Why does there have to be a gimmick?

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  • goddessecouture
    goddessecouture Posts: 17 Member
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    I'm a big believer in not eliminating anything you love from your life. That just makes you miserable. Just have less of it, if it's a real "baddie." Fortunately, I'm generally happy with a tiny bite of a sweet.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    edited November 2016
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    Honestly, most don't know any better. Every diet ad ever screams, "COUNTING CALORIES IS TOO HARD!!!," then proceeds to try to sell their "easy" product. And people listen.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
    edited November 2016
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    I would say that if you've never thought there had to be some kind of special diet or exercise plan or gimmick to lose weight, you'd be very much in the minority.

    The diet and fitness industry at large perpetuates these things...that's how they became a multi billion dollar industry. Pick up pretty much any diet/fitness magazine and you're going to read about how "evil" carbs are...so it would make sense that she would inquire about that...that's kind of what's out there right now.

    With all of the nonsense out there and with much of it coming out of the diet and fitness industry (an industry that people think they can trust), it's not really surprising that people would think you needed to do something special to lose weight.

    And to be fair, while I would agree that it just comes down to calories, most people I know who've had success and then successfully maintained have substantially changed the way they live their lives. I've maintained for over 3.5 years and my diet is substantively different than it was four years ago when I first started...I eat much healthier...much more whole foods...plenty of veggies, etc and I exercise on the regular which I didn't do before.

    ETA: Calorie counting also isn't for everyone and people have had success with various plans. Calorie counting was ultimately a big negative for me as I became overly obsessive about the numbers and pretty much a nut job...I personally do much better just eating really well most of the time and treating myself on occasions. My eating is modeled largely on Phase III of South Beach...but I eat vegetarian a few days per week so I tend to eat higher carbs than you would typically see with SB.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
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    I actually had someone roll their eyes at me and walk away when they asked how I lost weight and I said eating less and exercising more...this is not rocket science...
  • hope516
    hope516 Posts: 1,133 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    Yes but to be fair, I thought for years that I had to cut the foods I love forever if I wanted to lose too (and maintain my weight loss later)... Unfortunately, that you just have to eat less doesn't make money so nobody's talking about it.

    I agree with this! Before MFP I had no idea how "easy" losing weight is. I use to get so frustrated with losing weight because I did not know how to. Before you could have told me to tap my foot 150x before each meal and I'd lose weight, I promise you I would have been tapping a hole in the floor.

    Fitness is a billion dollar industry, and its not from educating the general public, it is from preying on them.
  • JSaus13
    JSaus13 Posts: 124 Member
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    I'm lucky because I work with someone who exercises everyday. She noticed that I started eating differently (no more fast food at my desk) and stopped drinking Coke and much more water. She compliments me from time to time and says how I do look so much better. She gets it, though. Others? They'll sit there a complain and moan about how huge they are but keep filling their faces with serving after serving. They see my logging on my phone and they say that's such a pain in the butt. Ummm....but you can spend hours playing Candy Crush Soda Saga?
  • MiniMansell1964
    MiniMansell1964 Posts: 188 Member
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    tell here you discovered this amazing new gimmick
    its called KEYCOH (say it outloud and never tell her what it stands for)
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    shredcamps wrote: »
    tell here you discovered this amazing new gimmick
    its called KEYCOH (say it outloud and never tell her what it stands for)

    I thought it was SEE-Koh?!? Crap, I've been telling people the wrong thing! :D
  • MiniMansell1964
    MiniMansell1964 Posts: 188 Member
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    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    shredcamps wrote: »
    tell here you discovered this amazing new gimmick
    its called KEYCOH (say it outloud and never tell her what it stands for)

    I thought it was SEE-Koh?!? Crap, I've been telling people the wrong thing! :D

    lol. you say tomato, i say tomAto



  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
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    it has to have a cool name or you have to spend money on it for anyone to listen
    weight watchers, slimming world, and herbal life are good examples
    loads of people are hooked on these things.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    ds41980 wrote: »
    Then she asked me how, was I cutting carbs? I said no, I told her that I went on the Internet, calculated how many calories I need to consume to function for a day, took 500 calories off of that number and eat whatever I want within the calories that are left. I am losing average 1 lb per week. She then gave me a look that asked "what? You mean there's no special gimmick? How could that possibly work?"

    If you had told her you paid this guy who calls himself North Cascades $100 to figure out how many calories you need to function for a day and subtract 500 for you, she would have understood.
  • BrunetteRunner87
    BrunetteRunner87 Posts: 591 Member
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    Ugh yeah, I hate when someone posts on facebook about how they lost weight and people ask "how did you do it?" or "what's your secret?" I guess how did you do it could just be asking about a specific routine, like I like to bicycle, but there is no secret!
  • ds41980
    ds41980 Posts: 133 Member
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    If you had told her you paid this guy who calls himself North Cascades $100 to figure out how many calories you need to function for a day and subtract 500 for you, she would have understood.[/quote]

    Ha Ha you are North Cascades, I see what you did there :smile:
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    _SKIM_ wrote: »
    On the upside..I've had occasions where people have prodded and kept prompting me when I've tried to be brief, asking questions and I know light bulbs are going off for them by the caliber of what they're asking. Rare but it happens. It's nice to watch the unfolding.

    this is true. and i always assume that the unfolding will go on long past where i'm around to see it happening, so i try not to waste time being irked in the moment.

    that's how it worked for me. you never know what kind of pebble you're tossing onto somebody's mental scale. i think knowing that helps me not to be one of those boring bullying drones on the subject either.

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