Is dieting really that hard?

This Sunday I went to publix to grocery shop and when I was at the fresh fruit salad isle and asked the woman if I can custom order mine since I hate cantaloupe and honeydew melon she tells me no she cant and then she asked if I’m on a diet, come on just because I’m buying fruits doesn’t mean I’m on a diet and just because I want my steak small doesn’t mean I’m also in a diet (another story involving a butcher), really just because I’m FAT does not mean I’m on a diet, stop freaking asking for my life’s story.

Now that rants over, after my mom said I was on a diet she went on to tell us her life story including that she tried dieting but didn’t work for her and had to have the cutting operation and that’s how she lost the weight, so my question is, is dieting that hard, I mean I’ve been doing it for 9 weeks and lost 19 lbs so I really don’t know, but I have heard how some people just cant do it and its not laziness or not being committed.

Does anyone have a story?

Not much of a story, but I've noticed that some people assume that if you're making the slightest attempt to eat healthy, you must be on a diet.  My sister keeps accusing me of being on a diet just because I decided to eat less processed junk and count my calories.  Given that I've never ever said to myself "self, you've eaten enough calories today; you're not allowed any more food even though you're still hungry", I don't consider myself "on a diet".

it's really a mind game to me.  if you're mentally ready like you can eat you planned meals, and not think about food later, that's great.  you'll lose weight like this.  but some people like me will overthink, and have cravings and then binge, so dieting sucks.  but congrats on your lost and good luck with your goal, i hope you'll achieve it.

I don't think losing weight is especially difficult if you take a sensible approach... ie. being organised, choosing the right foods, having reasonable expectations and avoiding miserable fads.  By far the harder prospect is keeping your weight down long-term.  When people say that they can't diet they've either tried something too drastic/unpleasant that they can't keep up with or they mean that they lose weight but it pings straight back because they don't retrain their eating habits.

It also gets harder to lose weight as you get older....

I agree with gi-jane. Losing wieght isn't on my easy list, but it is something that can be done. It is staying with your weight loss plan over a long period of time that is hard.

One of the things that got my attention when I first started out was that 95% of those who lose weight gain it right back within a few years. Not only did I want to lose weight, I wanted to keep it off.

That means making smart life-changing decisions, not going on a diet, hitting your goal wieght, and then going back to the old habits that put the weight on you in the first place. If you want to keep the weight off, be smart now and train yourself to eat properly. Train your eye to know what a proper portion is when it sees it and train your brain to know when your stomach has had enough. You don't have to deny yourself anything, but you do have to learn how to eat in moderation. And if you have a particular weakness, stay away from it until you've learned enough about why it is a weakness and then put together a plan to learn how to overcome it. If you can successfully do these things, I think you will understand the 'hard' behind weight loss, and you will be well on your way to being in the 5% of those who keep the weight off.

One final bit of knowledge. Skinny people, with few exceptions, aren't skinny because they were lucky enough to be born with the ability to eat whatever they want and still stay thin. They watch what they eat, they know how to say no to themselves, and somewhere in their lives, they learned proper eating habits.

Dieting / losing weight isn't hard ... i used to think it was but ive since learn't that it was only hard when i made it hard.

Losing weight is simple science ... input v's output.

if you eat sensibly enough to fuel your lifestyle but not quite as much as your body needs then you WILL lose weight.

It only get's hard/complicated when people get impaitent try and lose weight fast by trying stupid things cutting cals to harshly or trying weird fad diets,

i truely belive that 90% of platue's don't exist they are an excuse people use when their weight loss stalls and they don't want to accept that they are doing something wrong, it's easier to blame thier stupid body for not releasing weight than it is to actually sit down and look that what they are doing and work out where they are going wrong.

It took me the longest time to realise it myself, but one day i realised that if people who's job it is to look a certain way can just DROP X pounds in X week then so could I, i've never heard a figure athlete say ... oh well i had to cancel my show because my body platued and i couldn't get the weight off.

Since then each and everytime my weightloss stalled ive been able to re-start it by looking at the situation rationally it's not always been easy to do, sometimes its really hard to see your own mistakes. Mostly i find my weightloss stalls for two main reasons 1) i get lazy weighing things 2) i stop recording everything ie skip condiments or other little things that really add up.

And lastly i agree with the other girls ... it shouldn't be about dieting, diets are rubbish .. diets lead to yo-yo effects loose weight .. return to old habits .. gain weight.. BLAH.

The best type of diet is about making LIFESTYLE changes, turning your whole outlook on food around, so that when you loose the weight need, you don't pile it back on because you've learned to live a healthier happier life.  

I hate the phrase "on a diet"

isn't your "diet" really just the foods you eat anyway? you can have a "good diet" or a "bad diet" so being "on a diet" really jsut means eating doesn't it?

eating healthily and losing weight can be hard for some people, whether its about willpower a medical condition.

However, I think motivation is the main cause of people not doing it. It isn't enough to jsut "want" to lose wegiht you've got to want it enoug hthat you are willing to put the work in. That also means understanding that oyu won't be perfect everytime (becuase this can be a job in itself) some people fall off the waggon once and never start again so they automatically assuem "dieting isn't for them" but eating healthily menas having a great range of food in your body, mosto f it healthy but neough of what you liek to stop yourself going crazy!!!

I would say anyone who says dieting doens't work should seriously consider whether thay have dedicated themselves thouroughly to the cause.

 

p.s. This does not mean to disrespect anyone who has had weight-loss surgery this is just a personal opinion that helathy eating and exercise will work for everyone.

 

I realise there are ALOT of typos in this msg.... but I'm at college and dont' really have the time to go back and fix them all.

