A Rant... By Me

fitniknik
fitniknik Posts: 713 Member
edited September 23 in Food and Nutrition
DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A RANT.


Why the H*** are all these people on here doing "a diet"??? HCG.... South Beach... Atkins.... and whatever other crazy DIET there is in the world that works for a little bit but as soon as you can no longer maintain that lifestyle of not eating like a normal person.... they gain it ALLL BACK plus more!!

This website is about nutrition... EATING NORMALLY AND LOSING WEIGHT! not NOT having to go on some diet that you will ultimately fail at!!

I have done it! I have done south beach... weight watchers... a extreme restricted calorie diet... I didnt need a website because you technically dont have to track food with these (except weight watchers and i just dont like them because you have to pay and all the calculations!). Guess what! With all these things I gained all the weight back as soon as I ate like a normal person again!

There are no miracle cures or quick fixes. Its eating healthy (there's a food pyramid for a reason!) and exercise! Its not going to happen overnight! There might be stalls and breakdowns, but its all a part of the process!
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Replies

  • nikhil_c8
    nikhil_c8 Posts: 100 Member
    I agree with you 100%.A balanced and calorie defecit diet and Exercise are all it takes.
  • Ben2118
    Ben2118 Posts: 571 Member
    I totally agree with you, however I think some people cannot be told or advised, they have to make their own mistakes and then find out what really works for themselves. With a quick fix...comes a quick fail!

    Well done for the 21lbs lost the real way :laugh:

    Ben.
  • I never use the word "diet". Being fit is a lifestyle. That is why all those folks gain back what they lose. You have to change for LIFE. not a few months.
  • ChellieIrish
    ChellieIrish Posts: 593 Member
    Yup quick fixes are usually just that and when you go back to "normal" eating again it all comes back and then some :heart:

    MFP programme works :drinker:
  • sara_bear84
    sara_bear84 Posts: 65 Member
    Well Said!!
  • sara_bear84
    sara_bear84 Posts: 65 Member
    Well Said!!
  • JessicaVTx
    JessicaVTx Posts: 4 Member
    Agreed!
  • Pinkranger626
    Pinkranger626 Posts: 460 Member
    Thank you!! I feel the same way! What I've learned in my classes is that if any "diet" involves cutting out or severely cutting a food group from your diet (other than fats and sweets) it's not a good idea. Humans are omnivores, we need all the different food groups to get the right balance of nutrition. Oh, and that's not including vegans or vegetarians in that because there are ways to get all the food groups without consuming animal meat or by products
  • traceytoo
    traceytoo Posts: 163
    They are not hurting anyone, it's a weight loss tool, and people can use it how they want .. if they learn something on here in the meantime then MFP has helped them hasn't it ....

    I don't think you should be judgemental .. losing weight is a massive challenge for anyone and any tools there are that can help them should be used .. I don't think you can judge them or try and tell them off for that.

    I guarantee you that lots and lots of people using MFP may not be on any kind of faddy diet, and may be doing the calorie counting exercising route, but I doubt they are following a healthy lifestyle .. under eating, over exercising etc ..

    Be more lenient .. I'm just glad they are wise enough to be doing something about their weight .. rather than nothing at all ... we all do what we can, how we can ..
  • Awineburg
    Awineburg Posts: 196
    I agree:)
    Its cheaper and better to just eat healthy, make sure you dont over do it and exercise. A lot of people at my work are doing medifast or Nutrisystem (one of the liquid diets). It would be easier if they would just monitor their calorie intake, they eat out alot for lunch, and I think they would be surprised at how many calories they are actually eating. I think they want a quick fix to their weight issues but starving yourself isn't they way to do it... :ohwell:
  • Anna19911
    Anna19911 Posts: 141
    I'm making a lifestyle change and I'm on weight watchers! I don't plan on gaining the weight back. I plan on sticking with it for the rest of my life. I think whatever works for some people doesn't work for others. But either way its there descion on how to loose the weight not anyones elses.
  • mummum2
    mummum2 Posts: 415 Member
    I never use the word "diet". Being fit is a lifestyle. That is why all those folks gain back what they lose. You have to change for LIFE. not a few months.

    Ditto...I also never say 'Diet', if anybody ask I tell them that I'm changing for LIFE , it's not a race, but a nice steady evenly paced marathon!

    But saying that, one should not be judgemental, if people want to post about their 'diet' goals, this is also OK with me, each to their own and this website does not belong to one type of group IMO.
  • goron59
    goron59 Posts: 890 Member
    Yep, sounds about right.

    'Dieting' only works if you change your attitudes toward health and fitness, so anything promising a quick fix is doomed to fail.
  • cheangela
    cheangela Posts: 173
    Part of me is *fistpumping* right along side of you chanting "I refuse to DIE+t.!!!!," but the other half of me is kind of proud of these folks for starting somewhere. I've tried a lot of these diets too, but I feel as though it has taught me a lot about what healthy things are compatible with my tastes and lifestyle. In the same breath, I'll also admit the fact that the majority of folks don't approach these plans with the same investigative and critical eye as I do... which only leads to destruction.

    I mights kinda love you for saying how you really feel though :-). Happy healthy living!
  • ObviousIndigo
    ObviousIndigo Posts: 382 Member
    I agree with you completely! I am studying to become a Holistic Nutritionist and I don't agree with diets that limit any food groups. I don't think it is healthy to not eat carbs but eat tons of fat. I don't think it is healthy to eat 500 cals a day (for 11 different foods) andbasically shut your metabolism down... I DONT think it is healthy to inject, drink or eat synthetic hormones.

    That being said, I also don't think it is right to tell others that what they are doing is wrong. They need to learn for themselves what these diets are going to do them and that they are not a long term resolution to any weight issue, the way that we learned this.

    My friend is on HCG and has lost 54lbs since the beginning of October. Unfortunately, she looks horrible. She is grey and her skin hangs and now she can't eat more than 400 cals a day cause she just isn't hungry. I know (from studying) what is and has happened to her body and I have told her that I do not agree with it and I definitely do not think it is healthy but I will be there to show her the proper way to lose weight when she needs me to be. I just hope she lives to learn that. ( YES she looks THAT bad)
  • ThaiKaren
    ThaiKaren Posts: 341 Member
    Yes totally agree, a change of lifestyle, we all know what makes us fat, and we all know what to do to change it.
    Stop eating junk and exercise more, simple, so why don't we do it?
  • Ben2118
    Ben2118 Posts: 571 Member
    They are not hurting anyone, it's a weight loss tool, and people can use it how they want .. if they learn something on here in the meantime then MFP has helped them hasn't it ....

    I don't think you should be judgemental .. losing weight is a massive challenge for anyone and any tools there are that can help them should be used .. I don't think you can judge them or try and tell them off for that.

    I guarantee you that lots and lots of people using MFP may not be on any kind of faddy diet, and may be doing the calorie counting exercising route, but I doubt they are following a healthy lifestyle .. under eating, over exercising etc ..

    Be more lenient .. I'm just glad they are wise enough to be doing something about their weight .. rather than nothing at all ... we all do what we can, how we can ..

    I understand your point of view, but I was speaking from personal experience, I wouldn't look at fad diets or VLC Diets as a weight loss tool, they are there to make money, you will lose weight on most of them but from studies I have read on a lot of them you tend to lose a lot of muscle weight too which is not healthy at all..skinny fat I think is the term used. You lose loads of weight but still have a high body fat percentage.

    I don't judge anyone for what they do, its their life and their body. I know what works for me and will always help others any way I can. But I wouldn't recommend anything other than calorie counting and exercise.

