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

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Replies

  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    jazmin220 wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    jazmin220 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    jazmin220 wrote: »
    Mycophilia wrote: »
    I eat what I want, when I want. My only rule is that it has to fit my calorie and protein goal. Doing great so far.

    And what if you have no more calories to consume but you still want more food ? Or do you automatically stop 'wanting' for foods after your calorie/protein macros have been hit?

    You learn to stop at that point or you eat low calories foods and deal with going over a bit until you learn to choose better or be satisfied within your calories.

    When I first started I wanted foods at times I'd been used to eating. It was habit, not real hunger, so it went away.

    What do you think someone should do in that situation?


    Yeaaah but...He said "I eat what I want, when I want."
    I just feel like that might be a little unrealistic. I don't think people just conveniently stop wanting food after they've hit certain macros, in his case, calories and protein. lol

    I understand the concept of moderation, I just don't believe he stops wanting for food naturally after he's had the correct serving of a certain food every single time .

    Maybe I missed something or forgot part of the thread. Who is this "he" that said that?
    Mycophilia.

    Yeah, I went and looked at his diary. I'm not sure what most of those foods are. I can't really say for sure if they are the kind of thing you would want to eat more of or not. I wouldn't draw a lot of conclusions from any one posters comments on MFP threads. There are people who comment on here that sound totally reasonable, and when I go out and look at their diary, or we become friends, then I realize they are eating a VLCD or completely restricting food groups in a way that I am not in favor of. Then there are people who sound a little extreme, and if I go check out their diaries, turns out they are eating a balanced, varied diet hitting their micros/macros and making room for treats as well.

    Point being that context and dosage is critical with these type of threads.

  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    No, I can't eat intuitively, you're right. Because any chance of me doing that was broken long ago. I don't come by that skill naturally.

    But I don't look at what I'll have to do to maintain a normal healthy weight by eating normal-sized portions as restrictive either.

    You are holding two contradictory principles at the same time - you're going to have to let one of those go, eventually.

    It's as simple as that for me. Not restrictive. Corrective.

    Semantics. And if that works for you...fantastic! :drinker:

    Nope. I think you're holding onto a skewed viewpoint.

    And that's the difference between you and me - I accept your viewpoint as valid for you - you don't accept mine as valid for me.

  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    edited April 2015
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    Mr_Knight 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.
    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.
    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.


    I guess for part of the discussion I'm back to this:
    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?

    But the context here is that someone posts "I am looking for clean eaters to share recipes and talk about healthy eating." Why are only "clean" eaters qualified to talk about healthy eating or recipes to that person, especially when what "clean" means varies dramatically from person to person. As I like to say, that I enjoy ice cream doesn't mean that my dinners are "contaminated" with ice cream, so why exclude people like me from the discussion? Many of us who aren't clean eaters have been cooking from whole foods a lot longer than many of the "clean" eaters in these parts and eat plenty of lean meats and veggies and all that.

    I find the desire to segregate the discussions weird.

    And no, I never encourage anyone to eat foods they don't want to eat. There are lots of foods I don't eat (although not because I cut them out, IMO).
    I'll reply to this right after being accused of hijacking. Lol. If someone wants to give that "clean eater" some clean breakfast ideas? Sure!

    But that requires explaining that we can't know what the person means by "clean," but some breakfast ideas are X, Y, and Z, which is, in fact, what many of us do.
    Ok then let's do that. And then an argument goes on and on and on it goes. Ok. Let's do that. It sounds productive lol. Interspersed with photos and jokes about dirt and things.

    There's no reason an argument has to go on. Why would it? Again, why the desire to segregate? If I were looking for recipes involving broccoli I'd, well, look on the internet or in one of my cookbooks for ideas, but if I thought to ask on MFP I'd say "hey, does anyone have broccoli ideas"? or "ideas for dinner focusing on lean meat and broccoli"?

    It would never cross my mind to say "I need "clean" eaters to help me figure out how to eat broccoli." Why on earth would anyone assume that the rest of us don't eat broccoli? Or eat broccoli only with chocolate sauce or on top of McD's fries?
    not sure how you got there but
    Ok. So if someone wants low carb recipes everyone will post them or enjoy them. Not tell them what and how they should be eating instead. Great!
    Not segregated (on the main boards)

    How we got there is you mentioned the response to the "looking for 'clean' eaters" threads.

