--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whether you're six or sixty, if you go on…" description: "\"Whether you're six or sixty, if you go on a diet and lifestyle program and feel constrained, you're likely to go off it sooner or later. Offering a spe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39a/dean-ornish-2921_choices_whether-you-re-six-or-sixty-if-you-go-on_890718.png" --- # Whether you're six or sixty, if you go on a diet and… ![“Whether you're six or sixty, if you go on a diet and lifestyle program and feel constrained, you're likely to go off it sooner or later. Offering a spectrum of choices is much more effective; then, you feel free and empowered.” quote by Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39a/dean-ornish-2921_choices_whether-you-re-six-or-sixty-if-you-go-on_890718.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39a/dean-ornish-2921_choices_whether-you-re-six-or-sixty-if-you-go-on_890718.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39a/dean-ornish-2921_choices_whether-you-re-six-or-sixty-if-you-go-on_890718.png) > “Whether you're six or sixty, if you go on a diet and lifestyle program and feel constrained, you're likely to go off it sooner or later. Offering a spectrum of choices is much more effective; then, you feel free and empowered.” [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People abandon rigid diets because they feel restricted; offering varied options promotes freedom and long‑term adherence. **In simple terms:** Rigid diets fail; variety helps. Key Takeaway Provide flexible choices. Themes health diet motivation empowerment Mood encouraging practical Type advice motivational When to use this quote - weight loss programs - wellness coaching - personal nutrition plans Key Concepts behavior change choice architecture self‑determination theory Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance variety with simplicity? - What limits cause you to feel constrained? A Different Perspective If choices are too many, decision fatigue may arise. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Diet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diet/) [Empowered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empowered/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Lifestyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifestyle/) [Sooner or later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sooner-or-later/) ## Related quotes > [If you go on a diet and feel constrained, you are more likely to drop it. But if you see your food choices each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/if-you-go-on-a-diet-and-feel-constrained-you-are-more-likely-to-drop/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [If you're at high risk or are trying to reverse heart disease or prevent the recurrence of cancer, you probably need to make bigger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/if-you-re-at-high-risk-or-are-trying-to-reverse-heart-disease-or/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [Once you are accustomed to giving your body a daily workout, you feel constrained when you don't exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-ellen/once-you-are-accustomed-to-giving-your-body-a-daily-workout-you-feel/) [Vera-Ellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-ellen/) > [A lot of the problems in society nowadays are down to diet and lifestyle - be that obesity, diabetes, asthma caused by smoking or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-kyle/a-lot-of-the-problems-in-society-nowadays-are-down-to-diet-and/) [Jeremy Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-kyle/) > [It is extremely important to understand that a healthy diet is a lifestyle change in that it's not something you can just dip in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-madeley/it-is-extremely-important-to-understand-that-a-healthy-diet-is-a/) [Chloe Madeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-madeley/) > [When I work, a lot of times I have to lose weight, and I do that, but in my regular life I was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/when-i-work-a-lot-of-times-i-have-to-lose-weight-and-i-do-that-but-in/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [The 3-hour Diet is absolutely safe - in fact it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle! Once you reach your goal weight, you just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-cruise/the-3-hour-diet-is-absolutely-safe-in-fact-it-s-not-a-diet-it-s-a/) [Jorge Cruise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-cruise/) > [“The most important thing is that you find a diet and lifestyle that meets your personal needs and goals. If you feel inspired to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-palmer/the-most-important-thing-is-that-you-find-a-diet-and-lifestyle-that/) [Sharon Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-palmer/) > [I didn't want to feel constrained, so I took on the Mutants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-sienkiewicz/i-didn-t-want-to-feel-constrained-so-i-took-on-the-mutants/) [Bill Sienkiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-sienkiewicz/) > [Getting healthy means listening to my body - and no longer comparing myself with other people at the gym. Getting healthy means being satisfied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/getting-healthy-means-listening-to-my-body-and-no-longer-comparing/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [We don't feel constrained by what we did in the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-odenkirk/we-don-t-feel-constrained-by-what-we-did-in-the-past/) [Bob Odenkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-odenkirk/) > [Obviously I need to work on my diet and my lifestyle. It's just a matter of me changing my lifestyle outside of camp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelvin-gastelum/obviously-i-need-to-work-on-my-diet-and-my-lifestyle-it-s-just-a/) [Kelvin Gastelum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelvin-gastelum/) > [Weight Watchers is not intimidating. It's not a diet. It's a lifestyle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-simpson/weight-watchers-is-not-intimidating-it-s-not-a-diet-it-s-a-lifestyle/) [Jessica Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-simpson/) > [“I found it ironic that I should be blessed with wings and yet feel so constrained, so trapped. It was because of my condition,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslye-walton/i-found-it-ironic-that-i-should-be-blessed-with-wings-and-yet-feel-so/) [Leslye Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslye-walton/) > [Fruit is definitely on the maintenance diet. It's on the lifestyle