Does Dieting = Misery?

I think some people are happy just eating whatever they want - my older brother eats at gourmet restaurants and has as much to eat as he wants, and although his blood pressure is high, he swears he wouldn't do it any other way.
However I think there is a middle ground between eating for today (whatever you want) and "dieting" restrictively. I think a lot of people go too far when they start to eat healthy, and cut out too many foods so they don't feel satisfied. Of course no one will be happy like that, which is why so many diets fail. I actually think the Biggest Loser diet is a bit restrictive from what I've seen of it on the show. People seem to think that they can't have small portions of more fattening food occasionally and so they just cut them out and feel deprived.
I struggle with this also - but I think it's important to incorporate foods you enjoy eating.

I have an addictive personality (I've had to give up gambling, smoking cigarettes and pot, and even shopping can get me into trouble). I know that my obsession with food stems from psychological issues rather than hunger, and I'm truly addicted to flour and sugar. Therefore, when I "diet" I know I have to stay away from those things. Next week I'm planning a "lifestyle change" (semantics I know, but whatever works is my motto!). I will start off eating smaller portions and completely avoiding flour and sugar. Once I feel I have the addiction under control I may reintroduce some of my trigger foods - or I may not. I'll keep you posted! I do know that low carb/high protein diets do not = misery for me. The food is satisfying and I have energy to spare.

I was super lucky. The diet that works for me and the diet I tend to eat naturally are pretty close. So I like my diet, but calorie restriction can be misery.

I think the key is not to continually "diet" per se, but to learn how to enjoy the foods you like (and want to eat) in moderation.

My personal example is my affinity for pizza. I used to sit down and eat an entire pizza. Obviously this packs on quite a few pounds. To lose it quickly, I would diet, not particulary enjoy what I was eating (God bless the salad, but its just not for me). I lost a lot of weight, but when I fell of the wagon, I hit the ground hard, if you know what I am saying.

When I was finally able to keep the weight off, and start to build muscle, was when I learned to eat healthy, how to make the healthy food taste better, AND enjoy the foods I liked in moderation. A slice or two of pizza instead of the whole thing can go a long way towards reducing overall calories and sanity.

For me the misery is in the exercising... my husband and I just walked to the store. It's slippery so extra muscles had to be used to keep our footing. When we got home I shovelled for 10 minutes. Now I'm sweaty and uncomfortable. I have to get used to sweat... ewww!

I know alot about this one I am telling you. I use to think that it did mean MISERY!!!! And yes they are supposed to be in capitals....I was a big yo yo dieter....I soon realised though that it was just because I was not fully focused and was choosing the wrong sort of diet plans. But 6 months ago I found ones that suited me...through a friend thankfully who had been on a certain diet cmbined with an exercise plan. It worked a treat....so all I can see if you want it bad enough you can loose weight but only think of a diet as a kick start the rest is a change of life including exercise!

Jess

The definition of DIET is so broad to me. My mind can go crazy trying to sort out what healthful foods I should eat, how many calories I should be taking in as to not gain weight, if I should cook "light", if I need to worry about full fat cheese being the devil, and the list goes on and on. The other side of that is, Diet is an overall lifestyle. People 200 years ago had a certain type of diet, that being what they ate just to function. Today it's been created into a phenomenon which has all of us second guessing what we put in our mouths. It's very absurd to me, and yet I feel suckered into it most of the time. We'd all be better off if this phenomenon didn't exist!

For dieting, think of us like wild animals.

Many Americans are under a thick fog of dust. During the last 100 years, heart disease went from nill to widespread. We ate in the past: Fruits, vegtables, whole grains, meats, eggs, milk, and other stuff. There were no french fries, though, pizza was there, only that the crust was whole grain. There were no refrigeraters, no microwaves, and no toaster ovens today.

Today, Americans has switched from fruits, vegtables, meats, and eggs to processed pizza, hamburgers, fraps and ice cream, as well as fried foods and sugary drinks.

