Is it a Bad Idea to Completely Restrict One Food Group?
rosestring
Posts: 225 Member
So I am having trouble keeping up with tracking my calories, and I am trying to gradually switch to eating towards an Eat to Live kind of diet (at least for 50% of the time). People keep on saying that completely cutting out a certain kind of food (such as baked goods, candy, fried foods, etc.) will cause you to ultimately relapse. That said, I have heard that in order to get rid of the craving, you should go cold turkey.
Now, I realize I could gradually cut back on a particular food, but I have no self control once I START eating a food.
Knowing this information, what do you think would be the best idea to control these unhealthy eating habits?
Now, I realize I could gradually cut back on a particular food, but I have no self control once I START eating a food.
Knowing this information, what do you think would be the best idea to control these unhealthy eating habits?
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Replies
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Not sure, but I know I have a hard time sticking to one serving of cheese. So I only eat it when I'm out, I won't have it in the house. I'll go to my favorite pizza place and get a small pizza, usually about once every week or two. It works for me because I'm not cutting it out but I'm not constantly tempted by it either.0
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restricting is a horrible idea, because at some point you will crave what you are restricting and binge on it. I would suggest learning how to eat all foods in moderation. As someone who has learned how to do that, it is in fact possible….
why are you having a hard time tracking calories? Just weigh your food, log it, and eat in a deficit...0 -
I recommend paying very close attention to your cravings. Are you craving starchy foods? Sweets? Fats? Creamy things? Salt? Your cravings can actually indicate a deficiency and meeting that deficiency in a healthy way can prevent a binge. I strongly recommend NOT cutting out an entire food group. When you bring it back in you'll experience a big weight gain and it could be very difficult on your digestive system.
Trainer LB0 -
It depends on what you mean by food "group." If you mean eliminating one principal food group like dairy, grains, fats, vegetables, etc., that would be bad idea. If there are any extremely unhealthy types of foods (soda, artificial sweeteners, trans fatty acids, deep-fried, etc.) that you can live without and make room for something else, that may work. However, merely eliminating "unhealthy" foods alone will cause weight loss.0
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This.restricting is a horrible idea, because at some point you will crave what you are restricting and binge on it. I would suggest learning how to eat all foods in moderation. As someone who has learned how to do that, it is in fact possible….
why are you having a hard time tracking calories? Just weigh your food, log it, and eat in a deficit...
I've just come back to MFP, it ended badly because I kept restricting my foods.
Moderation is king.
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Try it, see what happens. Then adjust.rosestring wrote: »So I am having trouble keeping up with tracking my calories, and I am trying to gradually switch to eating towards an Eat to Live kind of diet (at least for 50% of the time). People keep on saying that completely cutting out a certain kind of food (such as baked goods, candy, fried foods, etc.) will cause you to ultimately relapse. That said, I have heard that in order to get rid of the craving, you should go cold turkey.
Now, I realize I could gradually cut back on a particular food, but I have no self control once I START eating a food.
Knowing this information, what do you think would be the best idea to control these unhealthy eating habits?
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You are allowed to "indulge" once in a while as long as it's in moderation. The more you limit yourself, the harder it will be to achieve your goals. Stick with a positive mindset by actively thinking about how the healthier foods make you feel. I think cutting out processed foods is a good general rule of thumb, but that doesn't mean I've never eaten them and never will. When given the choice I try to think about what will be better to fuel my body and prevent disease. It's just all about creating a balance that works for YOU, which is one of life's biggest challenges! If I were you, I would try taking a nutrition class or just doing some more research of your own. I think the things you'll learn will be very eye-opening and encouraging for you to make better choices for your lifestyle.0
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Everything in moderation. Including..... moderation.
Of course there are many things part of the Standard American Diet that you can cut out completely. And should.
I've done it successfully for 2 years and I used to have the biggest cravings in the world. This isn't really a question of willpower.
2 keys to success in this area:
Number 1: Find a healthy low glycemic alternative to your craving.
Most people's answer to a sweet tooth craving is high percentage dark chocolate. With a whopping amount of antioxidants, it's really the only desert that works FOR you not against you.
Many people's answer to a salty craving are a wonderful variety of raw nuts or grass fed cheeses.
Number 2: If you simply make it NOT AN OPTION in your mind not to eat things with crap in it (eg. wheat, lots of sugar, things you can't pronouce etc) it actually becomes really easy. No cheats ever. Cravings only really manifest when the offending food is a realistic option.
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For those foods you want to quit cold turkey, try telling yourself "I don't eat that" rather than "I can't eat that". There is evidence that people who say "I can't eat that" are more likely to eat that ...
forbes.com/sites/heidigranthalvorson/2013/03/14/the-amazing-power-of-i-dont-vs-i-cant/0 -
I don't think it is bad for everyone. Only you can know if it is bad for you.
But really, if you have trouble stopping once you start eating a certain type of food, then perhaps cutting it out and pigging out on it once in a while would be better than bingeing on it on a regular basis.
Do what is right for you, not what is right for others.0 -
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Like you just pointed out, junk food is an addiction. Should you avoid junk food? Yes.rosestring wrote: »People keep on saying that completely cutting out a certain kind of food (such as baked goods, candy, fried foods, etc.) will cause you to ultimately relapse. That said, I have heard that in order to get rid of the craving, you should go cold turkey.
Now, I realize I could gradually cut back on a particular food, but I have no self control once I START eating a food.
Knowing this information, what do you think would be the best idea to control these unhealthy eating habits?
Should you go cold turkey? Yes.
Should you find a substitute? Definitely! Fruits, veggies, and (if you want something fatty) nuts.
Is meat ok? Yes.
How about fried chicken? Check this out. 1 KFC breast, 320 calories and 14g of fat.
BUT, remove all skin and breading and it drops to 220 calories and 3g of fat.
You just turned a junk food into a lean and healthy food!
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OP, remember that moderation is not just portion size, it can be frequency as well. If you have trouble with certain foods, there's no reason why you can't limit them in frequency, and just have them when you go out or pick a day to enjoy them. For example, if you can't have one serving of chocolate, then don't buy chocolate. Pick one day, go out for dessert that night, or buy a chocolate bar and have the entire thing. You can easily fit treats into your calorie goals and still be successful, you just need to find the method that works for you.0
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yes because when you do eat that one item you will probably way over eat it. Eat and drink anything you enjoy in moderation.
url=http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker]
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A "bad" idea no if it's not essential to the body. However, people end up cutting out something they tend to love to eat and for the majority of the general population, they don't seem to adhere to that type of restriction which is why weight regain happens.
Moderation is something that CAN be a good habit and sustainable in the long term.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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You have to do what you think is best for you but for me personally, I don't think I would have been sticking to this diet as well if I had cut things out that I love to eat. I eat whatever I want but I don't let it go over my calories. I just eat less of what I like. That in mind, I tend to skip over things if I feel like I will just be hungry an hour later because it wasn't enough.0
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Restricting is only a bad idea if it causes you to be miserable which could lead to binging or quitting. If you're happier restricting something than you are eating it, and feel like you can easily and happily do it for a long while, then restrict to your heart's content. Don't listen to anyone who tells you what should or shouldn't work for you. You know yourself better than anyone.
I personally wouldn't even try restricting because I know I will be in for a 5000 calorie day of the exact foods I'm trying to restrict. The only exception to this is when I do religious fasting where you basically go vegan for a while, and that's only because I can live a lifetime without putting a single piece of meat in my mouth and not miss it. Now dairy is a different problem. Once my fast is over I usually gorge on all kinds of dairy stuff and milk chocolate.0 -
I think you've rather answered the question yourself, honestly. The main thing to do is trust your knowledge of yourself.
