Females- Do you do this?

Tuffjourney

I listen to talk radio a lot when I drive and while scanning a station I happened on a conversation of nutritionist as a guest host on the show. Here's the statement that caught my attention.

"Women will do almost everything right when it comes to keeping their family safe, ensuring their family's health, and listening to doctor's advice on their own health, BUT completely IGNORE the dangers of any FAD DIET as long as they lose 5, 10, 20lbs in a short period of time."

So was she right or wrong?








A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
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Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I think that sounds true. We would do anything and everything for the family. But with us, we do put ourselves in second place. The things we want we try to do we want it done fast and in a simple because we dont give ourselves the time we need to do it right. :embarassed:

ItsCasey

I don't get why this is labeled as a woman thing, as if men aren't desparate to lose weigh as well sometimes. I've always hated things like this that assume things about everyone based on what some people do... it's like saying the average person eats 11.7 lbs of baby bunnies a day so you probably had one for breakfast.

Edit to add: I never even thought about fad diets and went straight to "eat 500 calories less, healthier food, and exercise".

I don't think it's just a woman thing, but I'm assuming the topic they were discussing was specifically about women.

I agree that men are often "desperate" to lose weight. But most of the men I know who start trying to lose weight start by going to the gym. Most women I know start immediately with cutting their daily caloric intake pretty severely.

MercenaryNoetic26

In my case wrong. If you've always been active you'll know fad from fact. However, I know I'm an exception as everyone around me at work always does the fads. Drink this potion, take these pills, don't eat any carbs, etc, etc.

What I SEE the most around me at work is STARVATION and BINGING. The starvers and bingers are the ones that when presented with a "quick fix" idea or fad, they jump on it. They'll magically lose a few pounds and regain them sooner than they lost them.

I'm all for supplementation, but only accompanied with conistent exercise and nutrition (FOOD). And if I ever want a quick fix, it will be a tummy tuck or laser surgery. There's no shame in that.

agthorn

Nope, it took me three months to lose 12 pounds. From what I can tell from the forum threads though, many many women would have been frustrated if they didn't lose that much in ONE month.

I like eating.

HeikkiLaukkanen

I think fasting is a terrible idea. You teach your body and metabolism to be stingy and hold on to fat that way. Body builders eat numerous small meals throughout the day to keep their metabolism going - even when they are in the weight cutting phase. They have the right idea.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I think fasting is a terrible idea. You teach your body and metabolism to be stingy and hold on to fat that way. Body builders eat numerous small meals throughout the day to keep their metabolism going - even when they are in the weight cutting phase. They have the right idea.

I don't fast, it's not my thing, but I don't think that all fasting is "a terrible idea." Like anything else there are extreemists that I think take it a smidge too far. Fasting is a part of some peoples lifestyle, sometimes based on religion, sometimes not. Not eating every 2 hours or so gives me headaches, but that's me. Like all other lifestyle decisions, it's about doing it correctly.

BeeElMarvin

I think there are many - NOT ALL, NOT MOST - people - NOT JUST WOMEN- who are desperate for health and weight loss, but are not willing to put in the time & effort that we all know is required. The bigger issue that they were discussing is not simply the dieting, but putting the families first and caring more for them than they do their own health. I see this a lot.

dad106

No I don't do this.. but I have friends that do.

I have one friend that went on a diet that was something like she could only eat sirloin or high grades of beed, certain vegetables and fruits, certain grains and no alcohol. If I remember correctly there were different rounds to this diet, and she was on it for quite a bit. Not even sure how much weight she lost but I want to say it was 20 or 30 pounds in like 3 or 4 months.. and if she kept it off or not I don't know.

I personally feel fad diets are stupid... and if you can't commit to a healthier life style, then you should hold off trying to lose weight till you can. I knew in college that I couldn't lose weight because of my lifestyle.. and I wasn't ready to change. Now that I'm out of college though, it's a totally different story.

