Do diets REALLY work?

[Pouchie]

Just looking for some other peoples opinion on this. I have been doing SW since November and find it a great diet however last night I was chatting with a girlfriend about ALL the diets we have been on over the years and although they work initially and do help with weightloss it is never longterm and it got me thinking ........is it possible to maintain longterm weightloss after a lifetime of yoyo dieting? What do you think and if you have achieved longterm weightloss (5 years or more) please please share your secret. Thank you :sign0009:

 

[kingleds]

Honest answer?

You can never stop watching your weight once you've lost it all.

You can't go back to eating like you did before, because that's how you got there in the first place

Slightly depressing thought tbh, I wish it wasn't true!

 

[vanilla_cupcake]

Dealing with weight has to be the most boring part of my life, I was almost 16st and now 12, still have 2st to loose and some days it just depresses the pants off me, I really wish I had of been graced with my daddy's genes instead of my mummy's genes (she's a size 10 but has to watch what she eats or it easily goes on) I don't even want to think about having to be like this for the rest of my life!!!

 

[Bubbles1984]

You can never just "stop".....the minute you do that....thats when you gain. I think thats why slimming world works....its not a diet....its a lifestyle change. I still eat...i go out....i have nice food....its just now i cook healthier, make better choices, have learned that while a little of what i fancy is ok...it is not ok to eat it all the time! (oh how i miss those days of eating bags and bags of kettle chips lol!!)

Yes it can be a sacrifice at times....but i look back at my old pictures and think "who do i like being more? Her....or who you are now??" and thats what makes it worth it. That and knowing im setting a good example to my 3 year old little girl xx

 

[PatchworkPuss]

No, diets don't work ... only permanent lifestyle changes. If you only look on it as a means of getting to target then you are doomed to failure. As soon as you start reverting to old eating habits the weight is bound to go on again.

 

[judywoody]

Well the word "diet" is often mis-used. A diet is what you eat (even if you live on fast food). If you mean weight loss diets well of course they work. You will never lose weight if you don't go on a weight loss diet. And the fact that some people tend to yo-yo afterwards is not the fault of the diet (obviously depending on the type of diet - some are so extreme..I wouldn't call them weight loss diet but anorexia-diet).

People think they can just go back to their old way of eating - but that was what made them gain weight in the first place. So whatever you did before you went on a weight-loss diet - It was NOT HEALTHY and made you FAT!! It's as simple as that.

Science found out that once you gained a lot of weight, your body has built up fat cells. They can be emptied through weight loss but they will always be in your body. If you don't watch what you're eating for the rest of your life you will gain weight again. But that doesn't prove that diets don't work.

As long as you stay below a certain amount of calories per day you won't gain it back - and that's not necessarily a weight loss diet for life that's how you should eat. What makes it so difficult is that you were adddicted to food once and it's difficult not to go back to your old ways. Alcoholics will always be addicted to alcohol. So they have to practice self-control for the rest of their lifes .. and that's the difficult part...

 

[*Emsie*]

I love the fact that I am 9 stone lighter than I was when I didn't give a crap about what I ate I hate the fact that that I am now ALWAYS concious of what I eat/what exercise I do and how it will affect my weight this week.
Diets do work if stuck to to help you lose weight. I think its then about using what you have learnt on the diet/s to help maintain the weight loss in a realistic long term way whilst living life.
Having got to the point where I was maintaining, although I love SW for its weigh loss, I don't currently have a very high opinion of what it does(or doesn't do) for maintainers.
I don't feel(but maybe this is just for me) that to not be able to eat the foods that are high syns etc SOMETIMES without having a big impact on weekly syns/weight is manageable long term.
That is why I am trying something different to learn about portion control/calorie intake etc
Sorry if this seems negative its just where I am at at the moment and am trying to work through and I could well be back with my tail between my legs any moment.
As I say I love sw for the weight it has helped me lose its the maintaining it thats the problem and I am trying to find ways to do this that fit into my lifestyle currently.

 

[Mirrakel]

I agree with others - you have to view sw as a 'lifestyle change' rather than a short term diet fix. I honestly cant imagine ever going back to how I ate before sw, but I guess time will tell when I eventually get to target.

