What's the difference between a lifestyle change and a diet?

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GoCleanGoLean
GoCleanGoLean Posts: 71 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know I'm supposed to be doing a lifestyle change, but if the new lifestyle is counting calories, isn't that just a diet? If I decide to count calories for the rest of my life, does that count as a lifestyle change? How much has to change before a diet becomes a lifestyle?
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  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
    edited March 2017
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    GoCleanGoLean wrote: »
    andrea4736 wrote: »
    GoCleanGoLean wrote: »
    I know I'm supposed to be doing a lifestyle change, but if the new lifestyle is counting calories, isn't that just a diet? If I decide to count calories for the rest of my life, does that count as a lifestyle change? How much has to change before a diet becomes a lifestyle?

    No, you are correct. Counting calories can be a lifestyle. A "diet" is usually something people do in the short term to lose the weight and then completely abandon.

    Ooh I see now. So a diet is a quick fix while a lifestyle change is the things people do with the intent of never quitting

    Yes. "Going on a diet", and then resuming your previous routine, once you lose weight, will simply return you to your previous weight.
    Unless you make a permanent change (a lifestyle change), you won't have permanent changes.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
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    crzycatlady1 wrote: »
    I don't look at this whole thing as some big change though- things are pretty 'same old, same old' over here, which I think is one of the reasons why I've been so successful. Big, drastic changes are often not realistic for any length of time. Keeping things as simple as possible, and as close to how I already did things is a realistic plan for the rest of my life.
    This.

    I started from my basic way of eating and then shaved off calories and made satisfying substitutions. The only change I'll make when I reach goal weight is to adjust my daily calorie budget.

    My new "lifestyle" is as close to my old one as I could get it while having a reduced calorie intake.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
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    A diet to me means you are in a deficit. You are eating less than the calories required to maintain your current bodyweight. I know this word has gotten a bad rep due to fads and gimmicks but other than the word used to describe where all your nutrition comes from a diet, is a cut. A lifestyle change would be becoming aware of the calories it requires to run your body vs haphazardly eating and hoping for the best. Both go hand in hand so I wouldn't get nitpicky over the details.
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
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    crzycatlady1 wrote: »
    The term 'lifestyle change' annoys me...
    Hah then you have the other side of the tracks where people are driven crazy by people using diets in the verb way that means "a weight loss plan" rather than the noun version that foods that we generally eat in our everyday lives. Technically we have a diet, but we're not dieting.

  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    Different words mean different things to different people - but "diet", or more specifically "dieting", comes with a lot of baggage and assumptions - like being temporary, being a set of strict rules, eating special foods, suffering, cutting out the things you enjoy, quick weight loss and then going back to normal - all things which militate against making lasting changes. When people say "lifestyle change" they're just trying to avoid the baggage and imply something permanent, sustainable and not intimidating.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    GoCleanGoLean wrote: »
    I know I'm supposed to be doing a lifestyle change, but if the new lifestyle is counting calories, isn't that just a diet? If I decide to count calories for the rest of my life, does that count as a lifestyle change? How much has to change before a diet becomes a lifestyle?

    Counting calories is just a tool that I used to educate myself on matters of nutrition, proper servings, what my daily calories look like on a plate, etc. I don't and never have consider it a lifestyle. I've been maintaining going on 4 years and haven't logged in that time...I learned what I needed to know when I was losing.

    I do things quite a bit different now than I did when I was over weight. My diet is quite a bit better and revolves largely around whole foods...I put a substantial emphasis on quality nutrition.

    I've always been an avid cook, but I cook more now than I ever have and we eat out less. I used to eat out for breakfast and lunch most days...I brown bag my breakfast and lunch most days now. When I do eat out I tend to be a lot smarter about my choices than I used to.

    I used to just mindlessly eat throughout any given day, and I don't do that anymore...I'm very mindful of what I'm putting into my mouth. I also drank a ton of soda...like 3-5 per day...I probably have 3-5 per year now.

    I wasn't active at all save for occasionally walking the dog around the block while I drank my beer and smoked a couple of cigarettes...and then maybe a few hikes in the mountains here and there. Now I am active daily...I cycle 4-5 days out of the week and lift 2-3 times per week. I'm also active on rest days with either a long walk, recovery ride, and sometimes some yoga. I move substantially more than I used to.

