them. She is an adult and can decide what she wants to do even if it is the all radish diet.
If it makes you feel frustrated maybe agree to stop talking weight loss with each other. Just make the topic off limits and each do your own thing.

HappyKat5

Can I be the mean person in the thread? Like the poster said above...You do you...But say that back to her with an added, You do you, Boo. When you add Boo to the end of a sentence, it’s basically saying, “Um, okay, I’m probably right and you’ll see.” without causing a fist fight I would also add, “Now if this doesn’t work, I don’t wanna hear about, okay?” Add a smile because it makes you less mean. Seriously, you continue to do what’s best for you. Sometimes, people have to make mistakes to learn. But, seriously, If it’s about health and you want her to be around...then tell her that and tell her it’s coming from a good place because you love her.

Annie_01

I just took a look at the OP's diary. I wouldn't last long eating what she eats (at least for the past week). This is why I don't tell people how they should be losing weight. We each have our own way of doing things and what we think is healthy.

I learned a long time ago...figure out what I need and how I can make it work and let others do the same.

peggy_polenta

i would advise that until you lose all your weight, and have maintained it for at least 2 years, you are in no position to inform her of "your" right or wrong. losing weight is about the person, not the particular diet or approach to losing weight. "CICO" is not the be all and end all of weight loss. its about the person's commitment to sticking to a plan and living it for the rest of their life once they reach their goal. people fail on cico also. there are lots of ways a person can lose weight and i'm not sure what makes you the authority on it????