I don't remember what it was like pre-MFP...

Francl27

I'm wondering if I'm alone in this?

I've been on MFP for about 3 years (well, my anniversary is next week, lol). And I cannot for the life of me remember what I used to eat before.

I remember skipping breakfast, and eating whatever I wanted all day (mostly junk food, and cheese), and eating out a lot (well until we got kids). I can't even remember what I used to eat for lunch or dinner. It's so weird.

Is anyone else in the same boat?

ilovesweeties

I remember the things I used to eat, as I still eat a lot of the same things... what I really don't remember is why I thought the amount I was eating was ok, given that I was basically inactive!

Protranser

I sometimes think about the kinds of things (and the amounts) I'd eat daily. Knowing how sedentary I was before, and how much I was eating in comparison, I'm not surprised I got 100+ lbs overweight. Like you, I would eat out a lot, and have a lot of calorie dense foods (pizza[because of the cheese and all the meat toppings I'd put on the pie]; cheese with crackers and deli meats; fatty cuts of meat; ribs; steaks; burgers; fries.)

Of course, I still eat these things now, in moderation.

If you're talking about ways I'd eat to manage weight before mfp? I remember eating a lot of salads with protein for a while, instead of rice bowls with protein. I remember giving up soda, but I was never a huge fan anyway. I remember giving up products that had high fructose corn syrup. I'm glad for having been introduced to calorie counting and being able to better moderate, now. No need to give up things I enjoy eating, I just need to have less of it in a week than I used to.

nordlead2005

I eat all the same things (7 months 1 week on MFP), so no problem remembering what it was like before. I sometimes wonder how I gained the weight, and then realize I always ate 3 slices of pizza instead of 2. I had a snack every night instead of half of the nights. I drank 500 calories/day of tea instead of diet soda or unsweetened tea.

Granted, now with the extra activity I can probably pull off eating 3 slices of pizza and a snack at night and maintain my weight, so long as I stick to the calorie free drinks.

Unknown

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Sabine_Stroehm

What a great post!

I've been at my changed lifestyle for about 14 years. I remember breakfast was a frozen burrito. Lunch was McDonalds or Pizza Hut or the like. Krispy Kreme or a snickers mid day, and then something really atrocious nutrient wise for dinner. With several 20oz Dr. Peppers. I don't remember my dinners, other than that I didn't cook them, since I didn't know how.

20yearsyounger

ilovesweeties wrote: »

I remember the things I used to eat, as I still eat a lot of the same things... what I really don't remember is why I thought the amount I was eating was ok, given that I was basically inactive!

^^
This

Jruzer

I ate whatever I wanted in the largest quantities I could get away with, limited mostly by decorum, available funds, and indigestion. I'd eat cheeseburgers and snack cakes in the car on the way home and then eat a full meal with my family. I'd pack a breakfast and then stop for a second fast food breakfast on the way into work, usually with two sandwiches and two hash browns. I'd get huge takeout lunches -- footlong subs, big burritos, bacon cheeseburgers, full orders of Chinese food, etc. Every trip to the grocery store was a chance to get snacks.

There's a part of me ("Fat Jruzer") who still wants to eat this way, and very occasionally I indulge him. Oddly enough it doesn't make me happier or more satisfied - just sick to my stomach and blase.

Unlike many people, I never wondered why I was fat. In retrospect I'm lucky I wasn't much fatter. Tracking calories and macros has been a godsend for the quality of my life, and I bristle when people suggest that I should stop doing it or that it's disordered.

Francl27

Jruzer wrote: »

I ate whatever I wanted in the largest quantities I could get away with, limited mostly by decorum, available funds, and indigestion. I'd eat cheeseburgers and snack cakes in the car on the way home and then eat a full meal with my family. I'd pack a breakfast and then stop for a second fast food breakfast on the way into work, usually with two sandwiches and two hash browns. I'd get huge takeout lunches -- footlong subs, big burritos, bacon cheeseburgers, full orders of Chinese food, etc. Every trip to the grocery store was a chance to get snacks.

There's a part of me ("Fat Jruzer") who still wants to eat this way, and very occasionally I indulge him. Oddly enough it doesn't make me happier or more satisfied - just sick to my stomach and blase.

Unlike many people, I never wondered why I was fat. In retrospect I'm lucky I wasn't much fatter. Tracking calories and macros has been a godsend for the quality of my life, and I bristle when people suggest that I should stop doing it or that it's disordered.

