Don't call it a diet!!!

randyv99 · November 2010

I have been trying not to call what I am doing on MFP a diet because the conception of diet (at least in the US) is something that is short lived or involves some kind of program that you need to pay for or stringently follow. Yes you need to maintain a healthy diet to reach your goals of gaining, losing or maintaining weight but do not think of this journey as "going on a diet". That is a sure path to failure. You are making a lifestyle change, an outllook change, a change in thought. It doesn't matter if you occasionally eat too much or too little because everyone has a life, sometimes there's just too much or too little going on. What matters is that you find a program, a support group and a meal plan that works for you.

Some love routine, some cannot follow routines if their lives depended on it (<-me) and some are in between. Make conscious decisions about energy input and expenditure and take care of your body AND YOUR MIND. I know many people who have gone on diets and lost weight (including me) and I also know people who have changed their lives doing things they love to become healthier.

Find what you love and do it. Find help where and when you need it and incorporate it into something that works for you.

P.S. You guys are great. Love you!

mccorml · November 2010

ill call it whatever i want randz!

alantin · November 2010

A quote from wikipedia

In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism.

This is what I usually understand by diet, although I do agree with you.
It's just so confusing that people generally seem to use the word for short term "eat like crap, fool yourself to feel healthy" kinds of things..

I think this site is all about your diet and changing it!
Finding a balanced way of eating so you get enough important nutrients while managing your weight.

randyv99 · November 2010

A quote from wikipedia

In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism.

This is what I usually understand by diet, although I do agree with you.
It's just so confusing that people generally seem to use the word for short term "eat like crap, fool yourself to feel healthy" kinds of things..

I think this site is all about your diet and changing it!
Finding a balanced way of eating so you get enough important nutrients while managing your weight.

Exactly! We've got to use diet for its true meaning and not for a quick fix (and Mccorml you can call anything whatever you want).. At least for people just starting out on this journey I think it's important for them to not get into the "OK let me do this diet right kind of thing" but rather "let find the right diet for me" as you said.

alantin · November 2010

Double post

Damn network problems!

StacySkinny · November 2010

I totally agree. When you think of it as "going on a diet" then at least subconsciously you must be thinking there will be a point when you "go off the diet" - and that's the recipe for short lived weight loss in deed. To keep the weight off, nothing short of making this your new way of life is going to work. This has to be a lifestyle change.

Debtappe · November 2010

What a great post to start my day. You have articulated some things I have been thinking about lately. Thanks.

ickybella · November 2010

I call the foods I'm eating my diet, and I always have, even when my diet was complete crap. Honestly, I hate it when people call it a "lifestyle change." I mean, whatever keeps you going, I guess, but I'm not going to be eating 1200 calories for the rest of my life. I understand that part of the change is learning to eat in moderation and getting my fruits and veggies, and I'm not even sure why it bugs me so much, but it really drives me crazy when people call it that, especially when those people tell me that I'm not allowed to call my diet a diet when that's exactly what it is!

I get what you're saying though, about the negative perception of the word "diet," but why not just let everyone call what they want? I mean, I'd never ask you to stop calling it a lifestyle change.

Neliel · November 2010

I wouldn't call it a diet. Just watching what i'm eating. Because I can eat whatever the hell I like in moderation

123lgoldie · November 2010

agreed randy! being controversial here but diets don't work, they are fads. If you go on a diet for 2weeks and lose the wieght and then go back to what you were doing before, you will put on the weight again. It is changing your lifestyle ongoing to maintain the weight loss, UNFORTUNATELY lol

matina29 · November 2010

I definitely don't define it as a diet. Although only syntax, My brain associates diet with deprivation of some sort. I don't see this that way MFP/Calorie tracking, I visualize this as calories in during eating vs. calories out during daily living/exercise. For me it eliminates the habitual behaviors I have which include but are not limited to: Emotional eating, compulsive eating, food addiction, lack of exercise and general debauchery to my body

randyv99 · November 2010

I call the foods I'm eating my diet, and I always have, even when my diet was complete crap. Honestly, I hate it when people call it a "lifestyle change." I mean, whatever keeps you going, I guess, but I'm not going to be eating 1200 calories for the rest of my life. I understand that part of the change is learning to eat in moderation and getting my fruits and veggies, and I'm not even sure why it bugs me so much, but it really drives me crazy when people call it that, especially when those people tell me that I'm not allowed to call my diet a diet when that's exactly what it is!

