Everything in moderation and reached goal?

tiverton104

Is there any truth to "eating in moderation" and reaching your goal weight? I need to lose about 70 lbs.

I'm sick of "dieting" and forcing myself to eat foods I don't like (because that's what dieters are supposed to do, right?). My plan is to eat about 1400 calories, exercise 30 mins 5-6x week and eat whatever I want (within reason - obviously not 1400 calories of chocolate).

Who's done it and can I follow you? Thank you in advance. Any other advice would be appreciated.

rnewyn

It works for me. I'm 26, 5'4", 245. If I eat 1500 daily, I don't even have to do daily "workouts" to drop weight. I lost a ton of weight before, but due to un related health complications I was hospitalized for quite a while and gained much of the weight back. I'm back with a vengeance now. I average out my calories Monday-Sunday, and the number has to be under 1500 net cals, but daily intake can be between 12-1800. This must be consumed in a minimum of three seperate meal times, but usually ends up being more like 4-5, which I think is better. I'm fairly active, walk around campus, to the local store, etc, but only log exercise if I purposely do something strenuous just to work my body out. I loose 3-5 lbs a week, average.

queenliz99

Yes, eat what normally eat but less of it. Read this

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

shadow2soul

Yes. The main factor in weight loss is calories consumed being less than the calories burned. Some foods have a higher nutritional value for the calories and those should be eaten for health reasons (should....doesn't mean you have to). That said, you can still meet your nutritional needs and enjoy the yummy high calorie goodness. It's possible. I suck at balancing nutritional needs, so I mainly focus on calories and secondary on protein.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10257157/c-section-mom-of-2-my-progress-over-the-past-couple-years-lots-of-pics/p1

Ponkeen

That has been my approach, for the most part, and I have lost just a smidge under 50 lbs in the last 9 months. I average about 1500-1600 calories a day, work in exercise most days, and I'm still losing pretty consistently. I hope to hit my goal by September. We shall see.
That said, I have started to gravitate toward eating more veggies and low calorie proteins, since you can eat more of them. Restricting too much for too long makes you crave big, filling meals. That is where lots of people fall off the track. They over-restrict, then boomerang back to their old eating habits because they can't sustain it. Ideally what you're doing is building up a foundation of healthy eating habits for the rest of your life- not just for the duration of your weight loss. It has to be something you can maintain without too much sacrifice in the long term.
I would recommend trying different things as you go along. 1400 sounds okay, but having a little leniency around that will keep you moving along and help you avoid the boomerang.

notnikkisixx

Absolutely! Feel free to check out my food diary

My weightloss goal has always been to have a sustainable lifestyle, you can eat the foods you like and lose weight, you'll just have to get used to eating less of the "bad" foods and you'll need to be diligent about tracking your calories accurately.

zerojunk

Eating 1400 cals and exercising 30 mins most days is going to cut fat, you can be sure of that.

ChristineE63

Yes that will work, but why eat foods you don't like, eat foods you love and stay within your allowed 1400 calories, if your go over, and you will, put in more time with your workouts. What I have found to be the key is accountability, fill out your profile and state your intent, find friends here who inspire you, or who you feel you can inspire, this journey is hard, it doesn't have to be lonely too. Send me a friend request and I'll be there for you.

Ninkyou

Yes. I've lost 80 lbs of my own weight plus 25 from a pregnancy I had in between. Moderation and CICO all the way.

impromark

Totally agreed. Caloric deficit is how I lost my 80 pounds, and managing my weight now while building muscle and staying lean. Eating right is most of the way to weight loss goals - exercise puts the polish on the bodywork, in my view.

Mark

forruths

I started MFP last August and have lost 66lb so far. I try and eat healthily most of the time but have chocolate and pizza and all the other things I love in moderation. I exercise at the gym twice a week and try and fit in a walk of over an hour once a week. Having lost weight before by pretty much starving myself I was determined this time would be different. I wanted to make changes that I could live with for the rest of my life. I have another 40-50lb to lose and I don't mind how long it takes as long as the trend is downward!

