Lifestyle Change

Honestly it's such a cliche at this point that it's become basically meaningless to me.

But in the beginning it meant making small changes that would be permanent. Instead of cutting out sugar, gluten, diet soda, and a dozen other things that would make me so miserable I'd fall off the wagon, just trying to build a diet that has its base in nutrient dense foods and that's flexible. Instead of running 2 hours per day 7 days per week, lifting 3 days per week and taking appropriate rest so as not to burn out.

Lifestyle change is a fancy term for diet but it makes it feel better as it's implied it's a long term deal. But reality is, just as many people will fail at their lifestyle change as they would diet.

But exercise and moving more isnt diet and id say they were included.

For me it's the changes I've made to my life which I'll carry on for life:
- eating an appropriate amount (not under-eating when I want to lose some weight & not over-eating when I want to maintain)
- weight lifting - to keep as much muscle as I can through middle age and beyond
- other exercise to keep fit and have fun
- doing appropriate relaxation methods
- eating more whole foods

Thinking about it, I guess it is just mostly semantics. Catch words that I am guilty of using myself.

For me, it was/is a change of eating habits and moving more. Educating myself about nutrition. Learning portion control and making better choices. Trying not to overindulge. Going from morbidly obese to "normal" weight. From sedentary (and I mean moving only when I absolutely had to) to working out in the gym 5 days a week and at least going for a walk the other two days.

So eating habits and exercising regularly are the only two aspects of my "lifestyle" that have really changed.

Today, it means getting off the pity pot and pushing myself to excel. Today it means going for it.

I agree it is bit of a trendy buzz word, basically meaning a long term diet ( and, yes, possibly long term exercise plan )

Yep, I agree with this.

Your lifestyle is dependent on where you live, who you live with, your responsibilities to them, the demands of your job and the constraints of your budget among many other things. A divorce...that's a lifestyle change. Eating differently...that's a habit change. Exercising...that's a schedule change.

The ordinary meaning of "lifestyle change" on these boards seems to center on eating and exercising, but also to mean wholesale changes in those areas. I don't recommend making too many changes all at once. It quickly becomes all consuming and a burden that's hard to sustain. The more you can stay with the "lifestyle" you enjoy while still achieving your goals, the greater your chance of success.

To me, "lifestyle" in this context is a big pile of the healthy or unhealthy habits that add up to what you see in the mirror every morning. Lifestyle change, therefore, is an approach to weight loss that avoids temporary measures and adds healthy habits or removes unhealthy ones.

That's why it's a shame when diets rebrand themselves as lifestyle changes, when really they're the opposite. They're just a way of fooling yourself that you can have a healthy body with an unhealthy lifestyle by going on a weight loss kick once in a while. If you look at food and wish you were allowed to eat it, you're on a diet. If you make plans for what you'll do/eat when you get to your target, you're on a diet. If you say or hear the words "keeping it off", you're on a diet. Let's be honest, if your weight loss plan doesn't involve physical activity, you're on a diet. And diets are just setting you up for failure.

It's a change in attitude about your life and your health. Those that are saying it's just a fancy term for diet are either missing the point or miss using the phrase. Diet has the same relationship to a lifestyle change that grain of sand has to a beach. It's a tiny element the same way activity is or being aware of your attitude to environment. You do not need to change your diet to have a lifestyle change you just need to be aware of it. Not all elements in the change will come together at once as it's a progression it's not like an on off switch it's a more organic process

Meh, I changed my diet to reduce my calories, I exercised bit more than before, I got to my goal weight, I maintained that for nearly a year now.

I know some people are saying lifestyle change is so profound etc etc - and for them maybe it is - but for me losing weight was just long term eat less, move more, anything else is just fancy terms for that IMO.
Perhaps I am misusing the phrase but I don't think I am missing the point of weight loss.

To me a lifestyle change, ANY lifestyle change, is when a person changes their pattern of behavior that pertains to the way they live their life. On MFP lifestyle changes tend to revolve around nutrition, health and fitness. But that doesn't mean it's the ONLY lifestyle change a person implements.

Yes, this.

For me it largely means changing my priorities. Before I wanted to exercise, but would plan to do it if it happened to fit into my schedule and I was in the mood. Unsurprisingly, this meant that I did not sustain exercise for long. Now I make it a major priority, plan out how I will fit it into my week in advance, and schedule other things around exercise as much as I might schedule exercise around other things. I'm more comfortable saying that the exercise is important so it shouldn't be the first thing ditched in a busy day.

Similar changes relating to walking/taking public transportation vs. driving/cabbing and cooking meals at home/getting food from local farms and green markets.

For me if I'm generally living what I consider a healthy, active lifestyle the food bit follows without much effort. I know from past experience when I drop the active lifestyle, that's when I start eating mindlessly and too much.

For myself, I'm looking to cut out drinking and keep a food diary which will help in me reaching my goals. I regularly go to the gym but let myself down by going out at weekends drinking and not watching what I eat. Trying to stay focused is my main downfall, however now I've joined here and can keep a log of all my food and gain support from others I know I'll succeed!