Are you on a diet or change of lifestyle?

SerendipitySkye

I am on Paleo. It is a lifestyle change I love eating this way, so it will be easy to maintain for a lifetime. ~Skye :flowerforyou:

itsbasschick

i've made a lifestyle change, and i'm sticking with it. not only have i changed the way i eat, but the way i think about eating and food, the way i deal with relatives, holidays and eating and i've learned to treat myself while staying within my calorie goal. this last is pretty important - treating myself (or being treated by others) or trying to cheer myself when life wasn't treating me well used to mean large amounts of yummy food. now i eat my favorite foods every day, so it's a lot easier to not go overboard at those other times. in fact, i just had trader joe's cheese crunchies while staying within my calorie goal, and they are one of my all-time faves!

TeresaB1979

Intermittent fasting is how I plan to eat forever. I find it manageable/enjoyable and I never feel deprived or like I am 'on a diet'. Yes. occasionally a fast day is challenging but the good days outweigh the bad by miles.

Definitely no going back to (a) Thinking 'Sod this. I am just going to eat like a pig because I can't handle the 'diet' I am on or (b) Feeling deprived every day because I have to be strict about a set amount of calories every single day of the week (as I was previously trying to do).

For me that's a lifestyle change I am happy to keep.

socalkay

Losing weight by counting calories and eating at a deficit but also trying to improve my health overall by eating less processed sugar and low glycemic index foods in general. This leaves me lots of room to move when selecting foods because I know I won't stick to meal plans made up of foods I don't enjoy. Making changes that are sustainable is the only way this will work for me in the long run.

Still trying to find an exercise routine I actually enjoy. That's an area I still worry about sustaining in the long run.

MermaidGirl92

Change of lifestyle in the long run. Right now I've gone as far as cutting out any soda (though i'm thinking 1 can every other week won't hurt.). I'm looking more at what i'm eating and what I need to eat and do.

LumberJacck

There is approximately 11% difference between me at goal weight and when I'm gaining in terms of how much food I'm eating. That's not a large amount, but enough to cause a gain of about 1 kilogram a month. In my case the answer is to weigh myself regularly, and note when I'm gaining. I 've never been the type of person who eats a lot of food, even when I'm gaining.

sentaruu

Lifestyle change. I don't know if i will use mfp for the rest of my life but this definately isn't just a diet

mswoodsy

They're the same thing! Your diet is what you eat; good or bad, 3000 cal or 500 cal, vegan or meat eater. You're diet is what you eat no matter what, the way to lose weight is to change your diet to include a deficit.

But I get the question, so yes, I plan on changing my diet to a healthier one for life!

MsHarryWinston

Both I guess? With 80 lbs to lose it is like a diet in that I am actively trying to lose weight right now, it's something that I'm focused on. But I'm also doing it in a way that I think I will be able to maintain this lifestyle once I hit my goal weight. I'm not doing anything crazy like cutting out foods I love, cause heaven knows I wouldn't be able to stick to that for more than a week. I'm trying to take things slow and keep it manageable, so I'm not going to stand and make any bold proclamations just yet. Right now I'm just trying to take it one day at a time.

ukaryote

Seltzermint said:
Diet = 80's aerobics instructor eats rice cakes in a teal & white outfit with matching high top Reeboks.
Weight Loss Journey = nomads with robes and sticks crossing a mountain/desert area look for a magical weight loss plant.
Lifestyle Change = 60-ish widow from suburban Texas moves to NYC, starts wearing day glo spandex and becomes a lesbian.

:laugh: :laugh: Perfect

It started as weight and now I am living differently with higher aspirations.

MrsHVaughn

LIFESTYLE CHANGE! Every diet ive ever failed but once i set in my mind moderation and give and take I have had a whole new mindset! Love it, today is day 7 but that is a start compared to me failing every "diet" before a week is up

mypersonalfitnessjourney

Lifestyle -- 100%. I've been on a stricter version of Atkins (I cut wheat, sugar, and vegetable oils out completely and have drastically minimized my intake of dairy and processed foods) for just under 2 years now and have never once been tempted to have a cheat day or even meal (even during a one-month trip throughout Europe). Before I cleaned up my diet and went low-carb, I was constantly binging (even when I was trying to lose weight with high-carb/low-fat). Within 2 months of starting Atkins, my cravings and appetite became more manageable than I ever even thought possible, and my binges stopped completely. I could never go back to my old way of eating (even once I reach my goal weight), because I know I would backslide into my old bad habits -- and I have no desire to do so either.

