before you even start....

caitastic24

I agree with you. I personally get frustrated here on MFP and in my day to day life with questions like "What's the trick to losing weight"? or "What's your secret"? There is no trick and there is no secret. Losing weight the HEALTHY way is hard work but it can be done. It takes time and effort and I wish I had the will to do it a long time ago! Eating right and exercising is going to make you lose weight. For years I thought that I had to do Weight Watchers or use a diet pill, but good old fashioned sweat and watching what you eat will do it. It is going to take longer and it may be harder but losing weight is just HARD!

I don't really think people mean the actual 'secret' to losing weight...I'd be inclined to think they're just asking for any hints/tips that have helped along the way.

I have a friend who had maybe 4 or 5 stone to lose (that's about 56lbs) and she did it on the Cambridge diet, which is a VLCD (very low calorie diet). I don't agree with it, I think it's dangerous and I don't believe it leads you to understand what it is about your lifestyle that has made you overweight to begin with...my friend doesn't exercise, either, and she still orders take aways several times per week...then when she needs to drop a bit of weight she just goes back to the Cambridge Diet.

Do I think she's right? No way. Do I think doing it this way is better? Absolutely. But we live in a world that makes us believe there is a super speedy solution to everything, and I think there are a lot of people who are led to believe that there are quick ways to get weight loss results...and maybe there are. I think if people ask us about how to do it quickly/with minimal effort blah blah then I guess we're in a unique position to share our thoughts and tell them it's not the way forward.

I'm not sure they should be ridiculed for looking for the quick solution though - I don't blame them for thinking or hoping that there is a fast/easy way to lose weight, since there seems to be a fast and easy solution for everything else in this day and age!

Hope I've not offended anyone, I just think this is an interesting topic and wanted to chuck in my opinion!

Well said! I agree (: