Why do people think following a diet doesn't work?

[Skorpionss]

Diets really do work, as long as diets = you eat less calories than you burn in a day. That's all you need to do. Sure it doesn't hurt to eat healthy too, but if your sole purpose is to lose weight, then that's the only thing you should be focusing on.

There are certain diets that help you burn fat faster like, low carb or ketogenic diet, but they are really hard on your body and can cause other problems if you follow them for a long time. I tried the keto diet and lost like 10kg in a month or so(combined with calorie deficit ofc), but I couldn't maintain the diet longer than that.

[kail]

It does and it doesn't. The human anatomy is a complex bitch and what works for one may not work for the other.

[TJ]

Most people try diets that simply don't work for them, you need to pick one that you're going to stick to and not drop after a month.

It's not hard, more out than goes in. Eat decent and in moderation, that still means you can cheat every now and again, just not too often. People normally think a "diet" means salad for every meal which it doesn't, watch your calories and you'll be fine.

[Canpinter]

Best way to stick to a diet is to first try an eliminate stresses in your life. emotional/stress eating is the fastest way to fail a diet.

[Celista]

I can only picture a skeleton now.

I've posted photos of myself here before, trust me I don't look that thin.

Them moving around helps, but what you're not considering is how very few processed snacks they have. They don't have bags of chips or oreos. There's no junk food to fatten them all up. Your body burns macros in this order: Carbohydrates>Lipids(Fats)>Protein. When you have easy access to processed foods that are packed full of carbs/fats and you don't move enough, you become a tub of lard. Carbs are broken down into glucose which your body will use to supply the brain and muscles w/ energy. Your muscles will store the glucose as a polysaccharide called glycogen. If your muscles are already full of glycogen and you aren't utilizing it, then it gets converted into adipose tissue (fat). The fats that weren't used because the carbs weren't used are also stored as adipose tissue. Now imagine how often the average person indulges in snacks/processed foods that are high in carbs/fats. I doubt Amish people eat that much junk food.

There are fat Amish people, usually women. They're around food all day and make things like cookies, pies, cakes, etc. Cook with a lot of butter. Meals are carb-heavy.

As you noted, our body does prefer to burn carbs for energy, meaning that it's better to overeat carbs than fats. The problem with long term weight maintenance is processed carbs (high in refined sugar and/or lack of fiber) and fats. Like for example an order of fast food fries can be as high as 900 calories a serving (Burgerville's sweet potato fries, Burgerville is a NW chain). A potato is like 100 calories, all the rest of those calories come from fat. You can make your own baked fries at home with little to no oil that taste almost exactly the same, controlling fat intake imo is the way to go.

[Dougie Cooper]

I'm always impressed by how many nutritionists and diet experts there are on this forum.

[crakerjack]

I've posted photos of myself here before, trust me I don't look that thin.


There are fat Amish people, usually women. They're around food all day and make things like cookies, pies, cakes, etc. Cook with a lot of butter. Meals are carb-heavy.

As you noted, our body does prefer to burn carbs for energy, meaning that it's better to overeat carbs than fats. The problem with long term weight maintenance is processed carbs (high in refined sugar and/or lack of fiber) and fats. Like for example an order of fast food fries can be as high as 900 calories a serving (Burgerville's sweet potato fries, Burgerville is a NW chain). A potato is like 100 calories, all the rest of those calories come from fat. You can make your own baked fries at home with little to no oil that taste almost exactly the same, controlling fat intake imo is the way to go.

It really all depends on what you're doing. Someone can eat as many fats as they want along w/ their protein, just as long as they have very few carbs throughout the day. When you eat a high protein meal, your body produces growth hormone which then makes your liver produce IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor) which helps repair/grow muscle and lipid catabolism. The issue with this is that if you eat any amount of carbs, it ruins the whole cycle. If you eat carbs, the body will release insulin to help regulate your blood sugar. When insulin is released, your body also releases somatostatin which inhibits the release of IGF-1.

That's why so many people are overweight because they don't stick with fats/proteins or carbs/proteins. It sucks because some of the best food in the world is filled with fats/carbs. They're also the most distracting/comforting types of foods when someone is emotionally distraught.

