Why Dieting is the Worst Way to Lose Weight

Siansonea

I'm sure you do look amazing but did you ever wonder if and how much LBM you sacrificed in the process if you didn't track it?

Well, since there's less of me to cart around, I don't really need as much "LBM" to do that carting around, now do I? And you're acting like it's a foregone conclusion that I'm "skinny fat"—whatever that's supposed to mean. I am able to walk, talk, and do everything else just as well as I could before I lost weight, so if I lost a bit of muscle mass in the process, I don't miss it. :drinker:

what about things further down the line?

osteoporosis?

I'm already pretty far down the line, I'm old as f__. So far so good, I think genetics plays a much larger role than anything else in that regard. Plus, I eat plenty or protein and fat 'n such in all the junk food I throw down my gullet, so I don't think I need to worry. :bigsmile:

I um. ok then. it honestly scares me that you give out as much advice as you do. I have no problem with your diet and exercise habits (or lack thereof), but the fact that you encourage others to follow the same practices is alarming. best of luck to you though.

Oh, alarming, is it? Well, not as alarming as telling someone who is not losing weight to just eat more calories until they start losing (hint: if you're not losing weight, the problem isn't that you're eating too few calories, it's that you're not counting input and output properly, but whatever, details, right?).

Here's the thing. Not everyone who sets out to lose weight is a chipper, perky little dynamo with willpower to spare, who is eager to make a suite of drastic lifestyle changes all at once. Some of us have really demanding jobs and social lives that don't really make a lot of room for a complete diet overhaul, a stringent workout regimen, and oh, by the way, if you can spare a few moments to track your calories and eat at a deficit it might help. The calorie deficit is pooh-poohed, downplayed, marginalized and dismissed around here, but it is literally the ONLY thing you HAVE to do in order to LOSE WEIGHT. I know this, because it's the ONLY thing I did. And I'm a half pound away from my goal weight.

Yeah, exercise is fine for health or whatever. Fitness, strength, all that jazz. But that's really not about losing weight. I mean, I seem to have lost weight as rapidly as any gymrat around here, and I feel perfectly fine. If I wanted to, now that I'm close to maintenance, I could start to introduce a little exercise into my life, and I might try yoga or something. But that's a separate goal from losing weight, and I figured that it would be better to accomplish one feat before tackling another. And honestly, I don't think I need a whole heck of a lot of toning, I'm pretty fortunate that my everyday activity keeps me at least somewhat toned.

So yeah, judge us lazy calorie counters all you want. We're laughing all the way to the scale. :drinker:

uconnwinsnc

Ultimately, some people are too large to weight train. Cutting calories has to be done by everyone who's goal is to cut before they build muscle. While the article makes some strong points, there are people who are taking years off their life by eating too much food.

:huh:

Some people who are 400-500+ pounds struggle to just move themselves, let alone bench press and do squats with weights. Their health problem stems from the food they eat. Once they get their eating under control, then they can start weight training.

jilly1130

I agree that weight training is so important while losing weight. However, IMO if you are at a calorie deficit, you are restricting your calorie intake and although it sounds so nice to call it a nutrition program, it is a diet in my opinion. Calorie deficit == DIET. Now don't get me wrong, you can make a lifestyle change while dieting -- learning portion control etc. and adding exercise to your routine but a diet is a diet. And I believe the statistics of the failure rate to keep the weight off would be the same no matter what you call it.

Mr_Knight

The calorie deficit is pooh-poohed, downplayed, marginalized and dismissed around here, but it is literally the ONLY thing you HAVE to do in order to LOSE WEIGHT.

Sing it, sister!

:drinker:

Siansonea

I agree that weight training is so important while losing weight. However, IMO if you are at a calorie deficit, you are restricting your calorie intake and although it sounds so nice to call it a nutrition program, it is a diet in my opinion. Calorie deficit == DIET. Now don't get me wrong, you can make a lifestyle change while dieting -- learning portion control etc. and adding exercise to your routine but a diet is a diet. And I believe the statistics of the failure rate to keep the weight off would be the same no matter what you call it.