Good luck with your weight loss. Add me as an MFP friend if you like.

Suhrah623

Yes. I eat whatever I want as long as it stays within my daily calorie goal. I have lost 60 lbs so far

Sabine_Stroehm

And as important, and perhaps even more importantly: MAINTAINED once at goal while practicing moderation.

I'm sure it can be done. I wonder how many folks at goal and maintaining will see this thread, however.

snowflake930

I lost over 160# doing this, and have been on maintenance for 28 months.
Everything in moderation and I will be eating like this for the rest of my life.
It truly works for me.

coreyreichle

tiverton104 wrote: »

Is there any truth to "eating in moderation" and reaching your goal weight? I need to lose about 70 lbs.

I'm sick of "dieting" and forcing myself to eat foods I don't like (because that's what dieters are supposed to do, right?). My plan is to eat about 1400 calories, exercise 30 mins 5-6x week and eat whatever I want (within reason - obviously not 1400 calories of chocolate).

Who's done it and can I follow you? Thank you in advance. Any other advice would be appreciated.

Yes. I'm about 1 lb from my goal weight, doing "everything in moderation".

rosebarnalice

I've lost about 48 lbs and am maintaining while drinking alcohol, eating chocolate, fried food, burgers, and pizza-- but not all day every day.

Most weekdays I eat very high-fiber/ high veggie and low fat meals with some small treat almost every day-- a few chocolate kisses (but not the whole bag), a bag of popcorn (skip the butter and extra salt) or a couple of cookies (but not the whole box!). Then on weekends, I will enjoy reasonable quantities of foods I love--but generally in smaller portions than I did before.

I often have an ~800 calorie dinner--which is enough for a couple of pieces of pizza and a couple of beers--but not a whole pie and a six pack! If I have a burger, I will usually skip the fries; but sometimes I'll order JUST the fries without the burger. I can't remember when I went to a restaurant and had an entire entree-- I almost always split one with my spouse or take home leftovers.

For me it's about variety, portion control, and being mindful of a nutritional balance throughout the week

Sabine_Stroehm

snowflake930 wrote: »

I lost over 160# doing this, and have been on maintenance for 28 months.
Everything in moderation and I will be eating like this for the rest of my life.
It truly works for me.

Well done!!!

Bizzarrini

Yep - food diary is open for all to see. Hit my target of 40lbs (just over 6 months) on Friday so there is a 2 day Chinese food blip but the rest of the 6 months is representative of what I always have eaten. Have stuck to all the yummy foods I love to eat, have cut alcohol down by 3/4 and definitely eat much smaller portions. I love food and enjoy eating at least 10 times per day. Good luck

areallycoolstory

tiverton104 wrote: »

Is there any truth to "eating in moderation" and reaching your goal weight? I need to lose about 70 lbs.

I'm sick of "dieting" and forcing myself to eat foods I don't like (because that's what dieters are supposed to do, right?). My plan is to eat about 1400 calories, exercise 30 mins 5-6x week and eat whatever I want (within reason - obviously not 1400 calories of chocolate).

Who's done it and can I follow you? Thank you in advance. Any other advice would be appreciated.

you got it i've lost 103 pounds just as you describe. i only eat foods that i find delicious. part of the process is learning to eat them in moderation. just plan your diary carefully and consistently. best of luck on your journey:-)

CathReese33

Since Christmas I have been following a 'flexible diet' plan. This has worked really well for me. I make sure my macro percentages still add up at the end of each day and that I am within my 1500 calorie limit. Most of the choices I make are good, wholesome food. But if I fancy a donut or a glass of wine then I build it in. I am consistently losing 1lb a week without feeling deprived or starved.

Edited to add - I weigh everything except vegetables. It is so easy to estimate and end up eating 2000cal without even realising. an extra bite has sometimes worked out to be 100+ extra calories. Be really strict with your weighing and measuring, leaving no room for error.