For me there are some times when it's difficult and some times when it's not.  I find that the U.S. is not designed for those of us that want to count calories.  The availability of nutritional information is better here in the U.S. than many other countries, but we also live in the land of plenty where eating has become a very social activity.  There are also times for me when dieting is not difficult.  I'm not nearly as tempted by fast food as I used to be and the new foods in my diet like bananas and oranges are wonderful.  There are so many foods that I like that I've rediscovered like greenbeans, squash, spinach, etc. 

As for those that get surgery, if that makes the difference between them losing their life or their quality of life and not, I don't fault them.  I do think that it's possible for everyone to lose weight without surgery, it's just putting in the work.

If I were to eat 3 meals at home - dieting, or losing weight, would be really simple. The foods I WANT are healthy foods. An almond butter and half a banana on a lite english muffin sounds better to me, and always has sounded better to me - even when I was overweight, than an egg mcmuffin.

My problem is lacking control, being in college, social eating EVERY meal, and drinking. When I was at home losing weight I would eat everything right at home, but when I went out with my friends allow myself to have what I wanted (which was never ridiculous or unhealthy, usually like an asian salad or dish with grilled chicken and some kind of sauce). Usually that meal with friends was once a week. Now I eat in the dining hall with my friends for breakfast lunch and dinner. So when everyone else gets grilled cheese and fries I have to go to the salad bar. I have to sit there peeling my hardboiled egg while everyone else chows down. When everyone else gets back up for ice cream or a cookie I have to say no. THAT'S hard. Not making the right choices since I WANT to make the right choices. Since I'll often eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the same people sometimes I'll mentally count calories for them. One girl in particular who maintains a thin but not underweight weight and I always see eating. I counted - eats about 2000 calories a day, maybe a couple more some days and maybe a couple less somedays. That's right for her body - that's healthy. Her food choices may not always be the best but because she doesn't always eat EVERYTHING that's in front of her she maintains her weight. I can't eat 2000 or I'll gain - I'm too short for that. I need to eat 1500 AND work out to even have a shot of losing. So it's hard.

I don't know, if I always had control over my eating than dieting would be simple and I'd have a perfect body, but sometimes laughing and eating ice cream with friends seems more important than losing 5 lbs.

I haven't found it hard at all this time around because I don't deprive myself this time.  I eat what I want on Fridays and count calories the other six days.  I have cheat days when needed; I just had one Sunday when we went out with a buch of friends to a Smorgaboard in Lancaster, PA and a show.  I've enjoyed the food I've been eating, and while I sometimes miss fries and pizza and stuff like that, I don't get discouraged because I know I can have them once in a while.  I allow for the calories of a glass of wine in the evening and enjoy my favorite beer on Friday night.  So far the weight loss is working and I feel much better than I did before.  That in itself is a great motivator.

I agree with the above posters who said it's keeping it off that is hard. Losing weight is fairly easy and straightforward; simply take in less than you burn. Some people make it more complicated than it needs to be, but, there it is. Of course you don't just want to eat cake and chips - you should ideally have a diet of mostly whole foods with the occasional less-healthy thing thrown in. Anyone can lose weight, but the majority of people who lose will put it all back on.

I think it comes down to changing your habits for life, and making them sustainable and enjoyable. That's why I don't agree with shows like the Biggest Loser where they work them out all day and put them on extremely strict diets. If I knew I had to eat boring steamed broccoli and grilled chicken for dinner every day, I would give up. I think that is why so many people on there regain weight when they go home. The same is true for crash dieting or fasting, I think - it's something you can only do for a short period of time.

In my case- no- dieting isn't hard at all. Losing weight however is another story! I've 'dieted' most of my life, and been very overweight for most of my life.

I had an ED for over 20yrs, but still been overweight. I've been eating healthy (no more 'diets' for me!)for 11mths now, and my loss has been negligable? I've been eating no more than 1550cals a day for 6-7wks now (my BMR is 1535) and the scales haven't budged. I've tried all the usual 'plateau-busting' tricks with no success. I'm at my wits end, but my dietitian just tells me to persevere & be patient. Easier said than done?

I have no willpower problem- tell me to eat "x" amount of calories- be it 1200 or 1800 and I can do it no problem. But still no results.

11mths of eating well (no processed/ready meals) and counting/weighing everything I eat surely shows I'm committed & not lazy about trying- but still I plod on....

So thats my sorry tale. Hopefully I'll be able to update it with a tale of how I've dropped "x" lbs soon?

personally I have to say it takes willpower, but also when you count calories it is -less hard- to put it someway... For instance, I try to eat better foods smaller portions, count them, basically right now I have a very good idea of how many calories I am taking, I eat then I write it down.

But as any other person I do have cravings, you know a piece of chocolate, a slice of pizza, but I have 2 approaches to this, normally on a regular day I kinda eat around my calorie max, ( 1750 ) I go to 1600, 1700 or so, sometimes less sometimes a bit more, but the days that I eat less compensate for the days that I eat more.

now when I know I want to have a large meal maybe something from a restaurant or pizza or such, I kinda plan ahead, I keep my calorie intake for the day kinda low, then I have a satisfactory dinner.

however once again I am human, and sometimes there's something everyone around you is eating and you just have to taste it, so I do it, and kinda, say I'll discount it tomorrow, or I already have it discounted.

But I have learned that the worst part that makes you feel bad of the diet is actually not eating something that you want. so go ahead eat cake, pizza, chocolate anything, just play with the numbers ( or exercise)

and well don't think about this as a competition, it's a lifestyle and you have all your life to get there, so take it easy... do it healthy and just wait..