Actually, if you consume food, you're on a diet. A diet is just the foods you eat, regardless of whether you're even paying attention. My diet includes lots of McDonald's and Taco Bell, but I lose weight because I introduced a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit is not the same thing as a diet in a strictly denotative sense.

skullshank

I'm sure you do look amazing but did you ever wonder if and how much LBM you sacrificed in the process if you didn't track it?

Well, since there's less of me to cart around, I don't really need as much "LBM" to do that carting around, now do I? And you're acting like it's a foregone conclusion that I'm "skinny fat"—whatever that's supposed to mean. I am able to walk, talk, and do everything else just as well as I could before I lost weight, so if I lost a bit of muscle mass in the process, I don't miss it. :drinker:

what about things further down the line?

osteoporosis?

I'm already pretty far down the line, I'm old as f__. So far so good, I think genetics plays a much larger role than anything else in that regard. Plus, I eat plenty or protein and fat 'n such in all the junk food I throw down my gullet, so I don't think I need to worry. :bigsmile:

I um. ok then. it honestly scares me that you give out as much advice as you do. I have no problem with your diet and exercise habits (or lack thereof), but the fact that you encourage others to follow the same practices is alarming. best of luck to you though.

Oh, alarming, is it? Well, not as alarming as telling someone who is not losing weight to just eat more calories until they start losing (hint: if you're not losing weight, the problem isn't that you're eating too few calories, it's that you're not counting input and output properly, but whatever, details, right?).

Here's the thing. Not everyone who sets out to lose weight is a chipper, perky little dynamo with willpower to spare, who is eager to make a suite of drastic lifestyle changes all at once. Some of us have really demanding jobs and social lives that don't really make a lot of room for a complete diet overhaul, a stringent workout regimen, and oh, by the way, if you can spare a few moments to track your calories and eat at a deficit it might help. The calorie deficit is pooh-poohed, downplayed, marginalized and dismissed around here, but it is literally the ONLY thing you HAVE to do in order to LOSE WEIGHT. I know this, because it's the ONLY thing I did. And I'm a half pound away from my goal weight.

Yeah, exercise is fine for health or whatever. Fitness, strength, all that jazz. But that's really not about losing weight. I mean, I seem to have lost weight as rapidly as any gymrat around here, and I feel perfectly fine. If I wanted to, now that I'm close to maintenance, I could start to introduce a little exercise into my life, and I might try yoga or something. But that's a separate goal from losing weight, and I figured that it would be better to accomplish one feat before tackling another. And honestly, I don't think I need a whole heck of a lot of toning, I'm pretty fortunate that my everyday activity keeps me at least somewhat toned.

So yeah, judge us lazy calorie counters all you want. We're laughing all the way to the scale. :drinker:

i'll be honest...i didnt read this whole post. but i skimmed it, i swear!

part of what i took from it is that you think calorie deficit is downplayed around here.

you could not be further from the truth. i see the simplicity of deficit brought up time after time after time when people arent losing...usually with a "yes, it really is that simple" at the end.

in_the_stars

I'm sure you do look amazing but did you ever wonder if and how much LBM you sacrificed in the process if you didn't track it?

Well, since there's less of me to cart around, I don't really need as much "LBM" to do that carting around, now do I? And you're acting like it's a foregone conclusion that I'm "skinny fat"—whatever that's supposed to mean. I am able to walk, talk, and do everything else just as well as I could before I lost weight, so if I lost a bit of muscle mass in the process, I don't miss it. drinker

what about things further down the line?

osteoporosis?

*****

Deficit eating + no exercise + menopause = osteoporosis, cardiac issues, unwanted fat due to hormonal imbalance. Your choice.