diet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-atkins/fruit-is-definitely-on-the-maintenance-diet-it-s-on-the-lifestyle-diet/) [Robert Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-atkins/) ## More by Dean Ornish > [People don't dislike change, they dislike being changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/people-don-t-dislike-change-they-dislike-being-changed/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [Think about it: Heart disease and diabetes, which account for more deaths in the U.S. and worldwide than everything else combined, are completely preventable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/think-about-it-heart-disease-and-diabetes-which-account-for-more/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [There's a tendency to dismiss anything having to do with love and intimacy in medicine because it's hard to measure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/there-s-a-tendency-to-dismiss-anything-having-to-do-with-love-and/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [No one has all the answers, so whatever a woman who has the BRCA mutation chooses to do requires courage and an element of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/no-one-has-all-the-answers-so-whatever-a-woman-who-has-the-brca/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [The power of the Internet is also its limitation - it provides access to large amounts of information without providing guidance on how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/the-power-of-the-internet-is-also-its-limitation-it-provides-access/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [Anything that takes you out of the context of being separate is healing. Anything that takes you out of the context of separateness is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/anything-that-takes-you-out-of-the-context-of-being-separate-is/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [Nobody wants to feel controlled or treated like a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/nobody-wants-to-feel-controlled-or-treated-like-a-child/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [An Asian way of eating and living may help prevent and even reverse the progression of coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, prostate cancer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/an-asian-way-of-eating-and-living-may-help-prevent-and-even-reverse/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [The healing power of love and relationships has been documented in an increasing number of well-designed scientific studies involving hundreds of thousands of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/the-healing-power-of-love-and-relationships-has-been-documented-in-an/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [When I use the word spirituality, I don't necessarily mean religion; I mean whatever it is that helps you feel connected to something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/when-i-use-the-word-spirituality-i-don-t-necessarily-mean-religion-i/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [Eating a vegetarian diet, walking (exercising) everyday, and meditating is considered radical. Allowing someone to slice your chest open and graft your leg veins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/eating-a-vegetarian-diet-walking-exercising-everyday-and-meditating/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [An educated patient is empowered; thus, more likely to become healthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/an-educated-patient-is-empowered-thus-more-likely-to-become-healthy/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [Real power is not given to us or even created; real power is realized. It comes from realizing an inner sense of peace, self-worth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/real-power-is-not-given-to-us-or-even-created-real-power-is-realized/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [In a global economy, the Bush doctrine of unilateralism - going it alone - has been disastrous. It's becoming increasingly clear that we're all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/in-a-global-economy-the-bush-doctrine-of-unilateralism-going-it-alone/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) > [Getting through the day becomes more important than living a long life when you have no one else to live for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/getting-through-the-day-becomes-more-important-than-living-a-long/) [Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) [Explore all 145 Dean Ornish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/) ## More Choices quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [“Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into taking a job in a field that doesn’t feel right in your gut. You are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-james/don-t-allow-anyone-to-pressure-you-into-taking-a-job-in-a-field-that/) Alison James > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) Pancho Barnes > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Movies have power. Power to impact society and the choices we make. I want to entertain, but I also want to say something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/movies-have-power-power-to-impact-society-and-the-choices-we-make-i/) [Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [Clarissa," he said, "here with the vampire, I see. When things have settled a bit, we really must discuss you choice in pets..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clarissa-he-said-here-with-the-vampire-i-see-when-things-have-settled/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Change is inevitable but personal growth is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/change-is-inevitable-but-personal-growth-is-a-choice/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Act always so as to increase the number of choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/act-always-so-as-to-increase-the-number-of-choices/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [I don't know that any woman could ever not think about that at some point - even making the choice not to do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-watts/i-don-t-know-that-any-woman-could-ever-not-think-about-that-at-some/) [Naomi Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-watts/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) [Browse all 11,466 Choices quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Whether you're six or sixty, if you go on a diet and lifestyle program and feel constrained, you're likely to go off it sooner or later. 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