The way people think.
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suziecue20
Posts: 567 Member
When talking to friends my OH has mentioned that I am on a weight loss diet and has said he is eating the same dinners as me. They have then said 'but what are you having for dinner'? and he replied that the meals I cook are very tasty and varied and that he is enjoying "my" diet. He's told them I cook 'real meals' but just adapt them to make them healthier. The friends have reacted with 'how can that be a weight loss diet? They have no inkling of CICO and have not twigged that I obviously eat a much smaller portion of food than he does (he doesn't need to lose weight).
Going by the reactions we have encountered I suspect that loads of people think that to lose weight you have to starve yourself and eat nothing but lettuce and the odd tomato for a treat, or be on a 'fad' diet. Does anybody else think this is the way the majority of people think about dieting?
Going by the reactions we have encountered I suspect that loads of people think that to lose weight you have to starve yourself and eat nothing but lettuce and the odd tomato for a treat, or be on a 'fad' diet. Does anybody else think this is the way the majority of people think about dieting?
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A lot of people here on MFP have said that they really had no clue how weight gain and weight loss worked. I've kind of informally polled people in person and everyone I've talked to has understood that it's related to calories. They may not know how many they need or how many are in their French fries, but they all seem to know how it works.
I don't know about most people. There is a huge discrepancy between MFP and people I've talked to, so it's hard for me to guess how many people never heard about weight and calories.0 -
First, I don't diet, I have a lifestyle change.
YES, the majority of people think there is a magic pill or something drastic has to go on for weight loss to occur.0 -
I suppose so. But I also know that everyone I know past the age of 30 who is at a weight/fitness level they are happy with spends a little bit of time/effort in their life toward it. So it isn't just people who are trying to actively "lose". It's just more noticeable if you're one of those.0
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There is a certain logic to it.
Most of the people I encounter who have those notions also think they can lose 60lbs in month. So I guess if one's expectations are that out of whack, subsisting on lettuce makes sense.0 -
what's wrong with lettuce and tomatoes?0
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most people are fairly ignorant of general nutrition...if you ask most people what a calorie is, they will just stare at you blankly. the diet and fitness industry at large don't do them any favors either...0
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Or Cesar dressing (or my homemade balsamic vinegar dressing instead)suziecue20 wrote: »0 -
You can count me in as one of the ignorant clueless folks that didn't know what they were doing and thought there had to be some magic onion or something that would poof the fat away. Then I came here, learned how much I should be eating and adjusted my portion size and started walking. The weight started coming off and I said, "It really can't be that simple, can it?"
Then I learned that it's that simple.
Why that was so hard for me and seems to be so hard for some people is certainly perplexing but with all the "miracle" foods and fad diets and marketing going on, it's really no wonder. 0 -
suziecue20 wrote: »
BOOM!0 -
suziecue20 wrote: »When talking to friends my OH has mentioned that I am on a weight loss diet and has said he is eating the same dinners as me. They have then said 'but what are you having for dinner'? and he replied that the meals I cook are very tasty and varied and that he is enjoying "my" diet. He's told them I cook 'real meals' but just adapt them to make them healthier. The friends have reacted with 'how can that be a weight loss diet? They have no inkling of CICO and have not twigged that I obviously eat a much smaller portion of food than he does (he doesn't need to lose weight).
Going by the reactions we have encountered I suspect that loads of people think that to lose weight you have to starve yourself and eat nothing but lettuce and the odd tomato for a treat, or be on a 'fad' diet. Does anybody else think this is the way the majority of people think about dieting?
I don't know about majority, but a whole lot of people, yeah.
So many assume I've done something special or ask what "program" I'm on. I just eat my usual balanced meals but watch portion size and calories more and have cut out most snacking. (So basically like you, it sounds like.)
Before I ever made an effort to lose weight I understood it had to do with calories, but I didn't have any sense of how many calories I was eating or how easy it would be to cut down on them a lot without feeling deprived and while still eating normal meals -- I think that's what lots of people miss. (Lots also seem to think there's some magic to food combinations or some such, though.)0 -
I'm cutting, and my boyfriend is bulking. We eat pretty much the same meals in the evening but either I have less or I substitute things. I'm nearly always under my 1200 cals. No need for rabbit food!0
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I used to have that mentality though. When I was a teenager, I thought if I wasn't hungry all of the time, it wasn't a good enough diet. Of course that bought me some success - quickly fleeting success that probably did more harm than good.
Then, one day I decided that I wasn't going to keep dieting like that. I was just going to move a little more and stop eating until I was uncomfortably full. That actually bought me my first 20lbs loss. Then, I cut back a little more and moved a little better - there went the next 20.
Now, after 90 lbs, I am having to eat a LOT less than I was, but I still don't have the hunger issues people seem to think you have to have in order to lose a significant amount of weight. I'm not sure if it's because I finally educated myself on how much food I actually needed (TDEE) and was able to "taper down" my quantity appropriately with that new information, or if it's just because I'm eating smarter (less calorie-dense foods and a good balance of macros).
It's kind of awesome to finally have it fall into place.0 -
They have been misled into believing they have to go on strange, faddish diets to lose weight.
People do kind of know about portion control & the food pyramid etc., but I think they think it's just "blah blah blah more PSA stuff, boring" that doesn't have anything to do with either 1) the secret magic trick to those faddish diets or 2) their reality at work, home, etc. I think they feel a "balanced, nutritious, portion-controlled diet" is just lala land for them, makes them feel guilty. I think a lot of people hate "salads" and want to keep eating however much of whatever they're eating.
AND although they probably have a vague notion of "you need 2000 calories" I think they also radically underestimate how many calories the things they consume have. They either don't check or are misled by those misleading numbers on packages etc. Or the nutritional info is "available on the website", in a PDF, which is a pain to read on the phone. I think calorie counts need to be right up in people's faces at the time they order their meals at restaurants. Right on the menu, right next to the price.
And I think info on packaged food needs to bear some relationship to how that food is packaged, and to realistic serving sizes (which is also influenced by how that food is packaged)0 -
The people around me, mainly the ILs and extended members, believe I don't eat sweets of any kind anymore and that's how I lost weight. If they push me for my "secret" and I tell them I use a food scale, they treat me like I have an ED.0
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Liftng4Lis wrote: »First, I don't diet, I have a lifestyle change.
YES, the majority of people think there is a magic pill or something drastic has to go on for weight loss to occur.
that. i have friends who see me eat out and eat what i do, and drink and are like ' you cant do that - youre on a diet' - the hell i can't! watch me! LOLOL0 -
The people around me, mainly the ILs and extended members, believe I don't eat sweets of any kind anymore and that's how I lost weight. If they push me for my "secret" and I tell them I use a food scale, they treat me like I have an ED.
Yeah, using a food scale makes people think you're obsessive etc.
(Again though, if nutritional info were more honest and more usable/accessible, and unavoidable, a scale would be less important.)0 -
Many people think they are a special snowflake, too. My mother has watched me lose weight while eating "regular" food. But she'll tell me that she can't count calories because then she has to "starve" to lose anything.0
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There's a ton of misinformation out there. I fell for a lot of it.
My sister has said, "Gosh, I bet you haven't had potato chips in forever." And I shrug, "Um, I think yesterday."0
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