    You raised clean eating.

    Nope. You posted an analogy about cars:
    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?

    I took that to be about the 7054 threads where someone asks for ideas from "clean" eaters. I think a better analogy is someone says "I am trying to reduce my carbon footprint, can hybrid owners tell me how." Someone who doesn't happen to own a hybrid might just as easily have smart things to say about the carbon footprint, so what's the point of asking only hybrid owners (and at least there's a commonly recognized definition of what a hybrid is).

    So my question is what disqualifies me from having something of interest to say about cooking that a so-called "clean" eater wouldn't find valuable? The underlying assumption appears to be that if you don't own a hybrid you must not care about the environment at all and act as wastefully as possible in all relevant areas of life.

    (Off-topic, but I actually do own a hybrid, and yet I don't think this means I have the market cornered on how to limit my carbon footprint, which I'm sure is immense.)

    I'm also having Brussels sprouts for dinner, I think. Roasted with leftover Easter lamb and sunchokes.

    GOOD LORD! Gosh. Wow. Umm. NO. I was NOT thinking of clean eating in the slightest. Sorry if my analogy confused you. I wasn't thinking of clean eating when I posted it. I was actually half pondering low carb. But generally looking for an analogy that would work with EVERY "I eat x way, looking for more Xers" post that is invariably followed by "why eat X way, you should eat Y way" and what not.
    As for all the other leaps, given that you misunderstood my intent, the underlying assumptions are invalid as well.

    Perhaps: Someone posts on a honda forum asking what the best floor mats are for a honda and everyone replies get a toyota?
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Or wants to meet other low carbers we'll all answer giving them new low carb ideas or links to groups where they can meet other low carbers? Great!

    I can't control what others say in low carb threads like that any more than you can control the people who pop up to insist that carbs are evil and bad or that sugar is the devil or the like.

    However, I know for a fact that I have consistently recommended that newby low carb people check out the low carb threads, since most of them seem to need better understanding of how low carbing works (lately lots seem to want to be low carb and low fat).

    Also, if someone says "aren't carbs bad when you want to lose weight?" or "I was told that it's easier to lose weight when low carbing" I DO say that that's not so, IME, but that people vary and if they are interested in low carb to check it out. I've also been know to suggest that when someone seems not to even understand what carbs are or how to low carb that they start by just exchanging some carbs for fat or protein foods or decreasing some portions and increasing others (which they can see how to do by looking at their diaries). AND when people ask for examples of low carb foods I've reeled some off from time to time (usually meat, which seems obvious, but again lots of people seem to decide to low carb without even knowing what carbs are and what foods contain them).

    Maybe the only answer that I'm supposed to give in your view is "yes, low carb is an excellent choice, go to the thread," but I don't see what's wrong with any of these.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    edited April 2015
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    No, I can't eat intuitively, you're right. Because any chance of me doing that was broken long ago. I don't come by that skill naturally.

    But I don't look at what I'll have to do to maintain a normal healthy weight by eating normal-sized portions as restrictive either.

    You are holding two contradictory principles at the same time - you're going to have to let one of those go, eventually.

    It's as simple as that for me. Not restrictive. Corrective.

    Semantics. And if that works for you...fantastic! :drinker:

    Nope. I think you're holding onto a skewed viewpoint.

    And that's the difference between you and me - I accept your viewpoint as valid for you - you don't accept mine as valid for me.

    I accept that yours is valid for you as a general philosophy, but in this case, I don't understand holding onto looking at an unhealthy behavior as a norm that you're deviating from as an ongoing strategy.

    So, it's cool that you prefer to think that way... can you shed some light on your thinking behind it for me, though.

    I'm just fascinated by the different thought process, honestly. Not really picking a nit at this point, I'm truly interested.

  • Lexicpt
    Lexicpt Posts: 209 Member
    I eat what I want. I don't do well restricting certain foods or food groups. If I want a piece of cake or a cookie, I eat a lighter dinner to free up my calories.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    edited April 2015
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Or wants to meet other low carbers we'll all answer giving them new low carb ideas or links to groups where they can meet other low carbers? Great!

