Weigh-loss, Diet or entire lifestyle change which are you do

jadedone

At the moment I am focusing on weight loss (and getting my hormones back on track).

I have had generally speaking pretty good eating habits for a while. I've been eating more produce and less processed food for years now. Pre-weight loss effort, I was eating around 2200-2300 calories per day. According to most calculators, that would be my BMR. I was gaining weight (my metabolism is a little slower, and I am hypothyroid).

In order to lose weight, I need to count calories so I am paying attention to this. Exercise barely has an impact, unless it is intense. And those little "lifestyle changes" do nothing for me (eliminating soda, not using mayo, walking more....)

Adding in exercise, strength training? All of this is just related to me improving my fitness for general good health and I know should be part of my lifestyle.

This is the first and last time I plan on attempting to lose weight. I want to be where I should be weight-wise and then I focus on the stuff I like more: cooking, kitchen experiments, playing (tennis, volleyball and dancing are on this list), getting stronger, and exploring my surroundings.

bcc112986

I have made a complete lifestyle change. It has been coming for a year now. I have plans to be a Wellness Instructor. I need to be the example. Plus I love being healthy. I don't miss junk food and laziness. I am on my path to success in my life. There is no turning back.

tinaruby

At first I just wanted to get rid of this weight, but after two months and reaping all the many benefits (more energy, losing weight, less digestive problems, less stress, less headaches-literally), it is something that feels so good that it will be easy to do the rest of my life.

My husband and I are both losing weight together and on the same page so this is now a permanent lifestyle change and the beginning of a whole new type of living!!! :-)

CoryIda

Lifestyle change: means you change your life for the better so that you can live out your days being fit and healthy and strong

Diet (in the common sense of the word): a temporary unsustainable way of eating that fat, unfit, unhealthy people do periodically throughout their lives. See also, "cleanse", "detox".

Do you ever get tired of being right all the time, Taso?

So um... yeah... what he said.

tequila09

My weight loss is most definitely a whole life style change I use to hit the drive thru sometimes three times in a day!!! I was never overweight but after gaining about 10 pounds over my usual I knew I was getting older and things had to change. I always knew I would eventually have to do it so I was ready. I'm eating much healthier at home meals and logging daily. I still have some of my fave junk food but no where near as much as before and I'm also exercising. I want to get fit and look better than I did in high school!!

KyleB65

For me it is a lifestyle change.

I view the term "Diet" as a process that has a beginning and an end. For me, my eating habit change is evolving for the better and is something I intend to keep up for the balance of my life.

With regards to exercise. I may not keep up my current tempo forever, but I resolve to make certain that there is regular exercise in my life for my life.

Linbo93

Lifestyle Change, 100%! I resolved to be more mindful of what I eat, both in quality and quantity. I am making small changes here and there, once I adjust I'm making more small changes, etc. I am not taking on more then I can handle without adding too much stress to my life. Every lifestyle change I make, I make only after considering whether it is something I can see myself doing for the rest of my life. And I'm starting to see that the little changes here and there are adding up to a lot of overall improvements!

I have lost 31 pounds so far doing this, and even if I go over my calories, it has yet to make a lasting impression on my progress. I could not imagine going back to where I was before this. It has improved the quality of my life ten-fold. It is most definitely a permanent change for me, and I'm thrilled to say I will never diet again!

If you want some more interesting perspective on the whole lifestyle change concept, give the podcast, "Fat 2 Fit Radio" a listen. These two podcasters have completely revolutionized how I think about food, health and lifestyle changes!

PlasticPsycho

Also lifestyle change

I never was fat or anything, and with my 55kg I'm totally normal, but when looking into the mirror I just see an unfit, wobbly somthing that's just not happy with itself.
That I want to change.
And well, I guess then I'll have to exercise and stop eating the sweet stuff then And yea, I guess that's a lifestyle change when you've never done anything like that and now organize your whole life differently.

jhehle

Its a lifestyle change. Meaning, i will continue to eat healthier and make better food decisions my entire life. I will always try to be active. A diet is a short term idea of cutting calories or some fad to reach a goal and then going back to normal, which is why diets fail. You must make a lifestyle change so that when you reach your goal, you will be able to maintain it.

