What Do You Eat

JoshGouvisis

I know a lot of people are into all kinds of diet plans, low fat, no carb, etc.

Im curious though, what is everyone using, and what have you found to work for you?

How many times are you eating a day, working out a each week, and what do you think have been your personal keys to success?

If you felt like you haven't had any success, why so?

larissafainberg66

Hi, there! I have Celiac so no gluten or dairy. I tried to go for low carb/medium carb depending on my level of activity for the day. Eat as much raw fruit and veg as possible. Lots of oily fish, nuts, seeds, coconut products, eggs, occasional steak .

DancingMoosie

I used mfp to track calories and stay in a deficit. I tried to eat a lot of vegetables and lean protein, but ate some treats like pizza, Mexican food, and burgers, too. My workouts are usually circuits, weights, or straight cardio--about 10-11 workouts/wk (I do 2-a-days, 30 min. dvd workouts in the morning, some other workout in the evening 4 days/wk, then just the dvd on Friday am, and a 45-1 hour workout Sat-Sun.)

malibu927

I eat the foods I love in moderation, focusing on nutrition but always leaving room for a treat at night. It was successful my first year because I made sure everything was weighed and logged as accurately as possible. This year, though, I haven't been as diligent, haven't exercised since early summer, and I've gained a bit back. But I know what needs to be done.

MVY_

My diet for a week consist of low carb high protein. I aim for things that are organic (if I have more money in my pocket that week) and gluten free food. I usually have one high carb day (which is normally my cheat day). This helps curve my need for carbs.

I eat three meals and snacks in between. I work out 5 days a week. If I am sore, I rest for a day because it's my muscles telling me they need a break to heal.

Personally....how I lost 20 lbs is just basic determination. I have a lot of reasons mentally and physically. I have kids and want to be here for them. I have a husband I want to look good next to. I need to feel better about myself.

juggernaut1974

Anything and everything



...(in appropriately sized portions)

Sabine_Stroehm

I eat everything I want. What I want has changed. I don't eat a lot of junk food any more.

I aim to eat lots of nutrient dense plant foods, lean proteins, good fats, nuts and seeds, legumes. I have treats every day. I drink wine most days.

strong_curves

I eat everything that I like to eat. Some of my favorites I might have a smaller portion but I haven't cut out any foods in my "diet". I do work out 5 days a week so that helps a little I guess. I eat 3 meals & a late afternoon snack to tide me over till dinnertime.

My personal keys to my success:
Patience
Consistency
Food scale

jemhh

I eat regular ordinary foods. I try to eat mostly what I guess you'd call whole foods because it's the most efficient use of my calories. I'm not militant about that though. I eat 3 meals a day and then a snack in the evening if I have leftover calories.

I exercise 5x/wk on average. Right now it's 2 days of heavy lifting, 2 days of medium lifting/conditioning, and then one day of walking. When I get a chance I walk more but lately that hasn't happened much.

What has worked for me? The first year it was 5 lb goals. The second year it was focusing on getting stronger. I'm heading into the third year and will be focusing on one pound goals and being on point each day. I'm at the point where I want to be done with losing weight and if that means being super strict with myself for awhile that's how it's going to be.

truelight_photo_craig

juggernaut1974 wrote: »

Anything and everything



...(in appropriately sized portions)

Absolutly!

PaulaWallaDingDong

I eat a little of everything. Still can't stay away from fast food, so I look for grilled options or smaller portions instead of always getting a spicy asiago ranch chicken club from Wendy's or a steak quesarrito from Taco Bell.

It helps to log the main portions of my meals ahead of time, then if I feel snacky in between (which I almost always do), or if I'm not satisfied with the main portion of the meal, there are those unused calories sitting there waiting to be nommed. It feels like a bonus, even though it's not.

PeachyCarol

I have celiac disease and am a vegetarian because I don't particularly like meat. I am also, by preference, for the most part, a scratch cook. I like the taste of my own cooking.

