Top 5 Diet Killers....the remix.

Here's my noninclusive list.

#1) Bad attitude
-unreasonable expectations
-my way is the only way!
- I can't do this!
- People are MEAN!
#2) Bogus diet advice
-Dr Oz.
- you must eliminate X
- no eating before/after/during whatever
- 900 million other examples
#3) Lack of will power (most excuses)
- My friend/husband/co-workers are sabotaging me!
- I can't find the time to exercise!
- Eating right is too expensive!
#4) Lack of preparation (a.k.a. pre-planning)
- Fast food/snack machine was the ONLY option available! (every day though?!?!)
#5) Dishonesty with self.
-body dysmorphia
-setting goals you can't stick with
-not logging accurately
-over-counting workout calories

Go!

Dearest Bean, if I may add some of my own:

A) Over complicating/over analyzing things.
Eating breakfast? Yes or no? Eating 3 meals a day? Eating 6 meals a day? Eating 1 meal a day? Intermittent fasting? Eating before your workout, after your work? Eating past 8. Working out in the morning, lunch or at night. Glycemic index, oh no blood sugar spikes! Can you count milk as water? Should you eat your exercise calories back? On and on and on and on. The reality of the situation is, if you eat at a deficit you're going to lose weight. If you're just starting out, this should be rules #1, 2, 3 and 4 to pay attention to. Eat at a moderate deficit and you will lose weight. If you want to adjust your macros or food intake in general to support different activities, tastes, satiety levels, whatever, sure go ahead. Just remember that first rule.

Also realize that nothing is perfectly accurate. HRMs or fitbits or bodybuggs or MFP are not 100% accurate. None of them are. It's an estimate. Food intake is also an estimate. Even measuring your food has margins of error. Calculating your BMR and TDEE and all that is great...but those are just calculations and again have margins of errors. Add everything up and there is substantial room for error.

Long story short, all that matters is that you're in a deficit. If you're in a deficit long-term, you will lose weight and/or inches. Yes, there are medical issues that can muddy this but they are rare. Talk to your doctor because no one here is going to be qualified to diagnose you.

Finally, do what works for you. I might have luck eating before my workout but maybe you'll throw up when you try it. There's no right or wrong answer, just keep it simple and try not to over analyze everything.

C) Having too narrow of a view of everything.
There are no purely healthy foods. There are no purely bad foods. You can fit just about anything into your diet if you want to. View your diet as a whole. Eat a reasonably balanced diet. Too many carbs are bad, too much protein is bad, blah blah blah. Too much or too little of anything IS bad. Even having said that, one "bad" day does not unmake a diet. Or one a week. View your day's food intake as a whole, not each piece. View your diet in general on the long-term, week to week or even better - month to month. Making a change in your diet? Give it a month to analyze the results. One day or even one week means nothing.

Some examples, one of my favorite friends eats ice cream every night. Every night. She fits it into her calories. She looks like a goddamn supermodel. It's not magic, just plan ahead (see Bean's point above about not planning things out). Myself, I drink beer every night. Every single night. I have logged over 600 beers in the last year and a half and lost 70lbs. Again, it's not magic. Plan out your day. By noon I have everything pre-logged that I'm going to eat, and when. Why is this good? Because making food decisions when you're hungry is a really bad idea. That's like watching The Fast and the Furious and then going to the car dealership. You're gonna come home in a new Camaro and not the minivan that you need for your 5 children.

(sorry, mini-rant about planning came out of nowhere and attacked me)

As above, do what works for you. If you can't go without chocolate, eat it! Fit it into your calories. It's not a big deal - EVERYONE does it eventually. Even the hardest core bodybuilders, olympians, etc. will restrict themselves only for so long.

3) Lack of common sense.
I realize there are a lot of women here but you've really got to get a hold of yourself here. You ate 3 french fries, and then jumped on the scale and you were up 3lbs. Time to hang yourself? Calm down, shut off the waterworks and apply a little logic. It takes 10500 calories to gain 3lbs of fat. Did you eat an extra 10500 calories over your maintenance? If the answer is no, then you didn't gain 3lbs of fat. If you didn't gain 3lbs of fat, then why are you upset? The 3lbs wasn't fat, therefore it was some form of lean body mass or much more likely - water. Is this something to get upset about, or care about in any way shape or form? Of course not.

Use your brain. If you use the elliptical every day for a month and you haven't lost a pound or an inch, no it's not because you're gaining muscle. If you could gain muscle on the elliptical, don't you think every bodybuilder in the world would be using one 24/7? Furthermore, are you worried about getting bulky? That is literally the dumbest thing I've ever heard. How many people do you know that got bulky using 3lb dumbbells? Of course, the answer is none because it does not happen. Even people who WANT to get bulky, it takes them years and years of hard work and dedication to get there - and they were doing it on purpose!

