Eating what you like vs. clean eating vs. following weight watchers or low carb or other method
Replies
-
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….
I am with Mr_Knight...I eat what I want within reason...I have a serving of chocolate most nights (41grams of cadbury milk chocolate weighed out) there is no point in eating 2 cadbury mini eggs I mean really?
As for the ice cream thing I am so glad it's not one of my weaknesses as my husband loves it and it's in the house all the time...summer will come tho and I will want a cone or two and I will eat that full large cone of ice cream and walk home (about 5miles).
As long as I hit my targets all is good...0 -
I prefer a "slow carb" approach. I try to limit added sugars. I aim for a lot of fiber. When I eat bread I don't really eat it alone, but rather I eat it with fat/protein and I eat 100% whole grain bread. I try to keep my blood sugars stable and my hunger in check.
This along with common sense portion control (NO counting, weighing, measuring, logging) is HOW I lost weight.
This is how I've kept it off all these years. (14 and counting)
I'll eat some dark chocolate when I want a snack. Once in a while I'll have some no sugar added ice cream. Otherwise, I don't really eat sweets.
I aim to make it as EASY to do as possible. This is what works for me.
I eat a lot of veggies, fruits, lean meats, legumes, nuts, seeds, dairy, and some whole grains
I feel best when I eat this way, nutrient dense and low CRap.
The key is: do what's most do-able for YOU, not strangers on the internet. If that's low carb, great. If it's IIFYM with the weighing/measuring/counting/logging, great. You know you best.
0 -
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….
I am with Mr_Knight...I eat what I want within reason...I have a serving of chocolate most nights (41grams of cadbury milk chocolate weighed out) there is no point in eating 2 cadbury mini eggs I mean really?
As for the ice cream thing I am so glad it's not one of my weaknesses as my husband loves it and it's in the house all the time...summer will come tho and I will want a cone or two and I will eat that full large cone of ice cream and walk home (about 5miles).
As long as I hit my targets all is good...
why not? If you want the eggs eat them, if you do not want them, then don't eat them…
but claiming one serving of ice cream is the equivalent of a tablespoon is just ridiculous...0 -
Have you seen portion sizes? They suck... So if the portion size is really small like 1/4 cup ice cream but I really want the whole cup or cup 1/2, I either cut something from another snack or meal to have the volume....
I am about getting the quantity of the stuff I like. If I am going to go there in first place it better fit into my day!
Doing it the wrong way is how I gained weight in the first place.....
Edited to add: I pre-log so I will know if the ice cream fits or not first thing in the a.m. when I log.0 -
No it doesn't make sense. But then folks often say they plan to weigh/measure/count and log forever.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.
It seems the most ludicrous when folks declare you have to be low carb forever or you'll get fat, while simultaneously screaming CICO at the top of their lungs. You can't have it both ways lol.
I think that if one can logically eliminate something while they are losing and IT makes their deficit, they should be able to reintroduce it to an extent and eat at their maintenance calories and be fine. The problem comes when folks go back to what and how much they used to eat. Which is what MOST people do. Regardless of the approach.
0 -
There are 16 tablespoons in a cup. 1/2 of a cup is usually ice cream serving size so a tablespoon is actually .125 of a serving
0 -
I had to break the diet cycle so no I do not eat whatever I want. Certain items should be treats. We cannot give ourselves treats everyday or they are not treats they are part of our routine. I am 5'4" and now 120lbs so I do not have a lot of calories to use. To get the vitamins and nutrients that I need to sustain my lifestyle I cannot waste calories on things that do not add to my goals.
I don't crave the same things anymore though so it is much easier. If you look at my profile it is titled "for the love of burgers" from 2 +yrs ago. I have not eaten a burger in more than a year, not because I cannot have one but because I no longer want one. I don't crave pizza. I don't want french fries, I don't drool over pasta, I may eat 1 candy bar a month and it is over the course of several days and I wouldn't want more. A treat for me is a hand full of dates and walnuts or dried bananas.0 -
There are 16 tablespoons in a cup. 1/2 of a cup is usually ice cream serving size so a tablespoon is actually .125 of a serving
This is actually really enlightening information for me because for some reason I always had it in my head that there were 3 Tbsp in a quarter cup, so I would have said 12 Tbsp = 1 cup. I just looked it up to verify (not that I didn't believe you, just that I was surprised I was wrong all this time!). Trying to figure out if this news works out in my favor or not...
