Sugar - possibly the easiest thing to cut back on for weight loss!
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I love sugar. And i'd have no problem cutting it back it would help me a lot... except for the fact that I always crave it. I don't crave any other junk food. What is causing this and how can I prevent sugar cravings?0
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
Lol. so we've gone full circle: don't eliminate anything, but you might have to basically eliminate things.
And then folks will ask what "rare occasions" means.
Meh, I'll keep doing what I'm doing.
And thats why newbies need better education, cause before I started logging and really learning about foods, the menu she showed would look pretty normal to most people. Just eat everything in moderation can be misleading to some people just starting out. Even eating in moderation is eliminating some things.
Never really understood the over abundance of added salts and sugars in what a lot of people consider regular everyday menues untill I started logging.
Just my opinion of course.
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DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »Weird, because I actually do this every single day. I want to eat donuts and french fries and pizza and a chocolate bar? Okay, cool. can I fit it all into my day while still eating my protein needs? Probably not. So I'll eat the donut and pizza today, the fries and chocolate bar tomorrow.
Oh, I also want to eat 4 pomegranates? Well that would be well over a meal's worth of calories for very little satiety. So I'll have one a day for the next four days.
And this is all with just considering my deficit intake. I actually could eat these amounts at maintenance.
You aren't eating what you want in moderation. You are restricting what you want and parceling it out to different days so you can meet your numbers.
That's what "in moderation" means.
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DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »]
And congrats, that's not moderation at all.
Why not? It's a single serving each of nine foods.
I'd have to eat a single serving of four of these nine foods to make my calories and macros.
Is that moderation, to eat four pieces of food a day?
I personally prefer to eat as much food as I can each day, within my calories and macros. Right now, at 1410 calories a day, I eat 14 single servings of food each day.
14 is a whole lot better than 4, I'd say.
Moderation has nothing to do with eating a "single serving."
Mr Knight summed it up nicely, although lemur did a good job as well.
"In moderation" doesn't mean "as many foods as you like, as long as you don't eat too much of any one food". If you're over your maintenance calories, you're not eating in moderation, no matter how the calories are distributed, or what foods you're eating.
Eating in moderation basically is IIFYM. If I need to eat 2400 calories to maintain my weight, and I eat a normal breakfast and lunch and then in the evening I want to eat junk, then I will eat the things I am craving within my caloric limitations. If I have 20g of protein left, I will eat less of the high-carb foods so I can make room for another 20g of protein.
Not really sure why this is so hard for people to grasp.
Or, for instance, eating only 1 sweet georgia brown instead of the whole box, because that's what fits my macros. Or eating only 3 lindt balls because again that's what fits my calories. Or only eating 200g of grapes instead of 400g because that is what fits my macros and calories. The list can go on and on with ANY food item, "healthy" or not.0 -
I don't think Dierdre was being argumentative just for the sake of so being. I think she is genuinely confused and saying, "Enough! This is ridiculous!"
The problem becomes when someone starts ranting about how people shouldn't eliminate anything from their diet, but should eat all foods in moderation and never save anything for special occasions.
As you agreed, some of the foods must be eliminated and enjoyed on special occasions for many of us, because we can't work all those different yummy foods in.
Then, for people with ridiculously slow metabolisms due to having thyroids removed or some other medical issue (I believe many call us "special snowflakes") who must eat an average of 1200/day to lose weight and it gets even harder to "not eliminate anything, but eat the foods you like in moderation."
I'm not saying you say we "shouldn't eliminate anything or save anything for special occasions, but should eat the foods you like in moderation", but it gets said a LOT.
It's just not possible for many of us to not eliminate some foods. If we ate foods we liked without eliminating any, we couldn't eat very much and would certainly not be eating healthy, balanced diets (not that a healthy, balanced diet is required to lose weight.)0 -
ugh, yes. Exactly. Moderation doesn't mean "I want to eat KFC all day, so I will have one serving of each item that I want at every meal." it means "you know, I'm really craving some KFC. What can I eat today that will fit my macros? Oh, I can't have the popcorn chicken and the burger? I guess I'll have the burger tomorrow!"DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »Weird, because I actually do this every single day. I want to eat donuts and french fries and pizza and a chocolate bar? Okay, cool. can I fit it all into my day while still eating my protein needs? Probably not. So I'll eat the donut and pizza today, the fries and chocolate bar tomorrow.
Oh, I also want to eat 4 pomegranates? Well that would be well over a meal's worth of calories for very little satiety. So I'll have one a day for the next four days.
And this is all with just considering my deficit intake. I actually could eat these amounts at maintenance.
