The diet mentality

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paulei75
paulei75 Posts: 7
in Motivation and Support
This is one of the things that trips me up when I'm about 3 weeks into maintaining a controlled calorie count. Some Diets give us strict rules to follow. If you’re not following them, you’re “cheating” or a “failure.” You’re only doing well if you’re sticking with them perfectly. This puts people in a mindset of thinking that they're one wrong move away from failure. I would love some feedback or some tips that help you all on this journey. Thanks community

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  • annakow
    annakow Posts: 385 Member
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    I keep changing my goal, one kilo more, one kilo more... because i am afraid to go into maintain season:/
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
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    Will be watching with interest as I find this a problem too...
  • jovalleau
    jovalleau Posts: 127 Member
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    Always get asked if I'm "on a diet" because I eat pretty much the same things every day, ususally protein shakes, chicken and vegetabls, rice, beans, etc.

    I always answer "No," as say the idea that you are "on a diet" means you will eventually be "off a diet."
  • Chadomaniac
    Chadomaniac Posts: 1,785 Member
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    Something that helps me big time on a cut : IIFYM .

    I eat 80% what they consider clean , and 20% on junk food .

    example: say I eat 2500calories a day and I reach 2250 and want a snickers bar , I have that snickers bar to make up the 250 calories needed. Eat what you want whenever you crave just fit it into your macro nutrients and calories
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,775 Member
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    I'm not on a "diet". I am learning a new lifestyle that includes healthier food choices and moderate activity/exercise. I have yet to "cut out" any food from my eating plan. I have found, however, that as I continue to focus (but not obsess lol) on nutrition vs. "food", I am tending to eliminate problematic foods from my life. Not because I'm on a restrictive diet that demands "no snack foods", but because when I want a snack, I now evaluate what my body really needs, now just mindless eating snack foods because I think I'm hungry/bored/tired, etc.

    I have also found that it is very important not to focus on the pound by pound weight loss. Rather I focus on my increased stamina and endurance as I increase the distance of my daily walks. I focus on the NSV's (non scale victories for the newbies) - a blouse that doesn't gap open across the bust line anymore. A pair of jeans that no longer nearly cuts me in half at the waist because they are so tight. And I focus on the long-term trend. Am I consistently losing weight? Is the scale consistently moving downwards? If the trend is downward, I am not concerned or freaked out by the up and down fluctuations in weight (and, yes, I do weigh myself daily).

    It is the "diet" mentality that spells disaster for many people. That is why this is a lifestyle change for me.
  • itsscottwilder
    itsscottwilder Posts: 317
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    I don't follow a strict diet plan.

    But I do follow some general guidelines:

    1. Drink lots of water

    2. Learn to love salads - tons of nutrient goodness, very little calories

    3. Learn to love chicken and turkey - Lots of protein for the "I'm full" feeling

    4. Go easy on the carbs and anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup. Overdoing it can mess with your Insulin production (and effectively over stimulate the fat storing process.

    5. Walk - get one of those cheap pedometers and don't go to bed until you've hit your 10,000 steps. 10,000 steps gives me an extra 200 to 300 calories that I can eat every day.
  • mommy3457
    mommy3457 Posts: 361 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1083312-i-stopped-counting

    I think you might find this thread encouraging so I found it for you to read. :)
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    I've been here for 951 days. Never dieted the whole time. Just learned proper portions. The first year I lost 50 pounds. The second year I maintained. Then I had brain surgery and gained 6 pounds during recovery. 4 of them are off now. There is no reason to be strict. It sets you up for cheating and failure.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,775 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1083312-i-stopped-counting

    I think you might find this thread encouraging so I found it for you to read. :)

    The above referenced link concerns MAINTAINING weight, not LOSING weight. FYI
  • webdevsoup
    webdevsoup Posts: 384 Member
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    This is how I look at it:

    If you get in the habit of counting calories first, then you learn what you should be eating. Eventually, you learn what you should and shouldn't eat. I gave up a lot of stuff when I first started "dieting": Coffee with cream and sugar, soda, sweets, fast food (basically all the crap I shouldn't eat anyways). Then, as I started to lose weight (37 lbs since the first of the year), I started to indulge. I just know that if you don't allow yourself a "cheat day" every now and again, you ARE setting yourself up for failure. BUT! You need to exercise self-control. It's not easy, especially as an American, to avoid the nasty food that we sometimes are able to get quick because we feel like we're on a limited time basis for meals. Take your time, plan your food, and eat healthy.

    If you eat 2500 calories, and your daily caloric intake is supposed to be 2300, go exercise and burn off a few hundred calories. Go for a 20 minute walk, 15 minute run, take the dog for a walk, whatever you need to do. Maintaining weight is all about balancing out your food and your exercise. Balance, and moderation. It's a lifestyle change, not a diet. You NEED to change your lifestyle, because if you don't commit to a change, you'll fall back in to the same patterns. That's why, on the side of your profile page, they ask you WHY you want to change. It's a commitment to yourself, and gives you a reason to look back at your profile and say "Oh yeah! That's why I'm doing it. I want to be here when my kids have kids."
  • mommy3457
    mommy3457 Posts: 361 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1083312-i-stopped-counting

    I think you might find this thread encouraging so I found it for you to read. :)

    The above referenced link concerns MAINTAINING weight, not LOSING weight. FYI

    Yes and no. I'm losing weight doing this method.
  • ttiiggzz
    ttiiggzz Posts: 154 Member
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    Once upon a time I was doing a Christian weight loss plan at my church, and instead of calling it a "die-et", the food plan (using Weight Watchers principles basically) was called a "Live-it" plan. Because basically you're doing it for life, right? It's a matter of attempting to permanently change your eating habits.

