Anyone else feel crushed by all the "No" foods?

tunes10590

So, I don't mean to be Debbie Downer, but lately I have been feeling really exhausted by all the foods I am supposed to be trying to avoid. Fast food, potato chips, and fried foods...ok, I totally understand that. But it seems the more research I do on eating healthy, the more foods end up on the "No" list. Reading an article from the NY Times today almost had me in tears. It put on the list of food to try to eat infrequently: Red meat, potatoes, refined grains, 100% fruit juice. It did say that dairy (low fat or full fat) have a neutral effect on weight. And that yogurt is strongly linked to weight loss, so at least I can eat some cheese!

In other articles I have read recently have instructed me to avoid corn and peas (high in starches), anything with artificial sweeteners, items high in fat, but also low fat foods (since your body needs fat to properly delivery nutrients), and too much fruit (since they contain so much sugar). Many articles now are recommending drinking a glass of wine a day for good health, but wine has a lot of calories and I am not a drinker. Then, there's the push to avoid wheat, so today, I picked up a little cookbook with wheat-free recipes. Many of which called for almond flour. A Google search of almond flour showed me that it was cost-prohibitive and also gave me an article entitled "5 Reasons To Avoid Almond Flour".

I am exhausted. My weight loss has stalled a little of the last couple of weeks, but I was trying to content myself with ideas of eating healthier a little at a time and increasing my exercise.

And the old fall back of "everything in moderation"? Well according to a Harvard doctor in NYT article “The notion that it’s O.K. to eat everything in moderation is just an excuse to eat whatever you want.”

My brain hurts and I am beginning to feel like I must learn to live on nothing but broccoli, blueberries, and water. Is it not possible to eat health AND enjoy food? Should I just give up on the idea of enjoying meals and just look at them as a chore, like doing the laundry? It's really beginning to make me feel like it's not worth it.

Sorry for this long post and thanks for listening to me whine.

MelsAuntie

What "No" foods? I eat whatever I want to, in moderation, and I lose weight. I look good and feel better than I have in years. My tastes run to meat, lots of it, vegetables, fruits, cheese, eggs, nuts, ginger !!, chocolate, not much for pasta/breads/salty snack items. There are some things like mac and cheese, pop tart/toaster strudel sort of stuff, that I don't eat at all because I really dislike it. I LOVE broccoli and blueberries! And I have a couple of chocolate-covered freeze-dried strawberries before bed every night.

cupcakes_and_cardio

I'll never restrict myself to foods ever again - this is why WeightWatcers, when I tried it, didn't work for me, too much restrictions. I eat what I want (for the most part) in moderation. If I know I want to go to McDonald's, I make room in my day for that. Never restrict yourself, you'll end up hitting rock bottom, which seems like what you're going through right now. Keep your head up

majope

What "No" foods? I eat whatever I want to, in moderation, and I lose weight. I look good and feel better than I have in years.

This! We differ only on the food specifics (PopTarts rule!).

Morninglory81

There are no "no foods" unless you are allergic.

supplemama

Eh, I eat what I want. Key for me is moderation.

iulia_maddie

There is no such thing as "no foods".
Unless it tastes bad.

Eat food you enjoy, count calories and maintain a deficit. That's it.

prattiger65

My advice is to stop reading articles. Oh, and go have some ice cream.

norahwynn

I eat almost the same exact food that I ate before I decided to lose weight. A lot of the recipes I have I've tweeked slightly to make them more calorie friendly, and I weigh/measure everything to control my portions and have an accurate record of what I'm eating. If you like chips, then have a few. Just don't go overboard, and count them in your diary.

I personally believe that the only 'No' foods that should be on your list are any foods that you're allergic to or if there's something that does not agree with your system. If you don't have these problems, the what you need to do is have the proper combo of proteins, grains, fats...etc, drink your water, and most of all, portion control.

CrankMeUp

There is no such thing as "no foods".
Unless it tastes bad.

Eat food you enjoy, count calories and maintain a deficit. That's it.

yes.

BeachIron

There is no such thing as "no foods".
Unless it tastes bad.

Eat food you enjoy, count calories and maintain a deficit. That's it.

yes.

^ This.

cmriverside

There is no such thing as "no foods".
Unless it tastes bad.

Eat food you enjoy, count calories and maintain a deficit. That's it.

yes.

^^True dat.

EricMurano

Clean eating has its merits but a lot of people turn it into a religion. If you are really good at calorie/macro counting then you can have what you want as long as you manage your calorie intake.

geckospot

Stop reading the news. It's there to make you upset.
Eat well but don't sweat a little junk or steak now and then.

AllonsYtotheTardis

If you base your nutrition on what you read in the newspaper, you will eventually cut out everything and have nothing left to eat.

Aim for a good variety of mostly home-cooked foods (instead of heavily processed), and you'll be fine. Leave room for some treats and visit your favorite restaurant once in a while. It's really not rocket surgery. You've got this.

UpEarly

I didn't have any 'no' foods, and I had no problem losing 65 pounds and surpassing my goal. I've been maintaining now for 15 months. In past efforts to lose weight, having 'no' foods just set me up to fail. The rules that worked for me: Eat what you like (in moderation), Watch your portion sizes and Exercise.

CyberEd312

I don't consider ANY FOODS as off limits.... You have to change your relationship with food and learn that everything in moderation is the key to a sustainable lifestyle... Best of Luck.... :drinker:

Alatariel75

Everything will kill you. Spoiler alert: none of us are going to get out of this alive.

