Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see a lot of recommendations for WW but I personally find it super restrictive and too taxing of filling, whole fat foods and occasional sweets. I prefer just staying under a reasonable and very gradual calorie budget where I can still eat all the foods I like. Plus logging through WW is way more painful than LoseIt.

Just my experience!

Weight watchers exposes you to foods and amounts that teach you to eat healthy and don't make you fat. Eating "all the foods you like" if they are sugar and starch laden is not going to help in the long run.

No, it teaches you to manage calories like a bank account rather than listen to your body and it reinforces the thinking that certain foods or good or bad. There’s nothing wrong with having a serving of starch or sugar per day and you can even lose weight while doing so. You’re also more likely to follow through on a diet that embraces food you like.

Weight watchers is constantly tweaking the program as a way of saying it’s “better now,” but explain to me why a diet program has to change so much every couple years if it’s actually effective

If you are obese, intuitive eating is not for you. Most people that are obese have a genetically linked disconnect with food intake, appetite, and feeling full. Which is why they NEED to keep track of what portion is, how much they are eating, and place limits. The only people intuitive eating works for are those that are "naturally thin" which is a large part of why they are thin.

As someone who is "naturally thin" but a binge eater, I am not sure this is true. I am thin first, because I was very active growing up, and second, because if I sense my pants are tighter and I weigh myself and I have gone past my upper limit on weight, I immediately make changes. I am a sugar addict most of the time, but try to fit in healthy foods. I just take action the very moment I have gained a few pounds.

Focus on health promoting behaviors (eating nutritious food and exercising, sleep etc..), not on the # on the scale. It's going on these extreme diets that cause our bodies to rebound and gain more weight than we lost when we stop the restrictive diet. Strongly disagree with the poster above who said obese people shouldn't try Intuitive Eating...I think intuitive eating will really cut down on binging, which many of us who have yo-yo dieted in the past are likely to do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BMI is garbage psuedo-science.

Eat healthy foods. Do exercise you enjoy. Get good sleep. Stop worrying about the scale.

BMI is NOT garbage pseudo science. and it's not "worrying about the scale." It's quite a wide weight range at which a person is considered in a healthy range for their height. I've been both near the top and the bottom of my BMI weight range. The look is quite different, but both are healthy weights.

You are not at optimal health if you are below or above the scale.

NP here: No really, the BMI is pseudo science. Do you even know how it was developed? Go listen to The Maintenance Phase podcast. There’s an episode devoted entirely to the BMI.

DP. I think the truth lies somewhere between you two. BMI is largely an arbitrary number that only works when evaluating the population level and as a general evaluation of health. But should never be the sole way we evaluate an actual individual because there are so many variables that can make it less valuable. Muscle content, previous weight history (hey, an overweight BMI is GREAT if the person had been morbidly obese for most of their life!), bone density, whatever, this can all impact how valuable BMI is when discussing a specific individual.

That said, while might not be an exact science at determining where exactly health starts to be impacted and decline, its clear that that happens. No one sees a 600 pound person and can reasonably think they have a good quality of life. No one sees that person and believes that their weight is not dramatically impacting their health. So coming up with some metrics that help people to see when they are edging towards a lesser quality of life is important.

I have gone from 210 to 160 in the last year and a half. And at 210 all my health indicators like labs were great. I was not 'unhealthy' in any way other than my weight. I didn't feel restricted at all. I decided to do IF because I didn't like how I looked in photos from a wedding. That was the only reason. I thought I was a-ok health wise, I skied, kept up with my kids, jogged, walked, I did stuff! But today I see with an alarming clarity how weighed down I was, literally. I move so much easier, I don't get winded going up the stairs, I can keep up with my kids in a way I didn't even realize I was lacking. I too thought BMI was junk science and I was totally fine. Until I went from morbidly obese to overweight and marveled at the difference in how I felt. I expected that the only thing that would be that different was how I look. But that has actually been perhaps the least important benefit.