    TL/DR - While I was losing weight I developed a lot of good habits along the way and ditched some poor ones...I've carried those good habits into maintenance.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    There was my lifestyle before I got fit, and then there is my lifestyle ever since I decided to get fit. Some changes were made, such as an increased awareness and control of food intake and an increased effort with exercise - hence, "lifestyle change."

    I see a difference between "diet" and "a diet." Diet is simply what you eat. Example: Cows eat a vegetarian diet. A diet seems to be more of a temporary change in eating habits. Example: My reunion is coming up, so I'm going on a diet.

    I've never actually been on "a diet" as most people would define it. The first time I'd ever even attempted to lose weight was here on MFP. But I did change my dietary habits permanently when I started here 6 years ago. (This is my MFP anniversary month.) I've spent 5 and a half of those years successfully at maintenance. Since I intend for these changes to be permanent, I don't consider this a diet. This is just the way I live my life. B)
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Diet is typically eating certain foods, or avoiding certain foods, or following certain rules like eating after a certain time. Lifestyle change is well, permanent. And eating only foods on an approved list, or banning foods for life, or eating at a certain of day are not permanent things.
  • SoozeE512
    SoozeE512 Posts: 439 Member
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    I feel like everyone has a slightly different take on what "diet" and "lifestyle change" means to them. This is what it means to me:

    By definition, "a diet is the kind of a food a person habitually eats". If you change your eating habits, you are simply starting a new diet -- whether short-term or long-term, counting calories or not. If you lower your caloric intake, you are on a diet to lose weight. But even if you raise your caloric intake, it's still a diet. Most people only use this word in terms of losing weight, and I feel like people don't like it for that reason, but it is not restricted to that definition.

    By definition, "a lifestyle describes how a person lives". To change the way you live, to change your lifestyle, you could change your diet, you could change your exercise routine, you could change your sleeping habits, you could change any numbers of things about the way you live.

    Whether you're changing your diet or your lifestyle, you could change it for better or worse -- not all "lifestyle changes" are going to be positive -- you could start smoking cigarettes and that would be a lifestyle change but that doesn't mean it's healthy for you. People tend to have negative feelings toward "diet" and positive feelings toward "lifestyle change" and that's really the biggest difference I see on this site.
  • dfwesq
    dfwesq Posts: 592 Member
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    A diet can be temporary, or it can be the big learning curve phase of a lifestyle change. Once you learn something or make it a long-term practice, it's not a diet any more but a lifestyle change. For example, someone could be on a meatless diet without being a vegetarian. They're just temporarily not eating meat. Once they've made it a long-term thing, it's a lifestyle. Sometimes "diet" also means food restrictions that were imposed on someone whether they like it or not.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    For me it would be about sustainability. Is this thing I'm changing something I am ok with doing for the foreseeable future with no cut off date? That's the basis of a lifestyle change for me.
  • tinamarie6624
    tinamarie6624 Posts: 182 Member
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    To me, I have changed my lifestyle. I've changed the person I was before and I like it. In 1997 I lost 130 Lbs. That was great and I was at my goal weight and I was happy. I had dieted and exercised to get to that point. Here is the problem with that. I tolerated the diet and the exercise for the weight loss. Once I had achieved my goal I stopped doing the things (eating less and exercising) that had got to my goal weight. I started to slowly gain the weight back. Fast forward 15 years and I was once again massively obese 378 Lbs. The problem was that I hadn't changed my lifestyle in 1997. I went back to my same eating and exercising patterns and I gained all of the weight back plus more. I now know that regardless of being on my weight loss journey or when I am on maintenance, I will continue to log my food and exercise. I also love the exercising. I hated to walk before and now I find that the stress relief from the walk so helpful. I'm shocked at the change in my attitude so is my family. I also am breaking the patterns that I have used so badly in the past. A diet does little good if you don't change the things that caused the problem in the first place.

    I'm no expert but this is my opinion. So far I've lost 175 Lbs in 14 Months and have 88 left to lose.

    I wish you all of the best luck on your endeavors.

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