I get what you're saying though, about the negative perception of the word "diet," but why not just let everyone call what they want? I mean, I'd never ask you to stop calling it a lifestyle change.

LOL I used to be pissed off when people called it a lifestyle change too. Call it whatever you want. As most of my posts on this website seem to go, to each his/her own. This is just a caution to beginners that perceiving something as temporary will only bring forth temporary results. It's not the words themselves but the power you give to the words that affect how you approach the activity. Even if you call it a lifestyle change and treat it like a temporary lifestyle change it's still not going to work for you. But your post made me crack up.

randyv99 · November 2010

For me it eliminates the habitual behaviors I have which include but are not limited to: Emotional eating, compulsive eating, food addiction, lack of exercise and general debauchery to my body

:laugh: General debauchery you say? Do go on.

ickybella · November 2010

I call the foods I'm eating my diet, and I always have, even when my diet was complete crap. Honestly, I hate it when people call it a "lifestyle change." I mean, whatever keeps you going, I guess, but I'm not going to be eating 1200 calories for the rest of my life. I understand that part of the change is learning to eat in moderation and getting my fruits and veggies, and I'm not even sure why it bugs me so much, but it really drives me crazy when people call it that, especially when those people tell me that I'm not allowed to call my diet a diet when that's exactly what it is!

I get what you're saying though, about the negative perception of the word "diet," but why not just let everyone call what they want? I mean, I'd never ask you to stop calling it a lifestyle change.

LOL I used to be pissed off when people called it a lifestyle change too. Call it whatever you want. As most of my posts on this website seem to go, to each his/her own. This is just a caution to beginners that perceiving something as temporary will only bring forth temporary results. It's not the words themselves but the power you give to the words that affect how you approach the activity. Even if you call it a lifestyle change and treat it like a temporary lifestyle change it's still not going to work for you. But your post made me crack up.

Well, a laugh is always a good thing, even if you are laughing at me.

I do understand the negative implications of the word "diet," as in "I have tried every diet known to man and failed." So many people say that, and I agree that this is about more than just temporarily changing how you eat, because if you go back to your old ways as soon as you've reached your goal weight, you'll end up coming back to do this all over again. Still, it really makes me nuts when people call it a lifestyle change. Why? Well, who knows, but I've got issues.

I also think it would be really good to remove the negativity surrounding the word. It's just one little four-letter word. (I'll still be calling it my diet, tyvm.) Then, we'll work on "lifestyle change" and an MFP world takeover. :devil:

kelsully · November 2010

I don't have a lot of reason to call what I am doing anything...but if people ask me how I do what I do I say that I pay attention to and track my nutrition...maye that could be a middle ground between lifestyle change and "going on a diet"

TaneeisFitforLife · November 2010

I'm one of those that call it a lifestyle change because well....it's what I had to do

if it was just me changing what I ate I'd refer to it as a diet lol

I still have people calling it "Tanee's little diet". More so, around holidays & family gatherings. Always said in some obnoxious tone :P

binary_jester · November 2010

While we are at it, I think we need to stop thinking of food in such negative terms (although please keep using the word "naughty"

). We make food choices and we deal with the implications. But I can't help but think the negativity may encourage some binging.

tiffanyb73 · November 2010

I typically dont call it a diet either because I agree, it implies something negative. We aren't on a diet. We are getting healthy. Someone as skinny as a rail can be unhealthy. So if we focus on being healthy..eating right & exercising, we lose weight & in turn will be healthy.

eillamarie · November 2010

The term "diet" has many meanings-scientific, positive, and negative. Call what we're doing on here whatever you want, just make sure it's a positive term

randyv99 · November 2010

The term "diet" has many meanings-scientific, positive, and negative. Call what we're doing on here whatever you want, just make sure it's a positive term

It's all about positivity!