    I can't control what others say in low carb threads like that any more than you can control the people who pop up to insist that carbs are evil and bad or that sugar is the devil or the like.
    Indeed. I can't control what others say, nor the assumptions they make.

  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    ndj1979 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.

    LOL

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

    A tablespoon is 15ml. A traditional scoop of ice cream is (or at least was) 50ml. A typical ice cream is ~2.5 calories/ml, so it's a difference of roughly 40 calories vs 120 calories.

    I don't have 80 extra calories to blow on it, and a tablespoon would just be torturing myself, so....easier to abstain entirely.

    Others are free to chose their own "right" answer, even if it involves detached-from-reality hyperbole....

    :drinker:

    That you say you can't even use 100 calories of your day on ice cream kinda makes me sad.

    Why? I use those 100 calories for something I want more. Yeah, I *love* ice cream - but I have fitness and health goals that are more important to me than a few moments of transitory gastromic pleasure.

    To me this a cause for happiness, not sadness.


    How big is your deficit if 100 calories of non nutrient dense food is going to offput your fitness and health goals?

    I've also used ice cream to meet my goals. Meeting your fat and carbs from a "healthy" food source doesn't give you extra life points than if you chose to do it with a bowl of ice cream :/
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    ndj1979 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.

    LOL

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

    A tablespoon is 15ml. A traditional scoop of ice cream is (or at least was) 50ml. A typical ice cream is ~2.5 calories/ml, so it's a difference of roughly 40 calories vs 120 calories.

    I don't have 80 extra calories to blow on it, and a tablespoon would just be torturing myself, so....easier to abstain entirely.

    Others are free to chose their own "right" answer, even if it involves detached-from-reality hyperbole....

    :drinker:

    That you say you can't even use 100 calories of your day on ice cream kinda makes me sad.

    Why? I use those 100 calories for something I want more. Yeah, I *love* ice cream - but I have fitness and health goals that are more important to me than a few moments of transitory gastromic pleasure.

    To me this a cause for happiness, not sadness.


    How big is your deficit if 100 calories of non nutrient dense food is going to offput your fitness and health goals?

    But it's not just 100 calories - because it's not just ice cream. Let's say we bring in the ice cream - what about the other treats? Do I say yes to all of them, just because "it's only 100 calories!"...?

    What about the Dorritos? The hot dogs? The Key Lime Pie?

    The line has to be drawn somewhere - that's the meaning of "restriction". And where ever that line is drawn, there will be a whole lot of things you have to say "No" to. Even if you don't totally exclude, you most exclude - and it's still a lot of saying "No".

    There's no way around it.


    Ice cream Monday, Dorritos Tuesday, Hot dogs (these are considered "treats"?) Wednesday, pie on Thursday?

    Just eat one slide of pie instead of the whole pie :/

    You seem to be forever confused about the notion of reduced intake and moderation vs elimination. But it only seems to pop up when the topic of "bad" food is brought up, and not for things like fruits and veggies (which I've had to moderate as well) or cheese or PB or meat or fish...
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    Mr_Knight 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.
    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.
    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.


    I guess for part of the discussion I'm back to this:
    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?

    But the context here is that someone posts "I am looking for clean eaters to share recipes and talk about healthy eating." Why are only "clean" eaters qualified to talk about healthy eating or recipes to that person, especially when what "clean" means varies dramatically from person to person. As I like to say, that I enjoy ice cream doesn't mean that my dinners are "contaminated" with ice cream, so why exclude people like me from the discussion? Many of us who aren't clean eaters have been cooking from whole foods a lot longer than many of the "clean" eaters in these parts and eat plenty of lean meats and veggies and all that.

    I find the desire to segregate the discussions weird.

    And no, I never encourage anyone to eat foods they don't want to eat. There are lots of foods I don't eat (although not because I cut them out, IMO).
    I'll reply to this right after being accused of hijacking. Lol. If someone wants to give that "clean eater" some clean breakfast ideas? Sure!

    But that requires explaining that we can't know what the person means by "clean," but some breakfast ideas are X, Y, and Z, which is, in fact, what many of us do.
    Ok then let's do that. And then an argument goes on and on and on it goes. Ok. Let's do that. It sounds productive lol. Interspersed with photos and jokes about dirt and things.