0 -
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.
Agreed.
Folks should be saying: I incorporate treats and favorite foods into my calorie and macro counting routine.
Because when you look at some of their logs (I can think of two "I eat whatever" people in particular) they eat a pretty set routine of proteins and veg. With some chocolate or what not thrown in.0 -
Low carb. Carbs are the devil's food for me.0
-
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »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.
Agreed.
Folks should be saying: I incorporate treats and favorite foods into my calorie and macro counting routine.
Because when you look at some of their logs (I can think of two "I eat whatever" people in particular) they eat a pretty set routine of proteins and veg. With some chocolate or what not thrown in.
Yes but that is the distinction that most people miss. Usually when people say, "I eat whatever" it is in response to people who are posting that they have cut out or severely restricted a food or particular macros in order to lose weight. The "I eat what I want" is meant to explain to the poster that you don't have to cut out entire food groups, you can continue to eat all the foods you like, in moderation.
The strawman assumption then comes out that because these people are saying there is nothing wrong with donuts, that they must be eating nothing but donuts all day long.
For the record, I am firmly in camp moderation. I still eat pizza, donuts, gelato and wine and have lost 30lbs doing so. I don't foresee any issue with maintaining the weight loss and sustaining this lifestyle for the foreseeable future. I don't know if I will be logging when I'm in my 80s, but I don't really see any reason to stop anytime soon.
PS - I've never struggled with binge eating or emotional eating, just wanted to provide that context to the discussion since OP specifically mentioned this.
0 -
I've had 3 cookies and a piece of chocolate today so far. I mean, it's more than I normally would have but I just really wanted it. Tomorrow I'll probably go back to eating smaller portions of those treats, if I eat any at all. My desire comes and goes so having a large portion sometimes isn't a big deal if it is desired, it all balances out in the end.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….
I am with Mr_Knight...I eat what I want within reason...I have a serving of chocolate most nights (41grams of cadbury milk chocolate weighed out) there is no point in eating 2 cadbury mini eggs I mean really?
As for the ice cream thing I am so glad it's not one of my weaknesses as my husband loves it and it's in the house all the time...summer will come tho and I will want a cone or two and I will eat that full large cone of ice cream and walk home (about 5miles).
As long as I hit my targets all is good...
Also the comments were regarding a 1tbsp serving size, as that's much less than what a typical ice cream serving size is and most would be fine fitting in ~150 calories of ice cream into their evening if they really wanted. So not necessarily comments about eating things within reason (BTW, within reason for me means not going over calories and meeting protein needs for the week).
0 -
Not disagreeing there. But that isn't how it always sounds. Since "eat what I want" is somewhat vague, and neutral with respect to quantities. And it assumes folks also "want" to eat a nutrient dense diet.Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »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.
Agreed.
Folks should be saying: I incorporate treats and favorite foods into my calorie and macro counting routine.
Because when you look at some of their logs (I can think of two "I eat whatever" people in particular) they eat a pretty set routine of proteins and veg. With some chocolate or what not thrown in.
Yes but that is the distinction that most people miss. Usually when people say, "I eat whatever" it is in response to people who are posting that they have cut out or severely restricted a food or particular macros in order to lose weight. The "I eat what I want" is meant to explain to the poster that you don't have to cut out entire food groups, you can continue to eat all the foods you like, in moderation.
The strawman assumption then comes out that because these people are saying there is nothing wrong with donuts, that they must be eating nothing but donuts all day long.
For the record, I am firmly in camp moderation. I still eat pizza, donuts, gelato and wine and have lost 30lbs doing so. I don't foresee any issue with maintaining the weight loss and sustaining this lifestyle for the foreseeable future. I don't know if I will be logging when I'm in my 80s, but I don't really see any reason to stop anytime soon.
PS - I've never struggled with binge eating or emotional eating, just wanted to provide that context to the discussion since OP specifically mentioned this.
