[harrismm]

Here is a question that I would appreciate any feedback on(agree or disagree), both are fine with me.
I often hear people say, "I quit (fill in the bland) diet because it did not work". or "I had WLS because dieting does not work for me".
Now, I have said this many times over my life as well.After doing much thinking as to why I am still not at my weight loss goal, I realized that I am the queen of excuses.
So...........since when does diet and exercise not work?IT DOES!!!Its not the diet and exercise, its not following the diet and exercise.Right????

[seagirl]

I think it works if you work it. And if you find a plan that is sustainable.

[p7eggyc]

I think that is probably true for 99% of us. I'm sure there are some medical reasons that make it nearly impossible to pull weight off with simple food/exercise changes but probably only in very rare cases. It's really all about finding something to do day in and day out but while it is a simple enough formula, it's certainly not easy.

Peg

[JulieJ08]

I think most plans do work if you stick to them. But some are ever so much easier to stick with - and that's different for everyone. And people ofter really overestimate how faithful they are.

[harrismm]

Julie-I totally agree.I have been able to reflect on my diet failures most recently.And I have been accountable for everyone of them.It was never the diet, it was always ME not following the diet.
Thanks.

[mandalinn82]

I'd say it almost ALWAYS works...eventually.

I think that sometimes, the amount our bodies burn in a day (the "out" part of the calories in/calories out equation) drops, for any number of reasons (stress and resultant high cortisol levels, hormonal changes, muscular changes, injuries, etc). When that happens, it CAN push you into a "plateau" that has nothing to do with what YOU are doing, and everything to do with what your body is doing. Luckily, when that happens, if you just PUSH THROUGH and stick on plan, my experience is that eventually you DO start moving down again.

But I don't know that every time that one plateaus, it's entirely due to not being on plan. That just isn't my personal experience (and I tend toward the "of COURSE you're doing something wrong" mentality, and when I did stall out, I spent a lot of time being super strict and measuring everything more strictly than when I was losing weight, and still didn't lose).

[kaplods]

I don't think that it is always "an excuse," or even a phrase necessarily meant to be taken literally.

I think the phrase, "that doesn't work for me," is often used as a shorthand for "that doesn't suit my preferences, personality, and lifestyle," such as when someone asks if we'd like to go have lunch with them and we say "Tuesday doesn't work for me, I've got a dental appointment."

I think sustainability is also an important part of the equation, but it can be difficult to know what sustainability means until the attempt is made.

I often, in the past thought that low-carb diets weren't reasonable or sustainable for me, for a host of reasons (I'd also never tried moderately low carb diets, only extremely low carb ones, and not for very long, because they were difficult to adhere to faithfully.)

However, not all that long ago I learned that high carb (even if only "good carb") diets tend to drastically increase hunger, while very low carb diets drastically reduces my appetite, but also increases unpleasant symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and dizziness. Finding a WOE that provides the ideal compromise has been difficult.

In theory, a low-calorie high carb diet should "work" because I don't have to respond to hunger with eating, but in practice I find it easier to stick to a low calorie diet if I keep hunger in check.

I think often "doesn't work as I expected it to," is the real issue. I've abandoned so many weight loss attempts, not because I wasn't making progress, but because I didn't feel the progress was "good enough" (translation worth the effort).

It's almost sacrilege to say (at least out loud) that a weight loss effort "isn't worth the effort," but it's even less acceptable to decide to respond by putting in less effort. Many people are taught to diet by either being "on" or "off" the diet. Creating a lifestyle of compromises, or deciding that there is not only 100% success or 100% failure in regard to weight loss are not the commonly acceptable options.

I believe that people have many more options than they often consider, because thinking "outside the box," of our culture is often more difficult than we realize. I think that so many of our cultural ideas about weight loss are so ingrained, that "unlearning them" is often more difficult than we realize.

I'm not dismissing the role of personal responsibility, but I think it's easy to
underestimate the difficulty in physiological, and psychological and social factors that make the process challenging.

Knowledge is power, and understanding the challenges really is half the battle.

[harrismm]

Kaplods-I agree with you
I am just saying personally for me I have used it as an excuse.In the past I have been very successful with WW.....then fell off the wagon.How?Buy eating more points than I was allowed.DUH! Right?Of course I would gain weight back.What I missed was, WW DOES work.But, only if you follow it.
What made me ask myself this was watching a commercial for a diet pill.It said this might be for you if diet and exercise has not worked.And I thought...hummmmm...when does it NOT work??Only when you do not follow the rules of whatever plan you are on.
Im trying to be more accountable for my past failures.

[Aclai4067]

I have to say, keeping a food journal has made a huge difference to me. I've always done it in the beginning and then slacked off but I'm keeping it up this time. And it's a great aid when you're diet is "not working." For example, I've been feeling like my points just don't go as far as they used to. So today I sat down and reviewed my journal. I realized that my soda consumption has really crept up on me. I've been wasting up to 10 points a day on drinks! Ugh, so not worth it. I water!

[harrismm]

You are right on !!!I restarted my journal 3 days ago.Made a contract with myself to write everything down.....good, bad or EVIL!

[rockinrobin]

Originally Posted by seagirl

I think it works if you work it. And if you find a plan that is sustainable.

It works if you work it and continue to work it. And when you find/seek out/discover a plan that you are willing to work, you are then willing to sustain it.

It's funny, in the past, the few people that I knew who had lost any weight, I would ask them, "how'd you lose the weight?". As if it was some secret. What would have been a more telling question - "What made you decide to lose the weight?

[kiramira]

I just don't get it -- if you have to follow a super-restrictive diet and exercise post-WLS, why not follow the super-restrictive diet and exercise program and avoid the surgery?

I can't wrap my mind around this.

I was offered WLS when my BMI was almost at 40. After researching it, it seemed to me that the principles of WLS was to reduce the physical size of your stomach and to reduce the length of intestine available for calorie absorption. And because of these factors, you needed to follow a restrictive diet, make sure that your induced malabsorption didn't kill you, and exercise. And that it was only a tool, not a "cure", which means that you would regain the weight if you didn't follow the program. (Talk to Roseanne, and to Ron from TBL last season...). So it if comes down to the mindset or the "head space" so to speak, why not address that at the same time as the dietary restrictions, and avoid the surgery?

I still can't wrap my head around it, and it concerns me that those who have had it seem to think that this line of questioning is "not validating their experience" or is judgemental. Because it isn't! I think we NEED to consider these questions BEFORE our guts are permanently rewired. And everyone has a different path, but WHY is this path appealing for some, if the work is the same in the end re: dietary restriction and exercise, but has huge sequella?

Kira

[harrismm]

You hit the nail on the head!!!That is exactly my question!!!

[DCHound]

Everything doesn't work for everyone...personally I gained on WW, because it is way too carb-intensive for me. I am one of those folks who is basically allergic/addicted to carbs...can't have them - well, specifically, can't have starch or sugar, veggie carbs in very limited doses. But I do think most diets will work for most people if they have the wherewithal to follow them religiously.

[TJFitnessDiva]

I personally think people (esp women) are way too impatient and 99% of the time what did work and doesn't anymore is because they aren't true to whatever plan they are on because of the slow (to them) results. Low fat or low carb.

I know there are people out there that have medical conditions that make it very hard for them to lose weight....but that is a valid reason.