Your arithmetic seems to be missing some variables. Like genetics, for one thing. It also presupposes that because I don't exercise that I'm a slow-moving slug that lurches from chair to chair. I'm actually pretty healthy for an ancient crone. :bigsmile:

Nice.

Boring article, blog post, whatever it is.

Mr_Knight

part of what i took from it is that you think calorie deficit is downplayed around here.

you could not be further from the truth. i see the simplicity of deficit brought up time after time after time when people arent losing...usually with a "yes, it really is that simple" at the end.

I have to agree with her, it feels like every damn thread the same "you need to eat more to lose weight" crowd shows up. There are, of course, lots of folks who get it, but they usually succeed quickly (imagine that!) and move off of MFP.

There are days I'm convinced people over-complicate this stuff just so they have a built in excuse to fail...

downsizinghoss

Ultimately, some people are too large to weight train. Cutting calories has to be done by everyone who's goal is to cut before they build muscle. While the article makes some strong points, there are people who are taking years off their life by eating too much food.

:huh:

Some people who are 400-500+ pounds struggle to just move themselves, let alone bench press and do squats with weights. Their health problem stems from the food they eat. Once they get their eating under control, then they can start weight training.

I started lifting at 530 pounds

TheSlorax

Oh, alarming, is it? Well, not as alarming as telling someone who is not losing weight to just eat more calories until they start losing (hint: if you're not losing weight, the problem isn't that you're eating too few calories, it's that you're not counting input and output properly, but whatever, details, right?).

Here's the thing. Not everyone who sets out to lose weight is a chipper, perky little dynamo with willpower to spare, who is eager to make a suite of drastic lifestyle changes all at once. Some of us have really demanding jobs and social lives that don't really make a lot of room for a complete diet overhaul, a stringent workout regimen, and oh, by the way, if you can spare a few moments to track your calories and eat at a deficit it might help. The calorie deficit is pooh-poohed, downplayed, marginalized and dismissed around here, but it is literally the ONLY thing you HAVE to do in order to LOSE WEIGHT. I know this, because it's the ONLY thing I did. And I'm a half pound away from my goal weight.

Yeah, exercise is fine for health or whatever. Fitness, strength, all that jazz. But that's really not about losing weight. I mean, I seem to have lost weight as rapidly as any gymrat around here, and I feel perfectly fine. If I wanted to, now that I'm close to maintenance, I could start to introduce a little exercise into my life, and I might try yoga or something. But that's a separate goal from losing weight, and I figured that it would be better to accomplish one feat before tackling another. And honestly, I don't think I need a whole heck of a lot of toning, I'm pretty fortunate that my everyday activity keeps me at least somewhat toned.

So yeah, judge us lazy calorie counters all you want. We're laughing all the way to the scale. :drinker:

A caloric deficit is never downplayed around here. It is truly the only component to dropping pounds. I am not saying exercise is a necessary component to weight loss. However, exercise provides other benefits that some consider necessary in achieving their goals. I am one of those people.

I never blindly tell anyone to "eat more" nor do I agree with that practice. In my opinion, it is not appropriate to advise anyone on their intake until they are accurately tracking it by weighing and measuring everything. Yes, all that's necessary for weight loss is a caloric deficit, and if your priorities only include dropping pounds and not concerning yourself with the preservation of LBM, then fine. I do not agree with widely touting your specific methods of weight loss without also disclosing the negative impacts it may have. If you notice my ticker, I also am losing quite a bit and it is almost certainly likely I am sacrificing LBM in the process. All the same, I do my best to strength train and concern myself with inches lost over the reading on the scale. Don't let my age fool you, I also work full time, commute, live on my own, etc., but make time for my exercise. It may really not be feasible for some, but for the most part I find that it is a lack of will to exercise that is the biggest hurdle. Nothing wrong with that though, again, to each his own.