Perhaps it shouldn't be the default reply to low carbers etc, unless they are posting that they aren't finding what they are doing do-able. Perhaps it should be the reply when folks ask for advice on their eating plan, or when they are struggling with their eating plan etc. rather than folks just looking for others....
Suppose someone posts on a green car forum and says: looking for other hybrid drivers. Or, I'm looking for hints to get the best mileage out of my hybrid. Wouldn't it be weird and counter productive if EVERY thread immediately had someone posting: you should drive an electric car instead. Followed by long arguments on the pros and cons of electric versus hybrid when all the OP wanted was to talk to other hybrid drivers?
And the other caveat is: you don't struggle with binge eating. Moderation for binge eaters is much more challenging. And for some, not worth the struggle.
I've never struggled with binge eating either. I just didn't know how to eat or how much I was eating.
0 -
Have you seen portion sizes? They suck... So if the portion size is really small like 1/4 cup ice cream but I really want the whole cup or cup 1/2, I either cut something from another snack or meal to have the volume....
I am about getting the quantity of the stuff I like. If I am going to go there in first place it better fit into my day!
Doing it the wrong way is how I gained weight in the first place.....
Edited to add: I pre-log so I will know if the ice cream fits or not first thing in the a.m. when I log.
I think most servings for ice cream are about half a cup, maybe a cup for any low-calorie stuff. But I go by weight, not volume. Can't imagine how I'd measure out ice cream by volume!0 -
I definitely agree that people get to hung up on whether someone cuts food out of their diet. It isn't that big of an issue and it definitely doesn't mean that anyone who doesn't want to eat cookies any more has an eating disorder and will fail. I cut all that out when I was losing. Not because I thought it was bad, but because it wasn't worth the calories. I just have problems with people demonizing food. Cut out what you want though.0
-
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »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.
Agreed.
Folks should be saying: I incorporate treats and favorite foods into my calorie and macro counting routine.
Because when you look at some of their logs (I can think of two "I eat whatever" people in particular) they eat a pretty set routine of proteins and veg. With some chocolate or what not thrown in.
Yes but that is the distinction that most people miss. Usually when people say, "I eat whatever" it is in response to people who are posting that they have cut out or severely restricted a food or particular macros in order to lose weight. The "I eat what I want" is meant to explain to the poster that you don't have to cut out entire food groups, you can continue to eat all the foods you like, in moderation.
The strawman assumption then comes out that because these people are saying there is nothing wrong with donuts, that they must be eating nothing but donuts all day long.
Exactly this.0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
Not disagreeing there. But that isn't how it always sounds. Since "eat what I want" is somewhat vague, and neutral with respect to quantities. And it assumes folks also "want" to eat a nutrient dense diet.Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »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.
Agreed.
Folks should be saying: I incorporate treats and favorite foods into my calorie and macro counting routine.
Because when you look at some of their logs (I can think of two "I eat whatever" people in particular) they eat a pretty set routine of proteins and veg. With some chocolate or what not thrown in.
Yes but that is the distinction that most people miss. Usually when people say, "I eat whatever" it is in response to people who are posting that they have cut out or severely restricted a food or particular macros in order to lose weight. The "I eat what I want" is meant to explain to the poster that you don't have to cut out entire food groups, you can continue to eat all the foods you like, in moderation.
The strawman assumption then comes out that because these people are saying there is nothing wrong with donuts, that they must be eating nothing but donuts all day long.
For the record, I am firmly in camp moderation. I still eat pizza, donuts, gelato and wine and have lost 30lbs doing so. I don't foresee any issue with maintaining the weight loss and sustaining this lifestyle for the foreseeable future. I don't know if I will be logging when I'm in my 80s, but I don't really see any reason to stop anytime soon.
PS - I've never struggled with binge eating or emotional eating, just wanted to provide that context to the discussion since OP specifically mentioned this.
And the other caveat is: you don't struggle with binge eating. Moderation for binge eaters is much more challenging. And for some, not worth the struggle.
I've never struggled with binge eating either. I just didn't know how to eat or how much I was eating.
I agree that people could be more specific with the way that they respond to the questions or the way that they correct inaccurate understandings about weight loss and that would avoid many of the arguments on here. I often feel that aside from a few zealots on both sides of the debates, if you did a blind comparison of the diaries of some of the "clean eaters" and some of the "IIFYM" folks, you would be hard pressed to say who is who.