Yeah that's the thing, I'm surprised I didn't get fatter, but I'm actually wondering if I DID eat lunch or if I was just grazing on stuff all day (I never really ate huge amount of food at a time unless we ate out). I know I didn't have breakfast.

It's funny I guess because I remember very well what I used to eat when I worked before I moved here, because I ate out all the time, but I can't remember for the life of me what I ate when I stopped working and moved to the US!

CooCooPuff

vinegar_husbands wrote: »

I ate a lot more bread, juice, beer, and wine. I didn't eat nearly as much ice cream or vegetables. Ate out a lot. I don't really remember what I ate for lunch and dinner either. I guess I ate "healthier", but not really.

I still wonder how I got up to my highest weight sometimes, but then realize that I feel more satiated when I eat meat and eggs.

Yeah. I would really only ate ice cream when I bought a pint or when I stopped by a Marble Slab. As for veggies, it was basically just broccoli and fried okra.

My diet was always really boring. I just ate Pop Tarts for breakfast, chicken tenders or Hot Pockets for lunch, and whatever my mom made for dinner. I'd sneak in extra Pop Tarts here or there and eat the largest fast food meals a couple of times a week, everyday some weeks.

For most of the year, I'd gorge myself on Wedensday and sometimes Thursdays.

ewhip17

Jruzer wrote: »

I ate whatever I wanted in the largest quantities I could get away with, limited mostly by decorum, available funds, and indigestion. I'd eat cheeseburgers and snack cakes in the car on the way home and then eat a full meal with my family. I'd pack a breakfast and then stop for a second fast food breakfast on the way into work, usually with two sandwiches and two hash browns. I'd get huge takeout lunches -- footlong subs, big burritos, bacon cheeseburgers, full orders of Chinese food, etc. Every trip to the grocery store was a chance to get snacks.

There's a part of me ("Fat Jruzer") who still wants to eat this way, and very occasionally I indulge him. Oddly enough it doesn't make me happier or more satisfied - just sick to my stomach and blase.

Unlike many people, I never wondered why I was fat. In retrospect I'm lucky I wasn't much fatter. Tracking calories and macros has been a godsend for the quality of my life, and I bristle when people suggest that I should stop doing it or that it's disordered.

I could have written this exactly.... but you did it first... :-)

richardgavel

My pre MFP life is clear. MUCH bigger portions of pasta, multiple cans/bottles of pop per day. Also comfort food like pizza burgers and fries were bought outside the house instead of inside where I can control ingredients and cooking methods and log them.

PinkyPan1

I remember and I am shocked that I was not larger. I skipped breakfast and had pizza for lunch several times a week....an entire pizza. Meat, potatoes and rolls for dinner...every night. I ate a pound of Peanut M&Ms, a pound of Reese Cups and 2 large bark Hershey with Almonds every week. That's not to mention the chips, ice cream and peanuts I also snacked on. I enjoyed every bite but I have zero desire to do that to myself again. I actually enjoy eating healthy now. Prior to MFP I had not consumed a vegetable in years. Now my food choices are fruit and vegetables daily. I still allow myself "treats" but they no longer are desired as much. I still have pizza several times a week but I make a healthy pizza and load it with vegetables. I have never felt better and I really do not even miss most of the junk I use to eat.

sjohnson__1

Before MFP I was a typical gym goer who went to the gym and thought that's all I needed to start looking like someone you would see on a fitness magazine. HA! Wrong! I bought in to the concept of eating HUGE meals post workout with the impression that the more protein and carbs I consumed here, the more growth I would get. While I soon found out that it was true, it wasn't at all the type of growth I thought it would be. Then came MFP and a changed me. Instead of focusing solely on the gym, I focused on efficiency inside AND outside the gym. MFP is what brought me to where I am now - a side career in fitness and nutrition because I've developed a great passion for the industry!

Francl27

sjohnson__1 wrote: »

Before MFP I was a typical gym goer who went to the gym and thought that's all I needed to start looking like someone you would see on a fitness magazine. HA! Wrong! I bought in to the concept of eating HUGE meals post workout with the impression that the more protein and carbs I consumed here, the more growth I would get. While I soon found out that it was true, it wasn't at all the type of growth I thought it would be. Then came MFP and a changed me. Instead of focusing solely on the gym, I focused on efficiency inside AND outside the gym. MFP is what brought me to where I am now - a side career in fitness and nutrition because I've developed a great passion for the industry!

