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View Full Version : One big reason why cutting calories seldom works long term.



Trumpster
03-25-2021, 10:59 AM
Of course, if you cut calories sufficiently and keep them cut long term the calorie deficit will work for weight-loss. There's no doubt about that.

The all important issue is: The rate of obesity is at an all time high and there's no sign that it will decline any time soon. In fact, it may go higher for all we know.

This is about what I have observed:

Often, when people are told to cut calories, they do but they never break their addiction to whatever processed foods they are addicted to.

Instead of eliminating those processed foods for good, they expect to somehow keep enjoying them to some extent. And that leads to back-sliding at some point.

We know this plan wouldn't work with alcoholism.

We know it would seldom work with smoking.

But there are weight-loss plans that teach you it's okay to have a piece of cake as long as it's only 100 calories. The result: You keep the addiction alive.

Peter1469
03-25-2021, 11:54 AM
Of course, if you cut calories sufficiently and keep them cut long term the calorie deficit will work for weight-loss. There's no doubt about that.

The all important issue is: The rate of obesity is at an all time high and there's no sign that it will decline any time soon. In fact, it may go higher for all we know.

This is about what I have observed:

Often, when people are told to cut calories, they do but they never break their addiction to whatever processed foods they are addicted to.

Instead of eliminating those processed foods for good, they expect to somehow keep enjoying them to some extent. And that leads to back-sliding at some point.

We know this plan wouldn't work with alcoholism.

We know it would seldom work with smoking.

But there are weight-loss plans that teach you it's okay to have a piece of cake as long as it's only 100 calories. The result: You keep the addiction alive.
If you are disciplined a cheat day is fine. However, it is best to not use processed carbs and sugar as cheats.

Trumpster
03-25-2021, 04:08 PM
If you are disciplined a cheat day is fine. However, it is best to not use processed carbs and sugar as cheats.

Yes, some people can cheat periodically and get away with it. I can do it in a pinch but I don't plan on doing it. It has happened in the past where I am far from home and can't get home fast enough to eat lunch at the regular time. In that case I would either buy some kind of snack in a super market or find a place in a mall that sells a chicken sandwich. It's not all that bad but I consider it a cheat.

Some years ago I went to the grand opening of a local store and they had a big table with all kinds of food. Well I ate some of the healthy foods but then they brought in a couple of pizzas that were very tempting and I decided to try one small slice. I ended up eating two slices and for days after I couldn't forget how great it tasted. I wanted more! It took me about a month to get it off my mind. Its a good thing I have a lot of self control.

But we are the exceptions.

Trumpster
03-25-2021, 04:34 PM
The obesity problem, in my opinion, will never be solved as long as the food industry has the power that it has. And believe me it has a lot of power in our society. No politician will ever dare tackle this problem. No talk-show host will ever tackle this problem. The same goes for authors of diet books and nutritionists etc..

And not the medical industry.

Why? They all stand to gain from the status quo.