Why do people make weight loss so difficult?

[thismighthelp]

You do because you don't want to face the truth. Weightloss is really simple, but most want to continue the search for the magic, diet , pill or app and the Weightloss industry knows this by giving you what you want. Dig through all this data, do this strict diet or fitness program or take this pill anyone can increase the list. They are giving you everything you want except Weightloss. People that lose weight make it look simple because it is. The people that make it look hard will gain their weight back if they lose any at all.
Make your program simple. Logging should take 5 minutes a day. You don't have to weigh and measure evrey morsel. Make your exercise program simple. Most do the same thing or something similar over and over again. Put the same amount of calories each time. Keep it simple and you will lose weight . You have to come to one truth. Everyone has an HSK Prime # and if you eat below it you will lose weight. Period end of story.

[SunsetRunner]

E.L.M.Y.A. program

Eat less, move your ass

 

[thismighthelp]

That's a good program. Simple and to the point, but how much less is key for people. I dropped 40 pounds over my weight loss journey eating foods I love and eating at a 50 calories deficit a day. I think most people can lose weight with this program, but most can't lose weight trying to eat at a large deficit.

[HelenaFitbit]

Personally, I believe logging exercise and food down to micronutrients, macronutrients and grams has helped me keep a consistent weight loss. Specially when I have an hormonal condition that makes it trickier.

It's kind of @SunsetRunner's phrase with a twist: Eat better, move more. 

[Mcore]

@SunsetRunner True! I tend to eat too much sugar, so I'm trying my best to improve and drink more water. 

[SunsetRunner]

i weight and record (on Fitbit, of course) nearly all i eat.

that's incredible the number of calories you can eat a day

Cheese, very good, but a lot.

white wine ? beer ? cakes ?  pork meat ? 

[Raviv]

It's totally super simple.

Unless it's not.

Throw in hormones, metabolic damage, brain trauma, food reactions and all sorts of interesting variables and suddenly it's not simple anymore for anyone dealing with other issues.

It may be simple for an individual, but that doesn't mean it's simple for everyone.

[CSB54]

There is no money to be made for the "pros" if everyone beleived it was simple.

Yeah there are some people with conditions that make it harder to lose weight, but that's a whole new can of worms and people really get pissed off so I won't go there.

[emili]

weight loss is personal and a huge commitment. The stronger the commitment, the better the result. I agree its not rocket science and there is no magic pill. Its math. in vs out. However, for some even this simple math- is not so simple and its not one size fits all. I don't think people make it difficult on purpose, I think for some there is more to overcome. I think to be helpful and to motivate and coach- one must be empathetic. That's when you can truly make a impact in someone's life.

[Annie-NH]

I agree it is simple for some people all of the time, and simple for some people some of the time.  If people have emotional issues that they feed with food, it is never going to be simple.   I am a grown up, I know what i should eat, but it isn't always simple or easy.  I can go months perfectly eating , exerciseing, logging and loosing, only to find myself totally out of control and off program, then it is a tough slippery slope to get back to where I was doing well and happy.    I am working to make my lifestyle changes part of my routine, habit, life, but being human, i sometimes trip over myself.  all I can do is pick myself back up and get back on track.

[giggalz]

if it were really that simple..everyone would be able to do it and there wouldnt be any problems...i agree with a previous comment..what might be simple for one..isnt so simple for another..

for me..this was definitely not simple...i can do everything right and still not lose weight..

[Trooper]

Even now it is still not simple. I am almost at my goal weight and I still find myself fighting off hunger pangs and the urge to splurge. So I improvise all the time by filling up with lots of water or by killing the carb cravings with a few saltines. The sweet cravings I kill with the Fiber One low cal snacks. So far for me, everything is working. " Weight loss is not easy, and keeping it off is not easy either!!"

[divedragon]

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@thismighthelp wrote:
 Everyone has an HSK Prime # and if you eat below it you will lose weight. Period end of story.

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So I must repectfully disagree that weight loss is simple.  What you say has some truth, but the overall process is not simple by any means.  There are over 40 hormones involved in digestion and energy conversion in the human body.  Insulin is the best known, but not the only one.  Cortisol is a huge one as well that can derail weight loss.  There is Ghrelin that creats the I'm hungry response.  Leptin that tells you if you are statisfied.  Adiponectin for anti-inflammatory and fat oxidation.  Glucagon is the opposite of insulin and aids in releasing the fat fromt he cells. All of these and others must balance.

Cortisol is a stress hormone and can help in short bursts, but too much and it can bring fat oxidation to a hault.  It can be increased by lack of sleep and it can compound this by interferring with sleep in the first place.  This leads to a decrese in serum Glucagon so your body doesn't release the fat.

Carbs and especially simple carbs seem to increasae insulin production above that of fat or protiens.  This extra insulin can result in the body attempting to store more fat even duirng a calorie deficit.  This makes the old time calories in / calories out theory sometimes wrong. 

As we age, growth hormone decreases as well.  In addition to retarding muscle development, it can interfer with sleep which in turns ups your cortisol, lowers your Glucagon and results is less effective fat burn.  Sleep, or the lack there of, seems to be one of the biggest culprits in this lack of balance, but other factors can cause it as well to include stressing over wanting to loose weight.