A_Fit_Mom

Definitely a lifestyle change. This will probably take me the full year to get to my desired "toned" body. Since after I lose the weight, I am focusing on toning more. And even after this past month, I am use to eating like this again. (I changed my eating habits when pregnant ). So I can definitely see myself eating well forever. Doesn't mean I won't have an occasional sweet, but just in moderation.

I am not doing anything extreme where it would not be attainable in normal life. I am just going to probably up my calories a bit once I am maintaining, so I won't continue to lose weight.

bcattoes

I consider it both. I've been on a healthy eating diet for the past 25 (or so) years. I plan to continue the diet, since for me that is the easy part.

I have changed my lifestyle (again) to include regular exercise. My goal is to continue this new lifestyle for rest of my life. But I've had that goal before and let work, family and other obligations siderail it for months at a time. Hopefully that will not be the case this time.

GurleyGirl524

What began for me as a quest to lose weight, has turned into a lifestyle change. I say a change because I am much more aware about what I put into my body now, I put more thought into it. I am hoping to reach a point now that I don't have to think about it. I want it to be habit to make healthy choices without thinking. I want to be a habit to exercise and not a chore. I no longer want to just be thinner, I want to be healthier, I want to be lean and tone. I don't want clothes to camouflage a still unfit body, I want to look good clothed and super hot when I'm not (the not will be shared with my husband only....lol)

natachan

Is this weight loss you are seeking, is it a diet or whole new lifestyle change? If so, what's the difference to you and why do you think so (if you say lifestyle change or diet)?

A little from each. My motivation went like this: I was starting to go back to school after a 4-year hiatus and I took a look at the photo on my student ID. I did NOT like what I saw. I was also eating fast food A LOT. I had a bunch of excuses for this (I'm rushed, I just don't have time to eat properly, who really cares what I eat, etc). This was a) costing a lot of money and b) doing VERY bad things to my GI tract. So I resolved to be more healthy to stop the gut pain, to save money, and to be able to not have to spend any more money on new pants

If you say lifestyle change, what are you doing differently--that distinguishes this weigh loss effort from a diet?

Well I'm eating out less frequently and cooking more. I've found a few new activities I like and am actively pursuing them (I took a kickboxing class, and it is FUN!). I don't forbid myself any foods, I still eat chocolate and I still drink soda (albeit much more infrequently) and they taste BETTER when they are an occasional treat instead of an everyday occurrence. The only real thing I've 100% eliminated is trans fats, since they are HORRID for you. I've been eating more local and natural foods, which means changing the way I shop.

Lastly, what is a lifestyle change to you--what's your definition of a lifestyle change and why or why isn't it important to you on your weight loss mission?

A lifestyle change is the acknowledgment that you have not been doing things the way you want to, and making a conscious effort to change that.

I want to be able to take longer walks with my German Shepherd without him laughing at me huffing and puffing. I'd like to be eating meat that is treated humanely and is grain fed and free to roam about. I'd like to treat things like beer, ice cream, chocolate cake, and soda as something to treat myself instead of a staple of my diet. I'd like to take up spelunking again, there are some beautiful caves around here formed into the shale. I'd like to not have my GI tract try to kill me after a meal.

Also having my husband looking at me more is a plus.

JodyWoo

It is a lifestyle change for me. I need to lose weight and MAINTAIN that lost weight and I can't do that if I go back to eating the way I used to. Yeah, I may have had a happy tummy, but everyone else could tell too! I'd rather eat amazing tasting food (which tastes amazing because I don't overload on sugar anymore and natural flavors taste so good now) than load up on a bunch of crap which literally makes me feel bloated, fat, and bad about myself.

dlyeates

This is a lifestyle change for me. That means that I am changing my relationship with food and reducing it's hold on me. I was treating food like an idol or god......use it to celebrate with, turn to it to ease my pain, use it to deal with stress, etc. I was not using food to sustain me and nourish me or make me stronger. It was an unhealthy relationship with unhealthy side effects, ie weight gain!!!

