Why are women always on a diet?

Jackson4590
Jackson4590 Posts: 145 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This is a serious question.

In my office all the women (aged 28-50ish) are on a diet seemingly all the time. They do Zumba and other stuff (according to them) yet they never lose any weight. Are all their metabolisms really that bad or are they lying to themselves?

I have one friend who says she needs to lose about 20 pounds so she cooks healthy and works out but hasn't lost any weight. On the other hand, I eat pizza or fast food about 5 times per week and I lost 15 pounds just by not snacking and quitting alcohol for a bit. I also watch everything I eat and exercise 4-5 times per week; strength training in the winter and running in the summer.

Can one of you wonderful ladies please enlighten to me why this is? Are they not serious about it or is it social?
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Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    I vote for they're lying to themselves. My friends all tell me how lucky I am to be thin because no matter how hard they try they can't lose weight. If I spend any time with them I know exactly why they don't lose weight but they don't want to hear it.
  • swingsintherain
    swingsintherain Posts: 121 Member
    While it can be harder for women to lose weight because of hormones, that usually just slows weight loss.

    I'd say they're not tracking their calories, which means that even if you eat a healthy meal, calories from snacks, soda, etc. still easily add up.
  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
    I vote for they're lying to themselves. My friends all tell me how lucky I am to be thin because no matter how hard they try they can't lose weight. If I spend any time with them I know exactly why they don't lose weight but they don't want to hear it.

    This! And we must have the same friends!
  • fattyfoodie
    fattyfoodie Posts: 232 Member
    I think they are probably not truthfully logging their food and exercise.

    When I am militant about logging, I lose. When I start eyeballing portions and not counting that cookie I ate after supper, I gain. Also the funny thing I notice about a lot of my friends is that they will go to the gym and burn say 300 calories, but then they'll stop and have a 400 calorie smoothie on the way home!
  • CottonCandyKisses
    CottonCandyKisses Posts: 246 Member
    Not really trying, not knowing what they are eating (calorie wise) calories in vs calories out, not logging beverages (wine and coffee drinks)--generally being misinformed and not wanting to hear it like it is.
  • thecakelocker
    thecakelocker Posts: 407 Member
    Either they're overeating and underexercising or undereating and overexercising.
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
    I don't think people realise how much they actually eat.

    I was with some friends a few weeks ago and I told them about this website and one of them signed up and tracked what she's eaten over that day out of interest.

    Admittedly it was a weekend and most people go a little more crazy at weekends but she said she'd eaten/drunk over 3000 calories in a day - and she is NOT overweight. She's a UK size 8-10.

    People over-eat - simple as that!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    people at my office are always wapping about needing to be on diet or trying to diet and then lunch time rolls around and they are all headed for McDonaldss, sonic, etc ...

    More than likely they confusing needing to be on a diet, with actually being on a diet...
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
    Can one of you wonderful ladies please enlighten to me why this is? Are they not serious about it or is it social?

    I know what you mean. I just walked through the break room and there's a table of 4 ladies all talking about their salads and insanity, zumba, and what their current thing is to do to lose weight. I think you're correct. For a lot of ladies it's just a social thing. They have no real intention of actually losing weight. They just like to talk about it and one up each other as a social aspect. I lost 40 pounds last year and they all look the same as ever even though from hearing them talk you would think they were teaching Dr. Oz how to lose weight.
  • MizVandyk
    MizVandyk Posts: 602 Member
    Diet is an ugly four letter word. If you are making changes they have to be life style changes, you cant go back to your old ways and expect to keep weight off. They are most likely lying to themselves or "dieting" for 2-3 days a week and old habits the rest of the week.
  • JenSD6
    JenSD6 Posts: 454 Member
    There's definitely a herd mentality to it. If someone thinner then you is saying they are trying to lose weight, it makes you feel like you need to play the game, too. And so on, and so on.

    And what you see them eating at work (their healthy lunches) is only one meal you're seeing. God knows what they're eating when no one is looking, or how much they graze in the evening. And I do zumba, too. On Saturday morning, if the chores are done, and if I feel like it, and if no one is using the XBox...

    I think most of us are never fully comfortable with our appearance. And weight is the easiest thing to change to feel better about ourselves.
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
    Well, for one men do lose weight easier than women. But that doesnt account fir zero weight loss, just slower weight loss.

    If they truley never lose they arent actually tracking calories and exercise.
  • juliarohan
    juliarohan Posts: 1 Member
    Here's the thing. If I hear one more person say "just stop eating chips and drinking soda" I'm going to lose it. I don't drink soda. I don't eat chips. Or pizza. Or drink. And I struggle. A woman's metabolism (especially after childbearing) is different. Add to that that men generally have a much higher muscle mass (eg. better fat-burning capacity) and you'll see the major differences between men and women. Personally, I eat healthfully, track calories (12-1500/day), work out regularly and STILL have major struggles in weight loss for many reasons. Thank God weight loss is easy for you. Please be sensitive with your judgments.
  • bubbinsnik
    bubbinsnik Posts: 20 Member
    I have been one of those women. The reason they don't lose any (substantial) weight is because it's a diet, something they will do for now and then go back to their previous eating habits. I've definitely done it, you name it, Weight Watchers, Biggest Loser, Slimming World.....

    But now on MFP I'm not on a diet I'm changing habits and adapting my way of eating, portion control etc.
  • xiamjackie
    xiamjackie Posts: 611 Member
    Also the funny thing I notice about a lot of my friends is that they will go to the gym and burn say 300 calories, but then they'll stop and have a 400 calorie smoothie on the way home!