As we know, we still have the DNA of our ancestors. Human culture has changed so fast, that are DNA makeup doesn't have enough time to cope with the fast change in pace. We actually consume 40 percent fat, 30 percent protein, and 30 percent carbohydrates. Today, we are consuming 35 percent fat, 10 to 15 percent protein, and 50 to 60 percent carbohydrates in the form of sugar. We are eating as much as 1,500 calories a day's worth of junk food. In other words, we may be consuming the same if not less amounts of protein, but we are consuming trans fats and refined carbohydrates.

The Zone diet, the south beach diet, and the atkins diet lately has been demonstrating that we are not eating enough protein.

But the latest craze is the vegetarian diet. I love to be vegetarian, but the matter is: you need all sorts of suppliments to make up the missing nutrients like DHA and EPA Omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, and the correct proportions of amino acids. Many vegetarians chose soy products such as soy milk, tofu, and soy cheese. Unfortunately, these products arn't healthy as they clame, and many people are allergic to it. Then they switch to other plant proteins such as rice and beans. But they are carb-laden and nuts contain a lot of fat and calories. They are also missing on animal-based nutrients such as vitamin D3, alpha caritones, and heme iron.

I know I love animals and I support Bob Barker's $300,000 pledge to put that elephant in the sanctuary. I am heart broken by that pig and the axe in Charlotte's web. Unfortunately, many vegetarians don't get enough B12 vitamins and long chain omega 3 fatty acids. In fact, vegetarians are more prone to iron-deficiency anemia, caused by not eating a moderate amount of red meat in the diet.

Basically, Americans should not focus on cutting back on junk food (pizzas, twinkies, shakes, etc), eliminating trans fats, refind carbs, and artificial sweeteners, and cutting back on added sugars. That's what Americans should do now.

What do you think people in your country should do James?

James, Can we replace red meat with some veg diet?

I would also like to know the answer of the question asked by Nidhi.

The "narrow road" alluded to in the above article can be found by the masses if they were to discover the right diet plan that helps people find it!
The Logic Diet is just that plan, and it's about to sweep the country in 2007.
This new plan not only converts your body as you lose weight, but it converts your MIND into that of a thin person's, and helps you maintain this for the rest of your life!
It allows for cheating and teahes you how to do this while still losing weight and maintaining your sanity.
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Two more diet 'axioms':
1) If it tastes good, it's bad for you!(Strawberries are one of several exceptions)
2) If your mother told you to eat it, it's good for you!
Follow these two rules and you are well on your way to dietary fitness! :-)

Well as far as I'm concerned the place we HAVE to start is with the MIND. When you have the right attitudes then eating and exercising are easy. But until you change your mind, I don't care what bloomin diet you go on - it'll land up being an excruciating experience with the inevitable backslide.

Dr.J said:
If it tastes good, it's bad for you![...]

That gives me a good laugh. An axiom doesn't mean much though. It doesn't have to be proven, it doesn't even have to be reasonable, true, or sensical. It's just an assumption from which you prove theorems along with rules of inference, like Modus Ponens.

Apart from all that though, I like the taste of raw kale and spinach. Always have, even as a child; so they must be bad for me :)

I'm on torn on this issue. I get the best result when I diet in the strict sense - counting calories, carbs, everything perfectly planned. I lowered my body fat a lot doing that. But I'm happier just eating healthy, without all that counting (I still measure out portions, but I don't add them up), even if for that my body fat has to remain 2% higher. So for me, dieting in the traditional sense does equal misery. But just eating what is good for me doesn't - I love fruit, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, etc.

Happy New Year to all! My husband just provided me with an ah-ha moment. I was discussing my decision to go back to the Scarsdale Diet (it was my favorite in the 1980's), mind you I still have NutriSystem in my cabinet,a membership to a gym and to Weight Watchers, neither of which I use. Also, on my bedside table is the book You On a Diet. My husband said that I should just be happy. If I exercise, great. If I lose weight, fine. Just be happy with who you are. I suddenly realized that I had been "dieting" for 34 years, and 17 of those were years when I didn't even need to lose weight. I do think that dieting = misery and I'm giving up misery for my new year's resolution! Here's to good health and loving who I am today!

