I'm not really sure if this is under the right category or not, but I'll give it a try anyway Earlier this year I joined a weight loss program, and lost around 30 pounds (but sadly gained it all back That's why I need some motivation from the wonderful people here at 3FC). One of things that really stuck with me was a question asked by the doctor; "What good is a diet?" I responded with the generic answer..."to lose weight." Then the doctor explained to me that "diets" don't work... rather than call it a "diet" you should make it a "lifestyle." It really made a lot of sense to me. If you think about it, most (not all) people who try a "diet" stop their dieting after they reach their goal weight, and sometimes see themselves putting the weight back on as time goes on. So, if you make said "diet" into a "LIFESTYLE" then you'll never stop your good eating habits, and exercise... if it is your "lifestyle" then you will become accustomed to it and continue with healthy behavior throughout your life; keeping the weight off and staying in shape Just a thought... hope this might help someone
A lot of people hear "diet" and cringe. Diet is just what you eat, EVERYONE has a diet. I don't think people realize what 'lifestyle' means. I eat the way I eat because it's healthy, makes me feel good, and I really enjoy it. I'm losing weight because of my lifestyle changes that are easy to keep and maintain. Agree with the doc!
Now I just need to learn how to take control of my "lifestyle" so that I can make a change for the better... I was so proud of myself for losing that 30 pounds, but they also had me on weight loss medicine and once I stopped taking it, the pounds found their way back to me. I need to learn a lifestyle without using medicine... so that I can continue to drop the weight and feel good about it. Thanks for listening
It's semantics. You should pick whatever word or phrase works for you, they all have their pros and cons, but accept that certain ones are in common usage and will probably be applied to you, including "diet" (look at the name of this site for starters!). I'm not going to be eating exactly the same as I am now for the rest of my life, because when I hit goal I will change from dieting to maintaining, and the main difference between how I eat now and how I ate when I was puting on weight is quantity rather than content. So "lifestyle change" doesn't really apply to me, and even if it did (and I realise that it is a popular phrase for good reason), "No thanks, I'm on a diet," or "No thanks, I'm losing weight," is still likely to be a better way to refuse unwanted food than, "No thanks, I have taken on a lifestyle change." Mind you, "No thanks, I'm not hungry," is more likely to shut up food pushers faster!
When it comes to how you think of the process of changing weight, it seems that the key is to avoid terms which you associate with methods that don't work well for you, and for many people "diet" has connotations of "crash diet", or is associated with previous unsuccessful weight loss attempts. That doesn't mean that something is wrong with the word "diet", just that it has unhelpful associations for you personally, and weight loss is all about mindset.
A lot of people hear "diet" and cringe. Diet is just what you eat, EVERYONE has a diet. I don't think people realize what 'lifestyle' means. I eat the way I eat because it's healthy, makes me feel good, and I really enjoy it. I'm losing weight because of my lifestyle changes that are easy to keep and maintain. Agree with the doc!
I think most of us realize that technically you are correct, of course, in your definition of the word "diet." However, that is not the general connotation placed on the word in our society, at least here in America. There are so many "diet" and "diet plans" out there that personally, I want to make the distinction because that is just what I do NOT believe in doing.
Besides there is a difference in the word "diet" used in the terminology you are using... and in being "on a diet."
Last edited by Misti in Seattle; 12-13-2011 at 07:39 PM.
Reason: correction
It's semantics. You should pick whatever word or phrase works for you, they all have their pros and cons, but accept that certain ones are in common usage and will probably be applied to you, including "diet" (look at the name of this site for starters!). I'm not going to be eating exactly the same as I am now for the rest of my life, because when I hit goal I will change from dieting to maintaining, and the main difference between how I eat now and how I ate when I was puting on weight is quantity rather than content. So "lifestyle change" doesn't really apply to me, and even if it did (and I realise that it is a popular phrase for good reason), "No thanks, I'm on a diet," or "No thanks, I'm losing weight," is still likely to be a better way to refuse unwanted food than, "No thanks, I have taken on a lifestyle change." Mind you, "No thanks, I'm not hungry," is more likely to shut up food pushers faster!