That reminds me of my attempt to lose weight 10 years ago... Did 20 minutes on the treadmill and I was so hungry I stopped at Burger King on the way back... I did get fitter though (until my nose got perma-clogged the whole Winter after that and I had to stop). But obviously didn't lose any weight.

I remember eating half a big chocolate bar, a ton of cheese and bread, 2/3 ice cream cones, a pint of ice cream... but I guess I just didn't eat that much apart from that because I just don't remember meals...

VeryKatie

I used to eat pasta and pasta sauce. And... um... restaurant food... usually pasta. Pretty much sums my diet up for 2 years.

My biggest problem was I never bothered learning to cook. And learning to cook was the hardest part of adjusting to healthy eating. It's still up there.

Well... that and my love for pasta. And blaming my gas/bloating on my dairy allergy instead of the exorbitant amount of carbs I was eating.

Nikki10129

The biggest thing for me is quantity, and discovering how much more I've been eating than I should have.

For example, I went to pour myself a normal bowl of quinoa the other day, and when I weighed out the amount I used to eat the serving size and calories in the serving were preposterous! Or how many calories are in a normal sized banana, especially compared to other fruits. They're both food I've always eaten, just way too much.

That's why you have to weigh everything, even the food deemed healthy, because too much of a good thing is still too much.

Jruzer

ewhip17 wrote: »

Jruzer wrote: »

I ate whatever I wanted in the largest quantities I could get away with, limited mostly by decorum, available funds, and indigestion. I'd eat cheeseburgers and snack cakes in the car on the way home and then eat a full meal with my family. I'd pack a breakfast and then stop for a second fast food breakfast on the way into work, usually with two sandwiches and two hash browns. I'd get huge takeout lunches -- footlong subs, big burritos, bacon cheeseburgers, full orders of Chinese food, etc. Every trip to the grocery store was a chance to get snacks.

There's a part of me ("Fat Jruzer") who still wants to eat this way, and very occasionally I indulge him. Oddly enough it doesn't make me happier or more satisfied - just sick to my stomach and blase.

Unlike many people, I never wondered why I was fat. In retrospect I'm lucky I wasn't much fatter. Tracking calories and macros has been a godsend for the quality of my life, and I bristle when people suggest that I should stop doing it or that it's disordered.

I could have written this exactly.... but you did it first... :-)

Cheers. I suspect there are many of us.

Edited: There's an epic thread on reddit's /r/loseit about people's awful eating secrets. It's amusing reading. It's good to see that you're not alone.

https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/vp3hh/the_great_and_embarassing_sins_of_fatness_what/

KittyInBoots

I remember eating the same stuff but in huge amounts. I would eat a salad and assume it was so healthy that I "earned" eating over half a pizza.

I also assumed rice and pasta were healthy, so I'd eat a large serving. Little did I know how calorie laden these things were...the amount of rice I'd eat would be like 600 cals!

I felt as though I could eat whatever I wanted, and just throw in some veggies and fruit for health value.

I have to say I feel different now. I realize I can still have goodies but in moderation.

sardelsa

I ate the same way as I do now, maybe I have more ice cream and treats now since I don't have the guilt I used to have with certain foods. I was around the same weight too but usually lost and gained the same 5lbs. However now my body composition is different. I mean, I looked OK before but since incorporating lifting and using MFP to track my cals during bulk/cut cycles it is much better

mangrothian

Portions, portions, portions. I used to (and still can if I'm not eating mindfully), put away enormous amounts of food in a sitting. I ate very healthily in terms of wholesome, nutrient dense foods; it was just I ate so bloody much. Now, smaller portions and let my stomach actually empty itself every now and then instead of the constant full feeling I used to think I needed to have.

HippySkoppy

Ah.....@Francl27 was there life before MFP??? <Joke>

I started on here in 2011 with the prospect of losing the last 24 kgs. I was 74 kgs from at top weight of 126 kgs (278 lbs) I was like many here an extreme volume eater then followed by deprivation. My thinking was that this behaviour kind of evened things out....Didn't it???

Most of the weight had gone due to cutting portions and introducing exercise but the concept of understanding calories, macros and serving sizes was pretty foreign to me.....and I just couldn't shift the last 50 odd pounds.

I also fooled myself a lot. Well you have just gone for 1 hours walk. Hungry? Why yes! Well, Thank you I will partake in a king sized Snickers bars.....I deserve it and surely have walked off more than the calories in that treat....