    Ben.
  • my sister went from a size 18 to 8 on slimming world and only put a tiny bit on, shes been at a size 10 for a few years now so they do work for some people.
  • cheshirequeen
    cheshirequeen Posts: 1,324 Member
    another one on board. I totally agree a diet is technically whatever you eat, and my diet is healthy food and exercise. People use it negatively as something that they do until they hit their weight and then its over. This site is a great tool for tracking your weight and exercise so you can change your eating and weight habits, and a great place for encouragement and getting encouragement. Quick fixes never work. I did not get unhealthy overnight, and I wont get healthy overnight either. Once people understand that, in my opinion, then they are on their way to a healthier lifestyle. Good luck everybody.
  • DaveGlasnost
    DaveGlasnost Posts: 146 Member
    I strongly agree that lifestyle change > specific diets. I know a lot of people on Weight Watchers etc, and they all seesaw up and down pretty badly. The closest thing I ever came to a "diet" myself was a kind of modified Atkins-y thing I actually came up with before I even knew what Atkins, or most of the other popular ones out there now, were. Back then for me was avoiding sugars and white breads, but not really artificially limiting anything else.

    Today I am 2 weeks into what I am trying to always think of as a lifestyle change. I'm doing a calorie count, I am avoiding refined sugars and corn syrups, modulating how much dairy I take in, and I am keeping away from breads except for some whole grain, and not even much of that. I am also looking to eat whole foods and avoiding where possible prepackaged and processed stuff. I'm still going to toss back an occasional beer or drink. Overall I don't miss cakes and cookies and all that jazz. I do allow myself bits of chocolate once or twice a week, but I forget to eat my allotment half the time. I'm totally disinterested in cheat days or treats, except for maybe the aforementioned beer/wine/drinks.

    In the end, while these diets can and do actually help some people at least temporarily, a big failure for most is when they finish the diet, and then go right back to what got them in trouble to begin with.

    What the original poster is trying to say is, make lifestyle changes you can stick with, don't "artificially" diet and definitely don't just arbitrarily cut major food groups. I'd say don't arbitrarily severely limit fats or carbs, etc.
  • manymuses
    manymuses Posts: 162 Member
    My cardiologist just last week recommended the South Beach Diet to me as a way to lose weight and heal my heart. I looked at this skinny as a stick young Asian woman and asked "Have you ever been on a diet, doctor??" She never had. She was just throwing out a theory that sounded good on paper. Having never been on a diet herself, she has no idea what it's like to go through that cycle of failure. I have tried every theory and plan and diet known to man. They do NOT work. Well, sure they work temporarily and you lose some weight, only to gain it all back after you go on to "Phase 2" or "Maintenance" or anything approaching REAL life.

    I am not going on any more diets ever again. What I AM doing is making small, smart choices that directly affect the quality and longevity of my life, every single day. I have lost almost 10 pounds in 6 weeks this way, with no help from any diet. Each individual is different though, so you have to do what works best for your kind of life.

    I choose to Live-it instead of diet. MFP is making all the difference in my life.
  • jessieinblue
    jessieinblue Posts: 287 Member
    You forgot to mention that all the "brand name" diets, especially the ones with prepackaged food like Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem, exist to make money. They don't teach long-lasting, genuinely healthy habits because that wouldn't be profitable.
  • ejsmith7
    ejsmith7 Posts: 81 Member
    Agreed!!! They will learn the hard way!!
  • I agree too, I know someone who was inspired by me to start their weight loss journey but it was full of restrictions. They say I know I will lose weight when I do this....I was thinking of course! But will you keep it off? I do the calorie count not restriction as I have coffee, wine, chocolate and am happy! I know that this is something I can do for the rest of my life!
  • AMEN!!!!!

    This is your opinion and I absolutely, 100% agree with you! I don't feel that you are being judgemental AT ALL! What it seems like to me, is that you are trying to save people from the failures that you have already encountered!

    I am 44 years old, and still when I hear that ad that says "lose 10 lbs in two weeks all while eating whatever you want", somewhere in the back of my mind I am wondering if it's true, even hoping that it's true! The quick fix sounds SO good, even to a grown woman who definitely knows better. HOWEVER, I am trying my best to eat the right foods, get to the gym at least 3 days per week, and lose the weight on my own!

    Nothing wrong with imparting your wisdom! I can totally appreciate your approach!! And you did title it "A Rant"....