Anyway, you're both right, BMI is imperfect, but it serves a purpose, a nagging number to let you know you're letting it get out of hand. A nagging number in the back of your head not letting you ignore it. There are so many reasons people gain weight, so many reasons they can't lose it. I'm committed to not being one of those people who lose weight and become someone who hates fat people. But past me was really wrong about some things, and I see those things I was wrong about reflected in posts like this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see a lot of recommendations for WW but I personally find it super restrictive and too taxing of filling, whole fat foods and occasional sweets. I prefer just staying under a reasonable and very gradual calorie budget where I can still eat all the foods I like. Plus logging through WW is way more painful than LoseIt.

Just my experience!

Weight watchers exposes you to foods and amounts that teach you to eat healthy and don't make you fat. Eating "all the foods you like" if they are sugar and starch laden is not going to help in the long run.

No, it teaches you to manage calories like a bank account rather than listen to your body and it reinforces the thinking that certain foods or good or bad. There’s nothing wrong with having a serving of starch or sugar per day and you can even lose weight while doing so. You’re also more likely to follow through on a diet that embraces food you like.

Weight watchers is constantly tweaking the program as a way of saying it’s “better now,” but explain to me why a diet program has to change so much every couple years if it’s actually effective

If you are obese, intuitive eating is not for you. Most people that are obese have a genetically linked disconnect with food intake, appetite, and feeling full. Which is why they NEED to keep track of what portion is, how much they are eating, and place limits. The only people intuitive eating works for are those that are "naturally thin" which is a large part of why they are thin.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see a lot of recommendations for WW but I personally find it super restrictive and too taxing of filling, whole fat foods and occasional sweets. I prefer just staying under a reasonable and very gradual calorie budget where I can still eat all the foods I like. Plus logging through WW is way more painful than LoseIt.

Just my experience!

Weight watchers exposes you to foods and amounts that teach you to eat healthy and don't make you fat. Eating "all the foods you like" if they are sugar and starch laden is not going to help in the long run.

No, it teaches you to manage calories like a bank account rather than listen to your body and it reinforces the thinking that certain foods or good or bad. There’s nothing wrong with having a serving of starch or sugar per day and you can even lose weight while doing so. You’re also more likely to follow through on a diet that embraces food you like.

Weight watchers is constantly tweaking the program as a way of saying it’s “better now,” but explain to me why a diet program has to change so much every couple years if it’s actually effective

People are going to yell at me for this, and maybe they should, but a low dose of adderal changed my relationship with food completely and I’m now slim without any effort.

I have legitimate ADHD but any dose high enough to actually control my symptoms messes up my sleep. In trying to find the right dose I discovered that 5 mg a day has almost no effect on anything else, except it gives me a tiny little edge of self control over my eating habits. It turns out that’s all I needed.

For the first time in my life I now eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m full and don’t eat between meals. I used to think about food constantly and now I just don’t. It’s been truly life changing.

Anonymous wrote:Optavia. It's an expensive MLM but my sister convinced me to try it and I've gone from 199 to 187 in 15 days.

The food takes some getting used to, and it's VLC diet, but after the first few days, I am never hungry and honestly have to set alarms to eat every 3 hours. It's like in the last two weeks food has just become .. fuel.

But, it's an MLM, my "coach" has already asked me to "coach" and their videos are hokey. But, not being hungry and dropping weight very quickly makes it worth it for me.

OP please do not listen to this. Optivia is wildly over priced garbage processed packaged food. If you’re trying to go that route just eat two lean cuisines and a slim fast every day. Much cheaper and no one will try to recruit you into an MLM

I had that moment back on April when I weighed more than I did at my highest pregnant with twins. Also 5’7”, I weighed 244!!! I had been hanging around 220 for a few years and although that’s a terrible weight, I was shocked to be up at 244. It was a result of the pandemic and a knee injury that prevented working out.