Was it the South Beach diet? I did that, still kind of am doing it actually, but once you get out of the first phase it's pretty easy. It is pretty much just teaching your body to eat right. You start out by only eating meats and veggies and then 2 weeks later gradually add in fruits and grains. I don't follow their guide, day by day but I know what foods to avoid, and I avoid them. The first time I did this, I just did phase one for 3 weeks, and lost 20lbs, right after having my son. I kept it up easily. Then last month I started again, and I've lost 16lbs total since I have started it. (3lbs since being on this site), so now I just kind of follow that guideline, I don't really have to even think about it much anymore, and log my food and exercise in here, so that I'm not over eating. This system seems to work for me.
As for fad diets, I've tried them..*most* everyone has at one point. The most ridiculous one I did was the 3 day diet, where you eat hardly anything and what you do eat isn't even good for you (ex:a hotdog), but sure enough..I lost 5lbs and then 2 days later, I gained it back..lol.

No it wasn't south beach.

I don't even know what the name was, but all I know was that it sounded a bit kooky at the time.. and it still does from what I remember.

Tree72

I haven't done any fad diets myself, but know plenty of women who have. One of the girls I work with tired a very low carb diet, then she tried the powder that you have to sprinkle on all your food, then some expensive local meal plan where they supply all your food. She'd lose 20 to 30 pounds each time, but quickly give up because they were so restrictive.

Mind you, I've seen men do the same thing. My office mate has tried lots of different eating plans, not so much to lose weight, but to be healthier and more fit. Currently he's following a Paleo plan and seems quite happy with it. He's definitely stuck with it much longer than any previous plan. (He tried one where you stop eating at a certain time each day, one where he ate only frozen meals for lunch and dinner, briefly became a vegetarian, has tried various supplements, etc.)

i_love_vinegar

The whole statement is bologna in my opinion.

It all comes down to the individual.

skywa

Woman, especially young woman tend to get impatient with weight loss. They wan't to lose 2-3 lbs a week or they lose there confidence. And that's what fad diets offer. Only problem is they only last about a week.
For example: Apple diet, cabbage soup diet, cottage cheese diet, ect ect. It works until your body realizes your starving it of all nutrients.

I personally am taking my time and trying to get to a HEALTHY weight because i don't want to relapse and develop an eating disorder again. I have a life i need to live and focus on. And absurd diets can't be a part of that.

CoryIda

I don't do this and am extremely vocal about my opposition of fad diets, but it is an unfortunate fact that a LOT of women do this.

skywa

I think there are many - NOT ALL, NOT MOST - people - NOT JUST WOMEN- who are desperate for health and weight loss, but are not willing to put in the time & effort that we all know is required. The bigger issue that they were discussing is not simply the dieting, but putting the families first and caring more for them than they do their own health. I see this a lot.

i totally agree with this. people are to lazy and impatient to put in any real effort and lose weight on the long term by doing it in a slow and healthy manner.

LorinaLynn

I've never been one for fad diets (although I used to cut calories too much), but I definitely put others' needs above my own.

Case in point: Before I started making myself a priority and eating better, I'd have Hot Pockets, Spaghettios and Hamburger Helper, and my cats and dog would get high end premium food.

I knew it was time for a change when I loaded the conveyor at the grocery store with a ton of frozen, processed and high sugar foods, and one bag of baby carrots.

The carrots were for the dog.

The first twelve ingredients in his Merrick dog food?

Turkey, Turkey Broth, Turkey Liver, Fresh Sweet Potatoes, Fresh Carrots, Fresh Green Beans, Fresh Whole Granny Smith Apples, Potato Starch-modified, Olive Oil, Flax Seed Oil (For Omega -3), Dried Cranberry, Dried Blueberry

Spaghettios?

Water, Tomato purée (Water, Tomato Paste), Enriched Macaroni Product (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Contains Less than 2% of: Salt, Enzyme Modified Cheddar Cheese (Cheddar Cheese [Cultured Milk, Salt, Enzymes, Calcium Chloride], Water, Disodium Phosphate), Enzymes), Flavoring, Potassium Chloride, Vegetable Oil (Corn, Cottonseed, Canola and/or Soybean), Enzyme Modified Butter (Milk), Skim Milk, Paprika Extract, Citric Acid.