    There's no reason an argument has to go on. Why would it? Again, why the desire to segregate? If I were looking for recipes involving broccoli I'd, well, look on the internet or in one of my cookbooks for ideas, but if I thought to ask on MFP I'd say "hey, does anyone have broccoli ideas"? or "ideas for dinner focusing on lean meat and broccoli"?

    It would never cross my mind to say "I need "clean" eaters to help me figure out how to eat broccoli." Why on earth would anyone assume that the rest of us don't eat broccoli? Or eat broccoli only with chocolate sauce or on top of McD's fries?

    I love eating broccoli with melted cheese, especially if I throw some pasta and meat in there.... am I negating the benefits of broccoli by eating pasta with it or am I in the clear? Or maybe it's the cheese that erases the broccoli intake?
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    No, I can't eat intuitively, you're right. Because any chance of me doing that was broken long ago. I don't come by that skill naturally.

    But I don't look at what I'll have to do to maintain a normal healthy weight by eating normal-sized portions as restrictive either.

    You are holding two contradictory principles at the same time - you're going to have to let one of those go, eventually.

    It's as simple as that for me. Not restrictive. Corrective.

    Semantics. And if that works for you...fantastic! :drinker:

    Neither are contradictory. I ate a HUGE meal yesterday for eater, a bigger plate than I've eaten in ages, it was logged at ~1400 calories including the dessert. Much of it was all estimates as well. I was STUFFED. Like, I had logged fruit and a salad (a few hundred calories overall) and I had to shift that to being my dinner because my stomach physically hurt from eating so much. Yet before I joined MFP that portion would have possibly been followed up with a second helping of some of the most delicious food and with a large piece of dessert and a regular dinner. So for me, portions that I eat now ARE normal for me and are not restrictive. Much like someone who has never struggled with weight would not see their portion sizes as restrictive. An entire box of chocolate no longer resembles a normal portion to me, so does that mean that me eating that box over 2 months is restricting?

    But I'm going to guess in advance that you'd argue that unless one is eating 24hrs a day ,any consumption patterns are restrictive, and that eating one piece of chocolate instead of a whole box in a sitting means elimination of chocolate, etc. Weird games that don't belong on the forums.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    jazmin220 wrote: »
    Mycophilia wrote: »
    I eat what I want, when I want. My only rule is that it has to fit my calorie and protein goal. Doing great so far.

    And what if you have no more calories to consume but you still want more food ? Or do you automatically stop 'wanting' for foods after your calorie/protein macros have been hit?

    Not the person you quoted, but in this situation I either a) eat it tomorrow, b) eat it tonight and hit maintenance needs, or c) I don't actually want food once I've reached my calorie goal since I'm usually full or full enough until bed (if I eat too early I might get a bit peckish before bed).
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    jazmin220 wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    jazmin220 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    jazmin220 wrote: »
    Mycophilia wrote: »
    I eat what I want, when I want. My only rule is that it has to fit my calorie and protein goal. Doing great so far.

    And what if you have no more calories to consume but you still want more food ? Or do you automatically stop 'wanting' for foods after your calorie/protein macros have been hit?

    You learn to stop at that point or you eat low calories foods and deal with going over a bit until you learn to choose better or be satisfied within your calories.

    When I first started I wanted foods at times I'd been used to eating. It was habit, not real hunger, so it went away.

    What do you think someone should do in that situation?

    The point I was trying to get across was basically:

    So many people love to say "I ate what I wanted, and when I wanted and lost all the weight."
    But if that was the case then you never would have become overweight to begin with. It might be better to just say, "I ate what I wanted and stopped right before I hit my calorie limit." That might mean you still wanted for certain foods, but had to stop, however to achieve the deficit.

    I don't think I've ever seen anyone say, "I ate what I wanted, and when I wanted, and lost all the weight". What people usually say is that they fit what they want to eat into their day. That requires a considerable amount of foresight and planning in order to meet their nutritional goals AND leave room for the treats they wanted to eat.

    No one ever says, "you should eat donuts and/or doritos all day every day"

    Yes, there are such people. I frequent the forums quite a bit, and I have actually seen what I described, maybe not in the exact words I've used, but definitely along those lines.

