Please tell me I'm not the only one who has had this problem. Diet Blogs, friends, family, books you name it all have advice for dieting don't they but don't you just want to scream when they say don't eat just one type of food and you'll lose 3 pounds in a week. Oh really? No kidding? Some of the foods that I often hear about:

Soda: Well, that's great except that I don't drink soda. Not even the "diet ones"

Fast Food: I've been to a fast food place 2 times over the past year. That's right, twice.

Icecream: I have maybe a cup of ice cream once a week. Usually it's fat free frozen yogurt to boot. Do you mean to say I'll lose three pounds if I don't eat that one cup?

Candy: I don't eat candy. Not even chocolate.

Processed snacks like twinkies or other baked goods: Nope.
Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks coffee: I don't go there. Yes I do use sugar in my morning coffee but I only use skim milk and I only have one cup a day.

None of which is to say that I am on a healthy diet (I eat way too much pasta and drink too much processed fruit juice) but it is very hard to find good advice that doesn't say eliminate one food from your diet and you'll magically lose weight.

Yes 2salads, I hear ya!! I know so many people who cut out soda and lose weight without even trying. And I feel like you - I don't drink soda, so where does that leave me? It's annoying!

How about pasta or fruit juice? Try cutting one of those out (without replacing them with other empty carbs) and see if it works...weight loss is pretty much calories in, calories out for most folks.

YES!! I see this all the time! Kinda like when i went to my doctor when i was in high school, saying i needed help losing weight, and he told me not to eat too many burgers and fries. I was like...i'm VEGETARIAN, not to mention i had a huge fear of eating fat (back in the low-fat craze)!!!!

Yep. The thing is is that by comparison to people who do drink and eat these foods I almost feel justified in my own diet. Yes, I might be having two bowls of pasta today but at least I didn't snarf down three cans of soda!

Yes, I have been trying to do that. It's harder than it looks!

pasta is my downfall, too. i stopped keeping it in the house, because i can't seem to stop at a reasonable portion.

recently i purchased a spiral vegetable slicer. i use it to slice zucchini into long, noodle-like strands, and while it isn't pasta, it does satisfy my craving for twirling spaghetti noodles and i can eat two big bowls and stay on plan! i make my own healthy, tasty, veggie-rich sauces. fun gadget!

Doctors are the worst for this, imho. And the funny thing is for people whose problem are those types of food that's probably really good advice. But if that's not the problem... Really these offers of advice tend to be about the advice giver being at least partially judgemental and somewhat ill informed. Yes, calories in/out is great but most people assume they know a person's diet just from their weight which is far from the truth. I know people who are so sensitive to carbs that even an apple can make them gain weight. It's really all about the person trying to lose weight to identify their unique problem foods and learn how to replace them in a healthy manner.

That's a great idea!

That sounds great. Where did you get it?

Spaghetti squash is another good alternative to pasta. I think people either love it or don't but it's worth a shot.

Yup. I had my doctor tell me to stop eating candy bars when I was pregnant because I was telling her I was gaining weight WAY faster than possible. I was 8 months pg and I was gaining 4 lbs a week. "Dont eat candy" I DONT eat candy, it gives me heartburn and I can do math...I am not eating an additional 2000 calories a day.

Oh. yeah. maybe she should have noticed the pre-eclampsia.

but more to this topic - yep. Just stop eating junkfood. I dont eat junkfood. I gain the most weight in the summer when all the fresh veggies lure me into culinary stardom.

that made me giggle!!! (those darn fresh veggies!!!)

I know the feeling as well - a few years back, I decided to give up ALL "processed" food - so, no candy, cake, donuts, chips, sodas, etc. AND I was walking SIX MILES A DAY, 5 days a week. (2 in the a.m. and 2 in the afternoon and 2 in the p.m.)

Six months. SIX MONTHS... with not one itty-bitty slip up!!! And guess what?!?!?! - not one.single.OUNCE was lost. Nope. Not one. Dang, no wonder I was so p***ed off and disappointed!

Sometimes you buy healthy ingredients and somehow wind up with a fattening dish anyway (hello butter!) And definately excercise is not immune from the "good advice" gurus. My husband eats more of the exact same diet I eat (plus goodies like half a pint of ice cream every night) and hardly gains a pound. I pointed this out to him and he said that I don't move enough then. He never works out! I walk three miles 4-5 days a week, do Wii Zumba once a week, and do Wii active 2-3 times a week. He sits behind a computer all day. What gives!?!?!

one thing you could try would be to replace your pasta with spaghetti squash instead. I find it to be an -adequate- substitute. Another thing I have heard is to dilute your juice a little bit?
I hope you find some 'useful' advice soon! i envy those people who cut out soda and lose 5 pounds in a week. :-P

For the pasta have you tried shirataki noodles? Those really help me

I totally understand about the frustrating advice. Even more frustratingly, it has worked for my dh. He gave up soda and chips a few years ago now, and lost 20lbs over a few months without much effort. Even now, when he wants to lose 5lbs, he stops eating chocolate for a couple of weeks.

My husband can eat twice what I do and still lose weight, so I understand your frustration. Careful attention to portion sizes and calories is essential for me to lose weight.