When it comes to how you think of the process of changing weight, it seems that the key is to avoid terms which you associate with methods that don't work well for you, and for many people "diet" has connotations of "crash diet", or is associated with previous unsuccessful weight loss attempts. That doesn't mean that something is wrong with the word "diet", just that it has unhelpful associations for you personally, and weight loss is all about mindset.
I agree completely.
To the OP, I don't have a problem using the word diet. In my view, it doesn't matter what I refer to it as (e.g., "lifestyle change," "journey to healthier living," etc.), if I don't wrap my head around the reality that I will have to do some sort of food planning and exercise for the rest of my life, I'll regain the weight. For me, the phrasing doesn't matter as much as the mindset, but I can understand how it might make a difference to others. Oftentimes, I will read something that has a real impact on my thinking, and it seems like what your doctor said did that for you & that's great!
"make it a lifestyle" has been around for 30 years at least, and it's still more buzzword speak than reality. You can't flip a switch and make change easy by calling it, or even seeing it as a lifestyle.
This time, I went as "lifestyle" as you can get. Instead of even trying to lose weight, I decided I would make healthy changes in my life and would commit to them whether or not weight loss resulted.
That's been working - and it's still taken several years to accomplish the success I'm acheving.
Seeing it as a lifestyle change, seeing it as a change you're going to commit to - even if you don't see the results you're hoping for... it's still hard as heck to do - because change is difficult. And it's even more difficult if you're hoping/expecting results that you don't see.
I think most people do go in nowadays with the "lifestyle" expectation, but they also expect to be rewarded for their lifestyle changes. And if the rewards are too small, if our lifestyle changes didn't meet our expectations, it feels like we held up our part of the bargain, but the "lifestyle" didn't.
That's why I decided his time to not only make changes I was willing to make forever - I wasn't going to make them contingent only to weight loss. In fact, for the most part, I've done well by seperating them as much as possible.
By all means, call it what you will... I just thought the term "lifestyle" made sense. If you are happy "dieting" your entire life, then so be it. I however would rather make my changes feed into my everyday life. For example, if I'm out with friends, and they offer me a slice of cake, I can just say "no thanks" rather than explain that I am on a diet... If it is my "lifestyle" I will automatically pass it up knowing that I can and should have something healthier. If I am "dieting" I may feel inclined to cheat, and have some cake. (I'm not saying that all people on "diets" cheat or what not... just trying to make an example that makes sene to me). But like I said, it was just a thought.. maybe it will help some people, maybe not...
I agree that the word "diet" has a lot of negative connotations in our society. I found that if I tell anyone that I'm starting a new diet they immediately ask "how many pounds will you lose in a week?". It seems that the expectation is all about rapid weight loss. In my previous attempts at weight loss that has set me up for failure. Now I'm trying to just take it one meal at a time and pick the foods that will be healthiest for me - and not go flip out if I have a cookie. It's a work in progress and hopefully in a few months I can say that I have made a "lifestyle change".
What good is a "diet"???
Earlier this year I joined a weight loss program, and lost around 30 pounds (but sadly gained it all back 
That's why I need some motivation from the wonderful people here at 3FC). One of things that really stuck with me was a question asked by the doctor; "What good is a diet?" I responded with the generic answer..."to lose weight." Then the doctor explained to me that "diets" don't work... rather than call it a "diet" you should make it a "lifestyle." It really made a lot of sense to me. If you think about it, most (not all) people who try a "diet" stop their dieting after they reach their goal weight, and sometimes see themselves putting the weight back on as time goes on. So, if you make said "diet" into a "LIFESTYLE" then you'll never stop your good eating habits, and exercise... if it is your "lifestyle" then you will become accustomed to it and continue with healthy behavior throughout your life; keeping the weight off and staying in shape 