    While I do tend to eat a lot of the same boring repetitive stuff that would drive a lot of people nuts, my philosophy really boils down to this:
    I don't follow a strict diet plan.

    But I do follow some general guidelines:

    1. Drink lots of water

    2. Learn to love salads - tons of nutrient goodness, very little calories

    3. Learn to love chicken and turkey - Lots of protein for the "I'm full" feeling

    4. Go easy on the carbs and anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup. Overdoing it can mess with your Insulin production (and effectively over stimulate the fat storing process.

    5. Walk - get one of those cheap pedometers and don't go to bed until you've hit your 10,000 steps. 10,000 steps gives me an extra 200 to 300 calories that I can eat every day.

    And #5? I'm in love with my fitbit!
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
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    Figure out several food combinations or meals of known calorie content and eat only them. Weigh yourself regularly to see how you're doing.

    To lose weight requires constraints and discipline no matter what you do.
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
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    Once upon a time I was doing a Christian weight loss plan at my church, and instead of calling it a "die-et", the food plan (using Weight Watchers principles basically) was called a "Live-it" plan. Because basically you're doing it for life, right? It's a matter of attempting to permanently change your eating habits.


    The problem with calling it "Live-It is that if you have a significant amount of weight to lose or if you want to lose weight quickly you are eating far less to create a calorie deficit. You are not going to live that way every day for the rest of your life. When you get to maintenance you eat somewhat more.
  • KentWhiteRabbit
    KentWhiteRabbit Posts: 92 Member
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    It's all in the mind, if you consider it a diet with rules then you are likely fo 'fail' at some point. If you think of it as a gradual lifestyle change then little 'cheats' or 'bad days' are just bumps in the road to healthy eating.

    I always look at my weekly calories etc too, rather than focus on one day. It's almost impossible to stick to the plan everyday, life is more complex than that for most people.
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
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    I've been educating myself about nutrition and it has motivated me to want to make healthier choices. For example, I can now when my body actually needs fuel because I was very active and/or haven't eaten enough, versus when I'm just bored. I also strive to stick to natural foods and can truly tell the difference in taste at this point (I just had a FiberPlus bar and I could taste the artificial flavoring.) Of course, portion sizes are important too, and I like to eat six small meals a day. I have a little more weight I'd like to lose, but I'm ultimately at a healthy place right now, so I consider this a lifestyle. Even if you increase calories after hitting your goal weight, it is important to retain your mentality to stay healthy. I also strive to be very active, and although I have rest days sometimes on weekends, I usually walk around 15,000 steps per day. I also just started a yoga regimen and I try to go around 4 times per week. I love my yoga classes because they focus on being healthy, strong, and balanced, which is more appealing to me than any class where I'd lose ten pounds in a month.
  • damask1988
    damask1988 Posts: 7
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    This is one of the things that trips me up when I'm about 3 weeks into maintaining a controlled calorie count. Some Diets give us strict rules to follow. If you’re not following them, you’re “cheating” or a “failure.” You’re only doing well if you’re sticking with them perfectly. This puts people in a mindset of thinking that they're one wrong move away from failure. I would love some feedback or some tips that help you all on this journey. Thanks community

    1. Treating the word 'diet' as a flexible term referring to the way you eat, not a special plan. e.g. the diet of cavemen.
    2. I find calorie-control diets are wonderful for structuring the calories of food for you so you don't have to think and calculate for yourself all the time.
    3. Having really good scientific and health reasons for your new diet when the naysayers go 'nay'. "Nay, you shall eat a biscuit at break time at work." "Nay, babe, why won't you eat pasta with me?" So have your reasons prepared in advance.
    4. Breaking the rules once or twice on a calorie control is fine. If you calorie controlled for a month you would start adjusting into the lower calorie or go into 'starvation mode' which believe it or not does not start happening for up to four weeks. (Have you read the Fast Diet by Michael Moseley?) So you're safe if you eat cake once.
    5. Breaking the rules is also, whenever you do break down and splurge, it is a good chance to tell yourself again and again WHILE you're eating your treat, that This Cake Is A Treat for Special Occasions. It's a chance to readjust your perspective of how you view cake. Cake is not the enemy, neither is having it occasionally. It's switching from 'I want cake all the time' to 'I still want cake all the time but I know it's only for birthdays and anniversaries or whatever'. Some Neuro Linguistic Programming opportunities there, I think.

    Treating it as a failure is not the way to go. This can develop really negative attitudes towards your calorie restriction. And you want your diet to be something you enjoy, that makes you feel good!

    For instance when I study I don't do it when I have a headache or feel extremely tired, I stop when I'm ahead of myself because I know my body will start adjusting to the horrible feelings and go, 'Ahh! Studying! That last time we studied it hurt! No more!' After a few weeks of this rule I can go to my work with really minimal self-badgering. I've tricked my brain into thinking it's something great that makes me feel good.

    The same with diets I think. The negativity will make you hate dieting, and you should be drooling at the thought of a beautiful colourful salad on your plate or a lean cut of chicken. Enjoy the diet process and learn from it! :-)
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
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    The less rules the better for me.

    Make it fracking sustainable.

    Insulin, HFCS? Look, I've been down that rabbit hole ...

    I just hit the deficit eating what I want and try to get a decent amount of protein in me.

    If this involves eating a Snickers bar for lunch, hey, yeh! :)

    And I do the 'exercise' bit by building natural movement into my day. Take the stairs, do the long route, the road less travelled, etc.

    I love my 5km post work walk, this is routine, if someone took it away I would hit them hard, on the nose.

    I am not depriving myself of anything, I guess it is a 'lifestyle change'.
  • paulei75
    paulei75 Posts: 7
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    Wow, thanks for the great info everyone. I appreciate all the feedback :)

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