I see it all the time at work. I work with a lot of women and they are great women, but invariably someone is always on some kind of a "diet". Always. I can't believe how many people want to lose the weight and not exercise..aack, or eat real food.
So many do "shake diets" sure they work if you follow them and while you follow them. They lose the weight, but if you aren't going to learn healthy eating habits what is going to happen when you go off the shakes? and seriously how can that even be satisfying? No thanks for this girl! I like food, real food!
People always assume it has just been easy for me. It hasn't. I do the work. I am committed to a healthy me.
Sure I absolutelty do still indulge in things I want to eat like jellybeans and big juicy hamburgers but it is balanced with "clean" foods. Sorry no food pictures.
This is a lesson running races teaches us too. If you don't do the work the race is going to suck. Just like if you eat crappy your clothes won't fit for long. You have to make that decision to get out there and train. Sure you can miss a few workouts just like you can have a few indulgent type meals but do it too often and the end goal suffers.
What is your favorite fad diet that you hate? Mine is obviously "shake" type diets. Eat some real food! I think they are fine as a snack, fueling, or recovery but to base your whole diet around them is a load of BS in my book.
I've had a lot of people tell me that they wish they had my metabolism. I usually laugh and say, "well, you can. All I do is exercise for at least an hour a day!"
ReplyDeleteThis is so true. I'm trying to lose weight right now, but I'm doing it by eating mostly clean and healthy foods and counting the # of calories that go in. That's the weight loss secret - calories in!! Maybe I should write a book. You have to be able to do something you can maintain. No I can't maintain a restricted calorie "diet" forever, that's just to lose weight. But once I've lost the weight I can continue to eat the same things just a little more of it.
ReplyDeleteI hate the low carb diet. I think everything in life is all about moderation. Your body needs carbs, just like it needs fat, protein, etc.
I hate all fad diets. They drive me nuts!!! Just eat healthy and exercise people. It is not rocket science.
ReplyDeleteYes! I am reading this book called "Intuative Eating" and it is blowing my mind about dieting. When I go on crazy clean eating kicks, yes the food is healthy, but I'm dieting without acknowledging it. CRAZY Oh and I can't stand the low-carb diet. Don't eat oatmeal, but eat a pound of bacon? I don't understanddddd.
ReplyDeleteDiet is a swear word in my book. I can't stand when people go on and on about some new diet they are on and how great it is and how much weight they lost. I think it is so unhealthy and it gets on my nerves. It is so obvious to me how unhealthy it is but they have these blinders on and only see numbers on the scale. No one wants to work hard anymore. So frustrating!
ReplyDeleteA bunch of my extended family got all into the HCG diet. Somehow eating only 500 calories a day seems like the wrong way to go.
ReplyDeleteIt's taken me years to acknowledge that I need to keep my calories under control, make good/healthy choices (90% of the time) & exercise (sometimes more than I'd like) to maintain my weight. I'm sure I've screwed up my metabolism along the way with all of the fad diets I tried. But, I've lost 35 pounds & kept it off for the last couple of years. Running really helped me - the increase in fitness, the overall motivation to continue to improve, and the desire to fuel myself better to increase my performance. Basically, it turned me into an "athlete", rather than a dieter.
ReplyDeleteI get asked, "What's your secret?" and "What kind of supplements do you use?" ALL THE TIME, and frankly, it pisses me off. THERE IS NO SECRET. To quote Dolvett, hard work and dedication!
ReplyDeleteI don't even take vitamins. I eat Real food, that I cooked at home. There's the "secret"-- cook your own food, and you'll probably "magically" cut hundreds of calories without trying!
I watched my mom try a couple different diet plans, and eventually she learned it's not about following a strict diet plan, it's about getting up and getting active. She still has work to do, but she's honest with herself about it, and she knows there is no pill/shake/fad plan that will make it easier.
And come on, people, look at all the crap in those shakes and pre-packeaged diet meals- do you really think all those chemicals are good for you?