People are going to tell you all sorts of things. Moderation is the only way to diet. Low carb is the way to diet. Macrobiotic is the way to diet. The list is endless, and in the end, I think we can only make a decision for ourselves, and some of what we draw on to make that decision has to come from our self knowledge.
You said you can't stop eating something once you start? Then that's your answer, right there: don't start. I have the same issue with sugar - if I eat ANY sweets, I can't stop. I will start eating more and more, every single day, and feel worse and worse. It's been this way my whole life.
The ONLY way I managed to stop the cycle was to drop anything with sugar, literally anything, cold turkey. And it worked. For me. For some, having a tiny sweet every once in a while is fine, and good for them. But it wouldn't work for me. And it sounds like, whatever diet you're choosing, moderation may not work for you, either.
IMO, the best thing you can do is to pay attention. Make sure you are getting enough nutrients if you make a major change. A great example of the wrong way to do this is people who switch to sea salt, so they get no more iodized salt, but they don't pay attention to their iodine intake at the same time.
And even if this is dropping a whole food group, it can be done. People often say not to drop a whole food group because it's unhealthy - not true. Food groups are an arbitrary construction, grouping foods together based on certain nutritional components that they are high in. It makes for quicker, simpler means of charting daily nutrients.
This doesn't mean OTHER foods don't also contain the same nutrients, though. But it does mean that if you have to drop a food group, or choose to, you need to, again, pay attention so you get enough nutrients, carbs, protein, etc...
If one could not stay healthy when dropping a food group, then no one allergic to dairy would be a healthy person, and that's simply not the case. It's not EASY to do this, and it's easy to fall ill if you don't pay attention. But it's doable.0 -
rosestring wrote: »So I am having trouble keeping up with tracking my calories, and I am trying to gradually switch to eating towards an Eat to Live kind of diet (at least for 50% of the time). People keep on saying that completely cutting out a certain kind of food (such as baked goods, candy, fried foods, etc.) will cause you to ultimately relapse. That said, I have heard that in order to get rid of the craving, you should go cold turkey.
Now, I realize I could gradually cut back on a particular food, but I have no self control once I START eating a food.
Knowing this information, what do you think would be the best idea to control these unhealthy eating habits?
For starters, if you don't already, exercise... daily. It is the fountain of youth so just get out there and do it. Secondly, before you start eliminating entire food groups, address the self control issue because willpower will only get you so far.
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Everything in moderation. Including..... moderation.
Of course there are many things part of the Standard American Diet that you can cut out completely. And should.
I've done it successfully for 2 years and I used to have the biggest cravings in the world. This isn't really a question of willpower.
2 keys to success in this area:
Number 1: Find a healthy low glycemic alternative to your craving.
Most people's answer to a sweet tooth craving is high percentage dark chocolate. With a whopping amount of antioxidants, it's really the only desert that works FOR you not against you.
Many people's answer to a salty craving are a wonderful variety of raw nuts or grass fed cheeses.
Number 2: If you simply make it NOT AN OPTION in your mind not to eat things with crap in it (eg. wheat, lots of sugar, things you can't pronouce etc) it actually becomes really easy. No cheats ever. Cravings only really manifest when the offending food is a realistic option.
When you received your PhD(some doctor friends say Pile higher Deeper) what class did they discuss the grass fed cheeses? Was this also part of your 4,000 calorie a day discussion?
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OP--sorry, reading Dr. Furhmann's claims. I agree with his book title since eating and living sort of go hand-in-hand. A balanced diet would probably be best and if you cannot do moderation then avoid the foods you crave. If they are salt or sugar based well good luck. For me, to avoid being hangry I eat both salty and sugar based foods and find ways to have them fit my intake. PS--they also offer shirts "KALE is the new beef" and for me on the back I'd say "JUST GIVE ME BOTH and Graci"0
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Everything in moderation. Including..... moderation.