I also generally do not give out advice. I am here to learn, not spout off things I believe to be true that may or may not be correct. My biggest concern with you specifically is that you advise without taking time to listen to anyone else. Even experts in any field are wise to expand their knowledge as much as possible. I do not see that with you, and it's disappointing. My guess is that people would be more receptive to your message if you kept learning and could back your statements up with more than "it works for ME" and "I look AMAZING" (the latter being without any proof). Again, best of luck to you and I am glad you have found a method that works so well... for you.

Also... I beg to differ that your "daily activity" is keeping you "somewhat toned". Statements like this really highlight your lack of understanding.

mrsgoodwine

I'm sure you do look amazing but did you ever wonder if and how much LBM you sacrificed in the process if you didn't track it?

Well, since there's less of me to cart around, I don't really need as much "LBM" to do that carting around, now do I? And you're acting like it's a foregone conclusion that I'm "skinny fat"—whatever that's supposed to mean. I am able to walk, talk, and do everything else just as well as I could before I lost weight, so if I lost a bit of muscle mass in the process, I don't miss it. :drinker:

what about things further down the line?

osteoporosis?

I'm already pretty far down the line, I'm old as f__. So far so good, I think genetics plays a much larger role than anything else in that regard. Plus, I eat plenty or protein and fat 'n such in all the junk food I throw down my gullet, so I don't think I need to worry. :bigsmile:

I um. ok then. it honestly scares me that you give out as much advice as you do. I have no problem with your diet and exercise habits (or lack thereof), but the fact that you encourage others to follow the same practices is alarming. best of luck to you though.

Oh, alarming, is it? Well, not as alarming as telling someone who is not losing weight to just eat more calories until they start losing (hint: if you're not losing weight, the problem isn't that you're eating too few calories, it's that you're not counting input and output properly, but whatever, details, right?).

Here's the thing. Not everyone who sets out to lose weight is a chipper, perky little dynamo with willpower to spare, who is eager to make a suite of drastic lifestyle changes all at once. Some of us have really demanding jobs and social lives that don't really make a lot of room for a complete diet overhaul, a stringent workout regimen, and oh, by the way, if you can spare a few moments to track your calories and eat at a deficit it might help. The calorie deficit is pooh-poohed, downplayed, marginalized and dismissed around here, but it is literally the ONLY thing you HAVE to do in order to LOSE WEIGHT. I know this, because it's the ONLY thing I did. And I'm a half pound away from my goal weight.

Yeah, exercise is fine for health or whatever. Fitness, strength, all that jazz. But that's really not about losing weight. I mean, I seem to have lost weight as rapidly as any gymrat around here, and I feel perfectly fine. If I wanted to, now that I'm close to maintenance, I could start to introduce a little exercise into my life, and I might try yoga or something. But that's a separate goal from losing weight, and I figured that it would be better to accomplish one feat before tackling another. And honestly, I don't think I need a whole heck of a lot of toning, I'm pretty fortunate that my everyday activity keeps me at least somewhat toned.

So yeah, judge us lazy calorie counters all you want. We're laughing all the way to the scale. :drinker:

I like you :happy:

jilly1130

I am not advocating for "clean eating". I eat plenty of food that would be considered "dirty" too. I just think the article is talking about semantics. I agree diet can be interpreted as the kinds of foods you are consuming but come on....IMO going on a "diet" is restricting calories and yes sometimes it means I experience feeling hungry. It is just the way it is. I don't need to call it something else to make me feel better about the process and calling it a "nutrition program" is not going to make me miraculously keep the weight off.

uconnwinsnc

Ultimately, some people are too large to weight train.

Care to clarify on this? I have seen obese people weight train. They can not do the same exercises, but there is modifications they can use. Unless you are talking obese people who are unable to move....If so, then I do see your point.

I am talking about the morbidly obese people who have a serious addiction to food, not the fat guy who just snacks on too many chips. Weight training is great for once the person has their eating habits fixed. Don't take what I said as advice to people to not weight train, I just think that the article posted is not a blanketing fix for everyone's problems.