    I see this ALLLLL the time with women! Honestly, not so much men. But I see women all the time that put in a decent workout wherever they may be, then when they leave they think they deserve a treat for getting through that workout. Hellooooo counter-productivity.
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
    I vote for they're lying to themselves. My friends all tell me how lucky I am to be thin because no matter how hard they try they can't lose weight. If I spend any time with them I know exactly why they don't lose weight but they don't want to hear it.


    ^^^this exactly because I was once one....never again!
  • robot_potato
    robot_potato Posts: 1,535 Member
    I vote for they're lying to themselves. My friends all tell me how lucky I am to be thin because no matter how hard they try they can't lose weight. If I spend any time with them I know exactly why they don't lose weight but they don't want to hear it.

    This.
  • poptastic
    poptastic Posts: 151 Member
    I don't think people realise how much they actually eat.

    This. I used to be one of those ladies - at the gym every lunchtime, thinking that made up for whatever I wanted to eat or drink at any time, when in actual fact the amount of calories you are burning in a lunchtime dance class is nowhere NEAR the amount to counteract a baguette for lunch, a few glasses of wine in the evening with your pizza, and probably a biscuit or three with your colleagues. When I started tracking food I was horrified - even now I am occasionally amazed by how many calories are in things that feel like a small treat - Costa cakes, I'm looking at you....
  • cleback
    cleback Posts: 261 Member
    All of the above. ^^^

    Also, I know some women will just say they're on a diet because they know they are overweight and too embarrassed to eat that office cake in front of others. Moreover, there is an element of competition, "Oh, you're on a diet now? So am I!", although like others have said, they may not be entirely serious about that "diet."

    That, and I feel like it's cultural expectation that a woman should always watch their weight, which can explain the impulse to say they are.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    I know a lot of women who say "I don't eat this...or that" and talk about working out, but they're clearly eating SOMETHING somewhere, and likely not working terribly hard at exercise. Unfortunately, people tend to lie about their habits to fit in.

    Its probably just more socially acceptable to say you're dieting than it is to just wantonly feast on cookies or cake in front of everyone!

    Just nod and smile whether you believe them or not (or better yet...tell them they don't need to be on diets...because sometimes they're looking to hear that too) If someone actually asks for real advice...send them to MFP :happy:
  • Kohadre
    Kohadre Posts: 316
    Ive noticed that all the women in my office eat those prepacked generic slim meals you buy at the grocer, but then down snack cakes and soda the rest of the day at their desks.

    Cant speak for everyone, but that might have something to do with it
  • cuterbee
    cuterbee Posts: 545
    I don't think people realise how much they actually eat.

    ...

    People over-eat - simple as that!
    ^^^^ This, exactly.

    And it's not ALL women -- my sister and daughter and one of my nieces can eat anything and never gain a pound; and they wear size 0 to 2 clothing. (why oh why didn't I get those genes???)
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
    Because they don't feel confident about their bodies, but aren't willing to be disciplined about a solution.
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
    That, and I feel like it's cultural expectation that a woman should always watch their weight, which can explain the impulse to say they are.
    [/quote]


    this as well
  • srpm
    srpm Posts: 275 Member
    My coworkers who do the same thing are also guilty of always getting the largest slice of cake on birthday day because it's a special occasion or grabbing a doughnut when someone brings them in "Just one treat won't hurt" Which is true, but it's never just one treat for the day/week/month/whatever--it's one treat for that trip past the food table.
  • Rosa1213
    Rosa1213 Posts: 456 Member
    Just like everyone else has been saying, they don't realize how many calories they're consuming.

    Also, women will always diet. Forever and always. As a woman, it is part of our job description to honestly believe we are the fattest thing that has ever walked the Earth. It's science, dude. :wink:
  • TimeForMe99
    TimeForMe99 Posts: 309
    It's partly a social thing - all women are dieting and all men are working out. But it is also a lack of understanding about what their caloric needs are and what they are eating. Someone who always orders a salad but doesn't note the high fat calories in the dressing, croutons, etc. is fooling themselves. As is the person who always eats fat free or sugar free foods and believes they are doing the healthy thing.

    Oddly, my thin friends aren't dieters. They do eat less and work out more but they never make a big deal out of it.
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    when you're in kitchen all day, you think about diets. Good on them!
  • prdavies1949
    prdavies1949 Posts: 326 Member
    The ability of people to fool themselves should never be underestimated. I gave up smoking over 20 years ago but when I smoked if asked I would always say I smoked 20 a day. I truly believed this was the truth. It was not until 6 months after I had stopped smoking that I realised that if I bought a pack of twenty every morning on the way to work and a pack of 20 on the way home, I was actually smoking 40 a day. Yet I repeat, I truly believed, (desperately wanted to believe), that I only smoked 20 a day.
    If you don't count your calories accurately you can believe what you want about how your diet is going. This Is what happens to too many dieters. Oh and it's not just women, men are just as bad, it's just that there are less men talking about their diets.
  • ericahassinistermotives
    ericahassinistermotives Posts: 92
    Also the funny thing I notice about a lot of my friends is that they will go to the gym and burn say 300 calories, but then they'll stop and have a 400 calorie smoothie on the way home!

    I see this ALLLLL the time with women! Honestly, not so much men. But I see women all the time that put in a decent workout wherever they may be, then when they leave they think they deserve a treat for getting through that workout. Hellooooo counter-productivity.

    Nah, when my boyfriend was working out with me, there was a McDonald's next door.
    After our 400 calorie work out: he felt like he earned a McChicken and a small fry.

    So dudes do it too.

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