So....Yes I'm counting my calories but that is only to make sure that I am using food to fuel me and in a way that is healthy. This is NOT a diet because I'm not eating diet food, I'm not cutting foods out of my life, I'm not cutting fat/carbs/protein/etc that would be unhealthy. I'm learning to find the healthy balance and the best way for food to get me where I need to be.

I'm also exercising and learning to make that a priority and part of my lifestyle change. My ultimate goal is health with the byproduct of that being weight loss. Already my resting heart rate has dropped from the mid 80's to the low 70's. My heart is working more efficiently. I want to run with my kids, see them graduate, get married and grow up. I want to look good doing it and if changing my lifestyle will get me there it's worth it.

And I still eat out, I still drink alcohol, I still have dessert.....when I want it and have the calories for it. And if I don't have the calories for it...then I get my butt up and earn it!!!

Meaganandcheese

Weightloss is a nice benefit of a healthy lifestyle.

SunnyAndrsn

This is very complex for me. I do want to lose a significant amount of weight. I need to lose it, I'm middle age and can no longer count on genetics to keep my relatively healthy. Two years ago at my work, we had to participate in a health screening for insurance. I was eating crap and was thrilled at the results--LDL, HDL, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and HA1C all in a very healthy range. The only thing that was off was my BMI/weight/waist. So I skated by knowing that I got lucky, and knowing that likely I wouldn't be lucky forever.

Still, I had trouble breaking bad habits. What's worse is that I am a registered nurse and I know better. I see pts. all the time on a long list of meds that could be significantly reduced by better health.

I've also done the diet thing, and was unwilling to start a diet again, knowing that I'd be miserable. I'm not a pleasant person to be around when I'm dieting. Therefore, I decided to attack it from the exercise POV. I was shocked to learn how much fitness I had lost when I regained the weight I'd lost on Weight Watchers. After a month on the treadmill, I was having a lot of pain in my right foot, which I knew was going to be an obstacle. I have posterior tibial tendonopathy in my right foot, and have dealt with this issue since childhood. I took a good chunk of December off recovering and discouraged.

Once I was feeling better pain wise, I started up again in January. I knew exercise would be easier if I lost weight. Someone suggested this website to me, and I set up an account almost a month ago now. When I realized how much I actually could eat, that the site was free, and that there was an app for my phone--I decided to "test" myself. I began playing with food intake, determined *NOT* to eat "diet" food aka foods that I already didn't eat. During the past 25 days, I have made some adjustments to both food and diet, but again it's crucial for me that this be lifestyle oriented, something that didn't drive my husband nuts, and something that was sustainable over the long haul.

To that end, although I am watching the numbers on the scale, my mantra has been "lifestyle and health, not a number on the scale". Yes and push/pull because I *WANT* to be smaller, I'm well over 200 pounds and only 5' tall. How can I encourage my pts. to be healthier when I look like this?

In the past 25 days, I have found I have improved energy and endurance. I'm exploring different exercise options. I'm eating a wide variety of foods, and eat a lot more fruits and veggies. I'm working 4-5 days a week for an hour. It' a process, ever evolving.

Sorry for the long response.

BAMFMeredith

Lifestyle change. While I AM trying to lose weight right now, I don't plan on stopping doing what I'm doing when I reach that goal. My lifestyle is now that of an active, healthy person who enjoys running and working out.

I plan to eat healthily for the rest of my life, and to take care of my body for the rest of my life. Additionally, I've gotten into running and it's become my hobby, so eating well and living well are essential if I want to continue running. I actually enjoy hitting the gym now! I don't even look at myself really as somebody trying to lose weight...I just feel like a person who is really focused on physical fitness and I want to be in the best shape I can possibly be in for the rest of my life

douglasmobbs

I am having so much fun losing the weight I might put it back on again so I can lose it again.

jennifer52484

Alittle bit of both at the moment. I only say that because right now I am super strict with every protein/carb//fat that I eat. I plan on modifying that once I get to my next(final) goal which is about 5-10 lbs away. Then it will be a lifestyle change.