You aren't eating what you want in moderation. You are restricting what you want and parceling it out to different days so you can meet your numbers.
That's what "in moderation" means.
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For some foods "in moderation" means one serving a day. For other foods it means one serving a year.
Depends on the individual's circumstances and goals.0 -
jennidee12 wrote: »I love sugar. And i'd have no problem cutting it back it would help me a lot... except for the fact that I always crave it. I don't crave any other junk food. What is causing this and how can I prevent sugar cravings?
For me, I craved things when I restricted them, i.e. when I told myself that I could only eat them x times a week/month/etc. Or if I labeled it as "bad" and thought it would make me gain weight. Once I stopped putting limits or restrictions on foods, outside of fitting things into my macros, I basically stopped getting binge-like urges.
YMMV. If you already have a good relationship with food, then you might want to consider going for blood tests just to see if your cravings are indicative of something else going on.0 -
WAIT, I have a definition of "moderation" and it basically is exactly what some of us have been saying.
"the avoidance of excess or extremes, especially in one's behavior or political opinions."
Pretty sure eating 1000 calories above maintenance, regardless of the food source, is eating in excess.
Google sure is cool.0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »It sure as **** doesn't mean "eat as many different foods in a day as you like, as long as you only have one serving size of each".
Did you even look at the original menu?
One donut, one latte.
Two slices of pizza, salad, drink.
Chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuit, green beans, drink.
Ice cream.
That's all it is. I don't know why you think that's a billion servings.
And if you don't know about food, it sounds just fine, doesn't it?
It's all about learning....
Exactly,,,and I think thats what the OP was intending. Dont think he was demonizing anything or saying never eat it again.0 -
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You are always telling everyone not to eliminate things. Daily, you repeat that foods shouldn't be saved for special occasions.
ugh, yes. Exactly. Moderation doesn't mean "I want to eat KFC all day, so I will have one serving of each item that I want at every meal." it means "you know, I'm really craving some KFC. What can I eat today that will fit my macros? Oh, I can't have the popcorn chicken and the burger? I guess I'll have the burger tomorrow!"DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »Weird, because I actually do this every single day. I want to eat donuts and french fries and pizza and a chocolate bar? Okay, cool. can I fit it all into my day while still eating my protein needs? Probably not. So I'll eat the donut and pizza today, the fries and chocolate bar tomorrow.
Oh, I also want to eat 4 pomegranates? Well that would be well over a meal's worth of calories for very little satiety. So I'll have one a day for the next four days.
And this is all with just considering my deficit intake. I actually could eat these amounts at maintenance.
You aren't eating what you want in moderation. You are restricting what you want and parceling it out to different days so you can meet your numbers.
That's what "in moderation" means.
You might see, now, how it would be difficult to not eliminate anything...and how some people might have to save things for special occasions.
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Agreed. Almost every day, I have my berries and granola (sorry, lemurcat, lol) which is a VERY yummy treat for me.For some foods "in moderation" means one serving a day. For other foods it means one serving a year.
Depends on the individual's circumstances and goals.
Hundreds of other things are eliminated and saved for special treats or just phased out entirely.
That's my "moderation."
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I really wanted to find a Dawn Summers acute gif but I couldn't, so here's random 16-year-old Giles.emily_stew wrote: »
I don't think Dierdre was being argumentative just for the sake of so being. I think she is genuinely confused and saying, "Enough! This is ridiculous!"
The problem becomes when someone starts ranting about how people shouldn't eliminate anything from their diet, but should eat all foods in moderation and never save anything for special occasions.
As you agreed, some of the foods must be eliminated and enjoyed on special occasions for many of us, because we can't work all those different yummy foods in.
Then, for people with ridiculously slow metabolisms due to having thyroids removed or some other medical issue (I believe many call us "special snowflakes") who must eat an average of 1200/day to lose weight and it gets even harder to "not eliminate anything, but eat the foods you like in moderation."
I'm not saying you say we "shouldn't eliminate anything or save anything for special occasions, but should eat the foods you like in moderation", but it gets said a LOT.
It's just not possible for many of us to not eliminate some foods. If we ate foods we liked without eliminating any, we couldn't eat very much and would certainly not be eating healthy, balanced diets (not that a healthy, balanced diet is required to lose weight.)
I do, mostly because I don't want to believe anyone could be that obtuse about something.
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Actually, it's much easier to simply cut back on all foods and still eat everything you love.
Most people who undergo elimination diets for weight loss (as opposed to doing it for medical reasons) are likely to fail, revert back to old eating habits, and this usually means eating more calories again.
No foods have "empty calories" because all calories matter.
This entire post could have basically just been your last line: "the main thing is to get into a calorie deficit" and NOT to cut out foods.
And ETA. I'm eating a huge bowl of frozen raspberries. Which I'm guessing are full of "natural" sugar (they are unsweetened), but I don't actually track sugar so I have no idea. Sugar is sugar is sugar. by your logic this means you also don't eat fruit.
It seems you did not read this post for comprehension, but just to post something you feel differently about. Please read it again.
Just because for you sugar is sugar is sugar, does not mean that sugar is the same for all people who try to lose weight. I have severe active systemic Lupus and RA since I was in school and any added sugar causes my inflammation quotient to rise, which causes much more inflammation and with that a lot more pain. Natural sweeteners I can eat in moderation.......yes, again that pesky word. The post you responded to was exactly about that.....moderation and not about elimination. And I know of a couple of hundred MFPers alone who are in the same boat.
As I said, please read again......:o).
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Agreed. Almost every day, I have my berries and granola (sorry, lemurcat, lol) which is a VERY yummy treat for me.For some foods "in moderation" means one serving a day. For other foods it means one serving a year.
Depends on the individual's circumstances and goals.
Hundreds of other things are eliminated and saved for special treats or just phased out entirely.
That's my "moderation."
Part of the point is that there are foods that you didn't enjoy as much that you phased out in favor of regularly eating things you enjoy? It's not to say that you couldn't go back and eat something you haven't had in a while. It's not eliminated forever it's just not something that is generally worth eating most days. If you had a wild craving for something you've 'given up' you could still have it again and fit it into your day.
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You are always telling everyone not to eliminate things. Daily, you repeat that foods shouldn't be saved for special occasions.
ugh, yes. Exactly. Moderation doesn't mean "I want to eat KFC all day, so I will have one serving of each item that I want at every meal." it means "you know, I'm really craving some KFC. What can I eat today that will fit my macros? Oh, I can't have the popcorn chicken and the burger? I guess I'll have the burger tomorrow!"DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »Weird, because I actually do this every single day. I want to eat donuts and french fries and pizza and a chocolate bar? Okay, cool. can I fit it all into my day while still eating my protein needs? Probably not. So I'll eat the donut and pizza today, the fries and chocolate bar tomorrow.
Oh, I also want to eat 4 pomegranates? Well that would be well over a meal's worth of calories for very little satiety. So I'll have one a day for the next four days.
And this is all with just considering my deficit intake. I actually could eat these amounts at maintenance.
You aren't eating what you want in moderation. You are restricting what you want and parceling it out to different days so you can meet your numbers.
That's what "in moderation" means.
You might see, now, how it would be difficult to not eliminate anything...and how some people might have to save things for special occasions.
Except this is not eliminating anything.
"completely remove or get rid of (something)."
I am not completely removing KFC (although I actually did, because I have been gluten-free for almost 5 years to resolve my painful digestive issues). If I want to eat KFC, then I either make room for it ahead of time or I will eat what I can on that day and then eat more another day. I made baked oatmeal today,and it wasn't great but it was good enough that I wanted to eat it again at dinner. But I didn't have the calories for it so instead I'll be eating more of it tomorrow. Have I eliminated it? No. Do I have to save it for a special occasion? No, unless tomorrow is a special occasion that I'm unaware of.0 -
mmm I haven't made brownies in ages, partially because I've not found a good protein brownie recipe but also because being GF can make baking delicious chewy fudgy desserts a pain
We make delicious GF walnut brownies. Walnuts, sugar, chocolate, egg, a little vanilla, salt and leavening. Lots of omega-3. They're good for the kid to eat, but when I eat them, I eat fewer calories overall, so I haven't made them in forever.
no flour?
No flour. The recipe was inspired by those three-ingredient peanut butter cookies (peanut butter, sugar, egg).0 -
DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »Weird, because I actually do this every single day. I want to eat donuts and french fries and pizza and a chocolate bar? Okay, cool. can I fit it all into my day while still eating my protein needs? Probably not. So I'll eat the donut and pizza today, the fries and chocolate bar tomorrow.
Oh, I also want to eat 4 pomegranates? Well that would be well over a meal's worth of calories for very little satiety. So I'll have one a day for the next four days.
And this is all with just considering my deficit intake. I actually could eat these amounts at maintenance.
You aren't eating what you want in moderation. You are restricting what you want and parceling it out to different days so you can meet your numbers.
Would it help you to consider the entire category of calorie-dense foods as one? That's what I do. As in, I can have pizza OR fried chicken in one day, not both.0 -
mmm I haven't made brownies in ages, partially because I've not found a good protein brownie recipe but also because being GF can make baking delicious chewy fudgy desserts a pain
We make delicious GF walnut brownies. Walnuts, sugar, chocolate, egg, a little vanilla, salt and leavening. Lots of omega-3. They're good for the kid to eat, but when I eat them, I eat fewer calories overall, so I haven't made them in forever.
no flour?
No flour. The recipe was inspired by those three-ingredient peanut butter cookies (peanut butter, sugar, egg).
Hm, interesting. I did actually make PB cookies like this but with whey powder. Are the walnuts ground, or just pieces? same for chocolate, is it pieces or do you melt it? Might be something to try over Christmas break
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Ana, do you think eliminating wheat from your diet and resolving your digestive issues could be the reason you are doing so well?
In the Paleo world, one of the best things you can do for your health is to eliminate wheat hence the saying "Never cheat with wheat"0 -
Ana, do you think eliminating wheat from your diet and resolving your digestive issues could be the reason you are doing so well?
In the Paleo world, one of the best things you can do for your health is to eliminate wheat hence the saying "Never cheat with wheat"
No, because I stopped eating gluten 5 years ago. And I lost weight (50ish lbs) before going GF, also gained weight years after I went GF. Only benefit of being GF is that I no longer have painful bloating, don't have constant gas (most of the time, although I do notice that when I use our toaster I do tend to get gassy, so I might buy myself a mini toaster just for myself to avoid obvious cross-contamination), and don't struggle with diarrhea and constipation all the time outside of when I'm dehydrated.0 -
Not asking about what you do.
You are always telling everyone not to eliminate things. Daily, you repeat that foods shouldn't be saved for special occasions.
ugh, yes. Exactly. Moderation doesn't mean "I want to eat KFC all day, so I will have one serving of each item that I want at every meal." it means "you know, I'm really craving some KFC. What can I eat today that will fit my macros? Oh, I can't have the popcorn chicken and the burger? I guess I'll have the burger tomorrow!"DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »Weird, because I actually do this every single day. I want to eat donuts and french fries and pizza and a chocolate bar? Okay, cool. can I fit it all into my day while still eating my protein needs? Probably not. So I'll eat the donut and pizza today, the fries and chocolate bar tomorrow.
Oh, I also want to eat 4 pomegranates? Well that would be well over a meal's worth of calories for very little satiety. So I'll have one a day for the next four days.
And this is all with just considering my deficit intake. I actually could eat these amounts at maintenance.
You aren't eating what you want in moderation. You are restricting what you want and parceling it out to different days so you can meet your numbers.
That's what "in moderation" means.
You might see, now, how it would be difficult to not eliminate anything...and how some people might have to save things for special occasions.
Except this is not eliminating anything.
"completely remove or get rid of (something)."
I am not completely removing KFC (although I actually did, because I have been gluten-free for almost 5 years to resolve my painful digestive issues). If I want to eat KFC, then I either make room for it ahead of time or I will eat what I can on that day and then eat more another day. I made baked oatmeal today,and it wasn't great but it was good enough that I wanted to eat it again at dinner. But I didn't have the calories for it so instead I'll be eating more of it tomorrow. Have I eliminated it? No. Do I have to save it for a special occasion? No, unless tomorrow is a special occasion that I'm unaware of.
Assume one needs to spend a year losing weight. This person needs to eat 1200/day because they are "a special snowflake." They cannot work all of the hundreds of yummy things into their diet in that year because even once a week makes it hard to "meet their macros and micros." So, they obviously will not be eating all those hundreds of yummy foods and will be eliminating some, at least while they lose weight.
Can you agree that it would be reasonable for them to eliminate some of those foods?0 -
We keep hearing "Don't eliminate food, eat what you like in moderation as long as you stay within your daily limit"
So in real life - meet your friend for breakfast and have a latte and donut, go to lunch with hubby and have 2 slices of pizza, take the kids to KFC and watch them eat. Nothing for you as you are already over your calories for the day. Oh hey, I went for a walk today I can bum a couple of chips off the kids.
Yeah sure - I don't feel deprived.0 -
mmm I haven't made brownies in ages, partially because I've not found a good protein brownie recipe but also because being GF can make baking delicious chewy fudgy desserts a pain
We make delicious GF walnut brownies. Walnuts, sugar, chocolate, egg, a little vanilla, salt and leavening. Lots of omega-3. They're good for the kid to eat, but when I eat them, I eat fewer calories overall, so I haven't made them in forever.
no flour?
No flour. The recipe was inspired by those three-ingredient peanut butter cookies (peanut butter, sugar, egg).
Hm, interesting. I did actually make PB cookies like this but with whey powder. Are the walnuts ground, or just pieces? same for chocolate, is it pieces or do you melt it? Might be something to try over Christmas break
Ground. I toss the walnuts in the food processor, grind them into itty bits. Add the sugar and let it act as an abrasive to get the nuts finer, until they're starting to turn into nut butter. Toss in the eggs/salt/leavening and whiz it more. The chocolate can either be added with the walnuts or melted and added after the eggs - it seems to come out the same once it's been baked. If you've been successful with whey powder added to the peanut butter cookies - it might work here, and add a little chew.
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Eating in moderation isn't all that simple, is it? It takes planning and forethought. It takes tweaking and figuring. It takes following limits, just like every other food plan.0
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Ana, do you think eliminating wheat from your diet and resolving your digestive issues could be the reason you are doing so well?
In the Paleo world, one of the best things you can do for your health is to eliminate wheat hence the saying "Never cheat with wheat"
No, because I stopped eating gluten 5 years ago. And I lost weight (50ish lbs) before going GF, also gained weight years after I went GF. Only benefit of being GF is that I no longer have painful bloating, don't have constant gas (most of the time, although I do notice that when I use our toaster I do tend to get gassy, so I might buy myself a mini toaster just for myself to avoid obvious cross-contamination), and don't struggle with diarrhea and constipation all the time outside of when I'm dehydrated.
I can relate to all of that and certainly don't miss any of those symptoms. Good for you, whatever you are doing works for you. Congrats on the weight loss, quite an achievement. 
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I really wanted to find a Dawn Summers acute gif but I couldn't, so here's random 16-year-old Giles.emily_stew wrote: »
I don't think Dierdre was being argumentative just for the sake of so being. I think she is genuinely confused and saying, "Enough! This is ridiculous!"
The problem becomes when someone starts ranting about how people shouldn't eliminate anything from their diet, but should eat all foods in moderation and never save anything for special occasions.
As you agreed, some of the foods must be eliminated and enjoyed on special occasions for many of us, because we can't work all those different yummy foods in.
Then, for people with ridiculously slow metabolisms due to having thyroids removed or some other medical issue (I believe many call us "special snowflakes") who must eat an average of 1200/day to lose weight and it gets even harder to "not eliminate anything, but eat the foods you like in moderation."
I'm not saying you say we "shouldn't eliminate anything or save anything for special occasions, but should eat the foods you like in moderation", but it gets said a LOT.
It's just not possible for many of us to not eliminate some foods. If we ate foods we liked without eliminating any, we couldn't eat very much and would certainly not be eating healthy, balanced diets (not that a healthy, balanced diet is required to lose weight.)
I do, mostly because I don't want to believe anyone could be that obtuse about something.
I have nothing to contribute except my love of Anthony Stewart Head and this episode in particular. Although, to be fair, the problem was evil chocolate.
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baconslave wrote: »Eating in moderation isn't all that simple, is it? It takes planning and forethought. It takes tweaking and figuring. It takes following limits, just like every other food plan.
Actually it is pretty simple. I log something I feel like eating. If it doesn't fit my macros, I remove it from my log and log something else I feel like eating instead. And hten I will eat the original thing the next day.0 -
Interesting idea! It did work with the cookies, although I think I baked them too long so they weren't as soft as I wanted.
mmm I haven't made brownies in ages, partially because I've not found a good protein brownie recipe but also because being GF can make baking delicious chewy fudgy desserts a pain
We make delicious GF walnut brownies. Walnuts, sugar, chocolate, egg, a little vanilla, salt and leavening. Lots of omega-3. They're good for the kid to eat, but when I eat them, I eat fewer calories overall, so I haven't made them in forever.
no flour?
No flour. The recipe was inspired by those three-ingredient peanut butter cookies (peanut butter, sugar, egg).
Hm, interesting. I did actually make PB cookies like this but with whey powder. Are the walnuts ground, or just pieces? same for chocolate, is it pieces or do you melt it? Might be something to try over Christmas break
Ground. I toss the walnuts in the food processor, grind them into itty bits. Add the sugar and let it act as an abrasive to get the nuts finer, until they're starting to turn into nut butter. Toss in the eggs/salt/leavening and whiz it more. The chocolate can either be added with the walnuts or melted and added after the eggs - it seems to come out the same once it's been baked. If you've been successful with whey powder added to the peanut butter cookies - it might work here, and add a little chew.
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