Why Dieting Doesn't Work -- WATCH THIS

0somuchbetter0
0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I wish I knew how to post live links here. I've tried basic html but it doesn't work.

Anyway...watch and listen and share! Lots of interesting information here! Mindfulness, awareness, knowing your body and hunger...that's become key to me. Changing our relationship to food is the first step in battling the obesity problem in the developed world. I hope/wish she's wrong about the set point going up and staying up. I know I'm in this for the long haul but this info makes it more daunting than ever. I'm sharing this with everyone who will listen.

http://www.ted.com/talks/sandra_aamodt_why_dieting_doesn_t_usually_work?utm_source=facebook.com&awesm=on.ted.com_smGG&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=on.ted.com-facebook-share&utm_content=awesm-bookmarklet#

Replies

  • fedup30
    fedup30 Posts: 141 Member
    bump--gonna watch this after work! Thanks for sharing!
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    This topic (and video) was recently discussed. (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1215704-another-scientist-explaining-why-dieting-usually-fails)

    She never lifted anything or did anything that caused her lean mass to go anywhere but down. And she did fad diets and then stopped doing them, OF COURSE she regained weight when she stopped undereating and resumed overeating.
  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
    Oops...sorry, I should have done a search before posting.

    I still think it's interesting. And yes, I agree with your point. That's the first thing I thought when I saw it -- that going from fad diets (yo-yo) to eating "normally" will of course allow your body to find a better balance. I also thought of the fact that building muscle mass should be integral to getting to a healthier weight and she doesn't mention that.

    But I still think a lot of people could learn from this....I think the vast majority of people are fixated on temporary diets and fads. Still worth sharing.
  • pattyproulx
    pattyproulx Posts: 603 Member
    Some decent stuff. There is definitely some truth to the thermostat analogy but I think that there is more that can be done to lower that set point which she thinks is a lost cause.

    As she said, if you're hungry and not eating, then you will have some problems in the long-term because your body is telling you it needs to eat and if you don't eat, it will drop your metabolism to compensate. However, in my opinion, focusing on eating quality food that fill you up and keep you satiated (veggies, protein, and fats) is what leads to success.

    As LiftAll also said, doing resistance training is huge as well. People tend to focus on cardio when they want to lose weight because it burns more calories but this results in a lot of lean mass lost and has a negative effect on BMR.

    From https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/a-calorie-is-sometimes-not-a-calorie:
    April 1999 Journal of the American College of Nutrition [...] looked at two groups of obese subjects put on identical very low calorie diets. One group was assigned an aerobic exercise protocol (walking, biking, or jogging four times per week). The other group was assigned resistance training three times per week and did no aerobic exercise.

    After 12 weeks, both groups lost weight. The aerobic group lost 37 pounds, 27 of which was fat and 10 of which was muscle. The resistance-training group lost 32 pounds, and 32 pounds were fat, 0 was muscle. When resting metabolic rate was calculated after the study, the aerobic group was burning 210 fewer calories daily. In contrast, the resistance-training group had increased their metabolism by 63 calories per day.
    That is a HUGE difference in BMR between cardio and resistance training.
  • gypsy_spirit
    gypsy_spirit Posts: 2,107 Member
    This topic (and video) was recently discussed. (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1215704-another-scientist-explaining-why-dieting-usually-fails)

    She never lifted anything or did anything that caused her lean mass to go anywhere but down. And she did fad diets and then stopped doing them, OF COURSE she regained weight when she stopped undereating and resumed overeating.


    Boom! Picking up heavy stuff for the WIN!
  • dont_tap_my_aces
    dont_tap_my_aces Posts: 125 Member
    what i always hate about these types of videos/blogs is they never mention how many weeks it really takes before your metabolism 'shuts off' or whatever buzz term she used. they always leave it up to the reader/viewer and more often then not this causes the uneducated to panic and think they are in 'survival mode' if they miss lunch.
  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
    Agreed...most people are simpletons. I read the other thread and a lot of people said that just is an excuse to stop trying. I didn't see it that way -- I think it's valuable information for people who see "dieting" as a short-term solution. A lot of people blah blah blah about lifestyle change but few really get it.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    Agreed...most people are simpletons. I read the other thread and a lot of people said that just is an excuse to stop trying. I didn't see it that way -- I think it's valuable information for people who see "dieting" as a short-term solution. A lot of people blah blah blah about lifestyle change but few really get it.
    The problem with that video is that she doesn't achieve success by obtaining results. She basically lowers her standards, gives up, and says you should too.

    She presents a false dichotomy: that fad dieting and "give up and just accept that you are meant to be fat" are the only two options, and by showing that fad dieting doesn't work, you're only left with one option.

    She misses another option, which is "add/preserve lean mass, and become awesome."

    But a lot of people don't get that because they never get past the idea that "lifting weights is for meatheads." Especially where it's believed that women will "get bulky" and turn into men if they pick up anything bigger than a plastic five pound dumbell.
  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
    Agreed...most people are simpletons. I read the other thread and a lot of people said that just is an excuse to stop trying. I didn't see it that way -- I think it's valuable information for people who see "dieting" as a short-term solution. A lot of people blah blah blah about lifestyle change but few really get it.
    The problem with that video is that she doesn't achieve success by obtaining results. She basically lowers her standards, gives up, and says you should too.

    She presents a false dichotomy: that fad dieting and "give up and just accept that you are meant to be fat" are the only two options, and by showing that fad dieting doesn't work, you're only left with one option.

    She misses another option, which is "add/preserve lean mass, and become awesome."

    But a lot of people don't get that because they never get past the idea that "lifting weights is for meatheads." Especially where it's believed that women will "get bulky" and turn into men if they pick up anything bigger than a plastic five pound dumbell.

    I think you're reading more into it than is really there. Granted, she doesn't talk about exercise, which is extremely important. She certainly never mentions that "lifting weights is for meatheads" or "women will get bulky" or whatever. Her lecture is about food and about the fact that most "diets" fail because all they do is offer temporary ways to shed a few pounds. She does NOT say "give up and accept the fact that you are meant to be fat." I think her points about intuitive eaters vs. controlled eaters is very important. You can't white knuckle your way through calorie restriction, seeing every piece of chocolate as evil, or you will surely fail. If you learn to read your hunger cues and truly eat to fuel your body and not to suppress emotions, cope with stress, etc., you won't overeat. Of course it's easier said than done.

    You and many people on this site know better, but there are still millions out there who think that the answer is the latest diet or shake or gadget or whatever.

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