Real Food. Exercise. Moderation in all things. Oops, I spilled my secret! :)
Shake diets. Ugh. I've never really gotten them. If people make it sound too easy, it is. You can't just drink a chemical-filled shake and expect to make lasting changes and erase poor habits. It takes work, knowledge and dedication. Oh, and real food and exercise.
ReplyDeleteI never tried any of the shakes but I tried Atkins and the Grapefruit diet. Neither worked because I didn't work it. Because they weren't lifestyle changes. But people want to hear that I lost the weight via xx diet and not eating smarter and moving more.
I am so with you on the shake thing! It drives me crazy that I see so many people convinced that the Shakeology or Body by Vi shakes are the reasons they are losing weight. Anytime you are pouring powder from a packet and calling it a meal, there is a situation. Chuck the shakes and eat the real stuff that the packet is supposed to contain! Argh.
ReplyDeleteYes! It all drives me crazy. Right now I think all the people going gluten free for the wrong reasons..to lose weight..would be my number one. It really is simple, people!
ReplyDeleteThose kinds of diets drive me nuts! Just learn how to eat healthy and move your body and you will be not only lighter but healthier!! My mother-in-law, who is already very thin, has gone on the ideal protein diet...prepackaged meals and shakes. UGH!!! Just eat normal everyday foods that are healthy and clean!!!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE THIS POST.
ReplyDeleteI agree - it's great that it helps you lose weight, if that's what you want, but none of these "diets" help you learn the principals to being healthy.
I eat fairly healthy, but over 5 years as a stay at home mum I put on about 5-6 kilos. I was happy enough with that, but once I started running it literally fell off - which really shows what a difference exercise makes!
ReplyDeleteI hate any kind of diet and I hate it when I hear people say they are on a diet. Ugh! The worst I have heard about is the pregnancy hormone one. I think it's called HCG or something. Really? Shots and 500 calories a day. Who wants to live like that? Crazy! Great post Christy:) I also hate it when thin ladies say "Ugh, I never exercise" , like it's a disease or something. Well, tell me how you feel when you are 65 and your muscles have shriveled up and you have osteoporosis.
ReplyDeleteI think the low card and shake diets are the worst, I've also heard of some other form of liquid diet and I wonder how people think these will ever work? You are depriving your body of needed nutrients and will only come back when you stop.
ReplyDeleteI hate the fad diets. HATE. As I've lost more and more weight, people have all these crazy suggestions all the sudden. (Because what I've been doing to lose weight clearly isn't working! Hello?! 60 pounds down, dummies!) Anywho, I should apparently drink nothing but shakes, or go on the egg diet, or the cookie diet, or try out the eat nothing except pencil shavings diet. Because they work. Obviously. Stupids... Makes me crazy. Just eat HEALTHY. Cut the processed crap. Eat from the Earth. Very simple.
ReplyDeleteSarah
www.thinfluenced.com
I feel like anything that cuts out entire food groups is not going to work long term. Everything in moderation works best, I think.
ReplyDeleteUgh yes I agree with you...not cool. I need real, solid food too...a shake just won't cut it for me! Like others have said, everything in moderation!
ReplyDeleteUmmm, right now I'm going to go with Whole30 as the fad diet I most hate! Oh, I forgot, that's not a diet, it's a program, or something. Because cutting out like 5 major food groups (alcohol and sugar are food groups, BTW) is totally not a diet.
ReplyDeleteI binge ate stuffed crust pizza this weekend. No regrets.
If I could exercise my way thin, I WOULD! I'm at that point that I can't deny that nutrition is where it's at...and yeah, shakes should only come in the form of a chocolate milkshake after a 10 mile run.
ReplyDeleteA hundred years ago, I once fasted for 12 days. I lost 20 pounds. And immediately gained back 25. Imagine how good that was for me!
ReplyDeleteI work hard at keeping my weight stable too and sometimes it is harder than others, but I workout cause I LOVE to do it.
I need to chew food - no shakes for me. I don't even really do smoothies.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend recently do the Rasberry Ketone thing. She lost like 15 pounds in 3 weeks and has gained it all back and more now. Those kinds of things just mess with your whole system.