Oh Boy....when I plugged in the numbers on here and started getting recommend portion sizes and calorie counts back for the foods I was consuming, in the amounts that I was consuming....I was gutted!!!

They say knowledge is everything.....yep it is and it can be painful too.

neldabg

Oh, I remember clearly. I remember eating mindlessly and out of control. Hungry? I ate. Not hungry? I ate. Watching a movie? I ate. Happy? I ate. Sad? I ate. You get the point. I had the "seefood" diet. For me, overeating was mainly a habit. I just ate all the time. Even when I was motivated to be healthy, I *still* ate large portions of everything, and I snacked way too much. The only reason I wasn't fatter than I was is because I've always liked to stay lightly active at the very least. It's been nearly seven months (HECK YES), and now I wonder how I could've lived that way. Sure, it was nice not having to watch what I ate so much, but my health was suffering from it. It took time and dedication, and in fact, I am still learning, but I now accept and embrace that I don't HAVE to eat everything in sight. I've learned to have more respect for my body and for food.

BernieMBurke

The sad part for me was that in 2010, I went from 250 to 170 in 10 months, kept that way for about 6 months, and then had a job move. I now had to go around Washington DC traffic and commute 50 miles each way. Also, when we moved, I no longer had access to the company-provided gym. Needless to say, I got lazy and was tired from all the driving. What was I eating? Mostly fast food in the car going from and to work

Fast forward to February 2015 and I was back at 250. On top of that, I fell on some ice and really hurt my arm. When the doctor (new medical insurance) took my BP, she went ballistic. So, I started using MFP again. I know what I'm eating now at least.

LivingtheLeanDream

I'm here 4 years in May and I vaguely remember eating poorly for main meals and snacking mindlessly on crisps and chocolate to make me feel fuller!

I remember being a couch potato.....

Boy have I changed lol

I'm so glad I 'found ' MFP

LisaTcan

sardelsa wrote: »

I ate the same way as I do now, maybe I have more ice cream and treats now since I don't have the guilt I used to have with certain foods. I was around the same weight too but usually lost and gained the same 5lbs. However now my body composition is different. I mean, I looked OK before but since incorporating lifting and using MFP to track my cals during bulk/cut cycles it is much better

This. I used to feel very guilty and stressed out about what I ate. Now I know it is within my calories and if I want a slice of pizza I can eat it, I think I make much more balanced choices than I used to. I was previously constantly in a binge/restrict cycle.

I've also lost 10-15 lbs since I started consistently using MFP 2 years ago (however I also really got into cycling in that time).

Laughter_Girl

ilovesweeties wrote: »

I remember the things I used to eat, as I still eat a lot of the same things... what I really don't remember is why I thought the amount I was eating was ok, given that I was basically inactive!

^^^This sums it up for me. Very well said.

Francl27

I'm always a bit amazed by people who just eat the same thing, but less of it. Considering that pretty much all I remember eating was junk food, I can't imagine that it would have worked out well.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Man I do. We did things like eat a whole cheese danish (you know, the kind that's square and comes in a box from the grocery store bakery section) between the two of us for breakfast. Once per week or so we would make a big bowl of rotel dip and just have that and a bag of tortilla chips for dinner. I hate a ton of stuff I didn't even really like, like those tasteless frosted sugar cookies.

I know I could still eat those things, but I don't really care to fit them in anymore. If I'm going to spend calories on danish it's going to be a good homemade one.

I also fried a lot more things back then. I don't do that often now because it's a pain to log. About once per year I get a craving for fried food and we go out somewhere to have it.

Noreenmarie1234

I don't remember what it was like to not automatically know the calories in foods.

Man before calorie counting, I used to eat like crap! I am surprised I wasn't bigger. I would eat huge full platefuls of spaghetti with butter, 3 rolls with butter, 3 gigantic meatballs, tons of cheese just for dinner. (prob 2000 calories easy).

For "breakfast" I used to have a cheese danish and sugary orange juice or a gigantic 800 calorie cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting lol.

I remember eating whole baskets of fries at restaurants and whole plates of fries and like 7 chicken fingers at a time. Also lots of pizza like 2-3 slices at a time plus fries.

I ate a lot of little debbie snack cakes as a kid too. Hohos, oatmeal cream pies, coffee cakes, etc.

Francl27

I'm starting to think that the reason I don't remember my lunches and dinners is because I was just snacking on junk all day, lol.