While I've had a lot success at loosing weight myself (48 pounds this year), its journey is not always perfect.  I travel and have trouble sleeping, so my weight loss is often stalled.  I continually adjust and will get it going again, but it ain't easy. We haven't even discussed medical issues that can interfer with all of these hormones and conditions.

The more we learn, the more we realize how little we know.  I'm very happy you seem to have found the formula that works for you, but I believe you're needlessly insulting those who struggle.  It is unnessarily demoralizing to those who have conditions that put their systems out of wack and make loosing extra pounds more difficult to imply its all a matter of willpower and simple formulas. 

[emili]

I re read the original post and I think maybe I misunderstood what was being said. At least partially. Or maybe I am misunderstanding it now, but it seems that the easy part wasn't targeted at the individual losing the weight, but the "pros" that sell magic to make it happen. I completely agree that some of the "pros" aren't that at all and prey on those who are trying to make positive changes in their life. So the easy part isn't losing the weight so much, but not making it so complicated with counting points, carbs, eating before sunlight on odd numbered days and only drinking prune juice on Tuesday. The easy part is knowing what you need to do to lose weight- the hardest part is making the commitment. I think that's the part that was left out. In my opinion of course...I don't think this was meant to offend.

[divedragon]

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@emili wrote:

I re read the original post and I think maybe I misunderstood what was being said. At least partially. Or maybe I am misunderstanding it now, but it seems that the easy part wasn't targeted at the individual losing the weight, but the "pros" that sell magic to make it happen. I completely agree that some of the "pros" aren't that at all and prey on those who are trying to make positive changes in their life. So the easy part isn't losing the weight so much, but not making it so complicated with counting points, carbs, eating before sunlight on odd numbered days and only drinking prune juice on Tuesday. The easy part is knowing what you need to do to lose weight- the hardest part is making the commitment. I think that's the part that was left out. In my opinion of course...I don't think this was meant to offend.

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so i fully agree that the weight loss industry takes advantage of a lot of poeple in the marketing of their elixers to loose weight, but there was also the implication that it's purely a calories in / calories out problem.  I too, used to subscribe to this and not that long ago (you can probably find posts here where I say the very thing).  But as I continue to study this, I now realize it's not that simple.  According to the research, you can eat fewer calories than you burn, but if they are simple carbs and sugars, you may end up NOT losing weight because of the insulin spike they cause.  This is the reason low carb diets work! 

Yes for some of the population it's laziness and for others' they struggle.  A lot of the reason for the struggle is a lack of information - yes this is often contributed to by the diet and supplement industires as well as the fitness industries.  There is a lot of mis-information out there and, honestly, there is a lot that we just don't know about how are bodies function. 

It just hit me as a blanket statement that essentially says, "if you can't loose weight, its your fault cause you lazy and wanting magic to do it for you."  As a blanket statement to all, its an unfair statement.  If I mis-interrpreted it, then my apologies to the original poster and anyone who agreed. 

[Kefentse]

People defiintely have different metabolisms, and their bodies react differently to certain types of food. Sometimes healthier food isn't always available. 

I'm a huge believer in changing behaviors as opposed to focusing specifically on weight loss. If you focus on being active, and generally eating foods that help your body then you'll be in a much better place than simply focusing on losing weight. 

[carl669]

i agree.  weight loss is not difficult.  the difficult part is figuring out what works for you and what you can maintain as a lifestyle change instead of a temporary diet.

luckily, the first thing i tried (low carb) happened to work beautifully for me.  it's been almost 2.5 years, and i've been able to keep the weight off.

[extra_medium]

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@giggalz wrote:

if it were really that simple..everyone would be able to do it and there wouldnt be any problems...i agree with a previous comment..what might be simple for one..isnt so simple for another..

for me..this was definitely not simple...i can do everything right and still not lose weight..

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That almost always means you're either consuming more than you think, or burning less than you think over time.  If you're at a caloric deficit your body has no choice but to burn its reserves if it wants to continue operating, and that means you'll lose weight. 

The thing that makes weight loss difficult for most people who truly think they are doing everything right is getting an accurate in vs. out count.  In theory it is simple but it does take effort.

[extra_medium]

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@divedragon wrote:

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Carbs and especially simple carbs seem to increasae insulin production above that of fat or protiens.  This extra insulin can result in the body attempting to store more fat even duirng a calorie deficit.  This makes the old time calories in / calories out theory sometimes wrong. 

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Except your body can't just decide not to use the energy it needs to continue to operate, even if you ate nothing but spoonfuls of sugar -  if you're in a caloric deficit over a given period of time you will lose weight. 

It's hard to write a lot of books, get on talk shows or come up with fad diets based on calories in/calories out but that is really all that matters when it comes to weight loss/weight gain.

[josephz2va]

Just don't fall for those $300 a paycheck PersonaDoctors or whatever kind of programs is offered like that. Dieting is important, but I never needed the B-12 shots or lipo fat targeting programs or whatever they made up recently.