    Good luck to you!!!
    Tracey
  • kao708
    kao708 Posts: 813 Member
    I don't care what they call it but I do get annoyed with the people that eat less than 1000 calories a day, lose some weight real fast and then plateau or gain it back and then whine about why they aren't still losing. It's no big secret but you have to feed your body or it will shut down eventually! You can't expect it to work forever if you aren't keeping it properly fueled!
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    YES! I cringe when I read people asking "Who's on hcg?" and "Which fat burner should I use?"

    The answer is always DON'T and NONE.

    If you eat less calories than you burn, YOU. WILL. LOSE. WEIGHT.

    Simple.

    There are no other variations of this rule.

    - the end -
  • Denita
    Denita Posts: 28
    Very well put!!! :happy:
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
    DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A RANT.


    Why the H*** are all these people on here doing "a diet"??? HCG.... South Beach... Atkins.... and whatever other crazy DIET there is in the world that works for a little bit but as soon as you can no longer maintain that lifestyle of not eating like a normal person.... they gain it ALLL BACK plus more!!

    This website is about nutrition... EATING NORMALLY AND LOSING WEIGHT! not NOT having to go on some diet that you will ultimately fail at!!

    I have done it! I have done south beach... weight watchers... a extreme restricted calorie diet... I didnt need a website because you technically dont have to track food with these (except weight watchers and i just dont like them because you have to pay and all the calculations!). Guess what! With all these things I gained all the weight back as soon as I ate like a normal person again!

    There are no miracle cures or quick fixes. Its eating healthy (there's a food pyramid for a reason!) and exercise! Its not going to happen overnight! There might be stalls and breakdowns, but its all a part of the process!

    I have to disagree with you.

    South Beach and Atkins are very well balanced plans that are LIFESTYLE changes.

    Don't judge anyone if you have not walked in their shoes.

    We all have a right to be on this site to share our successes and failures with one another regardless of the plan we have chosen as individuals to do. What works for you, does not work for me.

    I live by the Paleo standards and my food pyramid looks very different from yours as I see you adhere to the USDA standards that I know are wrong. I have done Atkins in the past and decided to take my eating to another level when I transitioned over to Paleo standards.

    Guess what, my eating is normal. Just because you don't see me buying boxed, frozen or packaged items at the grocery store, does not mean that I don't eat normal.

    Please stop judging others, as I previously stated - we are all here to support one another, not tear each other down.

    I can tell you as a person that has reversed Type 2 Diabetes, simply adhering to the USDA Food Pyramid that has another agenda than making any one of us healthy almost got me to the point of having to take Insulin injections.

    So, before you judge the person with PCOS, type 2 Diabetes or some other Endocrine issue that is eating an alternative LIFESTYLE plan than yours (aka Paleo, Atkins, South Beach or HCG) - you need to stop and think about where these plans have a place in some of our lives.

    I can tell you that transitioning over to Atkins got me OFF medications, got my blood sugars to NORMAL and maintaining.

    When I did the HCG plan last fall, my hormones are now BALANCED AND AT NORMAL RANGES. And for the record, I lost 38 pounds with HCG and have kept it off for nearly 6 months now.

    When I was on Atkins, I lost 100 pounds and kept it off for 7 years, YES 7 years. Don't tell me that it isn't a lifestyle and that it can't be adhered to for life because it can.

    I only gained weight back from being on Atkins because # 1 my thyroid starting acting up from PCOS and #2 I got a little cocky and loose with my eating. Entirely MY FAULT.

    Just because you couldn't or don't want to transition YOUR life in this manner doesn't mean that the next person shouldn't or doesn't want to.
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
    YES! I cringe when I read people asking "Who's on hcg?" and "Which fat burner should I use?"

    The answer is always DON'T and NONE.

    If you eat less calories than you burn, YOU. WILL. LOSE. WEIGHT.

    Simple.

    There are no other variations of this rule.

    - the end -

    There are plenty of variations to this rule. People with Endrocrine issues are going to have challenges losing weight with the so-called traditional thinking.

    I know, I am living proof of this.
This discussion has been closed.