Those sweet potato fries are good too, especially w/ that garlic aioli. I stick w/ the half pound colossal, no basket ofc.

[Muajin76]

We often hear people complaining about how diets don't work, how they lost weight, but regained it and even more after the end of their diet. The lost and regained weight is always the main argument for those people, and it is even relayed by the medias.

Are people so stupid? Do they really believe a diet has magic properties who will prevent them from gaining weight? That's insane to say the least.

The contract is like "you will lose 30 lbs in 2 months" (generic ad, feel free to change the numbers, it doesn't matter); after that delay, did you lost your 30 lbs? Yes, then, the contract is complete. What happens next is none of their concern (the people who sold you the diet).

But more than that, why do people regain weight after their diet? BECAUSE they are somehow thinking that their diet has magic properties who will negate all the weight they will gain after it's end.

Breaking news: a living being is something who needs constant attention, a diet will only works for the time YOU ARE ACTUALLY FOLLOWING IT.

The goal of following a diet is not only to loose weight, the goal is also to NOT regain it, if you do, then you are stupid, that mean you have returned to your previous and unhealty lifestyle who was the very reason why you needed to loose weight in the first place: guess what: if you eat shit, if you don't workout, you will gain weight, especially after a period of diet, because your body lost the habit of suffering that treatment.

I know it's sound like a rant, and why not, the Western world is infested by obese people who are always using that same excuse, the "diets don't work, because the loss of weight is temporary", OF COURSE it is temporary, fat ass ! Your body needs CONSTANT attention, not temporary attention !


Think about this if you have plans to start a diet: it is not a magical wand, it requires constant work and attention, ESPECIALLY after, because the truth, is that in order to work, a diet is not temporary, it is only the start of a new lifestyle who is meant to last.

Eating right...getting in exercise..drinking plenty of water. That's what helps lose weight properly. Dieting doesn't work well I think. Knowing what to eat and what not to eat, moderation...etc. That's you go about it. nuff said!

[Freighter]

hey guys i have a great idea. lets fill our foods with an addictive and fattening additive and then blame consumers when they get fat and addicted!

There's no such thing as addiction to food. What there is, is a lack of self-discipline. I cut out chips, soda and so on and went from 65 kg to my 52 kg now.

[itsafursta]

it's not about a diet its about changing the way you eat forever

[Vash The Stampede]

As someone who has lost over 100lbs I can tell you that any diet works so long as you stick to it. The problem is people tend to do something that they're not comfortable with and when they hit their first plateau, and you will, you get discouraged and go back to eating unhealthy. It can take months to lose a single pound and you could be doing everything correctly, and it does get depressing when at first you lost like 10 pounds in one month. But you have to get used to the idea of eating a certain way you're comfortable with. If you don't like salads or certain foods then find something healthy you like eating that fills you up. You know you better than anyone else, so you have to experiment on what works for you. If the milkshake diet doesn't work for you then move onto something else. If the granola bar diet doesn't work then try something else. There's no such thing as a cheat day in a diet, I haven't eaten any sweats, pizza, cake, and etc for 9 years. Get used to the idea of not eating shit, food isn't that important.

[itsafursta]

There's no such thing as addiction to food. What there is, is a lack of self-discipline. I cut out chips, soda and so on and went from 65 kg to my 52 kg now.

some people have addictive personalities

[itsafursta]

Which is also known as diet.

The thing about diets is you can’t quit them and expect the results to remain.

thats the mistake A LOT of people make

[deceptacon1]

We often hear people complaining about how diets don't work, how they lost weight, but regained it and even more after the end of their diet. The lost and regained weight is always the main argument for those people, and it is even relayed by the medias.

Are people so stupid? Do they really believe a diet has magic properties who will prevent them from gaining weight? That's insane to say the least.

The contract is like "you will lose 30 lbs in 2 months" (generic ad, feel free to change the numbers, it doesn't matter); after that delay, did you lost your 30 lbs? Yes, then, the contract is complete. What happens next is none of their concern (the people who sold you the diet).

But more than that, why do people regain weight after their diet? BECAUSE they are somehow thinking that their diet has magic properties who will negate all the weight they will gain after it's end.