    Then you are clearly not referring to MFP, because this does not occur. And if something like this does, it's someone twisting someone else's words to reflect this asinine notion.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    As for all the other leaps, given that you misunderstood my intent, the underlying assumptions are invalid as well.

    Just to be clear, I wasn't suggesting that was your underlying assumption, but using the analogy to illustrate what I find to be the faulty assumption underlying the "looking for 'clean' eaters" threads.

    But given that you weren't referring to those, we can drop it.
  • Timorous_Beastie
    Timorous_Beastie Posts: 595 Member
    For me, it's not so much eat whatever I want, but want and really enjoy what I eat.

    If I only ate whatever I wanted, I'd eat appetizers and desserts all the time. I never really think, "I could really go for broccoli right now." I don't dislike broccoli. With a meal, I have no problem eating it. But I've never craved it.

    So instead, I make meals that are delicious and enjoyable.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited April 2015
    ana3067 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    Mr_Knight 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.
    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.
    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.


    I guess for part of the discussion I'm back to this:
    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?

    But the context here is that someone posts "I am looking for clean eaters to share recipes and talk about healthy eating." Why are only "clean" eaters qualified to talk about healthy eating or recipes to that person, especially when what "clean" means varies dramatically from person to person. As I like to say, that I enjoy ice cream doesn't mean that my dinners are "contaminated" with ice cream, so why exclude people like me from the discussion? Many of us who aren't clean eaters have been cooking from whole foods a lot longer than many of the "clean" eaters in these parts and eat plenty of lean meats and veggies and all that.

    I find the desire to segregate the discussions weird.

    And no, I never encourage anyone to eat foods they don't want to eat. There are lots of foods I don't eat (although not because I cut them out, IMO).
    I'll reply to this right after being accused of hijacking. Lol. If someone wants to give that "clean eater" some clean breakfast ideas? Sure!

    But that requires explaining that we can't know what the person means by "clean," but some breakfast ideas are X, Y, and Z, which is, in fact, what many of us do.
    Ok then let's do that. And then an argument goes on and on and on it goes. Ok. Let's do that. It sounds productive lol. Interspersed with photos and jokes about dirt and things.

    There's no reason an argument has to go on. Why would it? Again, why the desire to segregate? If I were looking for recipes involving broccoli I'd, well, look on the internet or in one of my cookbooks for ideas, but if I thought to ask on MFP I'd say "hey, does anyone have broccoli ideas"? or "ideas for dinner focusing on lean meat and broccoli"?

    It would never cross my mind to say "I need "clean" eaters to help me figure out how to eat broccoli." Why on earth would anyone assume that the rest of us don't eat broccoli? Or eat broccoli only with chocolate sauce or on top of McD's fries?

    I love eating broccoli with melted cheese, especially if I throw some pasta and meat in there.... am I negating the benefits of broccoli by eating pasta with it or am I in the clear? Or maybe it's the cheese that erases the broccoli intake?

    Are cheese and pasta and meat not "clean"? This is why the "need clean recipes" thing is confusing always.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    Mr_Knight 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.
    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.
    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.


    I guess for part of the discussion I'm back to this:
    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?

    But the context here is that someone posts "I am looking for clean eaters to share recipes and talk about healthy eating." Why are only "clean" eaters qualified to talk about healthy eating or recipes to that person, especially when what "clean" means varies dramatically from person to person. As I like to say, that I enjoy ice cream doesn't mean that my dinners are "contaminated" with ice cream, so why exclude people like me from the discussion? Many of us who aren't clean eaters have been cooking from whole foods a lot longer than many of the "clean" eaters in these parts and eat plenty of lean meats and veggies and all that.

    I find the desire to segregate the discussions weird.

    And no, I never encourage anyone to eat foods they don't want to eat. There are lots of foods I don't eat (although not because I cut them out, IMO).
    I'll reply to this right after being accused of hijacking. Lol. If someone wants to give that "clean eater" some clean breakfast ideas? Sure!

    But that requires explaining that we can't know what the person means by "clean," but some breakfast ideas are X, Y, and Z, which is, in fact, what many of us do.
    Ok then let's do that. And then an argument goes on and on and on it goes. Ok. Let's do that. It sounds productive lol. Interspersed with photos and jokes about dirt and things.

