Moderation vs 'bad/good foods'

anemoneprose

another thread here prompted this, but i thought i'd lay my thoughts out & ask for yours.

Moderation is necessary for a sustainable lifestyle. I am totally moderate, after 3 years (not on here) counting calories, more on than off.

BUT

Getting to the point where you are able to consistently eat moderately involves being conscious of

- food quality (yes! important for satiety - fibre, protein, fats over carbs/fat/sugar/salt) and
- portions.

AND

Learning how to do that involves reprogramming possibly a lifetime of
- not knowing what 'full' means
- really off portion sizes
- **all NOT HELPED by food industry shenanigans (nutrition info, specifically designing 'yum' factors, which screw with appetite and portion control)**
- bingeing behaviour, maybe

MIGHT

take at least an intermediate period of strictness with regard to food quality and portion, whether or not one lifts heavy or does endurance stuff or HIIT or whatever.

So I am for that. (Because I did that and it mostly worked.) i.e. 'eat carefully portioned quantities of 'good' or 'clean' or whatever you want to call them foods, until all of this is deeply understood and incorporated into habit and thought, in many situations.

AND THEN

moderation to stay sane.

anemoneprose

Because, I think people's minds and guts are just a little vulnerable, initially, to excess, and old habits, until they reprogram/retrain.

grimendale

Fair enough. I spent the first eight months of weight loss eating at a dietician's direction, which involved a complete abstaining from "bad" foods and carefully controlled amounts of "sort of bad" foods like potatoes. After eight months of learning what proper portions look like and feel like, what proper nutrition looks like and how to control impulses to overeat, then I was able to reintroduce an IIFYM attitude to eating. I still track calories to keep myself honest, but at this point, I can let myself have what I want and know that I can keep it in reason. I agree with this completely. Some people may be able to switch to moderation immediately, but I needed that rigid control for a while.

tjthegreatone

I think many people need a combination of both. Some people cut out entire food groups that include their favourite treats but that always seems counterproductive - I don't know anyone who has successfully kept this up long-term apart from for ethical/social/cultural reasons
I think I work well with moderation for some foods (except for when 'women problems' strike) but for some others I cannot work with moderation.
Thinking about it, the foods I can't eat in moderation are often strong emotional eating triggers (comfort foods from childhood or reminders of happy times in the past) OR things that make my taste buds very happy (sweet, crunchy, nutty flavours for me :happy:)

cwolfman13

Agreed...

Pretty much my definition of good livin'

anemoneprose

I think many people need a combination of both. Some people cut out entire food groups that include their favourite treats but that always seems counterproductive - I don't know anyone who has successfully kept this up long-term apart from for ethical/social/cultural reasons
I think I work well with moderation for some foods (except for when 'women problems' strike) but for some others I cannot work with moderation.
Thinking about it, the foods I can't eat in moderation are often strong emotional eating triggers (comfort foods from childhood or reminders of happy times in the past) OR things that make my taste buds very happy (sweet, crunchy, nutty flavours for me :happy:)

Lol! I like savoury, fatty things (pasties, and a thing called poutine - french fries & gravy & cheese. Absolute worst/best). Also important for me: convenience (wish that weren't true, but hey).

Yeah, I could never just not eat a whole category of food, or imagine *never* having favourites again. I do think though, that if I were less strict in the beginning of my weight loss phase, I might want them more often. I really felt I experienced a re-education.

I still slip when enough things add up to sway me (like, recently: injury limiting activity - because activity = a lower appetite, for me; big changes in schedule or demands, resulting fatigue). Sometimes I'll have just a few 'bad'-macro easy meals, and if other things aren't in place, it's an easy slide into most of my meals going in that direction. I agree that long-term monitoring's important.

Luckily, I've learned enough of the basics to smarten up when I see changes. I can't really do denial in the same way I did before. Also there's no way I'm buying a new wardrobe again, so, if things feel tight, nothing gets bought til that goes down again.

And I feel like I have enough of a base to steer myself on track when I get off (by counting), which I attribute to that earlier rigid phase.