I wish I didnt have to even think about what I weigh/what I eat... but the sad truth is I will have to for the rest of my life (if I want to keep the weight off). But it will be worth it to stay slim

 

[judywoody]

I love the fact that I am 9 stone lighter than I was when I didn't give a crap about what I ate I hate the fact that that I am now ALWAYS concious of what I eat/what exercise I do and how it will affect my weight this week.
Diets do work if stuck to to help you lose weight. I think its then about using what you have learnt on the diet/s to help maintain the weight loss in a realistic long term way whilst living life.
Having got to the point where I was maintaining, although I love SW for its weigh loss, I don't currently have a very high opinion of what it does(or doesn't do) for maintainers.
I don't feel(but maybe this is just for me) that to not be able to eat the foods that are high syns etc SOMETIMES without having a big impact on weekly syns/weight is manageable long term.
That is why I am trying something different to learn about portion control/calorie intake etc
Sorry if this seems negative its just where I am at at the moment and am trying to work through and I could well be back with my tail between my legs any moment.
As I say I love sw for the weight it has helped me lose its the maintaining it thats the problem and I am trying to find ways to do this that fit into my lifestyle currently.

I think the problem is not the diet - I never viewed SW as THE only way to maintain weight. We have to use our common sense. On days when I expected to eat high calorie stuff I wouldn't do SW at all. I would just count calories so I don't go over.

But for day to day living, it helps you to choose wisely. That doesn't mean you can't treat yourself. Also, everybodies body is different. When I was at my lowest weight I sometimes took it for granted and at like a pig without any consequences..but that only lasted for 6 months..If had seen the consequence straight away it might have kept me from carrying on like that..I am back to 14 stone now - yeah happy days!!

I know that SW offers flexi syns but if it doesn't work for you, don't do it.

 

[kingleds]

I love the fact that I am 9 stone lighter than I was when I didn't give a crap about what I ate I hate the fact that that I am now ALWAYS concious of what I eat/what exercise I do and how it will affect my weight this week.
Diets do work if stuck to to help you lose weight. I think its then about using what you have learnt on the diet/s to help maintain the weight loss in a realistic long term way whilst living life.
Having got to the point where I was maintaining, although I love SW for its weigh loss, I don't currently have a very high opinion of what it does(or doesn't do) for maintainers.
I don't feel(but maybe this is just for me) that to not be able to eat the foods that are high syns etc SOMETIMES without having a big impact on weekly syns/weight is manageable long term.
That is why I am trying something different to learn about portion control/calorie intake etc
Sorry if this seems negative its just where I am at at the moment and am trying to work through and I could well be back with my tail between my legs any moment.
As I say I love sw for the weight it has helped me lose its the maintaining it thats the problem and I am trying to find ways to do this that fit into my lifestyle currently.

I completel get what you mean Emsie. Realistically I can't see myself measuring out 100mls of vodka on a saturday night an rigidly sticking to it when i get to target. Or measuring out my extra light mayo with a tablespoon. These are areas where I can see myself struggling when i get to target.

Having seen people who do successfully maintain in my group I suspect its very much a case of whatever works for oyu. I know for example that I can't eat bread & hope to maintain, let alone loose. This won't change when I get to target, so I just have to lump it if I want to stay slim.

 

[*Emsie*]

I think its a brilliant weight loss plan I wish they had better advice for maintainers than up your hex's though.
I wonder how many people actually maintain by this? What I think a lot do is relax the plan a bit then stick to the plan to lose what they have gained while relaxing which I think is great if it works for you but I suppose I maybe need a bit more of a framework/support to feel happy/relaxed about it. I also felt like my body wasn't happy doing this even though it was only a few lbs up and down it seemed to be getting saggier but that could well have been my imagination!
I've never done calorie counting or any other plan until now though and think thats why I need to do so to feel a bit more informed.

 

[*Emsie*]

I completel get what you mean Emsie. Realistically I can't see myself measuring out 100mls of vodka on a saturday night an rigidly sticking to it when i get to target. Or measuring out my extra light mayo with a tablespoon. These are areas where I can see myself struggling when i get to target.

Having seen people who do successfully maintain in my group I suspect its very much a case of whatever works for oyu. I know for example that I can't eat bread & hope to maintain, let alone loose. This won't change when I get to target, so I just have to lump it if I want to stay slim.