Siansonea

part of what i took from it is that you think calorie deficit is downplayed around here.

you could not be further from the truth. i see the simplicity of deficit brought up time after time after time when people arent losing...usually with a "yes, it really is that simple" at the end.

I have to agree with her, it feels like every damn thread the same "you need to eat more to lose weight" crowd shows up. There are, of course, lots of folks who get it, but they usually succeed quickly (imagine that!) and move off of MFP.

There are days I'm convinced people over-complicate this stuff just so they have a built in excuse to fail…

DINGDINGDINGDING! You just won the Internet.

People keep looking for a loophole, an exemption, a workaround, a way to game the system to avoid having to abide by the simple math that results in weight loss. They'll wear their bodies out with tons of cardio, just so they can eat a few more calories a day (and generally speaking, way more than they think they burned with the cardio). They'll point to their efforts and say "See! I'm doing everything right!" and expect tea and sympathy. But we know what's really going on. These people haven't defied the laws of physics, they're simply cleaving to human nature and our very natural tendency to sabotage our own best interests for momentary indulgences. Meanwhile, people in the acceptance phase of the process just do their math and lose their weight, without any fuss. Funny how that works. :huh:

fbmandy55

Well this thread....


Newbies, please do not take any advice from it.

skullshank

part of what i took from it is that you think calorie deficit is downplayed around here.

you could not be further from the truth. i see the simplicity of deficit brought up time after time after time when people arent losing...usually with a "yes, it really is that simple" at the end.

I have to agree with her, it feels like every damn thread the same "you need to eat more to lose weight" crowd shows up. There are, of course, lots of folks who get it, but they usually succeed quickly (imagine that!) and move off of MFP.

There are days I'm convinced people over-complicate this stuff just so they have a built in excuse to fail...

this perception comes from the OBSCENE amount of threads authored by those who eat VLCDs...which renders the advice to "eat more" pretty solid.

if someone walks away thinking that means to eat at a surplus, then that just makes them dopey.

i would wager that the vast majority of the members on this site get the basic math behind cals in cals out.

4daluvof_candice

I'm sure you do look amazing but did you ever wonder if and how much LBM you sacrificed in the process if you didn't track it?

Well, since there's less of me to cart around, I don't really need as much "LBM" to do that carting around, now do I? And you're acting like it's a foregone conclusion that I'm "skinny fat"—whatever that's supposed to mean. I am able to walk, talk, and do everything else just as well as I could before I lost weight, so if I lost a bit of muscle mass in the process, I don't miss it. :drinker:

what about things further down the line?

osteoporosis?

I'm already pretty far down the line, I'm old as f__. So far so good, I think genetics plays a much larger role than anything else in that regard. Plus, I eat plenty or protein and fat 'n such in all the junk food I throw down my gullet, so I don't think I need to worry. :bigsmile:

I um. ok then. it honestly scares me that you give out as much advice as you do. I have no problem with your diet and exercise habits (or lack thereof), but the fact that you encourage others to follow the same practices is alarming. best of luck to you though.

I wasnt encouraged..all i see are opinions... just like yours were...

WalkingAlong

I do think there is a groupthink mentality around here where 'preserving lean body mass' is assumed to be the higher goal for all, and also an inflated belief in one's ability to do so, and even one's need to do so. Someone 23 years old and 90 lbs. overweight who is just interested in learning how to lose weight doesn't need a lecture on LBM and protein grams and adaptive thermogenesis on day one, I don't think.

There is a reason so many published diet plans start with a very aggressive initial phase. It's because success breeds success. Lack of results makes people doubt their ability to effect their weight at all, and quit.