Texsox · November 2010

I tell people I didn't start off "dieting" or "giving up foods", I started counting calories and making new decisions on what I consume. I didn't "give up fries and sodas" when I started a "diet", I gave up fries and sodas when I looked at the calories and decided I'd rather have something else with those calories. If I am going to drink something with calories, it will damn sure be something you wouldn't serve a child :bigsmile:

Delicate · November 2010

I dont call it diet, i call it a life style choice (not a change, their is only a slight difference from how i was before this)

I havent given up a single food item, I have just choosen to eat better and dont feel like i have missed out on a single thing since nothing is forbidden. Where as if its forbidden or 'not allowed' you want it all the more.

I literally say out 'i dont want to eat that' when someone is trying to offer sweets/buns and in my mind i'm not craving anything.

Works for me anyway =]

leighclayton · November 2010

Thanks to the OP for the inspirational post. I am not calling it anything at the moment. It's just how I 'roll'

. I am really enjoying the simplicity of using MFP and all of the great support and motivation and success stories on here. Love this site!

sexygenius · November 2010

I think of diet as the traditional way..it's what you eat... if I'm talking about a short term diet I call it a crash diet.
I tell people im changing my diet for good- that clears it up

kewkdb · November 2010

I'm not on a diet. I have altered my consumption of fuel.

Aeriel · November 2010

This is what I tell people now that ask me how I have lost my weight. I liked it so much, I put it in my profile to remind me every day of why this is working for me after all this time!

I am now a firm believer in not "dieting" but in eating a balanced nutritious diet and exercise. I don't cut any food group out, I just choose wisely. I still have to occasional baked treat, I use sugar in my coffee but way less and I exercise to earn those treats. That is a plan I can follow for life. A "diet" will get old and restrictive and most people fall right back into old ways and gain the weight right back.

Aeriel · November 2010

While we are at it, I think we need to stop thinking of food in such negative terms (although please keep using the word "naughty" ). We make food choices and we deal with the implications. But I can't help but think the negativity may encourage some binging.

Love your "naughty" symbol!

alantin · November 2010

Screw "lifestyle change" and "going on diet"!

Its about "properly watching your diet" !

Btw. Since a very narrow idea, of what the word actually means, seems to be pretty prevalent, I'll paste a link to the wikipedia article about it. It actually was a fairly interesting read!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_(nutrition)

Ps. Please, don't get me wrong. I don't really care what you call what you're doing. I'm mearly annoyed about the general need to explain, that I mean the word "diet" in its true meaning, when ever I use it..

Dlibo1013 · November 2010

agree Randy thanks for reminding me

StacySkinny · November 2010

I dont call it diet, i call it a life style choice (not a change, their is only a slight difference from how i was before this)

I havent given up a single food item, I have just choosen to eat better and dont feel like i have missed out on a single thing since nothing is forbidden. Where as if its forbidden or 'not allowed' you want it all the more.

I literally say out 'i dont want to eat that' when someone is trying to offer sweets/buns and in my mind i'm not craving anything.

Works for me anyway =]

I couldn't agree more!

"Giving up" the foods we love or making some foods "off limits" only lead to feelings of being overly deprived. But if we tell ourselves that nothing is off limits, that if we want something BAD ENOUGH that we can have it - just in much smaller portions than we normally would - then that actually helps people to make better and better choices. It seems to be what works best for most of the people who have lost weight and kept it off.

After a while you just stop craving the "crap" and "junk" food, and you actually start DESIRING the more nutritious foods. When nothing is off limits we eventually start making healthier and healthier choices -naturally, without feelings of deprivation or feelings that we are being "bad" if we happen to want something that is a little (or even a lot) higher in calories. Just factor it into your daily calories an move on.

Don't call it a diet!!!

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