What does a "lifestyle change" mean to you?

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  • CincyNeid
    CincyNeid Posts: 1,249 Member
    GirlonBliss wrote: »
    Hi, All! Have you ever said "I don't wanna diet. I want a lifestyle change" ? What does that even mean, to you?

    Change your how outlook. Diet is temporary, lifestyle change is everything. From the workout, to the food, to the drink to everything in-between.

    I know people personal who have gone on a diet w/o getting rid of bad habits.

    I see a Lifestyle-Change and a complete revamp of everything. Personally I let my XBL subscription die off, I canceled Time Warner/Direct TV. I got rid of all of my larger clothing, because I wasn't going to need them again. I stopped buying highly processed snacks at the grocery. It was a complete revamp for me.
  • kazminchu
    kazminchu Posts: 250 Member
    I can't recall ever using the phrase out loud, but I think I do classify what I've done as a "lifestyle change".

    I've gone from being morbidly obese, spending all day on my *kitten* shoving food in my face and hating myself, to being slightly overweight, enjoying healthy foods and having the highest confidence of my life.

    I genuinely can't see myself going back to how I was. Yes, I still binge. But it makes me feel ill, and it's very much an odd occasion thing, not every day. I no longer come home from school and think 500g of couscous and butter is an after-school snack. So yeah, I think this has changed my lifestyle permanently. Even when I'm not actually counting calories, I have an idea of what I'm eating and how it will affect me. I *like* vegetables and other healthy foods. I can survive on things other than biscuits and crackers.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,687 Member
    I recently read somewhere that someone preferred the phrase "way of eating" to "diet". In other words, they changed their "way of eating" ... rather than "going on a diet".

    Personally, I will still say that I'm on my diet or off my diet, but "way of eating" is a lot closer to the way I think of it than "lifestyle change".

    Since February 2015, I have changed my "way of eating" so that I have cottage cheese and raw veggies after work instead of a chocolate bar. It's not a big "lifestyle change" ... I still eat something after work before going for a walk or other workout. I've just opted to eat something a little lower in calories with a little more staying power.
  • seabee78
    seabee78 Posts: 126 Member
    A "diet" implies that it is temporary until goal is reached and then you resume old (normal) eating habits. A "lifestyle change" to me means eating better, making it continuous habit.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    I recently read somewhere that someone preferred the phrase "way of eating" to "diet". In other words, they changed their "way of eating" ... rather than "going on a diet".

    Personally, I will still say that I'm on my diet or off my diet, but "way of eating" is a lot closer to the way I think of it than "lifestyle change".

    Since February 2015, I have changed my "way of eating" so that I have cottage cheese and raw veggies after work instead of a chocolate bar. It's not a big "lifestyle change" ... I still eat something after work before going for a walk or other workout. I've just opted to eat something a little lower in calories with a little more staying power.

    I personally don't mind the term "diet" and use it exclusively to differentiate between being in a deficit and not, because that's the common meaning of it (although by definition it does mean way of eating). I don't mind when people use other words, I just feel it's kind of convoluted when I do.

    Changes and adjustments don't need to be big to matter though. One of the most helpful things I did was simply pushing higher calorie items to the back of the fridge/cupboard which allows me to reach for them only when I consciously mean to, because it would mean consciously removing items out of the way to reach for an item. I'm much less likely to mindlessly grab something while passing by that would eat a big chunk out of my allowance unplanned.
  • GirlonBliss
    GirlonBliss Posts: 38 Member
    maillemaker wrote: »
    "Lifestyle change" to me is this mythical state where you change your lifestyle from one that results in weight gain to one where you lose/maintain weight. I've never been able to sustain such a change for any longer than 6 months max. I've never once reached "maintenance".

    Haha I like how you say "mythical state"! Why do you think you couldn't last longer than 6 months?
  • GirlonBliss
    GirlonBliss Posts: 38 Member
    seabee78 wrote: »
    A "diet" implies that it is temporary until goal is reached and then you resume old (normal) eating habits. A "lifestyle change" to me means eating better, making it continuous habit.

    Yes, this is exactly how I would define it, too! You said it more eloquently :)
  • runnerchick69
    runnerchick69 Posts: 317 Member
    In the end it doesn't really matter what term you use. I used lifestyle change and have kept more than 100 pounds off for several years so for me, that is exactly what it was. For someone else it may be different. I'm not sure it really matters what term you use as long as you live a healthy and happy life!
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