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Everyone is on a diet; some are just living consciously and others are not.
Yes, that is what I mean about constantly following a diet... that more than anything has helped me keep it real about what I should and shouldn't do. I've been bad about exercise this winter, have to get back to it. But diet, what I plan to eat every day of my life, is key.
When I'm eating to lose weight, I do consider myself to be on a diet - my calorie intake is reduced from my weight maintenance level. Then as I lose weight, I have to adjust my calorie intake downwards (activity level upwards) again if I wish to continue to lose more weight....
Dieting is also different from "eating food." Dieting, the verb, is an active attempt to do something -different- with your weight. You might be dieting to gain weight, or you might be dieting to lose weight. If you don't need to gain or lose, then you don't need to diet. You need to maintain "a healthy diet" - the noun, meaning in the context of the phrase, a collection of foods that you consume.
We've been through this on previous pages, but a couple of posters are having difficulty grasping the concept. Unfortunately, the OP -did- ask "what's wrong with dieting" as opposed to "what's wrong with maintaining a healthy diet?"
So the OP should not be surprised, when people respond to the actual question, rather than with what the OP now claims that she meant.
^^^ As I have said over and over like a broken record on this thread, I have *barely* eaten a "normal" diet in about a DECADE --- I have been following *very specific* low carb diets that outlaw food groups, have special rules for how to put meals together, and are fairly restrictive overall.
I did eat "normally" somewhat the last 2 summers for about 3 months each time... last summer more than the one before. That meant: icecream whenever I felt like it, sandwiches, a slice of pizza, mixed drinks (kahlua and Coke), unlimited fruit, AND healthy things like salmon, a little meat, eggs-- my normal staples. I walked A LOT-- an hour- hour and a half a day, several hundred miles.... I didn't suddenly get fat but I did gain a tiny bit of weight-- like maybe 5 pounds... moreso this summer than the one before.
The weight fell of quickly in a month or so of careful dieting and weight lifting, but god, it wasn't worth it, not even a little.
In a very short period of time it became CRYSTAL CLEAR that no amount of exercise-- except probably VERY INTENSE, one hour a day type cardio sessions-- was going to alter my metabolism from wrong eating. And that is what "normal" eating is: WRONG.
Unless you REALLY love the gym... as in you want to be there EVERY DAY, working your ass off yet never really getting that much thinner.... then sure, knock yourself out: eat like a "normal" American. Eat wheat every day, count calories, have unlimited amounts of dairy, have fruit at every snack....load up on the CARBS, especially the metabolical inactivating ones. Never quite get where you want to be and WHINE about it. Find a best friend, a "diet buddy" (concept is so ridiculous, it makes me laugh) someone who will listen to you.... and I guarantee, all anyone is thinking is they are happier that you have gained some weight and are only going to endlessly interfere with you and your goals....
It isn't worth it! I might write a book about this though I suspect it's already been written........ diets are FOREVER. Everyone who is really thin knows this. I enjoy being a thin, happy person therefore I diet. Even 5 pounds was unacceptable to me. It never ends, I'll tell those of you who want to lose the weight the truth.... I didn't eat so much as ONE SLICE of pizza the first 3 years I lived in Salt Lake. 3 years of no pizza, no ice cream!! Those foods are fun but I'll tell ya, unless you want to work your butt off big time--- as in hours and hours a week doing high intensity aerobic activity-- those foods do nothing but damage the metabolism.
I have allowed pizza in my diet a lot the last 3-6 months and I'm starting to think enough is enough. Unless I get a gym membership I may have to break up with that type food. I know that sounds extreme to some of you but we all have our own path in life. In my case, I will always be cautious about food, because that is what has worked for me time and again.
Last edited by lemon&lime; 02-26-2011 at 02:21 PM..
& by a lot I mean 2 slices a week as opposed to never eating pizza from 1990 to 2008....about 18 years actually. Sounds extreme, I did have some wheat but not much from the mid 90s on. I credit this as one reason I maintained a fairly good metabolism through my 30s...