Started Noom and today ok 201.1 which still sucks but I am looking forward to being under 200 soon. It’s been a long slog and I’m definitely not losing fast right now, but I’m still tracking and exercising. Nothing else. In fact I had Chinese food for the first time last night and still lost weight this morning. It’s all about tracking, moderation and exercise.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BMI is garbage psuedo-science.

Eat healthy foods. Do exercise you enjoy. Get good sleep. Stop worrying about the scale.

BMI is NOT garbage pseudo science. and it's not "worrying about the scale." It's quite a wide weight range at which a person is considered in a healthy range for their height. I've been both near the top and the bottom of my BMI weight range. The look is quite different, but both are healthy weights.

You are not at optimal health if you are below or above the scale.

NP here: No really, the BMI is pseudo science. Do you even know how it was developed? Go listen to The Maintenance Phase podcast. There’s an episode devoted entirely to the BMI.

OP- my DH was about 50 pounds overweight-- he quickly lost almost 40 of it by taking about all added sugar and refined carbs.

No special Keto or low carb diet-- just replaced refined carbs for whole carbs and didn't eat anything that contained added sugar. It really forced him to put more leafy green vegetables on his plate if he wanted to have enough to eat.

A few things that helped in a more moderate way-- he reduced his alcohol consumption and gets more exercise.

DH is in his early 50s and he was able to lose this weight within 6-8 months with a lot of self discipline.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BMI is garbage psuedo-science.

Eat healthy foods. Do exercise you enjoy. Get good sleep. Stop worrying about the scale.

BMI is NOT garbage pseudo science. and it's not "worrying about the scale." It's quite a wide weight range at which a person is considered in a healthy range for their height. I've been both near the top and the bottom of my BMI weight range. The look is quite different, but both are healthy weights.

You are not at optimal health if you are below or above the scale.

Agree 100%.

Anonymous wrote:Same, right down to weight and height. I stepped on the scale in mid August. I’m now 210, losing around 1-2 pounds a week. I decided that as much as possible I would only eat whole, unprocessed foods for meals and snacks and to drink a full glass of water before I ate anything. I still eat pizza if we get takeout, and I had a piece of birthday cake today. But just being more aware and thinking before I make choices has helped. I also always have “safe” snacks on hand in case I get hungry so I don’t hit the vending machine at work or hit a drive thru. I have small packs of almonds everywhere.

Good -- I'll always remember the advice I got from a nutritionist friend when I lamented my need to hit the vending machine at work because I was so hungry after lunch. She said -- "sounds like your lunch isn't big enough" A simple comment caused me to increase my healthy lunch to stave off hunger later in the day.

Anonymous wrote:Same, right down to weight and height. I stepped on the scale in mid August. I’m now 210, losing around 1-2 pounds a week. I decided that as much as possible I would only eat whole, unprocessed foods for meals and snacks and to drink a full glass of water before I ate anything. I still eat pizza if we get takeout, and I had a piece of birthday cake today. But just being more aware and thinking before I make choices has helped. I also always have “safe” snacks on hand in case I get hungry so I don’t hit the vending machine at work or hit a drive thru. I have small packs of almonds everywhere.

You’re doing great!!!

Anonymous wrote:BMI is garbage psuedo-science.

Eat healthy foods. Do exercise you enjoy. Get good sleep. Stop worrying about the scale.

BMI is NOT garbage pseudo science. and it's not "worrying about the scale." It's quite a wide weight range at which a person is considered in a healthy range for their height. I've been both near the top and the bottom of my BMI weight range. The look is quite different, but both are healthy weights.

You are not at optimal health if you are below or above the scale.

Same, right down to weight and height. I stepped on the scale in mid August. I’m now 210, losing around 1-2 pounds a week. I decided that as much as possible I would only eat whole, unprocessed foods for meals and snacks and to drink a full glass of water before I ate anything. I still eat pizza if we get takeout, and I had a piece of birthday cake today. But just being more aware and thinking before I make choices has helped. I also always have “safe” snacks on hand in case I get hungry so I don’t hit the vending machine at work or hit a drive thru. I have small packs of almonds everywhere.