    There's no reason an argument has to go on. Why would it? Again, why the desire to segregate? If I were looking for recipes involving broccoli I'd, well, look on the internet or in one of my cookbooks for ideas, but if I thought to ask on MFP I'd say "hey, does anyone have broccoli ideas"? or "ideas for dinner focusing on lean meat and broccoli"?

    It would never cross my mind to say "I need "clean" eaters to help me figure out how to eat broccoli." Why on earth would anyone assume that the rest of us don't eat broccoli? Or eat broccoli only with chocolate sauce or on top of McD's fries?

    I love eating broccoli with melted cheese, especially if I throw some pasta and meat in there.... am I negating the benefits of broccoli by eating pasta with it or am I in the clear? Or maybe it's the cheese that erases the broccoli intake?

    Are cheese and pasta and meat not "clean"? This is why the "need clean recipes" thing is confusing always.

    I have no idea. I'm sure plenty of people wouldn't consider pasta clean (because it's from a box?) even though my rice pasta contains basically just rice brand and water. And we have some chicken in the fridge with barbecue sauce on it, so the barbecue sauce is probably not clean. As for the cheese, maybe it'd only be clean if it came from a specific farm or wasn't pasturized or w/e.

    I'm a former clean eater and I don't even know what does nad doesn't apply to this term.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    For me, it's not so much eat whatever I want, but want and really enjoy what I eat.

    If I only ate whatever I wanted, I'd eat appetizers and desserts all the time. I never really think, "I could really go for broccoli right now." I don't dislike broccoli. With a meal, I have no problem eating it. But I've never craved it.

    So instead, I make meals that are delicious and enjoyable.

    I frequently crave fruit and veggies, particularly carrots, peas, and peppers. I've eaten all of these as snacks (like, huge bowls of them) even when I was nearing, if not actually, obese. I've just always loved the taste. I also do crave broccoli now, although usually I think "omg I really want broccoli!" and then think of things to add to it, like my go-to pasta + cheese + protein combo.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    jazmin220 wrote: »
    Mycophilia wrote: »
    I eat what I want, when I want. My only rule is that it has to fit my calorie and protein goal. Doing great so far.

    And what if you have no more calories to consume but you still want more food ? Or do you automatically stop 'wanting' for foods after your calorie/protein macros have been hit?

    Stop eating or eat some more and go over....is it going to ruin you to go over by 50 or 150 calories in grand scheme of things????
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited April 2015
    ana3067 wrote: »
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    ndj1979 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.

    LOL

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

    A tablespoon is 15ml. A traditional scoop of ice cream is (or at least was) 50ml. A typical ice cream is ~2.5 calories/ml, so it's a difference of roughly 40 calories vs 120 calories.

    I don't have 80 extra calories to blow on it, and a tablespoon would just be torturing myself, so....easier to abstain entirely.

    Others are free to chose their own "right" answer, even if it involves detached-from-reality hyperbole....

    :drinker:

    That you say you can't even use 100 calories of your day on ice cream kinda makes me sad.

    Why? I use those 100 calories for something I want more. Yeah, I *love* ice cream - but I have fitness and health goals that are more important to me than a few moments of transitory gastromic pleasure.

    To me this a cause for happiness, not sadness.


    How big is your deficit if 100 calories of non nutrient dense food is going to offput your fitness and health goals?

    But it's not just 100 calories - because it's not just ice cream. Let's say we bring in the ice cream - what about the other treats? Do I say yes to all of them, just because "it's only 100 calories!"...?

    What about the Dorritos? The hot dogs? The Key Lime Pie?

    The line has to be drawn somewhere - that's the meaning of "restriction". And where ever that line is drawn, there will be a whole lot of things you have to say "No" to. Even if you don't totally exclude, you most exclude - and it's still a lot of saying "No".

    There's no way around it.


    Ice cream Monday, Dorritos Tuesday, Hot dogs (these are considered "treats"?) Wednesday, pie on Thursday?

    Just eat one slide of pie instead of the whole pie :/

    A slice of key lime pie is ~500 calories.

    Shall I pull out my tablespoon-sized serving dish again? :wink:
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited April 2015
    ana3067 wrote: »
    But I'm going to guess in advance that you'd argue that unless one is eating 24hrs a day ,any consumption patterns are restrictive...

    You guess wrong.

