Is it better to make a dramatic change in terms of dieting and exercising or make more gradual changes that are easier to live with in the long run?

good question, a dramatic change or small change.
I can't actually give an answer, but the smaller changes are working well for me, and I keep adding changes.
I started with just accepting being obese, being fat. Calling myself fatmad here is an acknowledgement of that. I wasn't sure I was ready to "diet" or do what it took to lose weight tho. I did decide to change some destructive behaviours, so came to this forum to try to get a grip on bingeing.
As that got better, I started to work on avoiding late evening snacks, and then smaller portions of food. I started to add more exercise, just a bit at a time. (I started with what I thought was most destructive to me)
I have done each thing about 1-2 weeks apart. Just working toward a healthier lifestyle.
I have lost weight gradually, without ever really dieting.
I am starting to up it now, trying to make regular exercise a real part of my life. One of the things I have been happy with (including the gradual weight loss) is that I do feel I can maintain this in the long term. I figure there is no point in losing weight if I can't maintain it and keep it off.
SO I do highly recommend small changes. Keep them going, and keep them up. Make real changes you can live with.
good luck, hope you find your path

I think some people do much better with smaller, more gradual changes, and some people do best making a big change all at once. There isn't any one right way.

anytime i've tried to make a drastic change right away, it didn't stick in the long term. I agree with the gradual changes... start off by exercising twice a week, then three times, then every other day. Too much too fast is overwhelming (for me, anyways)

good question chickeroo.

when i was younger, i was able to make drastic changes and stick with them. the vitality of youth i guess
but since i've been older and life has become more stressful and mundane, It's hard for me to stick with such a drastic change, but i can do small changes. I've found this out after years and years of trying to do the drastic all-or-nothing approach and failing on a daily basis.

but like fat mad said, getting one aspect down, then moving on to another small change is proving more effective for me this time around so far.
I started with giving up sweets and that has helped me to control my cravings and thus make healthier food choices.
Other small goals this time around are to start a yoga class last month, and this month starting tomorrow, sign up with a personal trainer.

I sure it depends on the personality, the circumstances, the weather, the stars, etc and it's different for everyone.

good question though

i have realized now that i have been doing what i do fro a while that it was gradual changes that worked best. when i would suddenly change everything and cut out tons of stuff and restrict myself and set impossible goals that i was just setting myself up for failure. i realize now that once i changed a few things, the more weight i lost and the better i felt, i WANTED to change more so it was easy!

i started by just cutting some calories... then drinking more water... then eating less processed foods... then not really eating out much... and so on... i have made so many little changes to the way i eat that i don't really even notice them anymore. but at the same time my diet has TOTALLY changed to mostly fresh foods, natural foods, not processed or empty calories and i feel awesome!

i'm still changing every day too... now that 20lbs have come off and i have 100% more energy i almost don't hate working out. i WANT to be more active because i have the energy! so all the little food changes have been made and i can focus on the way i eat less (because i eat well automatically) and more on making myself stronger and toned. so there you go!

Watch me waffle & say "both."

Sometimes, you just have to dramatically renounce something & say, "As of this date, there will be no more ________ [pick your poison or temptation]." And then remain abstinent as best as you can. This should be done for things that are truly damaging or in some way undermining of your goals.

Other changes need to be instated gradually. Exercise is one of them. You can't go all out on your first session. I remember when I started walking again. I had been quite a walker years before, but hadn't done much in a while. For some reason, I thought that my having walked a lot years ago made it okay for me to go all-out immediately. WRONG. I had cramps in my calves & soaked my clothes in sweat & was out of breath right away. I couldn't do it. I had to work myself up, 10 or 15 minutes at a time, and not at the old pace that I remembered so well. My body was older & my feet in particular were older. All-out intensity from Day 1 was NOT an option.

Completely agree...it's a combination. For me to really get started I have to just go all out when it comes to food habits. I'm weird in that I eradicate the bad things and then let them back in slowly (like at a certain point, I'll have dessert once a week) until I'm balanced. Exercise is a gradual thing- you don't want to kill yourself with your first workout. Otherwise, you'll burn yourself out and be more likely to stop.

I made a dramatic change with my diet - I calorie count, so I started one day (january 2) with my calorie limit and I don't go over. It was difficult at first, but I've adjusted. I also quit smoking the same day, which was too dramatic of a change for me to do all at once. I started playing my demons off of each other (well, you're not having a smoke, you should have a cake. well, you're not eating that cake, you deserve a smoke.) I think i'd go with both too - dramatic changes can work, but you'll need to stick with gradual changes to keep it up.

I agree with the combo:
Dramatic change with what you eat
Gradual change with exercise

~CGH~

For me personally small gradual change is the best. I am like some others who have posted, if I try to do it all at once and go gung ho I burn myself out.

All the advice here seems good!
I am all about the gradual change with rewards. I suppose I'm like a kid and need that reinforcement. If I loose 10 lbs I'll make an opportunity to get a new blouse on sale or a new workout DVD....and change for the better, drastic or gradual, is a change for a better more confident you.

I think it depends a lot on each person's situation and motivation to lose. If you want to but aren't desperate to, and you don't want to suffer too much doing it, then choose the gradual process of making small changes in your life, progressively, with diet and exercise. If you need to see the pounds fall off to keep yourself motivated, you may need to push the calorie counting...but stay at a healthy level nutritionally for you.

Research shows that people who are able to maintain for long times after reaching goal, are people who have learned to exercise a lot. And also people who lose weight faster initially, tend to remain motivated longer and are more successful at reaching their goal. But these are just trends...they don't fit everyone.

I'm wondering if you are making your changes too drastic and feeling too deprived, and maybe that's why you can't stick with it longer than two weeks?