Weighing in - Psychological conundrums

[weightaminute]

Don't panic, I've not 'gone off the rails' managed to lose another 1lb this week.

Do any of you fight what I call, 'the diet demons'? These are the thoughts in your head which question how diets work? I think it must be the scientist in me which questions claims that are made.

I mentioned last week that I have signed up to SW to give my weight loss a boost before our cruise in the summer, then the plan is to get back to NHS for that steady, sustainable loss (I don't think SW is sustainable, as the moment you eat normally, back comes the weight).

But I have been questioning the health benefits of SW, and for that matter other programmes of weight loss. For example free foods include things like Past and Sauce, Fat Free Super Noodles, fat Free flavoured yoghurts. Take a look at the ingredients in those things. Yes, they can help you lose weight, but they seem to be full of ingredients which can't be good for you, as well as lots of sugar. No-added sugar drinks are also full of what might be considered to be junk.

So fat is out of the window, but in comes sugar.

And on the subject of sugar, so much is now being written in scientific journals about the impact of sugar on our health, especially when hidden in foods which portray themselves as 'healthy'.

I noticed that Prof. Tim Spector from Imperial College, London has released a book called "The Diet Myth". Having read the introduction to this book it looks a fascinating read, backed up with scientific facts. The link to the free pages on Amazon is amazon.co.uk/The-Diet-Myth-...

Anyone else go through these thoughts and question as I do?

It seems the NHS plan is a sensible one and provides the best long term weight loss and sustainability.

Sorry to go on, but wanted to get this written down and find out the thoughts of others.

BTW if you are on SW or Weight Watchers this is not intended to disrupt your progress. They are excellent ways to lose weight, I'm just thinking of the longer term.

[Jenever]

It's interesting to read 'your thoughts'...having previously followed both SW and WW plan (along with a number of other diets) I thought I would give the NHS 12 week plan a try. I've been following the plan for the past 7 weeks and think it is excellent, I only have basic knowledge of fat, sugar etc. enough to know what is and isn't healthy really so it's very encouraging to read the thoughts of someone who clearly knows more than I of these things. What I do know is the NHS 12 week diet works, it's easy to follow and I'm enjoying it. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

[redlorry]

I'm with you on analysing everything. Absolutely! The zero fat diet? Great in theory until you know that some essential vitamins and minerals are fat soluble so we need some fat in our diet. Atkins? Great, excess protein doesn't get converted to fat, it gets converted to urine, but after a few weeks your kidneys will be screaming for relief and your breath will smell. All bonkers.

I try to stick to old fashioned fresh fruit, fresh veg, bit of potato or pasta and that's that. oh and some protein of course. I think SW / WW etc work because it's a formula that people can stick to without much thought and because there is the publich weigh-in which gives an incentive to stay on track.

I used to drink slim fast, not to lose weight but to gulp down in the middle of the working day. I maintained my normal body weight on it (this is when I was quite a lot slimmer) which suggests that it might only work in calorie restriction for people who a) have more to lose and b) have will power of iron.

The diet industry is massively lucrative and really it's just common sense I think. That's why I like this forum: down to Earth, no crazy food combinations, but the moral support of a group like WW.

[sueper]

It really is a minefield isn't it?! My firm belief is everything in moderation and forget the fads. If you look at friends and family who maintain a healthy weight, you will no doubt see that this is what most of them do - with a few exceptions of course.

The big thing pushed on this forum is the high fat, low carb diet which I struggle to get my head around. It is so against what we have been told all these years. I can see the point about unused carbs turning to sugar and then fat but I can't understand the high fat bit. Also the information on these sites doesn't necessarily stack up, one site says avoid dairy but then goes on to say that eggs, milk, cheese and cream are all free foods so eat it up! Perhaps I don't know what dairy is??!!

Another guy tested the theory of the diet for about a month and maintained his weight - this was a guy who had never been obese. I'd like to see these diets tested on a whole range of people for quite sometime and see what condition their hearts and livers are in at the end of it.

I have a friend that had a quadruple bypass at 34 (10 years ago) and I am sure that if I told him his cardiologist is wrong and that he can eat all the saturated fat he likes he'd kick my butt. I am keen to discuss his views on this when I see him next.

I suspect the truth is that we are all different and our bodies manage our food intake and exercise in different ways. This means we have to try to find what works for us long term.

Sorry for the long rant

[Penel in reply to sueper]

Sorry to hear you feel that the LCHF diet is being "pushed". It's just another option for people to look at if conventional dieting doesn't work, because they are insulin resistant for example.

The Ketogenic diet has been around for several years, it was used to treat epilepsy and then found to help with weight loss.