Comments on Cranky Fitness: Ditching your Diet?

Of course…. I too want to get rid of extra weight....

2008-10-15T05:56:00.000-04:00

Of course…. I too want to get rid of extra weight. But it will be a healthy weight loss on the advice of expert.

Great Information! I think that a lot of people do...

2008-10-13T17:09:00.000-04:00

Great Information! I think that a lot of people do give up on diets because they hear about all of these weight loss miracles that are unrealistic. People go on a diet then they hear an add that so and so lost 5 ponds in 3 days with a different diet and all of a sudden they feel discouraged and they stop what they are doing. People need to realize that weight loss takes time, and although there may be supplemets out there that really do help with shedding some pounds, they will not completely replace a healthy diet and regular excercise.

There is a dangerous assumption that you are eith...

2008-10-13T12:51:00.000-04:00

There is a dangerous assumption that you are either "on a diet" ie eating zero net carbs or nothing but brown rice or doing the cabbage soup diet (to use only some that friends of mine have adopted) or "off the diet" and inhaling everything in sight. Whereas you in fact always have a "diet". The question is, is it unhealthy or healthy, balanced or unbalanced?
In a similar vein I hate the modern use of "detox" which I seem to recall used to imply temporarily giving up the more "toxic" elements of the diet like alcohol, red meat and sugar in favour of more water and fruit and vegetables, and now seems to require some form of special tea, seaweed, juice or other supplements. The new version is more complicated and much more expensive!

I think there is a fair element of semantics in th...

2008-10-11T13:56:00.000-04:00

I think there is a fair element of semantics in this, but then again I've noticed a change in the dietetic profession over the last couple of years. Weight loss advice has become all about helping people to take up healthy eating habits, and not a "diet" as such. But to be honest the dietary changes we suggest aren't that different to those you'd expect for a normal 'eat less calories, lose weight' kinda diet. I guess the big change is in the more relaxed approach; as lots of the people who have commented before me have said, it's when people stop being on a "diet" and cut themselves a bit of slack that they find a way of eating that they can stick to (and finally reach a healthy weight, yay!). But this is really what dietitians/nutritionists have been saying for ages - there's no point commiting yourself to something so strict and scary that there's no way you can actually stick to it

I'd probably say I'm not on a diet because I think...

2008-10-10T11:12:00.000-04:00

I'd probably say I'm not on a diet because I think of diets as short term rather than a permanent healthy pattern of eating.

"Diet" is a dirty word these days. Over the past y...

2008-10-10T10:51:00.000-04:00

"Diet" is a dirty word these days.

Over the past year I've gained an enormous amount of knowledge about nutrition and fitness and I am healthier than I've been in my entire life due to the changes I've implemented. I am proud of this and I will chit chat with people about my running and newfound love of vegetables and things like that. But if they start to ask *specific* questions, I start to feel uncomfortable.

I've lost 100 pounds. I've been counting calories. There, I've said it. It's embarrassing! It's the most uncool thing there is. People think you're anorexic, obsessive, or just plain crazy.

You know what? It worked for me and I feel relatively sane (at least as sane as I was before all this). I look at the counting I'm doing now as Training Wheels. I will take them off and learn Intuitive Eating. I am all about Positive Eating and eating for pleasure.

But if someone asked me if I was on a diet, I'd probably say no. I don't want to be judged.

I think a lot of people are still on diets. The po...

2008-10-09T23:20:00.000-04:00

I think a lot of people are still on diets. The popularity of weight loss books and Magazines can testify to that.

People might say they are not on a diet out of embarrassment or just call it "watching what I eat"

Instead of being on a diet I prefer to think of it as being on top of my diet :)

I think everybody who needs to be dieting has a go...

2008-10-09T18:34:00.000-04:00

I think everybody who needs to be dieting has a good excuse as to why they aren't. When I was overweight, I was very unhappy with my size but I kept saying "tomorrow I'll start my diet". I always had a reason or excuse. But I broke that habit and lost 70 lbs. I won't ever get into that rut that I have to drag myself out of.

I love thinking about how small changes in wording...

2008-10-09T13:48:00.000-04:00

I love thinking about how small changes in wording can create big changes in our psyches, so I love these articles and links! I think I'll start telling myself I'm not "on a diet" but instead trying to embrace "positive eating" and see if that makes me feel a bit more content with myself

I think the crap economy is going to be good for t...

2008-10-09T07:55:00.000-04:00

I think the crap economy is going to be good for the fast food places and bad for the diets.

As much as I'd like to believe this heralds a shif...

2008-10-09T03:53:00.000-04:00

As much as I'd like to believe this heralds a shift in our cultures obsession with thin=good, better, best .... I think it's much more likely there's just not a big "MIRACLE DIET" buzz right now. It's also probably a question of semantics as others have said--"diet" is such a highly-charged word that everyone has a different definition.

Basically, I think there are just as many people out there punishing themselves for being "fat", just as many people out there damaging their metabolisms, and just as many people with no idea what is and isn't truly healthy. Beyond "thin", of course.

I can't say I'm on a diet because then I get all w...

2008-10-08T21:22:00.000-04:00

I can't say I'm on a diet because then I get all weird about it. And because of my history, I don't do well with restriction. So I focus on adding good stuff and lots of exercise, which lowers the stress eating and kinda just crowds out the bad stuff. Almost 20 pounds down so far! The behaviors are what matter for me -- not the specific magic foods or the miracle plan. I yo-yo dieted my way WAY up there. Never again.

I also think this is what works for me. We all need to find what works for us. Others who aren't neurotic about diets might be able to follow them just fine!

I am always on a diet. It just depends on whether...

2008-10-08T17:04:00.000-04:00

I am always on a diet. It just depends on whether it s a weight loss effort or a "see food" moment! Everyone else is lying, they are all on diets as well!!!

If people are ditching their diets for unhealthy f...

2008-10-08T16:02:00.000-04:00

If people are ditching their diets for unhealthy food? Not good. Positive, (mostly) healthy eating? A very good thing. I like to think I stick with the positive, healthy eating most of the time, but I could definitely do with more fresh fruits/veggies (not to mention more variety in general -- I eat a lot of the same stuff on a regular basis).

I'd say I'm on a diet as I have ten pounds I'm try...

2008-10-08T15:39:00.000-04:00

I'd say I'm on a diet as I have ten pounds I'm trying to shed. But it isn't a diet in a book or a program, it's my own personal watch-how-many-desserts-you're-eating and re-evaluate portion size diet. The word diet doesn't bother me.

As for less people on a diet? I'd like to see that poll re-taken at New Year's. It seems everyone I know joins some game called the Biggest Loser where they binge and then purge for money. And when the game is over, they gain all the weight back and then do it again next year.

Well, I am not dieting, I am trying to change bad ...

2008-10-08T15:26:00.000-04:00

Well, I am not dieting, I am trying to change bad habits and replace them with good habits. If that results in weight loss, great, if not, well, I will still be eating healthier.

Everyone looks at the word differently.Any diction...

2008-10-08T15:01:00.000-04:00

Everyone looks at the word differently.

Any dictionary will give you a few definitions before telling you diet means "eating sparingly," which puts it in a negative light.

I see diet as just habitual nourishment, nothing more. Whether it be chock full of fatty goodness, following Canada's Food Guide or reducing calories\fat\etc., it's still the the norms of what I eat.

Personally, I think "eating healthy" has become the new replacement for diet so that people don't take any crap for watching what they eat...but that's just my opinion.

I personally said, "Screw it, I give up." I'm con...

2008-10-08T14:54:00.000-04:00

I personally said, "Screw it, I give up." I'm concentrating on living well instead.

But hey, it's a moot point, because in the near future we will all be out of a job and starving and getting all our exercise standing in bread lines (woe to the carb counters). So no worries!!! HAHAHAHAHA. The end.

"Dieting" is bad all around (gaining back all fat ...

2008-10-08T14:11:00.000-04:00

"Dieting" is bad all around (gaining back all fat when you lost both fat and muscle, etc.), but I think it reflects more people not trying then eating better and not calling it a diet.

I do think we need to shift to just better eating - either through the intuitive diet stuff or through other eduction books/programs like Dr. Oz(love him)and Dr. Roizen's book. Denying yourself is bad, but never trying to be healthier isn't good either.

I've just started reading "Intuitive Eating" and a...

2008-10-08T12:50:00.000-04:00

I've just started reading "Intuitive Eating" and am loving that. I haven't 'dieted' for a while - although I would definitely consider my time on WW dieting - regardless of what they'd prefer I call it (anything that involved obsessive counting is a diet - not a lifestyle change).

I am trying to lose 15-20 pounds, but I wouldn't say I was on a diet.

Javachick, EXACTLY! I am always shocked to discov...

2008-10-08T12:46:00.000-04:00

Javachick, EXACTLY! I am always shocked to discover how little the average person really knows about basic nutrition and what they think is "healthy". Why do you think 100-calorie packs are so popular? People view them as healthy food.

As far as dieting goes, I've given it up. I lost 40 pounds with WW and began to freak when I gained a little bit of it back. Then I decided, "so what" - I will eat healthy and exercise regularly and everything will be fine. No more "dieting" for me.

I think it's verbiage, too. It's all about our pe...

2008-10-08T12:30:00.000-04:00

I think it's verbiage, too. It's all about our perspective on what we're doing. What is a diet, anyway?

I guess I could say I'm on a diet. I don't eat processed foods (or at least, I try very hard to avoid them). So because I'm restricting certain foods from my diet (ie. cheeseburgers and salt-filled packages of soups and trans-fatty cookies), does that mean that I am in fact "dieting"? If anyone asked me, I would not say that I am "on a diet".

It IS good that there's starting to be a bit of a movement toward slow food and all that... there's more awareness these days! Not sure if that's really stopping people from eating a load of crap, though:)

Dieting has never worked for me. I've said it befo...

2008-10-08T12:21:00.000-04:00

Dieting has never worked for me. I've said it before, but it's a four-letter word in my book. Eat healthy and workout consistently and never deprive yourself too much.

I'm glad people are dieting less, but I hope it's because people are eating more intuitively...not eating that burger regularly, like you pointed out...

I don't think its neccessary to diet or give up on...

2008-10-08T12:08:00.000-04:00

I don't think its neccessary to diet or give up on dieting either. Being aware of what passes our lips is probably the greatest way to determine where we can make positive lifestyle choices.

Although it happened slowly, once I got the lifest...

2008-10-08T11:33:00.000-04:00

Although it happened slowly, once I got the lifestyle thing down, I never thought about being on a diet again. I really like being healthy and fit, and it motivates me to keep with it.