I'm so fed up with diets that don't work

Australia
August 20, 2010 5:05am CST
For years my weight has been creeping up and up. I've gone on diets and lost a few kilograms only to regain the weight I lost plus more when I stopped dieting. I've come to the startling conclusion that dieting doesn't work. I guess the problem is that when we diet we change our eating habits temporarily but then when we reach our goal weight we return to the eating (and exercise) habits that led to us getting overweight in the first place. And so we end up on the weight gain / weight loss roller coaster ride and never really get anywhere. It took me a long time but I finally realized that the secret to successful weight loss is not a temporary diet but permanent lifestyle changes! Even small changes can make a BIG difference! Even something as simple as cutting out soda/soft drinks or switching them to diet varieties can have a huge impact since a can of soda contains 160 calories, so a person who drinks four cans of soda per day is increasing their calorie intake by 640 calories per day or 4480 calories per week. Scientists have calculated that 3,500 excess calories leads to one pound of weight gain so cutting out four sodas a day could potentially result in over a pound lost every week. What are your weight loss stories. Have you played on the diet seesaw? What methods have actually worked?
1 response
jonnifc
@jonnifc (1017)
• Philippines
20 Aug 10
The only fad diet I've tried was the AFTER 6 diet. I stopped when I had to work on the night shift. Haha! Didn't work for me anyway. But I've never believed in any of the famous diets that we see everywhere. I don't believe that eating a lot of one thing or depriving yourself of another will help us to keep the weight off. I do believe in PORTION CONTROL, though. That's one thing I know works. Controlling the portions of my food definitely helped me lose weight and keep it off permanently. It's so easy to incorporate it into my lifestyle. I still get to eat anything I want, so I don't get cravings. But I stopped drinking soda altogether. When dining out, I just opt for water. I plan my weekly menu so that I also get to have a couple of "reward meals" in a week (where I can eat a little bit more of something I really like that's very fattening). I just offset it at another meal. Then I keep the weekly menu on file so I just choose one when I don't feel like planning. I don't count the calories. I just do it by eye and common sense on how much or less I need to eat. Before I knew it, I was losing weight and I don't gain it back. It still takes discipline and self-control to make it work. Plus, we must never underestimate the benefits of exercise. A little bit of exercise a day, and I really mean a little bit, would go a long way. Cheers!
jewelenterprises
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
20 Aug 10
I have found that keeping an eye on the balance of nutrients works too. Making sure that I'm not 'carbohydrate heavy' and that I get enough protein and fiber to keep myself full so that I don't binge on foods that are high in calories, sugar and fat. Weirdly enough, eating breakfast actually results in a reduction of my daily calorie intake because I don't feel as hungry later in the day if I eat breakfast. And yea, that little bit of exercise... even if it's just a 15 minute walk each day can make a huge difference.