Dr. Oz and Jillian Michaels and supplement companies and 80 million other people and publications out there. Think carefully about where the information comes from. If it's some guy whose job is to sell you things, take his advice with a grain of salt! Do you believe everything the car salesman tells you? Of course not, he just wants to make money off of you. Does drinking pregnant woman pee seem like a reasonable thing to do to lose weight? Of course not, you're just lining the pockets of some corporation. Read unbiased information instead.

Just three examples, there are thousands more. Apply a little logic before you freak out over anything. This works well in life, in general to boot!

Here's my noninclusive list.

#1) Bad attitude
-unreasonable expectations
-my way is the only way!
- I can't do this!
- People are MEAN!
#2) Bogus diet advice
-Dr Oz.
- you must eliminate X
- no eating before/after/during whatever
- 900 million other examples
#3) Lack of will power (most excuses)
- My friend/husband/co-workers are sabotaging me!
- I can't find the time to exercise!
- Eating right is too expensive!
#4) Lack of preparation (a.k.a. pre-planning)
- Fast food/snack machine was the ONLY option available! (every day though?!?!)
#5) Dishonesty with self.
-body dysmorphia
-setting goals you can't stick with
-not logging accurately
-over-counting workout calories

Go!

Dearest Bean, if I may add some of my own:

A) Over complicating/over analyzing things.
Eating breakfast? Yes or no? Eating 3 meals a day? Eating 6 meals a day? Eating 1 meal a day? Intermittent fasting? Eating before your workout, after your work? Eating past 8. Working out in the morning, lunch or at night. Glycemic index, oh no blood sugar spikes! Can you count milk as water? Should you eat your exercise calories back? On and on and on and on. The reality of the situation is, if you eat at a deficit you're going to lose weight. If you're just starting out, this should be rules #1, 2, 3 and 4 to pay attention to. Eat at a moderate deficit and you will lose weight. If you want to adjust your macros or food intake in general to support different activities, tastes, satiety levels, whatever, sure go ahead. Just remember that first rule.

Also realize that nothing is perfectly accurate. HRMs or fitbits or bodybuggs or MFP are not 100% accurate. None of them are. It's an estimate. Food intake is also an estimate. Even measuring your food has margins of error. Calculating your BMR and TDEE and all that is great...but those are just calculations and again have margins of errors. Add everything up and there is substantial room for error.

Long story short, all that matters is that you're in a deficit. If you're in a deficit long-term, you will lose weight and/or inches. Yes, there are medical issues that can muddy this but they are rare. Talk to your doctor because no one here is going to be qualified to diagnose you.

Finally, do what works for you. I might have luck eating before my workout but maybe you'll throw up when you try it. There's no right or wrong answer, just keep it simple and try not to over analyze everything.

C) Having too narrow of a view of everything.
There are no purely healthy foods. There are no purely bad foods. You can fit just about anything into your diet if you want to. View your diet as a whole. Eat a reasonably balanced diet. Too many carbs are bad, too much protein is bad, blah blah blah. Too much or too little of anything IS bad. Even having said that, one "bad" day does not unmake a diet. Or one a week. View your day's food intake as a whole, not each piece. View your diet in general on the long-term, week to week or even better - month to month. Making a change in your diet? Give it a month to analyze the results. One day or even one week means nothing.

Some examples, one of my favorite friends eats ice cream every night. Every night. She fits it into her calories. She looks like a goddamn supermodel. It's not magic, just plan ahead (see Bean's point above about not planning things out). Myself, I drink beer every night. Every single night. I have logged over 600 beers in the last year and a half and lost 70lbs. Again, it's not magic. Plan out your day. By noon I have everything pre-logged that I'm going to eat, and when. Why is this good? Because making food decisions when you're hungry is a really bad idea. That's like watching The Fast and the Furious and then going to the car dealership. You're gonna come home in a new Camaro and not the minivan that you need for your 5 children.

(sorry, mini-rant about planning came out of nowhere and attacked me)

As above, do what works for you. If you can't go without chocolate, eat it! Fit it into your calories. It's not a big deal - EVERYONE does it eventually. Even the hardest core bodybuilders, olympians, etc. will restrict themselves only for so long.

3) Lack of common sense.
I realize there are a lot of women here but you've really got to get a hold of yourself here. You ate 3 french fries, and then jumped on the scale and you were up 3lbs. Time to hang yourself? Calm down, shut off the waterworks and apply a little logic. It takes 10500 calories to gain 3lbs of fat. Did you eat an extra 10500 calories over your maintenance? If the answer is no, then you didn't gain 3lbs of fat. If you didn't gain 3lbs of fat, then why are you upset? The 3lbs wasn't fat, therefore it was some form of lean body mass or much more likely - water. Is this something to get upset about, or care about in any way shape or form? Of course not.