For some people, low-carb is not something they have the will power or desire to stick to for life. The trade-off simply isn't worth it to them. For me, it absolutely is. I have found something that not only works for me and I can stick to with ease, but is also what I - based on my research - consider to be an optimal way of eating (which only reinforces my commitment to this diet for life). Once someone finds a way of eating that works for them, can/has become second nature for them, and about which they are passionate/agreeable, it is much easier to change their lifestyle.

I allow myself indulgences and higher-carb days (during special occasions, while on vacation, etc), but even those are minimal. For me, "cheating" used to be a full day (or more) of binging on copious amounts of grossly unhealthy food (junk food, fast food, baked goods, etc). Now that I've made the commitment and have the desire to stick to this way of eating for life, my "cheats" aren't really cheats at all. For health reasons, I've given up wheat and refined sugar for life. But I'll allow myself low-carb baked goods (made with almond flour, coconut flour, erythritol, stevia, etc), homemade Colombian cuisine made by my extended family (buñuelos, arepas, empanadas, etc), and "treats" that fit into my preferred nutrition guidelines.

If I feel the need to splurge, I will. So long as my indulgence of choice does not contain wheat, refined sugar, or vegetable oils, I do not feel guilty in treating myself from time to time. Because I do not deny myself or feel denied, I do not see myself ever letting go of this way of eating and actually continue to make it stricter as time goes on, eliminating foods that I feel are not beneficial to my health/well-being.

For me, this way of eating is not just about weight loss; although it began as that, is has become much more about my health with each new thing I learn and as time goes on. I don't just want to look great; I want to *feel* great as well. And by continuing this way of eating for life, that is exactly what will happen :-)

chesnity3

For me it's a lifestyle change that I so happen to be losing weight on. Diets didn't last long and have all failed me. This works for me and being active and eating healthy is an everyday thing in my family now.

melimomTARDIS

It's a lifestyle for me. I lost my weight, and I'm maintaining now, eating food that I can easily afford, and enjoy eating. I eat low fat, high carb, with limited (lean) meat.

I miss nothing, I can have everything I desire to eat. I'll always log, or food journal. It's helpful in planning my day.

Shirotora88

I will be counting calories and exercising for the rest of my life.

slynn1023

i started off as a diet... but i'm learning how to live life in moderation and that i dont need all the crap I use to eat. So technically speaking I am on a "diet", but it's leading me into a healthier life style that i can see living the rest of my life.

pamcris

Lifestyle change. I've been working out 6 days per week, most weeks, for the last 10 months and trying to cook 6 times a week at home and make "healthy food". I haven't fried anything for months now and I grill, bake or boil all the meals. We are also eating a majority (90%) of white meat and no cold cuts or processed meats. I do allow myself one cheat day for food and 2 for alcohol. On my cheat days I try to get a few extra hundred calories burned at the gym so my body is not too shocked by the fatty/high calorie food. I'm still eating everything during my normal days (fruits, carbs, fats, sugars...) I'm just being conscious about the portions. So far it has been great! I'm only 15 lbs away from my goal!

TheVirgoddess

My diet (as in, what I eat) is part of an overall change I'm making in my life. I quit smoking, too (a year ago this month, woot). And I started increasing my activity in general.

I'm not *on* a diet, though. And the term "lifestyle change" irrationally annoys me (as it applies to me, not anyone else).

So I'm just me, doing a healthier me.

tmauck4472

I'm here to never be overweight again (still waiting on that day, but I'm working on it). I am on a diet, and it is a lifestyle change. Can't wait to see where it takes me next.

Weightlosstips

A lifestyle change will not only cause weight loss but can reverse many of the diseases that we carry including diabetes.
Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pjkC71exKU