Within those parameters, I eat pretty much everything I like. I just happen to like things like yogurt, cottage cheese, lentils, veggies, berries, and whole grains. I also like cookies.

I exercise pretty much every day. Even on my rest day, I walk. I'm in between gyms right now, but I walk, run, lift, and water jog.

What has worked for me?

Learning to love myself where I was
Realizing that I needed to form habits
Patience
Consistency
Honesty with myself
Being willing to challenge myself

Sued0nim

Calorie logging
Not excluding anything
Batch cooking
Moving more
Working out 3 x a week
Lifting heavy stuff

scolaris

I've gradually lost about 22 lbs over 19 weeks, but I feel really successful because it has been fun and almost completely angst free. I finally get it! I've learned so much here.
I eat everything I want in moderation, but I plan how I'm going to get some protein at every meal now. I eat three meals most days; two if I'm going out for a special meal or know I'll be trapped in a car or plane for most of the day. Lunch is the meal I'll most likely cut in that case. If my meals are well executed I don't really need snacks.
I keep my carbs on the moderate side but I don't stress over a high day here & there. I let my fats be too, so long as I haven't added a bunch of unnecessary fats.
I cook fewer 'recipes' these days. I cook, but it's very simple: sear meat, toss salad, eat... I repeat favorites a lot.
I plan how to fit more activity into each day too. Everyday I think: how could I walk more? How much time do I have for a workout? I never planned that way before.

beemerphile1

juggernaut1974 wrote: »

Anything and everything



...(in appropriately sized portions)

^This

DaddieCat

Whatever I want... in reasonable, measured portions of course. I'm a firm believer in IIFYM, and before I get called out that IIFYM is all junk food... it's only junk food if you choose to eat only junk food... and junk food does not fit my macros... but a well balanced, varied diet full of all food groups does.

sardelsa

I also eat whatever I want paying attention to my macros. I eat around 6x per day, sometimes more, sometimes less. Typically I workout 4-5x per week (mostly heavy lifting, some cardio, some yoga).

For me it wasn't so much my diet but my fitness regime that has brought me the success I desired.

yesimpson

My main concern is eating a balanced diet and meeting my calorie goal over the week; being over some days doesn't bother me. I exercise 4-5 times a week, a mix of running, swimming, resistance work and the elliptical/rower, and am lightly active at work. I try of course to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, and keep an eye on my protein intake. I eat 'junk' food at least every other day. I eat three meals and usually at least one snack a day.
My biggest challenge at the moment is not eating enough calories for my running - I think I still have this fallacy in my head that slim women can't possibly maintain on 2300 calories a day, which is obviously ridiculous because they can and I do. I also sometimes comfort eat but am getting much better at dealing with negative emotions in a better way.

ald783

I keep an eye on my carb/protein/fat balance but don't really actively work at it either. I think I probably do better when my protein and fiber are a bit higher because I'm more full, but when losing weight I mostly just focused on calories (and WW Points before that).

I work out 4 times a week and eat 6ish times a day- usually it's breakfast at 6:45, morning snacks around 10 and 12, lunch around 1-1:30, afternoon snack around 4, and dinner around 8.

The keys for me were to be moderate and non-obsessive and to just slowly change my habits in a sustainable way. I'm never going to do well eating super low calorie or low carb or working out 6 days a week or losing 3 pounds a week at this point in my life. It's all long-haul things at this point.

seltzermint555

I've lost over 130 lb from my highest, by eating "regular foods" 3 meals per day with no snacks (usually)...limiting sodium, and drinking a lot of water. I love vegetables, fruit, meat, and (unfortunately) sweets. I also love lentils/beans, eggs, and such. I am not much into bread and salty snacks in the first place. So my diet is slightly low carb but not so much by design...I just rarely eat things like chips, bread, pretzels, cereal, or cake...the sweets I indulge in regularly are chocolate and ice cream (and have done so throughout my entire weight loss period and still do now in maintenance). I do have pasta & rice 1-2 times weekly or so...and dairy usually just in the form of cheese or ice cream or sour cream (not daily). It's not that I cut out any one thing for weight loss, I just realized there were many times that I'd have a sandwich with two big pieces of bread when I really preferred to just eat the meat & veggies without bread. Stuff like that.

I_Will_End_You

juggernaut1974 wrote: »

Anything and everything



...(in appropriately sized portions)

^ What he said.

ninerbuff

Whatever I want, 2-3 regular meals a day, snack when I feel like it, just stay within calorie limits. Basically the same way I've eaten for the last 25 years.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Lourdesong

Try to keep to my calories as first priority.
Second priority is to keep my macros a fairly balanced split.(for satiety - to ensure I get enough protein and not go overboard on fat)

I eat whatever I want staying within these parameters. I also find it fairly easy to fit in lots of goodies (chocolates, ice cream, snack isle foods, baked goods, etc) as well, tho I might find it much tougher if I was eating anything less than 1500 calories.

I also try to have a lot of variety in my diet and change things up very often, seek out new-to-me foods and recipes and so on.

Nothing's off the table except food that tastes bad and/or isn't worth the calorie pricetag to me. I try to make it a point to not to waste my calories on anything I have to choke down. No foods are so inherently magical that they warrant suffering through them, ime.

I also keep an eye on my sodium and fiber intake.

Eta: I also try to get 10-15k steps a day. And been working on push ups and calf raises and some weights and jumping rope, whenever the mood strikes me. Am not too committed to exercise beyond my step goal.

lulalacroix

I've had many failures. I think the biggest reason is that, for me, a cheat meal turns into a cheat weekend, and then I just fall completely off the wagon for months at a time. A year ago I lost 20 pounds and then after falling off the wagon, I regained 25 pounds. So my biggest goal this time around is to always come back to MFP, even if I overeat for a day or a weekend.

starwhisperer6

probably less healthy foods than I should. I sorta want to start playing around more with macros in about 10 pounds, and start doing recomp. But I am a snacker much more than a meal time person so I will have to work that out somehow. I don't have much problem staying under my calorie goal, but I have a hell of a time hitting an appropriate amount of protein.

neldabg

I first plan out my meals so that I eat enough calories and macros to match my activity level for the day. I don't eat out at all by personal preference, and most common, commercialized junk foods no longer hold the same appeal to me as they once did, so meals are mainly homemade, *but* I still eat processed foods and sweets like cake, pretzels, protein bars, and Swiss chocolate. I dislike the idea of "cheat" days/meals, so I don't do that. I just aim to fit in a treat as a snack every day. I eat whatever I want and do not deprive myself of the things I crave. It's just important to make everything fit into calorie goals. I chose five holidays in the year where I eat whatever I want. I stay within my goals all other days, so those five days don't hinder me at all.
For the first month or two-ish, I ate whenever I wanted, and for the last couple months, I ate three meals a day with two-three snacks in between. Starting this week, however, I'm trying out eating four meals a day with just one snack between lunch and dinner, and it's working out pretty well. My post-workout hunger signals have significantly decreased this way, and I'm much happier doing this now.
I make sure to walk 10k steps total every day, workout six days a week for one to two hours doing cardio+stretches, and on my rest day, I just do yoga or tai chi.
The best key to success is ultimately knowledge, imo. That is, knowledge of a healthy lifestyle and knowledge of who you are as a person. Understand that weight loss is simple, but the mental challenge is tough. I come from a family that does value health, but there is a ton of ignorance surrounding weight loss. Furthermore, people who are naturally thin by instinctual eating don't understand that their advice of, "just eat when you're hungry" and "eat until you're full" are no help to a person who has overeaten all their life. I finally took it upon myself to do a lot of research online about sustainable weight loss and the top reasons of why people fail to lose/maintain their weight. From there, I created and wrote down my health goals and plans to lose weight that I was sure would work well with my personality and lifestyle. Then, I got down to business.
Stay focused and strong and use the support and encouragement of the MFP community to help. Don't let one bad day or mistake define you. It took several weeks before I finally learned the discipline to reach my goals. Saboteurs, the ignorant, and temptations are everywhere, so come prepared. A game plan is crucial.
Doing all of this, I've lost 48 lbs in six months while on MFP, and I am now 10 lbs and 10-20 weeks from my goal weight.

