fad diets & weight loss gimmicks: do you jump on the bandwagon?

[mini-natty]

I grew up in a household that was no stranger to fad diets and gimmicks. My mother was on EVERY fad diet imaginable: Atkins, Nutri-System, Weight Watchers, The Grapefruit Diet, you name it, she tried it. The same with fitness gimmicks: Suzan Somers famous Thigh Master, EMS (electronic muscle stimulation), cellulite creams, lotions & potions, products that promised results in only 15min/day. My house was an "as-seen-on-tv" test station.

During the years, I have seen my mother struggle with her weight. She went from size 2 to 20 in the course of 32 years. Today, she is still battling weight issues, but not just physical, psychological too. She refuses to exercise and has no idea on how to eat healthfully and mindfully. In my quest to try and help and motivate her, I have to question if all the years of yo-yo fad dieting and fancy gimmicks perhaps ruined her chances of achieving a healthy body/mind.

So who here has jumped on the fad diet & gimmicks bandwagon? Who has had positive results? Who agrees that short term success might end up leading to long-term failure?

 

[Fit_mommy]

I have to say that after years of not believing in/wanting to try Weight Watchers that I finally gave it a shot back in April and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made! I do my best to eat healthy and clean already but despite that, attempts at calorie/macro counting and crazy amounts of exercise, I was unsuccessful at losing some weight I had gained over the past couple of years. A close friend/fellow Cathlete was on WW and after a few months of listening to her rave about the program and her success on it I decided to try it. Well after the first 2 weeks I was hooked! The program is so easy to utilize and the principals of healthy/clean eating can easily be applied to it. It's very different from the WW of years ago when calories were it's only concern. The new program encourages a healthier diet with the way it's set up now. I just love it! I've been on the maintenance program for several weeks now after losing all of the weight I had originally intended PLUS some and fully intend to stick with it for a long long time. It truly works for me better then anything I have ever tried. In addition to the weight loss, my bf% has taken a nice little nose dive too so I know I was losing body fat and not muscle mass while following the program. I am exactly where I want to be...lean, muscular, healthy, fit and strong!

 

[fit44]

I guess it depends on what you consider a fad diet.
I've flipped the food pyramid upside down. I no longer include grains as part of my daily diet. The bulk of my diet is whole fruits and veggies. I feel 100x's better. No more counting calories or restricting to the point I walk around starving, feeling like I could eat a cow. I eat when I'm hungry, and until I feel satisfied.
I do not miss it...not one bit!
And after reading the book, "Wheat Belly" I look at bread a completely different way.
http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-L...1543/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323124742&sr=8-1

I eat grain occasionally as a cheat, but it is no longer a part of my daily diet.

 

[JodelleFitzh20]

I myself have done lots of fad dieting over the years, and until about 7 years ago when I started researching nutrition and personal training I had tried lots of things. But I heard something that stuck with me about dieting and maybe it would help your mom, mini natty - "going ON a diet, means you'll eventually being going "OFF" a diet, so why not just find a way to eat what's healthy for your body."
That's how I work with my clients. I find something that resonates with them and includes the foods they already like, rather than staking claim to one diet or another. Rather, than being ON and OFF again, we can healthfully find a way to stay ON track with our eating that doesn't feel like deprivation and yet also feeds our bodies with nutrients we can utilize to not only be fit, but stave off cancer and other illness too.
I love what fit44 said about flipping the food pyramid too - brilliant. Big thumbs up to that one!

 

[cakebaker]

Right On!!!

"Going ON a diet, means you'll eventually being going "OFF" a diet, so why not just find a way to eat what's healthy for your body."


I like that!!!!! I think that's precisely why people who diet shop do what they do - they lose weight & get back to their old habits, intentionally or not.

 

[Stephanie0523]

I no longer include grains as part of my daily diet. The bulk of my diet is whole fruits and veggies.

Do you eat rice and quinoa or anything like that? Or do you just avoid wheat and other grains? Was it hard at first? You said you eat mainly fruits and veggies. Are you a vegetarian? (I'm a mostly vegetarian/pescavore.) I am in awe of anyone who can give up grains. I think I would go into major withdrawals!

 

[PhyllisG]

Over 12 years ago I gained weight due to a lot of stress in my life. I did the Atkins diet and the weight just melted off. I have never gained it back. That has been my only experience with dieting. I eat grains now but quinoa (which actually is a seed?), rice and sprouted grain breads and buckwheat pasta. What I have found makes the most difference is sugar. Once I stopped putting sugar in tea (just 1/4 teaspoon) my sweet cravings disappeared and so did my nightly snacking which was my biggest issue.

 

[fit44]

Do you eat rice and quinoa or anything like that? Or do you just avoid wheat and other grains? Was it hard at first? You said you eat mainly fruits and veggies. Are you a vegetarian? (I'm a mostly vegetarian/pescavore.) I am in awe of anyone who can give up grains. I think I would go into major withdrawals!

No rice, yes to quinoa and oats (although rarely because I fill up on fruits & veggies). I haven't reached for oatmeal in a very long time. I think I can remember eating one bowl in the last 8 months. I love sweet potatoes! I'm not a vegetarian, I eat meat, fish & eggs.

It was difficult to give it up the first few weeks, but once I got past the cravings it was easy..
I love how my body comp is changing, but more important....how I feel. No more cravings, starving to death, energy & mood swings are all gone. It's been 8 months since I changed my diet. My husband has become so lean and cut....I haven't seen him look like this since we were 18 years old.

This has become a way of life and I don't miss the processed carbs at all. They made me feel horrible. I can't go back to the way I was feeling. I couldn't control my cravings, I was tired all the time, and I had low grade depression.
The only negative is- it's a pain making 2-3 trips to the grocery store for fresh produce.

 

[Peer Tree]

Fit44 - I'm interested to know more......

Are you guided by any particular book or website I can check out?

cheers Rosemarie

 

[FiddleFit]

Fit44, I would also love to know about your resources and support for changing your eating. Do you consider yourself a Paleo eater? I've been flirting with that way of eating for a while, but haven't fully committed. I'm currently reading "Deep Nutrition" by Catherine Shanahan. Have you read that?

Cheers,

 

[fit44]

My eating style is not from any one particular book. My diet is close to Paleo and Primal eating, but not exactly. I eat some dairy and legumes.
My food choices are from "150 Healthiest Foods on Earth" by Johnny Bowden.http://www.amazon.com/150-Healthies...Q68Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323619772&sr=8-1

I have known for a very long time that my body does not like processed grains. I am truly enjoying the food I'm eating now and feel so much better. The weight loss is only one positive side effect.