Use your brain. If you use the elliptical every day for a month and you haven't lost a pound or an inch, no it's not because you're gaining muscle. If you could gain muscle on the elliptical, don't you think every bodybuilder in the world would be using one 24/7? Furthermore, are you worried about getting bulky? That is literally the dumbest thing I've ever heard. How many people do you know that got bulky using 3lb dumbbells? Of course, the answer is none because it does not happen. Even people who WANT to get bulky, it takes them years and years of hard work and dedication to get there - and they were doing it on purpose!

Dr. Oz and Jillian Michaels and supplement companies and 80 million other people and publications out there. Think carefully about where the information comes from. If it's some guy whose job is to sell you things, take his advice with a grain of salt! Do you believe everything the car salesman tells you? Of course not, he just wants to make money off of you. Does drinking pregnant woman pee seem like a reasonable thing to do to lose weight? Of course not, you're just lining the pockets of some corporation. Read unbiased information instead.

Just three examples, there are thousands more. Apply a little logic before you freak out over anything. This works well in life, in general to boot!

Dope, WTF?? TL/DR lol :laugh: :laugh:

I was typing like 3 lines and then I blacked out for a bit and came back to this. I don't know what happened.

I personally love what you said.

My only caveat is that I know people who take too many liberties with "in moderation" and "it fits in my macros" and best of all "there is a margin of error" and worked it into gaining weight.

Discipline, discipline, discipline.

I was typing like 3 lines and then I blacked out for a bit and came back to this. I don't know what happened.

I personally love what you said.

My only caveat is that I know people who take too many liberties with "in moderation" and "it fits in my macros" and best of all "there is a margin of error" and worked it into gaining weight.

Discipline, discipline, discipline.

Yup, I agree. Hell, I've been guilty of it myself. It happens, we're all human. That's why I try to remember rule #1 - no deficit, no weight loss. When I didn't lose any weight for 3 months, I didn't call it a plateau, I realized I was simply maintaining. Too many snacks here and there, overestimating workout calories and poof, scale stops moving. Re-dedicate and move on.

I want his posted at my work, for everyone who wants to tell me "how" to lose weight, eat, exercise, etc etc etc...that is one of the best statements i have read since i joined here :-)

awesome post....

[Dope, WTF?? TL/DR lol :laugh: :laugh:

I'll be asleep before I finish reading that! Maybe tomorrow when I'm supposed to be working.

It's almost 12:30 am. I just finished eating my dinner, and I'm about to eat my yogurt and go to bed. I hope I don't gain 3 lbs! Oh, and I had ice cream, too. :bigsmile:

I must be the anti-Bean, we went from short and sweet to bloated wall of text. My bad.

I like it. Good post. Mine probably would have been more verbose, but It started as a quick response on the other "top 5" thread, until I realized that thread was no place for good sense and pulled it out. Thanks for the addition.

And Sara's gonna love that you called her a supermodel! She is, though.

you.

Ummm, Bean.........he did not say who it was....I am sure he has lots of female friends who eat ice cream every night. But thank you anyway.

Add 1200 calories to number 2.

Here's my noninclusive list.

#1) Bad attitude
-unreasonable expectations
-my way is the only way!
- I can't do this!
- People are MEAN!
#2) Bogus diet advice
-Dr Oz.
- you must eliminate X
- no eating before/after/during whatever
- 900 million other examples
#3) Lack of will power (most excuses)
- My friend/husband/co-workers are sabotaging me!
- I can't find the time to exercise!
- Eating right is too expensive!
#4) Lack of preparation (a.k.a. pre-planning)
- Fast food/snack machine was the ONLY option available! (every day though?!?!)
#5) Dishonesty with self.
-body dysmorphia
-setting goals you can't stick with
-not logging accurately
-over-counting workout calories

Go!

Dearest Bean, if I may add some of my own:

A) Over complicating/over analyzing things.
Eating breakfast? Yes or no? Eating 3 meals a day? Eating 6 meals a day? Eating 1 meal a day? Intermittent fasting? Eating before your workout, after your work? Eating past 8. Working out in the morning, lunch or at night. Glycemic index, oh no blood sugar spikes! Can you count milk as water? Should you eat your exercise calories back? On and on and on and on. The reality of the situation is, if you eat at a deficit you're going to lose weight. If you're just starting out, this should be rules #1, 2, 3 and 4 to pay attention to. Eat at a moderate deficit and you will lose weight. If you want to adjust your macros or food intake in general to support different activities, tastes, satiety levels, whatever, sure go ahead. Just remember that first rule.