There are no "no" foods. I eat what I want, in moderation and enjoy it. What's the point otherwise? I get that being healthy is a good thing, but when you start impacting on your daily enjoyment of life, what's the point?? I'd rather be mostly healthy and happy, than follow every single (often stupid) rule and be miserable.

lizreed12

For every article or research that advocates eating a certain food, there is an equal and opposite article that will tell you to avoid it. At one time it was that eggs were supposedly terrible for you, and then eggs were a superfood, and then they were terrible again, and then they're great again. There will always be new research, new findings, new "groundbreaking" discoveries about which foods are good and bad.... but the bottom line is, humans have been eating food since the beginning of time. They ate corn, bread, fruit, eggs, milk, etc. And now new research is telling us that these things are detrimental to our existence. Honestly, take everything you read with a grain of salt. There are pros and cons to every food. Don't live your life constantly trying to eat perfectly. You will be miserable. When you die, will it really matter that you ate gluten, even if it wasn't necessarily the healthiest option? Do what works for you. Make healthier choices without going to extremes. Extremes are not maintainable!

GnomeLove

I eat pretty much whatever I want. Today, for example, I ate fried cheese, an Italian sausage sandwich, wine, and fries. As long as I am not doing that all the time, things will be cool. You are human...not some mutant bunny robot who should only eat lettuce and turnips for the rest of your life.

crazyvermont

Wow......a guaranteed road to failure is total elimination of a food you crave or desire. Didn't see anything you mentioned that couldn't be ate in moderation

perfkdrug

What "No" foods? I eat whatever I want to, in moderation, and I lose weight.

absolutely this
have the foods you like - but smaller amounts! and bulk up the rest of your meal/snack with stuff that's a little healthier

small changes have a big impact over time

JustPeachy044

instead of "no" maybe think "minimize". And just because some foods are not well-tolerated by some bodies, doesn't mean everyone can't eat them.

Eat what you want, stay at or just under calories most days, and see how you do. If you stall out, try changing things up a bit. Maybe try cutting something that you suspect is hard for your body if and when you hit a prolonged period of not losing, but you don't have to cut everything you read about, and certainly not all at once!

pastryari

And the old fall back of "everything in moderation"? Well according to a Harvard doctor in NYT article “The notion that it’s O.K. to eat everything in moderation is just an excuse to eat whatever you want.”

Why shouldn't I eat whatever I want? I lost weight just fine doing just that. I enjoy food and I enjoy getting fit. One does not mean you can't have the other.

Avoidance of specific foods is extreme and unnecessary unless you have an allergy intolerance, or some other medical reason to do so.

rainsable

Don't know how to include the link but check out the guy who posted 150lbs weight loss and look at the pictures of the food he enjoyed along the way. You can eat whaever you want, as long as you are in a calorie deficit you will lose weight. Sure, you want to get all the nutrients your body needs but what is life if you say no to having a bit of what you fancy.

amonkey794

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6H2edyPLU8

Here, this should help

pastryari

Don't know how to include the link but check out the guy who posted 150lbs weight loss and look at the pictures of the food he enjoyed along the way. You can eat whaever you want, as long as you are in a calorie deficit you will lose weight. Sure, you want to get all the nutrients your body needs but what is life if you say no to having a bit of what you fancy.

That thread is gone because people are jerks with poor reading comprehension and agendas of their own.

He posted it as a blog, though. (NOTE: he clearly states he does not ONLY eat these foods. He practices moderation and eats "healthy" the majority of the time and exercises to work for it)

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/downsizinghoss/view/some-of-what-i-ate-while-losing-the-first-150-pounds-542546

Edit: Typo. :grumble:

jofjltncb6

Clean eating has its merits but a lot of people turn it into a religion. If you are really good at calorie/macro counting then you can have what you want as long as you manage your calorie intake.

I'll co-sign this reasonable post.

cranium853

There are some "four round trips to the gate" foods since it is about 100 calories there and back. My question is: do I want the toast and peanut butter so badly that I am willing to walk four miles to get it?" usually I am just too lazy to eat things that are that calorie-intensive. But on the days when I work in the yard, I get the payoffs. Still, three tangerines or a slice of bread? A teensy bag of (what I have now noticed are oily) chips or yogurt and a half-cup of pineapple? I can eat ANYTHING if I want to. What I want is to be healthy, to live a longer life, and to live it with enthusiasm. No gain, no pain.

bregalad5

Hmmmm I don't know what a "no" food is, either :P Are you saying I shouldn't have had pizza and cheesy bread on Saturday? Or Doritos the other night right before bed?

MyOwnSunshine

I don't have "NO" foods, I just have "not all the time and not all at once" foods. You can eat ANYTHING you want, or you can eat ANY AMOUNT you want (almost) but you can't do both.

I favor the "eat mostly lean meats, dairy, fruits and vegetables" plan with occasional whole grain carbs. On the weekends, I like to have a sweet indulgent treat. I work out hard and log all my food, so it usually works out fine.

You won't lose weight with one "bad" meal a week, just like you won't gain weight by eating one salad a week. It's a cumulative effect of your behavior over time. All of the food and nutrition studies are the same... they aren't studying people who eat anything moderately, they are studying the effects of eating massive quantities of any one thing. Eat healthy, whole foods most of the time, watch your calories and macros most of the time, don't go overboard too often and you should be fine.