Tired of all the "real dieters"

People are commenting on the fact that 1200 isn't enough... That's the amount that MFP set mine at. I do have a lot of weight to lose... 86lbs. I have been staying within the 1200 and haven't been hungry. Eating healthy foods, cooking, weighing every thing and the biggest change has been portion control.. Wow, It has been a wake up call on some of the foods I had been eating. I have also started a bit of walking...has been a problem since I have very bad knees, but I am taking it slow and going a little further each time. I would like some input on the 1200...

You wouldn't say 'I'm on a diet' to mean 'I'm on a customary course of living as to food'. You'd mean you were on a prescribed course of food.

Actually, I would use "I'm on a diet" to mean "I'm on a customary course of living as to food". I've been on a diet since jr. high school when I first started caring what I looked like. There is no prescribed course of food, just me limiting food as part of my customary course of living.

I'm not tired of the real or fake dieters. Whatever works for someone is fine with me. And if it doesn't work, they'll find that out soon enough. Everyone must find their own path.

Me, I choose diet and exercise. Yep, I am ON A DIET. I've been on this diet for 20+ years and plan to stay on it for the rest of my life. I only maintain a healthy weight when I diet. If I don't think about what I'm eating everyday, I will over eat.

Diet. Say it with me friends. It's not a dirty word. It's a wonderful thing. And it's only as temporary as you make it.

The problem with the word DIET is that most people (it seems you may be in this category, I could be wrong. If I am, I do apologize) think this word means what they DON'T or CAN'T eat/drink (yes, what you drink affects your metabolism too!). That's what screws people up. Your diet is comprised of what YOU DO EAT/DRINK.

See, it's the four letter word F-O-O-D that screws people up. FOOD is not evil. FOOD IS YOUR FRIEND!

So, on a diet one chooses carefully what they can and can't eat or drink, but in a lifestyle change they do, what? Eat and drink without thought? I doubt seriously that is the case, but if so, I'll take a diet every time.

I do limit what I can and can not eat or drink. Some things are limited to occasional use only. Some are thoughtfully added on a regular basis. Food, for me at least, can be friend or foe, depending on how I choose to control it.

It think the comment was referring to the definition of the word diet.

Your diet is what you eat and drink. Period. When people think of "going on a diet," what they mean is, "going on a restricted diet." The definition of diet is what you eat and drink, regardless of quality or quantity.

Edit: As an example...

My dog's diet consists of dog food and water.
My cat's diet includes cat food and water.
My diet includes whatever I can fit into my 1800 calorie allotment while insuring that I eat enough protein and fiber.

i love it when people who haven't had a lot of weight to lose, nor had life events that cause weight gain, come around and make up these threads that try and call others out and dictate to them what they do wrong and why they are fat.
full of win!

I didn't see this any where in the thread. The fact is that there is no ONE RIGHT WAY to build lean mass and lose excess body fat (though it's very difficult to do both without the aid of performance enhancing agents). This is why those who are interested in building lean mass bulk first (this does not mean get fat). They take on more calories for many months in order to facilitate growth. And when they feel they've made enough progress gaining mass they switch up their diet and cardio habits (or simply add cardio back to their routine) in order to MAINTAIN the lean mass they just worked so hard to gain while burning body fat.

So, unless a body adheres to these types of principles (that are simple biological facts - NOT MAGIC) then they are doing it WRONG. period...

If you want to see how I know this... LOOK HERE: http://voices.yahoo.com/photos/bikinimom-pursuing-strength-living-fit-6215496.html?cat=5 20+ years of experience and STILL LEARNING EVERY DAY!!!

aren't you the same person who said they are sporting a 13yr old picture?
LOL
think you missed the point there sporty

AMEN SISTER! THANK YOU FOR SAYING EXACTLY WHAT I'M THINKING!

People on here seem to pride themselves on eating as few of calories as possible, while exercising 3 hours a day and somehow that makes them the real deal....How long is that going to be sustainable?! How long until you're yoyo dieting again?? I hate the word "diet"...I do not diet. I choose to live a healthy lifestyle, meaning that this is not temporary for me and I'm not going to make myself miserable for the rest of my life fighting hunger and cravings. FOOD = FUEL, not the enemy. It is completely possible to live healthy, generally eating healthy and taking care of your body while STILL enjoying the foods you love.

I hope these "real dieters" that you speak of realize that they are just setting themselves up for a lifetime battle against food....and a healthy, sustainable lifestyle does NOT have to be that way!

You look fabulous in your pic by the way

AWWW thanks. you're a sweetheart. I can't believe that people 2x my size are eating 2/3 as much and claiming to be stuffed--It's completely antithetical to what I would view as a sustainable, healthy, and lifelong approach to weight management. Maybe these people really can eat 1200 calories forever, but I honestly doubt it. At some point I think MOST people snap and that's when the weight comes piling back on. I just wish people could be a bit more patient..take one meal at a time, one workout at a time, one day at a time until they reach goal and then continue doing the things that got them to the finish line.

Those folks that claim to be stuffed after eating less than 1200 cal are lying... to us and to themselves. I may not be twice your size, but I feel like I'm starving on 1200 cal/day and can rarely accomplish that. I think they're just trying to brag, like saying some ordinarily painful stimulus really doesn't hurt. Bull! And if it really is true for them, I envy that. I would love to be able to eat only what my body needs to survive in good health and think nothing more about it. But that isn't the case for me and my "diet" is whatever food is available that isn't processed in the portion sizes small enough to fit in the calorie limit that will result in weight loss. I am already in good health, but being overweight increases my risk of future health problems, and that means, probably, that I will never be able to just eat what I like that satisfies me without measuring and counting everything. That means I'll be "on a diet" for the rest of my life, really. That is the way of life I will have to choose in order to reduce my risks.

Those folks that claim to be stuffed after eating less than 1200 cal are lying... to us and to themselves.

Do you think that she got that way "by accident" or "due to good genes"?

To be fair, we have no way of knowing that, as she said it was none of our business how much she had to lose. When I was 23, I ate whatever I wanted, and never gained weight. I weighed 110 lb. In my case, it was totally 'by accident', and I'm sure my genes played a part. Other people ate the same as me and were fat.