Debmal77

I_Will_End_You wrote: »

juggernaut1974 wrote: »

Anything and everything



...(in appropriately sized portions)

^ What he said.

What she said about what he said.

kshama2001

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

I eat everything I want. What I want has changed. I don't eat a lot of junk food any more.

I aim to eat lots of nutrient dense plant foods, lean proteins, good fats, nuts and seeds, legumes. I have treats every day...

This is pretty much how I eat. I have three meals plus one or two snacks.

I lift weights three times per week and do some form of cardio everyday unless something unusual is going on like an all day family commitment. I've been enjoying the mild "winter" here and have been cleaning up the trail in the woods behind my house, which hasn't been maintained in some time, and an abandoned trail in the hiking trails a few miles away.

NikiChicken

I eat everything within moderation. Most days, my diet consists of lots of veggies, fruits, lean meats and some grains. However, I do make room for all the foods many consider "junk" because if I don't, I start feeling too restricted, deprived and it ends in a binge. I eat very good, high quality chocolate almost every day. I have found that very dark chocolate (72% cocoa and higher) actually curbs my appetite as well as tastes really, really yummy.

When I splurge, it is on very high-quality food. A small amount of very good food satisfies me. It's when I start trying to substitute fat-free this and sugar free that, that I end up wanting more and more. When I use real butter and cream and good quality ingredients, it doesn't take nearly as much to feel full and like I've indulged.

I have learned how to treat my calories like a budget. I know I have so many calories in a day to work with. When weighing my options, I take into consideration what is worth spending my calories on. Some days it is salads and chicken and other days it is pizza and chocolate! Then, if I take a bite of something that *isn't* worth the calories, I don't take more than that bite. It gets thrown away. I no longer feel like I have to finish everything on my plate. Everything I eat needs to be absolutely worth the calories I have to spend on it!

Because of the way I treat food now, it's very hard for me to say what a typical day is. I had someone IRL ask me that just this morning. I really couldn't answer. Every day is different and is totally based on what I have in the house, what activities are going on and most importantly, what I feel like eating. I always have fruits and veggies around. In my fridge at work, I keep yogurt and cheese and in my desk drawer I have nuts and snack bars so I always have something that is nutritious and filling around if I need it, but my food choices really do change daily.

shadows2424

I believe in eating whatever you want just so long as it fits your calories for the day. So breakfast for me is either coffee and some fruit with yogurt, or cereal, or a couple eggs with three small sausage links and cheese. Lunch is peanut butter and jelly sandwich or cereal, and dinner if im following my meal plan like i should is two pieces of talapia with either garlic powder or bbq sauce with broccoli with cheese sauce and a couple small dinner rolls. I usually eat the Sam thing day after day so thats mostly my diet. I am interested in incorporating more fruits and veggies so this may change soon. In the last two weeks i work out five days a week and have seen my body fat percentage go down almost 1% and have lost an inch around my waist. If ever im not successful its because i overrated a few days in a row. So far though things have been going according to plan and i am losing weight. I hope to continue till i lose at least a minimum of 15 pounds a max of 40.

dhimaan

Debmal77 wrote: »

I_Will_End_You wrote: »

juggernaut1974 wrote: »

Anything and everything



...(in appropriately sized portions)

^ What he said.

What she said about what he said.

What she said about what she said about what he said.