I can't imagine how I would've ever lost weight if my first plan had been the MFP plan of 'hit this TINY calorie goal daily, if you fall below it YOU DAMAGE YOURSELF, if you don't strength train your body BURNS UP ITS MUSCLES FOR FUEL, if you don't EAT BACK every calorie you burn in exercise (but oddly not in 'activity')..., if you don't hit your macros..., drink enough water...", etc. No wonder the kids delete their accounts after asking one question.

skullshank

Oh, alarming, is it? Well, not as alarming as telling someone who is not losing weight to just eat more calories until they start losing (hint: if you're not losing weight, the problem isn't that you're eating too few calories, it's that you're not counting input and output properly, but whatever, details, right?).

Here's the thing. Not everyone who sets out to lose weight is a chipper, perky little dynamo with willpower to spare, who is eager to make a suite of drastic lifestyle changes all at once. Some of us have really demanding jobs and social lives that don't really make a lot of room for a complete diet overhaul, a stringent workout regimen, and oh, by the way, if you can spare a few moments to track your calories and eat at a deficit it might help. The calorie deficit is pooh-poohed, downplayed, marginalized and dismissed around here, but it is literally the ONLY thing you HAVE to do in order to LOSE WEIGHT. I know this, because it's the ONLY thing I did. And I'm a half pound away from my goal weight.

Yeah, exercise is fine for health or whatever. Fitness, strength, all that jazz. But that's really not about losing weight. I mean, I seem to have lost weight as rapidly as any gymrat around here, and I feel perfectly fine. If I wanted to, now that I'm close to maintenance, I could start to introduce a little exercise into my life, and I might try yoga or something. But that's a separate goal from losing weight, and I figured that it would be better to accomplish one feat before tackling another. And honestly, I don't think I need a whole heck of a lot of toning, I'm pretty fortunate that my everyday activity keeps me at least somewhat toned.

So yeah, judge us lazy calorie counters all you want. We're laughing all the way to the scale. :drinker:

A caloric deficit is never downplayed around here. It is truly the only component to dropping pounds. I am not saying exercise is a necessary component to weight loss. However, exercise provides other benefits that some consider necessary in achieving their goals. I am one of those people.

I never blindly tell anyone to "eat more" nor do I agree with that practice. In my opinion, it is not appropriate to advise anyone on their intake until they are accurately tracking it by weighing and measuring everything. Yes, all that's necessary for weight loss is a caloric deficit, and if your priorities only include dropping pounds and not concerning yourself with the preservation of LBM, then fine. I do not agree with widely touting your specific methods of weight loss without also disclosing the negative impacts it may have. If you notice my ticker, I also am losing quite a bit and it is almost certainly likely I am sacrificing LBM in the process. All the same, I do my best to strength train and concern myself with inches lost over the reading on the scale. Don't let my age fool you, I also work full time, commute, live on my own, etc., but make time for my exercise. It may really not be feasible for some, but for the most part I find that it is a lack of will to exercise that is the biggest hurdle. Nothing wrong with that though, again, to each his own.

I also generally do not give out advice. I am here to learn, not spout off things I believe to be true that may or may not be correct. My biggest concern with you specifically is that you advise without taking time to listen to anyone else. Even experts in any field are wise to expand their knowledge as much as possible. I do not see that with you, and it's disappointing. My guess is that people would be more receptive to your message if you kept learning and could back your statements up with more than "it works for ME" and "I look AMAZING" (the latter being without any proof). Again, best of luck to you and I am glad you have found a method that works so well... for you.

Also... I beg to differ that your "daily activity" is keeping you "somewhat toned". Statements like this really highlight your lack of understanding.

ajaxe432

Ultimately, some people are too large to weight train. Cutting calories has to be done by everyone who's goal is to cut before they build muscle. While the article makes some strong points, there are people who are taking years off their life by eating too much food.

:huh:

Some people who are 400-500+ pounds struggle to just move themselves, let alone bench press and do squats with weights. Their health problem stems from the food they eat. Once they get their eating under control, then they can start weight training.

There are always modifications....Unless you are unable to ambulate, weight training is recommended on any level. Like I stated before, modifications and starting points.