Also realize that nothing is perfectly accurate. HRMs or fitbits or bodybuggs or MFP are not 100% accurate. None of them are. It's an estimate. Food intake is also an estimate. Even measuring your food has margins of error. Calculating your BMR and TDEE and all that is great...but those are just calculations and again have margins of errors. Add everything up and there is substantial room for error.

Long story short, all that matters is that you're in a deficit. If you're in a deficit long-term, you will lose weight and/or inches. Yes, there are medical issues that can muddy this but they are rare. Talk to your doctor because no one here is going to be qualified to diagnose you.

Finally, do what works for you. I might have luck eating before my workout but maybe you'll throw up when you try it. There's no right or wrong answer, just keep it simple and try not to over analyze everything.

C) Having too narrow of a view of everything.
There are no purely healthy foods. There are no purely bad foods. You can fit just about anything into your diet if you want to. View your diet as a whole. Eat a reasonably balanced diet. Too many carbs are bad, too much protein is bad, blah blah blah. Too much or too little of anything IS bad. Even having said that, one "bad" day does not unmake a diet. Or one a week. View your day's food intake as a whole, not each piece. View your diet in general on the long-term, week to week or even better - month to month. Making a change in your diet? Give it a month to analyze the results. One day or even one week means nothing.

Some examples, one of my favorite friends eats ice cream every night. Every night. She fits it into her calories. She looks like a goddamn supermodel. It's not magic, just plan ahead (see Bean's point above about not planning things out). Myself, I drink beer every night. Every single night. I have logged over 600 beers in the last year and a half and lost 70lbs. Again, it's not magic. Plan out your day. By noon I have everything pre-logged that I'm going to eat, and when. Why is this good? Because making food decisions when you're hungry is a really bad idea. That's like watching The Fast and the Furious and then going to the car dealership. You're gonna come home in a new Camaro and not the minivan that you need for your 5 children.

(sorry, mini-rant about planning came out of nowhere and attacked me)

As above, do what works for you. If you can't go without chocolate, eat it! Fit it into your calories. It's not a big deal - EVERYONE does it eventually. Even the hardest core bodybuilders, olympians, etc. will restrict themselves only for so long.

3) Lack of common sense.
I realize there are a lot of women here but you've really got to get a hold of yourself here. You ate 3 french fries, and then jumped on the scale and you were up 3lbs. Time to hang yourself? Calm down, shut off the waterworks and apply a little logic. It takes 10500 calories to gain 3lbs of fat. Did you eat an extra 10500 calories over your maintenance? If the answer is no, then you didn't gain 3lbs of fat. If you didn't gain 3lbs of fat, then why are you upset? The 3lbs wasn't fat, therefore it was some form of lean body mass or much more likely - water. Is this something to get upset about, or care about in any way shape or form? Of course not.

Use your brain. If you use the elliptical every day for a month and you haven't lost a pound or an inch, no it's not because you're gaining muscle. If you could gain muscle on the elliptical, don't you think every bodybuilder in the world would be using one 24/7? Furthermore, are you worried about getting bulky? That is literally the dumbest thing I've ever heard. How many people do you know that got bulky using 3lb dumbbells? Of course, the answer is none because it does not happen. Even people who WANT to get bulky, it takes them years and years of hard work and dedication to get there - and they were doing it on purpose!

Dr. Oz and Jillian Michaels and supplement companies and 80 million other people and publications out there. Think carefully about where the information comes from. If it's some guy whose job is to sell you things, take his advice with a grain of salt! Do you believe everything the car salesman tells you? Of course not, he just wants to make money off of you. Does drinking pregnant woman pee seem like a reasonable thing to do to lose weight? Of course not, you're just lining the pockets of some corporation. Read unbiased information instead.

Just three examples, there are thousands more. Apply a little logic before you freak out over anything. This works well in life, in general to boot!

Zing! I have been saying this since I got here. Minus, the long *kitten* book of course.

Great points here:flowerforyou:

Some, (me!) need a routine though. I've eaten the same thing for lunch for the last 4weeks - my colleagues think it's hillarious. But food has been my obsession now for so many years that I need the routine, to stop me thinking about "what am I going to eat?" I'd be eating breakfast and thinking about Dinner! But, if it's predetermined, I don't think about it, I just do it.

Can I add actual bad influences/ non-supportive freinds, family, and people you live with to the list. I would also like to add laziness and nobody takes into account that every body is different so you can't take any one particular tip as gospel.

For people without a medical condition, the science of fitness and weight loss is generally the same with some slight variation. Things like food preferences and fitness objectives do vary though. People play the "I'm different" excuse far too often as well especially on here. Sadly, most of the people who do that regularly end up failing long-term, because they didn't educate themselves properly along the way.

Also, I agree with MoreBean's reply to you. No one is responsible for your health and fitness but you no matter what they do or say. In the end, it's YOUR choices that make the difference, not theirs.