Why are restrictive diets so popular?

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Replies

  • kodiakke
    kodiakke Posts: 379 Member
    But I'm rather bemused by the smug superiority some posters seem to have about it, and the derogatory assumptions about other people's lesser methods.

    🙋‍♀️ Full disclosure, I’ve been totally guilty of rolling my eyes at the many, many keto threads in these forums. If that woe works for someone long term, who am I to judge? I think I unintentionally project my own biases there. This is where I think it would be helpful to at least be able to ADD to posts later, but alas...

    I can definitely see where I came off as a bit of a know-it-all in the OP, which is ridiculous, considering that fact that I’ve been at this for real for less than 2 months and still have a good 50+ pounds to lose. We will see where I am in a few months, but one thing I do know right now is that I don’t even feel like I’m “dieting.” Some days are harder than others and some days that voice in my head (which sounds a whole heck of a lot like my mother) asks me why I’m not losing weight faster.

    This woe has been a real epiphany and a relief to me, after trying so many other woe over the years, without successfully losing weight.

    I've seen a really cool graphic posted in other forums about other WOE and how basically they all come down to one thing - they're restricting something in the diet, which in turn causes calorie restriction, which means you'll lose weight. Keto, IF, low-carb, etc... They all restrict *food*, which helps restrict the calories at the end of the day.

    But like others have said, it's clearly in how the food is restricted... how palatable (pun totally intended) it is to the person, that makes or breaks success. I know a couple that is doing "keto lite", and every time they mention it, I roll my eyes too. But my personal issue lies in mis-naming something when another perfectly good name is there - and that's my issue. They're restricting food in a way that doesn't make them feel like it's a restriction, they're losing weight, and it's working for them, for now. I suspect, knowing them, that they're going to stop this and go on another type of restrictive diet, because they get bored quickly, but at least they'll move on to something else, they'll continue to try.

    Whereas my brain likes data, and hard facts, and so counting calories, and weighing things on a scale makes me feel like I'm doing something other than not-eating. So I feel more in charge, but I know family and friends think I'm on a *very* restrictive diet, more so than keto et al.

  • corrarjo
    corrarjo Posts: 1,157 Member
    Merriam Webster defines "diet" as food and drink regularly provided or consumed.
    If you eat only fruits and vegetables you could call it a vegetarian diet.
    If you have high blood pressure you may call it a low sodium diet.
    If you want to lose weight it's a restrictive diet (there are plenty to choose from).

    Whatever your reasons, your "diet" is your habitual nourishment. If you're eating, you're on a "diet".

    Good or bad, for whatever reason, you are what you eat.
  • etherealanwar
    etherealanwar Posts: 465 Member
    kds10 wrote: »
    Someone in my workplace corrected me yesterday on my way of losing weight.

    She took me aside and asked if I had lost some weight (yes, 25 lbs) and was I losing intentionally (yes, why?). She thought, because I commonly share in birthday cakes and cookies in the office, I couldn't be on a diet, so I must be sick or something. Then I got a lecture on the proper restrictive way to lose weight.

    So even though my "stealth" diet is working, it's not right. I guess I'm supposed to do a lot of public suffering.

    Oh my gosh..how annoying and weird of her!

    I hate hate hate it, when people think that eating cookies/cakes is forbidden on an eating plan.

    I have a friend that will say..."I am so bad, I just ate a slice of pizza" or I just ate a whole squash for dinner, I am so bad"....I hate that overdramatic *kitten*!

    I agree, like somehow you are unable to fit in a dessert within your calories. Guess there's no such thing as limiting what you eat in a day to fit a sweet in? Silly.
  • t00lz
    t00lz Posts: 20 Member
    When I first started trying to watch what I ate, I was lost. There are so many conflicting stories out there on diets, what works, macros to watch, carbs to avoid. What constitutes healthy fruits, what has too much calories or are too dense in calories that will leave me hungry, etc.

    Then you get all the before and after photos of the results these diets get you. They all have their own as they all work in varying degrees (I'll let everyone else argue about why and how they do). But hell, who doesn't want to get the results these people get. And if all you have to do is strictly and blindly follow the instructions on the diet for 60 - 90 days people will jump on board in hopes of the easy fix (easy to follow, but yes hard in restrictions). That's the promise and allure they have. Also if they don't work you can blame the diet not yourself and try another.

    I desperately looked for simple to follow diets so I could just follow along and get the results, but as I'm learning it's not just as easy as blindly following the diets.
  • karahm78
    karahm78 Posts: 505 Member
    I think some people want to feel like they've finally solved the "Da Vinci Code" for weight loss, vs the simple but not easy CI<CO (no matter how you get there).