You can have fast food pizza (or Twinkies or Boston cream pie) every day of your life and not gain an ounce as long as you stay within your daily caloric limits. Not the best choice nutritionally, though.
I haven't read this whole thread but if you haven't done so already, check out some of the online weight loss calculators. They will help you to determine how many calories you need to consume in a day to maintain your current weight. To lose weight, you simply eat fewer calories. It's important to know that your weight is within your control.
I do think some people have faster metabolisms/don't store excess calories as fat as easily as others do. It isn't fair, it just is what it is.
(I might add that my own metabolism used to be v-e-r-y sluggish. But now that I've been exercising (walking) on a very regular basis for nearly a year I've noticed a big change in my overall energy level. I also started doing some strength training over the past couple of months and I've noticed a real difference in the way my body burns/stores energy. Fat used to pile onto my body like snow, but not any more. Adding muscle really helps!)
Last edited by springfieldva; 02-27-2011 at 02:03 PM..
"You can have fast food pizza (or Twinkies or Boston cream pie) every day of your life and not gain an ounce as long as you stay within your daily caloric limits. Not the best choice nutritionally, though. "
not just nutritionally, but in terms of feeling comfortably full. if you are calorie counting, tracking WW points, etc, you find that while you CAN eat any food you want, if you use your calories/points etc on stuff like that, you either need to eat almost nothing but veggies (and fruits if your on WW) the rest of the day, or you go hungry. You dont have to eat whole grains, lean proteins, etc, but you end up feeling incented to do so.
I have always had to carefully monitor macronutrient content.... I do better on 100 grams of carbs or less and at least 75 grams of protein. Dairy and wheat are troublesome food groups for me based on 20+ years of observation. He11 no I couldn't eat sandwiches and pizza every day, count calories and just exercise. That never worked for me in the 90s, ever.
"You can have fast food pizza (or Twinkies or Boston cream pie) every day of your life and not gain an ounce as long as you stay within your daily caloric limits. Not the best choice nutritionally, though. "
not just nutritionally, but in terms of feeling comfortably full. if you are calorie counting, tracking WW points, etc, you find that while you CAN eat any food you want, if you use your calories/points etc on stuff like that, you either need to eat almost nothing but veggies (and fruits if your on WW) the rest of the day, or you go hungry. You dont have to eat whole grains, lean proteins, etc, but you end up feeling incented to do so.
True enough. I try to stay away from the high calorie stuff myself. I'm not going to have a super heavy lunch if that means that I can only have green tea and baby carrots for dinner.
And I agree that you can have much more satisfying meals throughout the day if you stick with lean proteins, whole grains, veggies and fruits for most of the meals in your week.
But I do not have the willpower or even the desire to swear off sweets, pizza, wine, pasta for good. Nor do I have to. Daily (well almost daily) exercise allows me to get a few of my sinful treats in every week. And I also tend to eat better overall without really thinking about it when I'm on an exercise program. I just crave healthier/leaner food. When I do cheat I tend to do so in moderation (3 cookies instead of a package of cookies) because I know what a crummy workout I'll have the next day if I overdo...
I have always had to carefully monitor macronutrient content.... I do better on 100 grams of carbs or less and at least 75 grams of protein. Dairy and wheat are troublesome food groups for me based on 20+ years of observation. He11 no I couldn't eat sandwiches and pizza every day, count calories and just exercise. That never worked for me in the 90s, ever.
During my own weight loss struggles I've come to realize that our bodies (metabolism, muscle/fat compositions, physical abilities, willpower) are all different. No one weight loss approach will work the same for everybody. What works for one person may be a total disaster for another person...
The key (and probably the hardest part) is to find a strategy that works for you. Once you've done that, that's half the battle .
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--- I have been following *very specific* low carb diets that outlaw food groups, have special rules for how to put meals together, and are fairly restrictive overall. 
Sounds extreme, I did have some wheat but not much from the mid 90s on. I credit this as one reason I maintained a fairly good metabolism through my 30s...