Of course there are many things part of the Standard American Diet that you can cut out completely. And should.
I've done it successfully for 2 years and I used to have the biggest cravings in the world. This isn't really a question of willpower.
2 keys to success in this area:
Number 1: Find a healthy low glycemic alternative to your craving.
Most people's answer to a sweet tooth craving is high percentage dark chocolate. With a whopping amount of antioxidants, it's really the only desert that works FOR you not against you.
Many people's answer to a salty craving are a wonderful variety of raw nuts or grass fed cheeses.
Number 2: If you simply make it NOT AN OPTION in your mind not to eat things with crap in it (eg. wheat, lots of sugar, things you can't pronouce etc) it actually becomes really easy. No cheats ever. Cravings only really manifest when the offending food is a realistic option.
so dark chocolate "good" and wheat, sugar, etc "bad"…? LOL got ya…
and the sugar in dark chocolate is better then other sugars, because of the antioxidants…okie dokie then …
please exit the forums…immediately ...0 -
_Terrapin_ wrote: »Everything in moderation. Including..... moderation.
Of course there are many things part of the Standard American Diet that you can cut out completely. And should.
I've done it successfully for 2 years and I used to have the biggest cravings in the world. This isn't really a question of willpower.
2 keys to success in this area:
Number 1: Find a healthy low glycemic alternative to your craving.
Most people's answer to a sweet tooth craving is high percentage dark chocolate. With a whopping amount of antioxidants, it's really the only desert that works FOR you not against you.
Many people's answer to a salty craving are a wonderful variety of raw nuts or grass fed cheeses.
Number 2: If you simply make it NOT AN OPTION in your mind not to eat things with crap in it (eg. wheat, lots of sugar, things you can't pronouce etc) it actually becomes really easy. No cheats ever. Cravings only really manifest when the offending food is a realistic option.
When you received your PhD(some doctor friends say Pile higher Deeper) what class did they discuss the grass fed cheeses? Was this also part of your 4,000 calorie a day discussion?
PhD? I don't have one of those. Sorry. I like money.
I haven't decided if you're misinformed, a bad reader, or don't have much wit to construct an insult.-1 -
_Terrapin_ wrote: »Everything in moderation. Including..... moderation.
Of course there are many things part of the Standard American Diet that you can cut out completely. And should.
I've done it successfully for 2 years and I used to have the biggest cravings in the world. This isn't really a question of willpower.
2 keys to success in this area:
Number 1: Find a healthy low glycemic alternative to your craving.
Most people's answer to a sweet tooth craving is high percentage dark chocolate. With a whopping amount of antioxidants, it's really the only desert that works FOR you not against you.
Many people's answer to a salty craving are a wonderful variety of raw nuts or grass fed cheeses.
Number 2: If you simply make it NOT AN OPTION in your mind not to eat things with crap in it (eg. wheat, lots of sugar, things you can't pronouce etc) it actually becomes really easy. No cheats ever. Cravings only really manifest when the offending food is a realistic option.
When you received your PhD(some doctor friends say Pile higher Deeper) what class did they discuss the grass fed cheeses? Was this also part of your 4,000 calorie a day discussion?
PhD? I don't have one of those. Sorry. I like money.
I haven't decided if you're misinformed, a bad reader, or don't have much wit to construct an insult.
Sure have an awful lot of free time for a doctor0 -
I've done pretty well without restricting any foods. If there's a food like tortilla chips or cheese that I know I have eaten indiscriminately in the past, I'll measure out the serving I want to eat and then put the rest away before I start. That lets me know what my limit is, and I enjoy each bite more because I know there's an end coming up soon.
I've moved away from some foods – for example, I rarely eat breakfast cereal anymore – but that's based on observation. I find that 200 calories of toast with butter keeps me going until lunch, while 400 calories of cereal with milk leaves me feeling hungry by 10:30. But I didn't decide to restrict breakfast cereals a priori; rather, I ate both, noted how my body responded, and made a decision about what to eat for breakfast based on the results.
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Everything in moderation. Including..... moderation.
Of course there are many things part of the Standard American Diet that you can cut out completely. And should.
I've done it successfully for 2 years and I used to have the biggest cravings in the world. This isn't really a question of willpower.
2 keys to success in this area:
Number 1: Find a healthy low glycemic alternative to your craving.
Most people's answer to a sweet tooth craving is high percentage dark chocolate. With a whopping amount of antioxidants, it's really the only desert that works FOR you not against you.
Many people's answer to a salty craving are a wonderful variety of raw nuts or grass fed cheeses.
Number 2: If you simply make it NOT AN OPTION in your mind not to eat things with crap in it (eg. wheat, lots of sugar, things you can't pronouce etc) it actually becomes really easy. No cheats ever. Cravings only really manifest when the offending food is a realistic option.
so dark chocolate "good" and wheat, sugar, etc "bad"…? LOL got ya…
and the sugar in dark chocolate is better then other sugars, because of the antioxidants…okie dokie then …
please exit the forums…immediately ...
your first sentence is correct. good for you.
your second sentence is pathetic b/c it's a strawman. I never compared one sugar to another. The dark chocolate I eat has double fiber per sugar. 85-88%. I would eat chocolate with zero sugar if I could stand the bitterness.
Your third comment.... well I was actually on my way out of this forum...... but since you actually want me to leave.... I'm going to stick around for a while.0 -
Think more large scale than food groups. Think macros - protein, fat and carbohydrates.
Protein: Required for retention of lean muscle, repairing cells, providing satiation. Eat 0.8 - 1.5 grams per kg of lean body weight.
Fat: Fat is required to transport essential vitamins and nutrients around your body. It is also required in every cell in the body. It is a slow burning energy source and if people are ketone adapted burn fat for fuel rather than glucose which is much more efficient.
Carbs: Not required unless they are used for short term energy ie, anaerobic exercise. Does not provide any nutrients. Cause spikes of insulin which are a hormone which put the body into fat storage mode if excess calories are consumed.
The fiber which is usually attached to carbohydrates in fruits and vegetables is the only useful carbohydrate. All your carbohydrates should come from vegetables and low GI fruits like berries, these are full of micronutrients your body needs.0 -
LolBroScience wrote: »_Terrapin_ wrote: »Everything in moderation. Including..... moderation.
Of course there are many things part of the Standard American Diet that you can cut out completely. And should.
I've done it successfully for 2 years and I used to have the biggest cravings in the world. This isn't really a question of willpower.
2 keys to success in this area:
Number 1: Find a healthy low glycemic alternative to your craving.
Most people's answer to a sweet tooth craving is high percentage dark chocolate. With a whopping amount of antioxidants, it's really the only desert that works FOR you not against you.
Many people's answer to a salty craving are a wonderful variety of raw nuts or grass fed cheeses.
Number 2: If you simply make it NOT AN OPTION in your mind not to eat things with crap in it (eg. wheat, lots of sugar, things you can't pronouce etc) it actually becomes really easy. No cheats ever. Cravings only really manifest when the offending food is a realistic option.
When you received your PhD(some doctor friends say Pile higher Deeper) what class did they discuss the grass fed cheeses? Was this also part of your 4,000 calorie a day discussion?
PhD? I don't have one of those. Sorry. I like money.
I haven't decided if you're misinformed, a bad reader, or don't have much wit to construct an insult.
Sure have an awful lot of free time for a doctor
Life is pretty awesome I agree.0 -
Of course there are many things part of the Standard American Diet that you can cut out completely. And should.
No. Not unless you have a medical reason to do so.
Navtendon, please don't ruin another thread. We already have concluded, by your own omission, that you have multiple user accounts. You lie about who you are and nothing you say can be taken seriously.
Stop wasting other users valuable time...
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