My diary is open, happy to have some more friends :-)

Cat x

mamadon

Absolutely, lots of us have done it with this philosophy. I have been in maintenance for a few years now, but lost well over 100 pounds simply counting calories. If I want something, I make it fit into my calorie count for the day. If its a high calorie item, I have a smaller portion. I tried restricting food types in the past and it never worked for me, I would get too frustrated. When I realized no food was forbidden, it was as though the sun came out from a cloud and angels were singing lol.

katkins73

Yes, it has been that simple for me! I eat whatever I want within my cal allowance and earn extra cals by being active, as monitored by my Fitbit and I am at my preliminary goal after losing 40+ lbs. It has taken almost 2 years but that is because I stopped at one point for many months and then had to relose 7lbs. The last year I have been pretty consistent and have not felt hungry or hard done by and have lost consistently. I wish I had realised it could be so easy earlier!

lisabobczuk

Loving reading this thread! Everyone is doing what I hoped I could do!
If I restrict something, I want it more!
I'm going to follow this trend.
Makes me feel not deprived :-)

masdec7

This is what I usually do. I don't what I eat, just how much, though my husband is talking about putting us on a more "healthy" eating plan after visiting the parents this past week. Might be good. I've lost up to 80 lbs before using the eat less than I burn method which I basically ate anything I wanted as long as it was within the calorie goal. Feel free to follow me if you want.

talismanicmagic

I've lost just over 20 lbs eating what I love in moderation. Another 40 lbs to go. Your journey should not just be about weight loss, but teaching yourself about portions and healthy eating. I've always been a fairly healthy eater, but would binge on high calorie snacks and my portion sizes were WAY OFF! I've taken my time with my goals and I really feel like I've learnt a lot. I've not lost as fast as I would like but I feel like this is my life now and there is no turning back.
Good luck on your journey!

dliv90

talismanicmagic wrote: »

I've lost just over 20 lbs eating what I love in moderation. Another 40 lbs to go. Your journey should not just be about weight loss, but teaching yourself about portions and healthy eating. I've always been a fairly healthy eater, but would binge on high calorie snacks and my portion sizes were WAY OFF! I've taken my time with my goals and I really feel like I've learnt a lot. I've not lost as fast as I would like but I feel like this is my life now and there is no turning back.

This is nearly identical to me, except that I've lost 35 lbs and I don't exercise at all -- at all. Like somebody else here said about exercise -- you can't outrun your fork. The fact that you want to exercise 5-6 times a week is great, but if that ends up take too much willpower, don't worry. It's all just CICO.

linsdog

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

And as important, and perhaps even more importantly: MAINTAINED once at goal while practicing moderation.

I'm sure it can be done. I wonder how many folks at goal and maintaining will see this thread, however.

Hit goal well over a year ago...and I am Maintaining using moderation....

WinoGelato

Yes. I lost the weight I set out to lose (30 lbs) and am currently maintaining that loss. I never cut anything out of my diet other than calories and big portions. I drink wine and eat chocolate pretty much every day. I have pizza, Chipotle, or burgers about once a week. I have more extravagant restaurant meals about once a month. If I am in the mood for something in particular, I fit it into my day/week as soon as I can.

Rather than cutting out things from my diet I approached it that I needed to add things in order to become healthier. More vegetables, more protein, more meals cooked at home, more exercise. This way I never felt like I was restricting things, I was adding things to my lifestyle.

Truth be told, I probably eat more now after losing the weight since I am far more active than I was before I started 3 years ago.

AnnetteJones4

This is a great thread. I am happy I read it. i am tracking my food in the diary here and I do exercise, which is something I have pretty much always done but sort of got busy and didn't fit it in for a while. But now I am back in the saddle. I have friends that have dropped crazy weight doing meal replacement which means they only eat one real meal a day and some shakes...and I see the allure, but I enjoy breaking bread with my friends and family so I am determined to eat real food moderately. I didn't realize I was feeling sluggish until I felt better doing what I am doing. I feel like I am not so alone on my approach now. Thanks everybody