Some little doggie is quite spoiled. :grumble:

brittanyjeanxo

I think it's a big generalization to make, but for the most part, an accurate one. I've done fad exercise crazes like 30DS and C25K, but never any fad diets. I don't even diet now. That's why I hate it when I'm eating something and people say, "Oh, are you off your diet?" No, *****, I'm eating some chips. :grumble: but, I digress. I think that women are far more likely to try anything to lose weight, regardless of the health risks, though most women on this website seem to have things handled pretty well as far as doing things the healthy way

ninerbuff

I don't get why this is labeled as a woman thing, as if men aren't desparate to lose weigh as well sometimes. I've always hated things like this that assume things about everyone based on what some people do... it's like saying the average person eats 11.7 lbs of baby bunnies a day so you probably had one for breakfast.

Edit to add: I never even thought about fad diets and went straight to "eat 500 calories less, healthier food, and exercise".

I posed it that way because the show was aimed at women. Had it been aimed at men or general population, I would have worded it that way.
I know inside that not everyone is that way, but there have been a few on here that have said that their female family and friends are. I just wanted to see the responses.



A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ItsCasey

I think it's okay to try different LEGITIMATE methods of eating to find something that will work for you long-term. Going low-carb is not necessarily a fad. I know a lot of people who simply don't eat carbs from grain sources or potatoes. I get about 20% of my carbs from whole grains and the rest from fibrous fruits and vegetables. It's not because I think starchy carbs are the devil; it's because after 2 months of limiting my intake of those foods, I realized that my body simply feels better (and performs better in the gym) when I don't eat them. That's not true for everyone, but it works for me.

Fasting is another example. Some people simply can't go 24 hours without eating, at least from a psychological standpoint. I can, and I believe in the research that shows that intermittent fasting helps to control fat storage hormones, so I fast twice a week. I still eat 9000 to 10,000 calories per week (1300 to 1400 per day, roughly), so I am definitely not starving. I don't go completely nuts and sit around brooding about food on fasting days, nor do I binge and eat 3000 calories on days when I'm not fasting. Again, it works for me.

I would consider low-carb a fad for someone who intends to go back to a "normal" carb intake after losing weight, and the same goes for fasting. So I think the "fad" label has more to do with how long you intend to keep up your "diet."

ninerbuff

I think fasting is a terrible idea. You teach your body and metabolism to be stingy and hold on to fat that way. Body builders eat numerous small meals throughout the day to keep their metabolism going - even when they are in the weight cutting phase. They have the right idea.

I'll disagree. Bodybuilders eat numerous meal so they DON'T lose muscle mass. And they are NEVER in a weight cutting phase (no bodybuilder wants to cut weight, they want to weigh as much as possible) they only go into fat reduction phase pre competition.
Fasting has it's place. There are some days that I only eat 2 meals a day, but always meet my calorie allowance even if I do. Science has shown that temporary fasts can be beneficial if used correctly.




A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

muffyjog

When I was 12, 16, 18, 22, 26...yes I did. Let's see...The Scarsdale Diet, The Atkins Diet, NutriSystem, The alphabet diet, the fruit juice diet, high protein diet, fasting diets...I would say yes, I did all those. And what I learned is that they all work. Yep. Each and every one. And then you stop "dieting" and it all comes back, plus 10% because your body feels deprived and doesn't like that set point.

I think back and wonder what would have happened if I never once dieted and whether or not I'd have reached over 300 lbs. I sincerely doubt it. It's an industry that produces its own clients. Kind of nifty, eh?

HeikkiLaukkanen

I think fasting is a terrible idea. You teach your body and metabolism to be stingy and hold on to fat that way. Body builders eat numerous small meals throughout the day to keep their metabolism going - even when they are in the weight cutting phase. They have the right idea.

I'll disagree. Bodybuilders eat numerous meal so they DON'T lose muscle mass. And they are NEVER in a weight cutting phase (no bodybuilder wants to cut weight, they want to weigh as much as possible) they only go into fat reduction phase pre competition.
Fasting has it's place. There are some days that I only eat 2 meals a day, but always meet my calorie allowance even if I do. Science has shown that temporary fasts can be beneficial if used correctly.

You've never heard of bodybuilders "cutting" in the month prior to competition? You're wrong about the weight cutting phase.




A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition