Eating what you like vs. clean eating vs. following weight watchers or low carb or other method

spoonyspork

Eat what I like within my goals. If I 'kind of' want something but it would put me over I will wait until the next day. If I'm really super-crazy-craving it I'll eat a serving anyway and not really sweat it. Otherwise I always have something sweet budgeted for the beginning and end of every day. Usually a chocolately coffee in the morning and ice cream at night, but tonight it's a corndog dipped in funnel cake batter. Woke up craving that. I don't even like corndogs. But Imma have it. Spent all morning thinking about it and would have made it part of lunch but forgot to grab one on my way out the door. XD

It's the same calories, sugar, carbs, and protein as my two servings of ice cream so it rounds out my day in exactly the same way, too (other than salt... but I did a LOT of sweating in the 90ish degree heat yesterday, so figure my body is needing the salt).

I do like being simplistic and having lots and lots of veggies because it just works out better nutrient-wise as well as calorie-wise without having to think too hard about it, but really: anything goes. Trying to put any food on a 'no' list just doesn't work for me.

I've lost lots and lots with this attitude (at my goal weight now: just gunna try to drop a bit lower and then move to maintenance experimenting along with exercise for fitness). Never feel guilty about any food, and even feel said foods are even more enjoyable since I can account for them and not wonder what it might do to my thighs.

rybo

I do best following a mostly whole foods based diet, with very little processed foods. I will indulge myself on occasion, but the whole moderation thing is difficult for me. Having just a just a little bit of ice cream or whatever doesn't work for me. I've also found that i don't seem to crave it much or feel deprived either. If I'm in the mood for ice cream I'll go out for some as a treat. But those moods are typically few and far between. What i have also found is that there are so many foods and flavors out there to be tried and enjoyed, I don't miss eating junk at all.

farfromthetree

It was "key" for me to eat whatever I wanted. Depriving myself of yummy tasty foods always did me in. That being said I do stay away from certain foods "potato chips, cheez-its, doritos" because they are seriously difficult for me to stop at an appropriate serving.

Josalinn

As far as binge eating goes, I keep triggers out of my house. As much as I would LOVE to have them around I just can't. I only have a few triggers, so it isn't that bad and I don't feel deprived.

Mr_Knight

4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »

If it is not something you want to do forever then no use starting.

That gets said around here all the time, and it makes no sense whatsoever. Life is full of things we only do for a while - there is no reason eating patterns need to be any different.

JPW1990

"Eat what you like" - I don't like shrimp or most fish. Even though they're "good" for me and most recommended meal plans for any WOE include them, I'm not going to eat them, because life is too short. I like tomatoes. Some people in LC have this bizarre phobia about tomatoes being higher carb than they actually are (I think partly due to a bad MFP entry that's floating around). I'll keep eating them every day, even if it's going to cause some LC people to wring their hands and tell me I'm doing it wrong.

"Clean" eating - if you asked someone who insists on a low fat or vegetarian diet, they would declare that most of my food is "bad" food, whole cream, bacon, butter, chocolate, cheese, cheese, cheese, and more cheese. OTOH, if you talked to someone doing the typical American diet of fast food 5-10 times a week, supplemented with frozen meals and chased with Monster or Mt. Dew at every meal, my cooking 99% of my meals from scratch at home sounds like fanaticism.

Low carb I don't really have a choice in the matter, it's about food that I either can't digest or that worsens my symptoms. I can say that there's really not anything I miss, so it's not like I'm depriving myself, or staring longingly at the Costco bakery section as I walk by.

All told, I'm low carb, "clean" eating whatever I like...depending whose definitions you want to use this week. I think the only thing that has any influence one way or the other is the LC part, and that's based entirely on whether or not I'm in keto - in keto, I don't get hungry ever. I'll get shaky and dizzy if I go way too long without eating, but no actual hunger feelings. Out of keto, I get hungry like any other person. OTOH, if I was an emotional eater, that wouldn't matter, and I'd still eat thousands of calories, because for them, hunger is irrelevant.

I do think when it comes to weight loss programs you have to pay for, people should remember the end goal is not to help you lose weight, it's to make money. If you take the weight off and keep it off, you stop paying them money. It's in their best interest to help you get a little success, then sabotage you just enough that you think it's your own fault, and will keep coming back. If they actually worked, they'd have no repeat customers.

tinascar2015

Do whatever makes you not hate the diet. Whatever doesn't leave you feeling deprived. That way, your chances of sticking with it are much better.

I do clean eating because that's what I prefer; it's the way I was brought up. I love scratch cooking, love lots of vegetables and fruits, rarely have processed foods. When I feel like having something else, I do, and in small amounts. I also make sure it fits in with my calorie goals, and my sugar which needs to be watched. MFP makes this all so easy that is't second nature to me now after just 11 weeks.

LovelyIvy466

The only eating rule I have is that I never eat after dinner, whether dinner is at 6, 8 or 10 PM. I used to, and that was always a mistake. With that one change it has been really easy to keep my calories in line.

I don't rule out any foods, but my diet is focused on whole, unprocessed foods. I try to make sure to always have healthy options for meals in the house, and I almost never snack (not now anyway, thanks to the no eating after dinner rule). The only snacks I have in the house are healthy snacks- KIND bars, nuts, fruits, etc. Actually I lie, I do keep one unhealthy snack in the house for the kiddos- gummy bears. I love them too, and if I have 5 gummy bears after cardio I just count them in my diary and don't feel too guilty about it.

This is not to say I never indulge, but if I'm going to really indulge it's by eating out, which I sometimes miss, and I find a way to fit it into my calorie counts by planning other meals around it. I find that as long as I'm full I don't miss things like fries or chips, and if I can have something healthy and sweet like a smoothie then I don't really crave sweets. I still eat those things once in a while if I'm out and they look good, but it's pretty rare these days.

EmmaFitzwilliam

For the most part, I eat what I want when I want. I pay attention to my protein, fat, carb, and fiber counts, but don't give myself any drama if I go over the calorie goal on any given day. I pay attention to my portions (my biggest challenge), and make informed decisions about what I want, but if I really want the donut 200 calories worth, or if I want the pudding 120 calories worth, I have it. I've lost nearly 65 pounds in about 10 months, and I'm not feeling deprived or like food is the enemy. I make informed choices about nutrient content and portion size.

beachlandia

I eat "whatever" I want as long as it fits in my calories. But this means I have also cut out or greatly reduced amounts of high calorie foods. Like, I COULD fit a 680-calorie giant chocolate muffin from Costco into my day, and it's not that I don't enjoy those muffins anymore... but I'd much rather use those calories for other things. And I guess that makes me eat "healthier" (which is a subjective term) because I'll eat things like chicken breast and fruit instead of a muffin.

Mr_Knight

beachlandia wrote: »

I eat "whatever" I want as long as it fits in my calories. But this means I have also cut out or greatly reduced amounts of high calorie foods. Like, I COULD fit a 680-calorie giant chocolate muffin from Costco into my day, and it's not that I don't enjoy those muffins anymore... but I'd much rather use those calories for other things. And I guess that makes me eat "healthier" (which is a subjective term) because I'll eat things like chicken breast and fruit instead of a muffin.

This.

It's not really "whatever you want" if there is a constraint around it.

Lounmoun

I have been eating the same foods just smaller portions of some things. I eat food I like every day. Some foods I choose to have very rarely because they don't seem worth spending my precious calories on. My priorities are food that tastes good, fits my calories, eating more vegetables and fruits, trying to get enough protein, fiber and fats, and reducing my sodium intake a bit.
I am unwilling to exercise for more than an hour a day or do super intense workouts so I'll skip the double bacon cheeseburger with fries and have a regular hamburger and salad.
Pre-logging my whole day is what has helped me the most. I usually plan 1-2 snacks in the afternoon and night because I get hungry then. I eat a small breakfast because I am less hungry then.

cmcdonald525

I had successfully lost 30lbs last year while not allowing myself to eat certain "unhealthy" foods. Unfortunately, those foods became an obsession for me. I binged more and more frequently until I just didn't care anymore and gave up on my goals. Needless to say, I gained it all back quickly! This time around, I refuse to restrict anything. I can make cici's pizza fit into my calorie goals if need be, as well as chocolate and chips. I have found this time around I'm not obsessing over food and haven't been tempted to binge. I'm learning to eat in moderation in a way I will be able to sustain for the rest of my life

PeachyCarol

JPW1990 wrote: »

"Eat what you like" - I don't like shrimp or most fish. Even though they're "good" for me and most recommended meal plans for any WOE include them, I'm not going to eat them, because life is too short. I like tomatoes. Some people in LC have this bizarre phobia about tomatoes being higher carb than they actually are (I think partly due to a bad MFP entry that's floating around). I'll keep eating them every day, even if it's going to cause some LC people to wring their hands and tell me I'm doing it wrong.

I'm pretty sure that Atkins was down on tomatoes in his book. At least in the edition I read back in the dark ages. I remember really restricting them to something like a slice here or there because of it.

The tomato phobia might be a hold out from that?

ndj1979

I eat whatever I want as long as it fits into my calorie/macro/micros targets for the day ….

ndj1979

Mr_Knight wrote: »

I would much rather have no ice cream than the one tablespoon of ice cream that actually fits in my goals - so no, I don't eat what I want because quantity is a big part of what I want, for some foods.

You however may be different - not everybody is the same.

LOL

a tablespoon of ice cream is .005% of a serving or something ridiculous like that….

lemurcat12

I focus on getting a lot of nutrient dense foods, especially adequate amounts of protein (as I judge it--more than some would say is necessary) and veggies at every meal, plus some of the so-called "good" fats. And then I incorporate extras--foods I simply enjoy, like cheese or ice cream--as they fit in my calories.

I find that smaller servings of these foods are typically satisfying for me.

I also avoid eating foods that I don't care much about but in the old days would just eat because they were there. This means avoiding most snacks that appear in my office, like the candy in the candy bowl, and limiting foods that are common sides that I just don't care much about (like rice, often, or all but really good bread).

stevencloser

Mr_Knight wrote: »

I would much rather have no ice cream than the one tablespoon of ice cream that actually fits in my goals - so no, I don't eat what I want because quantity is a big part of what I want, for some foods.

You however may be different - not everybody is the same.

Must be some damn good ice cream or a really big spoon you've got there.

ana3067

stevencloser wrote: »

Mr_Knight wrote: »

I would much rather have no ice cream than the one tablespoon of ice cream that actually fits in my goals - so no, I don't eat what I want because quantity is a big part of what I want, for some foods.

You however may be different - not everybody is the same.

Must be some damn good ice cream or a really big spoon you've got there.

lemurcat12

Oh, I should add that I'm not really a binger, but I am an emotional eater and a boredom or distraction eater (if I want to avoid thinking about something or put off something, eating is always a nice excuse). Hunger was never a triggering thing for me, and not something I've ever struggled with much, but eating for reasons other than hunger sure is, so the things I've done that make more of a difference than the foods I eat are cutting out any non-planned eating (I sometimes do 3 meals and sometimes 3 meals and a snack, but they are all planned) and I try very hard not to let myself eat for reasons other than real hunger (which is almost never an issue) outside of a planned meal/snack time. If I find myself wanting to eat I make myself understand why.

I have found that focusing on the nutritional benefits of the foods I eat, as well as simply becoming more fitness conscious and having fitness/athletic goals, has helped me focus on foods more as something that I eat for my body, and not because it's there/I am down and deserve it or whatever.

I do still enjoy food in communal/celebratory occasions like holidays without problem, perhaps because my emotional eating was always a private thing.