    Weird games that don't belong on the forums.

    Indeed. But who's playing them? :wink:
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    Mr_Knight 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.
    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.
    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.


    I guess for part of the discussion I'm back to this:
    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 no, fwiw, I don't think volume eating is the same as binge eating. I volume eat raw and cooked vegetables.

    Lol the irony in this complaint is hilarious
    That you find it ironic is, indeed, ironic.

    If you look, you'll find that how you view my approach isn't really compatible with reality.

    Lol so you never comment off topic in threads?????? Suuuuuuurrreeeeeee.....
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    ndj1979 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.

    LOL

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

    A tablespoon is 15ml. A traditional scoop of ice cream is (or at least was) 50ml. A typical ice cream is ~2.5 calories/ml, so it's a difference of roughly 40 calories vs 120 calories.

    I don't have 80 extra calories to blow on it, and a tablespoon would just be torturing myself, so....easier to abstain entirely.

    Others are free to chose their own "right" answer, even if it involves detached-from-reality hyperbole....

    :drinker:

    I am sorry that you have such an absurdly low calorie goal that you can't fit in a serving of ice cream, or find said serving to be satisfying
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    but claiming one serving of ice cream is the equivalent of a tablespoon is just ridiculous...

    Nobody did.

    You implied it
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    edited April 2015
    I just got off a plane and am catching up...

    I love how this thread has been derailed by the semantics crew ...
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    ndj1979 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.

    LOL

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

    A tablespoon is 15ml. A traditional scoop of ice cream is (or at least was) 50ml. A typical ice cream is ~2.5 calories/ml, so it's a difference of roughly 40 calories vs 120 calories.

    I don't have 80 extra calories to blow on it, and a tablespoon would just be torturing myself, so....easier to abstain entirely.

    Others are free to chose their own "right" answer, even if it involves detached-from-reality hyperbole....

    :drinker:

    I am sorry that you have such an absurdly low calorie goal that you can't fit in a serving of ice cream, or find said serving to be satisfying

    Since you have no idea what my goals or targets are, don't know what my personal preferences are, nor what my context is, you're not really in a position to be "sorry" for anything.

    But thanks, anyway. :smiley:
  • betuel75
    betuel75 Posts: 776 Member
    I havent gone through all the pages and read all the response/posts but im with you on your logic Mr_Knight.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    edited April 2015
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    ndj1979 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.

    LOL

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

    A tablespoon is 15ml. A traditional scoop of ice cream is (or at least was) 50ml. A typical ice cream is ~2.5 calories/ml, so it's a difference of roughly 40 calories vs 120 calories.

    I don't have 80 extra calories to blow on it, and a tablespoon would just be torturing myself, so....easier to abstain entirely.

    Others are free to chose their own "right" answer, even if it involves detached-from-reality hyperbole....

    :drinker:

    I am sorry that you have such an absurdly low calorie goal that you can't fit in a serving of ice cream, or find said serving to be satisfying

    Since you have no idea what my goals or targets are, don't know what my personal preferences are, nor what my context is, you're not really in a position to be "sorry" for anything.

    But thanks, anyway. :smiley:

    You are welcome
    Based on your ice team comment I have all the information I need
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    Mr_Knight 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.
    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.
    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.


    I guess for part of the discussion I'm back to this:
    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 no, fwiw, I don't think volume eating is the same as binge eating. I volume eat raw and cooked vegetables.

    Lol the irony in this complaint is hilarious
    That you find it ironic is, indeed, ironic.

    If you look, you'll find that how you view my approach isn't really compatible with reality.

    Lol so you never comment off topic in threads?????? Suuuuuuurrreeeeeee.....

    Not quite what I said.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    Mr_Knight 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.
    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.
    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.


    I guess for part of the discussion I'm back to this:
    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 no, fwiw, I don't think volume eating is the same as binge eating. I volume eat raw and cooked vegetables.

    Lol the irony in this complaint is hilarious
    That you find it ironic is, indeed, ironic.

    If you look, you'll find that how you view my approach isn't really compatible with reality.

    Lol so you never comment off topic in threads?????? Suuuuuuurrreeeeeee.....

    Not quite what I said.

    It never is....

    But you already semi de railed this one ..so the proof is in the pudding....sugar free of course