Do diets work in the long run?

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meena1

New member
Hi there,
I had always been pretty fit, but recently due to work etc have been too inactive and started to put on weight. Not long ago I was told by my doctor that I will develop diabetes unless I lose weight. The trouble is, I don't know anything about diets and would rather exercise more ( I am also a bit suspicious about diet programs; I've heard they are only good as long as you stick to them and as soon as you stop, you gain the weight back)...So, I am a bit unsure what to do first. I love doing weights and perhaps boxercise etc, but would it be enough? Any suggestions from more experienced members?
 
meena said:
Hi there,
I had always been pretty fit, but recently due to work etc have been too inactive and started to put on weight. Not long ago I was told by my doctor that I will develop diabetes unless I lose weight. The trouble is, I don't know anything about diets and would rather exercise more ( I am also a bit suspicious about diet programs; I've heard they are only good as long as you stick to them and as soon as you stop, you gain the weight back)...So, I am a bit unsure what to do first. I love doing weights and perhaps boxercise etc, but would it be enough? Any suggestions from more experienced members?
Click to expand...

Most people will have to restrict their calories to lose weight. It just takes too much exercise to make a serious impact unless you are very active. If your doctor has told you that you will develop diabetes, you are probably eating much more than would be practical to burn up by exercise.

The only way to really tell is to count your calories for a few days. There are various places on the internet you can go to find out how many calories you need to eat in order to maintain your current weight. Cut that by 10 percent or so, and that's how many calories you need to eat in order to lose at a healthy rate. You can also look up the calories burned by exercise. Do the math.

Here is one place you can go to do this.

It is true that diets only work if you stick to them. I have been on a diet for almost a year, and have every intention of continuing. You can either do it or get sick and die. It's your choice.
 
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In simple terms, extra calories equals extra weight. Exercise certainly helps but you can only do so much. So if your calorie intake exceeds your burn rate, the pounds will pack on. That is why it is recommended to combine an exercise program with a healthy low calorie diet. So for best results, you really need to watch your food choices.
 
I like fitday.com joined (free) up there a week ago, helps me see cals out cals in, caloric balance (for weight loss or gain), as each day i track my food, exercise, weight.
 
Dont think of things as going on a diet - but of adopting a new healthy lifestyle which involves eating healthily and doing a reasonable level of activity.

If you need to lose weight (and it sounds like that is currently the case) then you want your calories to be in deficit. Calculate it as the others have suggested. I favour fitday - which can also be used to check the levels of your different nutrients to ensure that you are getting enough protein, fibre, calcium, healthy fats etc. Read the nutrition section and set targets for yourself regarding all these nutrients.

You continue to eat healthily once you attain your goal weight - simply with your calorie levels set to no longer be in deficit.

You thus avoid the problems which you mention about dieting as such. There is no end point where you regain because you have stopped being careful...

You want to permanently adopt a greater level of exercise too. The National Weight Control Registry have the largest ever study into successful maintenance after losing more than 30 pounds... They say that 90% of their successful maintainers exercise for at least an hour a day. If you want to have 9 chances out of 10 at retaining that slimmer figure - you need to think in terms of exercising for an hour a day in order to stay the same weight... For me this fact alone puts into perspective the fact that a reasonable level of weight loss is very unlikely by using exercise alone. Exercise can certainly help weight loss which also involves healthy eating, and exercise can also improve your muscle tone so that you look better at the same weight. You really want to do both exercise and nutrition.

Good luck.
 
I'm with Omega on this. Many people think of the word "diet" and assume that means some highly-restrictive program that they won't be able to maintain for the rest of your lives. I have re-defined what "diet" for me means, and now it just means "the food in which fuels my body". I used to have a bad diet, and now my diet is slowly getting better.

It is about making gradual changes that you can stick with forever. If you're on the path to diabetes (I was well on my was as well) then I would suggest making sure you're getting enough fiber and protein. The protein with satiate you and give you a satisfied feeling longer, and the fiber will help keep your blood sugar levels from spiking and dropping, instead you'll have a more even level that goes up and down more gradually.

What you eat really is the majority of the battle for weight loss. I used to think that as long as I exercised I could eat whatever I wanted and still lose weight. The fact is that even on a REALLY good strenuous workout, I've maybe burned 500 calories. Which means that there is a lot of room to screw that up with what I eat. I can eat 500 calories, EASY by choosing one food, and then I've completely negated my work.

Fitday.com is an amazing tool in helping you understand nutrition and calories in vs. calories out.

I also suggest the sticky posts in the nutrition threads, and there is also a lot of information that you can find out from people's journals.
 
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