We can only speak from our own perspective, which I'll do giving my view of the world but also understanding that not everyone will agree.
What I see is that the world is divided into 2 types of people, those that tend to be slim and those that tend to be fat - I'm in the latter camp.
This isnt an excuse in the way my mum always excused my fatness as 'just big boned' or similar, but it does appear the case to me that some people have some sort of switch in their head that says "you're full = stop eating" where other people have a different switch that says "theres food available = eat it".
I have no idea whether this is genetic or the way we're conditioned; nature or nurture.
I say this isnt an excuse, even though re-reading the above it does sound like one - or at least a way of saying 'its not my fault - its just the way I am'. The reason I say it isnt, or at least shouldnt be, is that we in so many ways act against our nature/nurture in todays world - I'm pretty sure its fairly unnatural even for a teenager to spend 15 straight hours playing call of duty without eating drinking or taking a toilet break...
When it comes to dieting or weight gain/loss I think the upshot of it is that those that tend to thinness seemingly are unable to understand why its not as simple as just eating less / moving more - logically I know it really is that simple yet at the same I know from experience it just is not. The opposite is also true those that tend to fat just do not understand how all those thin people can seemingly eat everything they want and never gain any weight - of course they dont and they would but thats not really the point - seriously though guys: how do you do that?
So is it best to take advice from someone whos always eaten healthily, never had a weight problem and always had a healthy lifestyle or from someone whos dieted for years and despite occassional success never managed to make it stick; if they appear to have succeeded in losing weight is in most likelihood just hasnt regained their weight - yet.
I dont know - probably neither - I wish I did know - I wish more I knew how to make it work and stay working. Perhaps as gunwharfman said 'dieting makes you fat' which is probably true ... great I can stop dieting but what do I do instead ... I dont have a clue
What I do know is that I enjoy the fact that I've taken up walking again, I enjoy the walks and I enjoy sense of achievement at the end of a walk I wouldnt have been able to contemplate 12-18 months ago.
I also like the fact that whatever else can be said about dieting or weight loss/gain walking is unlikely to ever be a bad idea and might help. (Though you do need to take it steady when recovering from hernias as I found out last year).
I'm sorry this wasnt meant to be a long ramble, it was supposed to be short, pithy, hopefully amusing one or two liner with a semi-serious point - well I failed there
. If anyone reads this far I'll hope to be excused.