To think low calorie diets don't work

[Ieatcake]

Otherwise weight watchers and slimming world wouldn't make much money. It seems to be a cycle of restrictive diet for a few weeks, some weight lost (maybe just mussels) then go back to normal eating and it all comes back and more.

I know for some it will work, but 90% seems to just be setting up for failure

But you really can eat anything you like in small portions, for some people they can stop after 3 Pringles or whatever. No such thing as a ‘bad’ food

I am sure some people don’t have a food cut off point or find they are not able to stop but some people do have the kind of willpower where they can stop.

Also I don’t think ww or slimming world are in any way considered as restrictive very low cal diets.

The eat less calories, works for the majority not the minority.

So sad for those who don't know how to lose weight despite trying.

I heard the best way is to stand on the scales every morning. If you want the scales to go down you need to make sure the food and drink that goes into you is less than what you measure.

Allow half a stone variation for hormone fluctuations/bowel contents/cup of tea etc.

So it is very simple really. Avoid anything made in a factory. Make veg the most important things you eat in any form.

Small amounts of protein whether it is fish, lean meat or pulses.

Do a free 5 minute youtube video of HIIT exercises before you go to bed and when you wake up.

Guaranteed to work.

Short term diets do work. But the vast majority of people then revert to old habits and of course the weight goes straight back on. Two of my good friends do slimming world. Have done for 3 years. And their weight goes up and down. They haven't yet managed to find a healthy lifestyle, only a quick fix.

The diet industry is manipulative and disingenuous a lot of the time.

diets that need repeating have failed. A diet that works 'every time' is a diet that didn't work.

it is an excellent business model.

I kind of agree, OP. I think counting calories can work, but only in the long term if the person eats good, non-processed food (at least for the majority of the time). The problem with WW and SW can be that they often focus on calories to the detriment of nutrition.

Sure, you can lose a lot of weight eating WW ready meals and low calorie yoghurts and crisps, as long as you keep to your points/calories/whatever, but long term you are going to react to that. You simply aren't getting the right nutritional value to feel properly satiated.

Calorie counting can work if you're eating good homemade meals, including lots of veg, as part of a balanced diet. Diet and low fat products are counter productive as they don't fulfil nutritional needs and don't fill you up! People who do tend to succeed long term on things like WW and SW learn to eat a balanced, non-processed diet in decent but controlled portions. That's much easier to maintain as a lifestyle (rather than a temporary diet) when maintaining goal weight.

they're more or less the only kind of diet that does work. that's not to say that they're in any way easy though [they're not].

To my mind WW and SW are low calories diets wrapped up in a different form - rather than counting calories you count points, syns etc but ultimately you’ll be eating less calories or eating “better” calories than before.

Reduced calorie diets (not low) that are monitored through MFP (you don’t have to use their calorie recommendations) are arguably the only ones that do work. You should watch the Tom Kerridge weight loss programme - it’s effectively what I’ve been doing for gradual weight loss - 1800 cals per day, 10k steps per dat plus gym, and eat more veg.

I can’t speak for ww as I have never done it but SW when done properly is very much about creating a lifestyle change to a way of eating for life but of course only one person can control control what you eat and that’s uourself and if your not in a place to make changes and stick to them then it will fail.

I have lost 7 stone, the last 4 with SW. I have only ever joined SW once because I was in a place to make it work for me (and I never eat mug shots, muller light or anything like that!)

They work if you can stick to them. People wouldn't get fat & return to being fat after weight loss, if it was easy to stick to moderate/low calorie intake. So obviously, in isolation, they don't work for most people.

I kind of think YANBU.

Of course low calorie diets work. If you create a calorie deficit you will lose weight (barring a few medical conditions and medications).
You gave the reason why in your opening post. then go back to normal eating. If 'normal' eating creates a calorie surplus then you will regain the weight. If 'normal' eating entails eating the correct number of calories for your new weight then you will maintain the correct weight.
Don't slimming world and weightwatchers have maintanence programmes? It isn't their fault if people don't use them.

Slimming world do yes and free membership for life for target members as long as they stay within 3lb either side of their target weight

Oh look. It would appear that both slimming world and weightwatchers offer free membership/sessions to successful members who manage to maintain their weight loss
www.slimmingworld.co.uk/health/how-sw-works/maintain-weight-loss.aspx
www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=570

WW worked for me when I followed the program I lost about 3 stone, then gradually overtime put some of it back on mainly due to my disability, MyFitnessPal also worked for me when I stuck to it, but again when I went back to old eating habits, and too big portions, the weight came back.

Long term dieting isn’t an answer, it has to be a lifestyle change and hopeful this time round i will achieve it and more importantly stick to the changes I’ve made, it isn’t easy losing weight and a huge amount of willpower is required (for me at least as due to my disability I’m restricted in what acitity I can do and my meds don’t help either) but it can be done, even small changes make a big difference

The problem is, at least when I was on WW, there was no focus on maintenance during the losing weight part - i.e. changing habits while losing weight that will make maintenance more manageable. Most people won't fill up on zero points soup and muller lights and count points forever and ever - and the business model is built on repeat dieters who fail to maintain and go back to them again. Even if they manage to reach "gold" and don't have to pay membership, they are still potential customers of WW/SW products.

But then your not looking at whether a low calorie diet works. It does

Your looking at the reason you are not the weight you want to be in the first place and why you don't keep doing what you need to to keep the weight off.

Those can be way more complex and difficult to deal with than the diet itself.

SW does focus on change in life style, food optimising is for life not just for Xmas. Once at target you can go to class for free as long as you stay within 3lb either side of your target. There are quite a few target members and the ones that keep coming to class maintain best.

Maintenance is hard, it's a different mindset, gradually adding in small amounts of healthy food to learn where your tipping point is to putting weight on. For me I can have about 300 extra calories and maintain, but prefer to take this as healthier foods such as nuts, seeds, things with fibre rather than sugary food. It doesn't suit me.

I understand people struggle with the different syn values for food but it is relatively simple, 20cals is the equivalent to a syn. A curly whirly has fewer calories than avocado. It doesn't mean I don't eat the avocado, the syns just help you to learn about appropriate portion sizes. No more than 300 calls per day of food that is higher calorie dense as these don't fill you up as much as lower calorie dense food or proteins.

I've been so target for over a year, starting from being obese, and now a 10-12. SW does work, if you do it right