Breaking news: a living being is something who needs constant attention, a diet will only works for the time YOU ARE ACTUALLY FOLLOWING IT.

The goal of following a diet is not only to loose weight, the goal is also to NOT regain it, if you do, then you are stupid, that mean you have returned to your previous and unhealty lifestyle who was the very reason why you needed to loose weight in the first place: guess what: if you eat shit, if you don't workout, you will gain weight, especially after a period of diet, because your body lost the habit of suffering that treatment.

I know it's sound like a rant, and why not, the Western world is infested by obese people who are always using that same excuse, the "diets don't work, because the loss of weight is temporary", OF COURSE it is temporary, fat ass ! Your body needs CONSTANT attention, not temporary attention !


Think about this if you have plans to start a diet: it is not a magical wand, it requires constant work and attention, ESPECIALLY after, because the truth, is that in order to work, a diet is not temporary, it is only the start of a new lifestyle who is meant to last.

Your point is well taken, however, let me shed some further light on the problem just for your own information.

It is very true that most diets do not work and they ultimately lead to weight gain due to something called metabolic adaptation. This is the scientific name for "starvation mode" that so many people have heard of.

A calorie-restricted diet, for as little as 21 days, leads to a reduction in your basal metabolic rate (as well as changes to thyroid function and leptin sensitivity) which all contribute to weight gain after even a "successful" diet.

The actual success rate of people who "diet" and keep their weight off is somewhere around 1 in 216 ish or so (depending on how you quantify it) and is the main reason that our country continues to gain weight despite people actually exercising more and consuming fewer calories.

I understand that most people do find their way into obesity through their diet (however, stress also plays a role as well as a few other hormone imbalances), it's not fair to blame them entirely because the system (treatment) is rigged against them.

Once you fall into the obesity trap, and you aren't 1 in the 200ish or so that can lose weight and keep it off, you are basically destined to be overweight indefinitely (until we have better treatments than we do now).

This is just a friendly for your information.

[Jebadee]

Discipline! The number one and only reason why diets don't work.

[Violent]

Because.. Are you ready for it? For some, they don't! =O
I know, I know.. Total shocker, right?


/Facepalm

[Zafire]

Back when I was running 5 days a week (18 miles/week), my diet was 1600 calories (or 1850 on a day I went running). I would eat whatever I wanted 1 meal out of the week. It didn't hurt me at all, I still consistently lost weight until I wasn't overweight anymore. All these people saying "NEVER EAT BAD FOOD EVAR" seem to be incorrect in my experience. I did end up gaining all my weight back, but it was because I developed patellar tendonitis and couldn't run for over a year. I lost motivation.

You have to try different things and see what works for you. You have to ask yourself the question "Can I do this for the rest of my life?" Most people that jump into diets go into one extreme that is not sustainable. I really, really love bad food, so finding something that actually worked that still let me do that 4 times a month worked great for me.

[ellieg]

Because people are ignorant. A lot of people think you need to diet for a small period of time, lose weight, then go back to how you used to eat. It doesnt work this way. "Dieting" is a lifelong change.

The other problem is people think diets need to be extreme. You hear about keto, paleo, even outlandish shit like hot sauce lemonade diet. You need to learn how to count calories, how to determine your BMR (not BMI) and TDEE. Know the difference between straight sugar and a complex carb. And that's it. Calories in calories out works.

I've helped 10+ people develop a weight plan, stick to it, and reach their goal. It works.

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Also theres a difference between eating healthy, and eating to lose weight. You can eat salads, fish, and other "healthy" foods and still gain weight. You can also eat pizza and French fries and still lose weight.

[Soikona]

Wtf, how, I'm like 5'6 and weigh 135.

Could have a very narrow frame. I am 6 foot 4, with roughly 8% body fat but I have large hips and large shoulders and work out a lot, which puts me at over 21 stone!

[ellieg]

Could have a very narrow frame. I am 6 foot 4, with roughly 8% body fat but I have large hips and large shoulders and work out a lot, which puts me at over 21 stone!

Yoooo post a pic. 6 ft 4, 294 lbs, 8% body fat is past the natural limit. Unless you are on a serious cycle, I'd say you're body fat % is higher than you think it is.