Cathleen, that is a good resolution. That is where I am also. I exercise, eat healthy stuff, stay away from junk, and if I lose any more weight, great. If I don't, so be it. I don't even weigh myself anymore, so I just know if I've lost anything if I need to belt my pants.

I think changing from overconsumption to a healthy diet involves some inevitable pain because your body thinks it's a terrible idea to reduce your food consumption. It will punish you to persuade you to return to your previous habits.

However, I think many of the emotional pains of "dieting" are completely avoidable. You need to build in some slack so you can occasionally eat more without blowing the diet or being "off the diet."

For example, if you want to average 1800 calories per day, don't shoot for 1800 every day: then you have to be perfect every day just to meet your goal! Waking up every day knowing you have to be perfect is a miserable feeling. Instead, start every day aiming for 1600 calories. Then on days when you're feeling bad you can eat a bit extra without feeling ashamed of "blowing" your diet, because it's actually part of the plan! You _needed_ those extra calories to hit your goal :-) That really takes a lot of the misery and shame out of dieting.

David, I find that having to count the calories is the source of my misery, not the number I was shooting for. I have a very obsessive nature, and I can't "sort of do" stuff. I either log it down to every last teaspoon of it, or I don't do it. So I don't do it.

Jan, I guess it's better for you not to do it, then. Measuring and recording actually makes me feel better because I know my instincts and my memory are undependable when it comes to food. When I don't measure and record I have no idea what I've actually eaten, which is a very scary feeling. I'll probably be measuring and recording the rest of my life, just like I'll always be wearing my glasses. Fortunately I'm pretty comfortable estimating as long as I can ensure my estimates aren't systematically biased toward wishful thinking -- I make exact measurements often enough to keep me honest, and I always add a penalty when I guess.

I'm a big calorie counter, but I always round up. I also make a point not to subtract calories I burn through exercise because that is usually pretty inaccurate. I find calorie counting to be kind of fun, actually. And I like knowing whether or not I have room to break my limit from one day to the next, and if one day I under eat, that means the next day I can go out to eat. I think keeping track of calories consumed would easily drive some people crazy, but for me, it means a lot less stress. It's also a nearly fool proof form of "dieting" that, based on numbers, is sure to provide results, that is, if you know how many calories you should be consuming to meet your daily needs.

I still measure and weigh food to portion it out, I just don't log my calorie intake. I think measuring is helpful even from a home ec point of view. I like to know that when I buy a pack of pasta (supposed to be 5 portions) that I'll have exactly 7 portions, so I can plan the food shopping.

But I think it also helps that I was never really a big eater. I just ate the wrong types of food, but I didn't really eat more than I eat now.

Jan - I am equally obsessive about the measurements, points, fat or caloric content, etc. If I do not stick to the plan exactly, then I give up completely. That is why my New Year's resolution not to diet is great. I am enhoying life without the restrictions and the constant failure to succeed with a diet. I can feel the improvement in my self-esteem already and a calm that I haven't felt in years. Now that I am not on a diet and don't see a future of deprivation in front of me, I find myself not eating when I'm not hungry, ordering smaller portions and shopping for healthier foods. It seems crazy, but without the constant obsession about my weight, I may actually get into better shape!

Cathleen, I'm experiencing the same thing. I don't have cravings for unhealthy stuff anymore. I was able in the past to not give in to my cravings, but they were there, driving me crazy slowly. Now they just aren't there.

A healthy lifestyle is essential to enjoy life. At least that's my experience.

I lost 95 pounds a few years ago. Before I lost the weight, I felt terrible - back aches, leg aches, difficulty breathing, trouble moving around, and I felt about 90 years old. I had trouble bending to put on my shoes. My clothes fit horribly. I was NOT enjoying life.

Now that I've lost the weight, I feel like myself again. I'm agile. I'm mobile. I'm YOUNG. I can breathe and I can get around.

My hubby, however, needs to lose about 150 pounds and can't or won't. He's suffering with diabetes - which is horrible for him and the entire family. He also suffers from high blood pressure, back and leg problems, and a host of other things that aren't good.