Glad it made a bit of sense I dont want it to come accross as I am slating sw I am slating maintaining

 

[hollys nan]

I think its a brilliant weight loss plan I wish they had better advice for maintainers than up your hex's though.
I wonder how many people actually maintain by this? What I think a lot do is relax the plan a bit then stick to the plan to lose what they have gained while relaxing which I think is great if it works for you but I suppose I maybe need a bit more of a framework/support to feel happy/relaxed about it. I also felt like my body wasn't happy doing this even though it was only a few lbs up and down it seemed to be getting saggier but that could well have been my imagination!
I've never done calorie counting or any other plan until now though and think thats why I need to do so to feel a bit more informed.

Hi emsie, I have been at target since July 2011 and am finding it so difficult to keep within the target band ie 3lbs up 3lbs down. I am on the lower end and this week yet again I fell below so I have a week to pull it back. I am on the social team so attend every week and therefore weigh in every week and I find I am still weighing all my he exs and sticking to plan as I have been doing it so long and its inbred now! My consultant (who is amazing) told me not to weigh them and to have more so this morning I just poured in some porridge oats and had a big bowl but it just didnt seem right. I still measured my milk though. I am just worried I will go back to where I was before. I have done S W a long time ago before and grandually it all krept back but I suppose because I go every week this wont happen. I just seem to be over the lowest band one week, then under the next! But I do think its such a good slimming plan!

 

[judywoody]

Oh and I wanted to add: Weight loss diets are not so much about the food but psychology. That's why they work. But you have to be sensible in the choice of diet.

 

[smithj]

I'm not really sure about diets. I just know that it may not work for me. What I believe though is a change in lifestyle by choosing to keep healthy. Life is short, I prefer to enjoy it

 

[Little Miss Determined]

I often think that the best diet is when you stop thinking of it as a diet and as a way of life, i do with slimming world because to me it still lets you have more than enough treats and ive never felt better!

 

[LisaC]

I often think that the best diet is when you stop thinking of it as a diet and as a way of life, i do with slimming world because to me it still lets you have more than enough treats and ive never felt better!

Totally agree. People think being on a "diet" authomatically means you give things up & restrict yourself. SW gives you so much choice & variety & syns are there to treat yourself whether you want chocolate or mayonnaise with dinner.

For me SW is the norm, I don't think I'm on a diet or I have to watch what I eat. Each meal is healthy, nutricious, filling & on plan. And it's normal because I naturally choose "good" foods & it's not difficult.

 

[feggy]

I don't think you can judge a diet while you're on it - long term weight loss is something like 5 years or more officially speaking as the OP says. I think the good thing about SW is that it teaches you what you have to monitor your intake of, and in turn one of the good things about WW is that it teaches you about portion size. No one who's ever done WW could think that a mixing bowl sized portion of pasta is a normal portion size and no one who's ever done SW could claim not to know what foods are and are not high in calories. I think (and hope!) that when I reach target an come to maintain my knowledge of both plans will help me to moderate my diet without thinking about it all the time.

 

[*Emsie*]

I agree about the psychology. It really worked with me to be able to eat all the free foods on sw as I couldn't stand the thought of being hungry(in fact it terrified me) but I think I have changed now and/or need a change and I am actually enjoying the challenge of sticking to points but feeling like I have more choice what I use them on.
I sometimes want to be able to have a sandwich/pasty/cake when out and about without blowing a weeks worth of syns but I dont want to always eat these and sw has taught me great ways and foods to eat in my diet.

 

[Divster]

I think its a brilliant weight loss plan I wish they had better advice for maintainers than up your hex's though.
I wonder how many people actually maintain by this? What I think a lot do is relax the plan a bit then stick to the plan to lose what they have gained while relaxing which I think is great if it works for you but I suppose I maybe need a bit more of a framework/support to feel happy/relaxed about it. I also felt like my body wasn't happy doing this even though it was only a few lbs up and down it seemed to be getting saggier but that could well have been my imagination!
I've never done calorie counting or any other plan until now though and think thats why I need to do so to feel a bit more informed.

I know some that have been maintaining after a large weight loss, and they are mostly sticking to the normal plan in the week and eating as they please at weekends, which I think is quite normal