Sustainability of diet

[Dominique]

I found this post by Evan Shy titled Hierarchy of What’s Important : What should your nutritional focus be? most interesting.

The author holds a PhD and is a Scientist & Exercise Physiologist at University of Illinois (Champaign), so I guess this gives him some credibility, especially if he looks the way he looks by living as he preaches:

Anyway, he doesn’t put energy balance (calories in vs. calories out) as #1 in the hierarchy, as I would have expected (it "only" came second), but rather sustainability. That’s a very good point indeed: many diets will allow you to drop weight during a limited period of time (it’s just a question of eating less than you expend), but are you going to be able to stick to them in the longer term? Is your diet going to be a temporary fix, or will it become a lifetime habit?

As he writes:

"When picking a plan (or individual strategies within a plan) you must ask yourself one question: Can I see myself doing this 3, 6 and 12 months from now? The reality is, you WILL have to."

[OCDOC]

@Dominique

Agree that most studies show that ANY diet will work for 6 months; sustainability is the issue. Since many loss programs are actually NOT enjoyable, drifting back to weight-gain habits happens 98% of the time.

Dieters plateau then rebound because of this (myself included many times). Some genius needs to write a book along the lines of "So You've Lost Weight the Last 6 Months...Now What?" I bet it would sell 🙂

[BadWolf]

I agree also.  I used to binge on nutrition and fitness research/book and two things are very clear - what you eat is most important in losing weight, getting lean or building muscle (whatever goal) - and if you can't make your diet/nutrition plan a lifestyle - or stick with it the long term - then you probably won't reach your goal..

or if you lose a bunch of weight and go right back to the old way of eating, it's going to come right back!!  I have also learned it takes a while to make those lifestyle changes.. and to start with little steps over time.

Good luck!

[Stinkyfish97]

I talked of this in an older thread and I will bring it up again. I was reading the book The Power of Habit at the time. One of the books ideas is that old habits are never really broken they are still there just waiting for that trigger/que for them to return. It is important to realize this if you want to change a habit, you first need to understand the que and reward system. Either read The Power of Habit or search for something called the Habit Loop online to get an idea of how habits are formed. Many times dieters end up failing because the habit loops they set up fail them. Its not their routines so much as the third and final phase of the loop, the reward system. That last crucial phase of the Habit Loop is where they go wrong. Choosing the incorrect reward is where most dieters end up failing. 

For me this was the case. For instance I identified my que was at 4pm every other day I would go to the gym, my routine was easy enough to follow, but what was my reward system? My reward was looking down at the scale at the end of each week and seeing the weight loss. It felt good to lose weight, it should. Now think about that for a second? What is wrong with this Habit Loop? Weight loss is a good goal is it not? Well I have come to find out it really is not a great reward. Everyone will plateu or reach a point where they decide they lost enough weight. Think about what this means for your reward system. You step on the scale and is it that much of a reward to see that you lost 0lbs, is it much of a reward that you simply mantained your weight? That is where most dieters end up failing. Once they have reached the phase in their diet where they have to maintain they cannot because it just is not that rewarding to look down at the scale and see you have remained the same. Without the reward of losing weight they stop looking for the que's they need for their routines they developed. Again most people dieting are successful in losing weight, however most gain it back because they set themselves up to fail from the beginning. 

It is because they set a weight loss goal and build habits around the weight loss. The weight loss is their reward system for going to the gym, eating the right kinds of foods, being healthy. Take away the reward and you slip back into the old habits very quickly. 

It is easier said than done to change ones habits away from setting weight loss as the reward. I even struggle with it. But try to reward yourself a different way than just weight. Perhaps after your workout you reward yourself with a sweet treat of some kind. 

It is not to late to change the good habits you built either. Habits can change. You can identify the same que's, keep the same routine, but change the reward. It takes time but it is well worth it to identify your habits. The first thing I reccomend doing would be to learn a little about habits, how they form, how you can use them to change your life. Once you take control over your habits you truly have power over many aspects in your life. Again I am not a pro at it, it takes practice identifying what a habit is and how to change it. Whenever I get stuck I look back at the Power of Habit book.

One other important thing to note. Focus is key. Learn about the Power of Elimination. If you are interested I reccomend reading this short article. http://jamesclear.com/buffett-focus 

[Stinkyfish97]

In a previous thread I talked of this and how I was reading the Power of Habit at the time. 

It is important to understand the Habit Loop. Habit Loop = Que, Routine, Reward. To breifly touch on the aspects of the habit loop, the way we as humans develop habits is we identify a que, develop a routine, and get some kind of reward. 

Here is an example of the Habit Loop and how it fails dieters. 

Que: Its 4pm time to go to the gym

Routine: At the Gym 20min cardio, weight lifting

Reward: Step on the scale and see you have lost weight

Where in this loop did the dieter fail? The answer is most dieters use a scale to measure success, they use this as their reward for doing a great job at the gym and eating healthy. The problem with this is most of us will either plateu or reach a set goal weight. What happens when your reward is suddenly taken away? Well what happens is you stop identifying the que's that its 4pm and time to go to the gym. If something is no longer rewarding to you, you stop identifying the ques that lead to that specific reward. The problem is most dieters set up bad reward systems. 

Here is a better example of a Habit Loop I am working on to change my habits out of this weight loss one. 

Que: Its 4pm time to go to the gym

Routine: Weight lifting, cardio 20 min

Reward: Snack after workout

In order for me to eat a snack I have to first identify my que that its 4pm, once I am in my routine its likely I will not stop in the middle of it, the reward keeps me wanting to do the routine and looking for the que. Its really simple, my brain wants the reward, and thus looks to identify the que that its 4pm, in order to get the reward I must do the routine. 

Another example:

Que: Steps on Fitbit Tracker

Routine: Go for a Walk (I try for 10k steps a day so the walk time changes)

Reward: Desert Ater Dinner if I reach my walking goal my reward is something sweet. 

I realize these are not perfect examples but the idea here is that to make something sustainable you can do it by controlling habits. You first have to understand a habit. 

One other area people have a problem getting away from is related to the weight loss goal. Once that goal ends they stop setting goals for themselves. Goals such as running a 5k, doing a marathon, hiking a certain difficult path. These types of goals are just as attainable as weight loss and can be repeated. The problem with weight loss is unless you are gaining weight back once the goal ends, its not going to be repeated. Once you lose your goal of 50lbs is it possible to set another 50lbs weight loss goal? Then another and another? No. It is possible to say in 3 months I will complete my first 5k. After that goal is reached and you have your ribbons, you can set another goal, in 2 months I will do my second 5k, then another and another. It is indefinite and can be looped unlike weight loss which ends eventually.