I understand that for some binge eaters, moderation is very difficult, but I have also seen many people on here say that moderation was the only thing that helped them overcome their binging tendencies. Knowing that they could have it, even a little bit, each day, made the food have less power over them so that they did not need to binge. Again, just going by what I've seen some folks say, some I think even in this thread. I know there are others who say that that might work for some trigger foods, but then there are still other trigger foods that are not able to be moderated no matter what.
Also, I don't know if there is a difference or not, but I've seen a few people mentioning that they are "volume eaters" which I think Mr_Knight may have mentioned in this thread or another recently. Would that be considered the same as a binge eater? I don't think so, again, maybe semantics but to me, binge eating implies that there is a total lack of control over how much you are going to eat, that you can't stop yourself. To me, volume eating means that in order to be satisfied, you prefer a much larger volume of food, but it doesn't sound like there is the same issue with giving up control completely to the food.
0 -
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.
Nowhere in this statement does he say a tablespoon equals a serving.0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »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.
Agreed.
Folks should be saying: I incorporate treats and favorite foods into my calorie and macro counting routine.
Because when you look at some of their logs (I can think of two "I eat whatever" people in particular) they eat a pretty set routine of proteins and veg. With some chocolate or what not thrown in.
Yeah this is pretty dead on for me- I have a pretty set diet BUT I don't cut anything out entirely, I just eat unhealthy things really rarely. It's not really a reaction to people who say they never eat certain items, I just know that if I were to set a rule for myself that I would never eat something, it would become the one thing I wanted. So nothing is off limits, but my focus is on the good things I can have and feel good about eating rather than the unhealthy things that I eat rarely.0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »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.
Agreed.
Folks should be saying: I incorporate treats and favorite foods into my calorie and macro counting routine.
Because when you look at some of their logs (I can think of two "I eat whatever" people in particular) they eat a pretty set routine of proteins and veg. With some chocolate or what not thrown in.
Yes but that is the distinction that most people miss. Usually when people say, "I eat whatever" it is in response to people who are posting that they have cut out or severely restricted a food or particular macros in order to lose weight. The "I eat what I want" is meant to explain to the poster that you don't have to cut out entire food groups, you can continue to eat all the foods you like, in moderation.
The strawman assumption then comes out that because these people are saying there is nothing wrong with donuts, that they must be eating nothing but donuts all day long.
For the record, I am firmly in camp moderation. I still eat pizza, donuts, gelato and wine and have lost 30lbs doing so. I don't foresee any issue with maintaining the weight loss and sustaining this lifestyle for the foreseeable future. I don't know if I will be logging when I'm in my 80s, but I don't really see any reason to stop anytime soon.
PS - I've never struggled with binge eating or emotional eating, just wanted to provide that context to the discussion since OP specifically mentioned this.
You should not bother to argue about this with this particular poster... it will not go anywhere beneficial.
But I agree with everything you said, and I also moderate food. I also did struggle with binge eating and remedied that via moderation and owning up to MY responsibility and control in my weight management (i.e. it's not others' fault, it's not dictated by exercise or by the type of food I eat). Changing my attitude towards food was a big catalyst in that shift.
As for when people say that your weight loss diet should be one you practice indefinitely, it makes complete sense. If you lose weight while eating low-carb and subsequently go back to eating carbs while maintaining, you've not learned what your portion sizes should look like for your current weight and activity level when eating moderate- or high-carb. If you lose weight while eating any food you want and learn how each type of food affects your caloric intake in different ways and you continue to eat the same food during weight maintenance, you have a much better idea of what your portions ought to look like to maintain your weight. The same would hold for anyone who practices any type of diet during weight loss and then maintains it during weight management. ETA if you then decide to change how you eat, e.g. new allergies or you just develop an aversion to red meat, then I'd recommend tracking calories again with your new dietary approach to relearn what your new food intake should look like re: portions. I'd much rather just eat food that I plan to eat while maintaining while I'm losing weight so I can better learn portions and satiety from my preferred dietary choices.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 392.9K Introduce Yourself
- 43.7K Getting Started
- 260.1K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.8K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 415 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.9K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.6K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.5K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions