To think that people who say diets don’t work aren’t really trying

[amijumping]

I’ve lost a stone since having A baby got another stone to loose. It’s Been fucking hard I felt hungry for my usual snacks and rubbish for ages and still do but I’ve had to really get the willpower out to actually loose some weight. At first I tried to just easy a hit healthier but soon realised it wasn’t working as I wasn’t actually reducing my calories. Science states time and a time again it’s calories in vs calories out I’ve managed too lose weight slowly and sensibly by tracking everything that passes my mouth it’s hard it’s boring sometimes not fun but it’s the only way it’s worked. Otherwise I’ll think I’m being healthy and low calorie but things seriously add up that extra bit of mayonnaise extra slice of toast eyeballing butter in mash for example all adds up. Surely if people have been actively eating less calories than they need they would loose weight

There’s a lot of outdated and disproved science on this thread. The set point theory was based on a very small study in rats and it’s not known whether there is a set point in humans and what the purpose of that would be.

3500 calories deficit to lose a pound is a very rough rule of thumb based on a misconception about fat and the number of calories it takes to burn. It’s not as literal as people think.

People repeat that diets don’t work and that 95% of people regain the weight. What on earth are you then supposed to do? Just accept obesity and give up?

Weight loss is much slower than people expect and willpower and adherence to calorie deficit becomes poor over time and people stop losing weight or regaining. If you can accept that losing 100g of weight a week for three years is what it takes and is sustainable maybe people would have more luck?

Exercise and activity levels make little difference to losing weight, but research suggests that it may be the key to maintaining weight loss.

I’ve lost 5st 7 on Mounjaro and I’m terrified to come off. I spend lot of time researching and reading because of the fear. For now I’m staying on and will do for a good while to try and cement the eating habits and get used to eating the way I’ll have to for life.

@FurForksSake , People repeat that diets don’t work and that 95% of people regain the weight. What on earth are you then supposed to do? Just accept obesity and give up?
No, you lose the excess weight using a calorie-reduced diet AND change your mindset and eating habits.

Naturally slim people tend to not be that bothered about food.
They don't have 'food noise'.
Diets don't work because IMO it says 'You are not allowed to eat this, that and the other'. Food, or deprivation, becomes the focus.

You're doing great with your weight loss, andyou won't necessarily put it back on when you stop your weight loss regime.

Come back when you're menopausal and see if you feel the same...
I eat like a distracted toddler but still struggle. It used to be easy for me to lose weight and I was probably a bit smug too. Trust me, it gets harder.

Why do MNers blame their hormones for just about everything?

Sorry, I don't understand your comment.

I’m with you on this OP. Eat less, exercise more. It’s all those little bits - sloshing a bit of cooking oil in, a bit too much ice cream etc, all add up to an astonishing amount. Boring eating always wins

@FurForksSake actually the set point theory hasn’t been disproved at all. It is a theory relating to why when patients lose weight significant amounts of weight, they cannot keep it off long term and eventual regain is inevitable. We don’t tell patients to just “accept obesity” but we have to be honest that dieting simply doesn’t work long term and it is the reason why all NHS weight loss services focus on changing eating behaviour rather than calorie restriction. If that doesn’t work, then pharmacotherapy and surgery are other options.

Well done on your weight loss journey. Mounjaro is a great drug

@CeciliaDuckiePond I’m the worst for eating my baby’s leftovers and picking at bits I was grating cheese yesterday and just ate a handful. That’s like a 150ish calories of nothing wasn’t filling either. In a past life I wouldn’t of even considered the calories of the bits I had picked at.

Wouldn’t HAVE.

Oh and have a sticker for being a super excellent human.

Haha fucking hell you’re in for a shock when you get to menopause 🤣

It's not complicated. Eat less, move more. Create a calorie deficit and you'll lose weight. Yes, it has to be a lifestyle change to keep it off long term, but it's not rocket science!

Interestingly the anxiety that came with the old peri-meno meant I lost 2 stone without even trying. I have no appetite for food any more. I can only bear to eat once a day and when that isn't a lot because I get full up so quickly. It's not a given that women suddenly get fat when they hit their 40s!

It’s like saying a drug addict can just stop taking drugs. Some can, but for the majority, a whole package of support is required.
YABU.

Sure but it’s selfish, it’s about you, your health and/or vanity. Great but by choosing to spend time and energy on this, you’re choosing not to spend it on other things that might be more beneficial to the world
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And nobody needs to hear about it. It would be like me starting a thread saying well why doesn’t everyone run marathons, it just takes training and dedication and willpower l, all true and marvellous for your health too but it’s a personal hobby. If I want to have that type of rant I’d do it with fellow runners.

Also dieting may be great for your health (or it may not, the evidence is out) but often it precludes other important habits which the evidence supports eg family meals eating the same as your children most days, eating food you enjoy which we know will improve nutrient absorption, many dieters are not competent eaters and don’t raise children who are competent eaters and yet competent eating is more important for long term health than weight.

I think people don’t realise how little they have to eat and how much hunger they will have to push past to lose the weight. It’s a hard thing to accept.

I agree this is the crux of the issue. Losing weight, or simply maintaining a low-ish weight, is really hard. And for most people it involves feeling very hungry a lot of the time.

And I think this is the issue we’re now seeing with the weight loss injections. People are managing to lose weight as their hunger signals are turned off, or drastically reduced. But when they come off the drugs the weight is going back on as they simply haven’t accepted that they need to spend a lot of time feeling hungry to maintain their new weight.

Op is saying people need to eat less calories to loose weight, you say she is incorrect because some people have to eat a lot less than others to lose weight… so they have to eat less calories which is what Op said.

No, like all bad habits, change has to be a lifelong lifestyle adjustment to keep the momentum going.

Once you fall off the wagon, it's hard to get back on.

I agree OP. It’s so hard to get yourself into the right headspace and it is so hard to stick to it but it really is as simple as calories in/calories out and stick to it, even when you don’t want to.

People will tie themselves in knots trying to explain how diets don’t work for them and how if they eat too little they don’t lose but it’s just not true.

I’m having a fairly successful time losing weight at the moment. Very slowly but very sustainably and I know that if I fall off the wagon I really will struggle to get back to it.

Well yes, but currently there's no bigger crime than to say 'want to lose weight? Eat less'...

But that is absolutely the point. We can all make excuses.

Not just will power, either. Some of us could be super slim/eat "perfectly" and skip to the gym daily-and then something happens, and we pile on weight.
The woman who had operation after operation for a few different things, and couldn't exercise, and even with a diet has piled on 40kg.
The main who had a brain tumour who has piled on 5 stone since I saw him 2 years ago.
The woman who has had cancer, and is still on a lot of medication.
The aerobics instructor, who has put on 2 stone since menopause, despite being able to eat well (as in, she has enough money and knowledge to cook and eat well) and teaching/training every day.
That's just some of the many people who have perfect "will power" and know what they should be eating. It doesn't even mention the fact that it's harder to eat well these days-so many UPFs available, and it can be difficult and expensive to eat as people might like to.

But you and OP have both said to lose weight you need to eat less lol. There’s no crime in that it’s facts

Better to be silent & thought a fool than to speak up and remove all doubt.

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Were you slim prior to pregnancy OP? If so I’m guessing you don’t have to try too hard to get back to pre pregnancy weight than say someone who easily piles on the pounds and yes your post is goady