Anyone eat what they want and manage to lose weight?

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  • sylkates
    sylkates Posts: 173 Member
    edited March 2016
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    I know so many people that literally eat what they want and still manage to stay at a decent weight and not put any on.

    In my experience, these people are either a) really young (what the hell my teenage metabolism was amazing. I moved less than I do now, ate more, and was 20 pounds lighter) or b) they're very muscular/athletic OR have calorie-burning jobs like being a waitress and are just burning off way more calories than they want to eat.

    Or c) they're eating a lot of food in front of you, but cutting back when they're alone or with others (for some random coincidental reason.) Giving the illusion that they eat whatever they want.

  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    sylkates wrote: »
    I know so many people that literally eat what they want and still manage to stay at a decent weight and not put any on.

    In my experience, these people are either a) really young (what the hell my teenage metabolism was amazing. I moved less than I do now, ate more, and was 20 pounds lighter) or b) they're very muscular/athletic OR have calorie-burning jobs like being a waitress and are just burning off way more calories than they want to eat.

    Or c) they're eating a lot of food in front of you, but cutting back when they're alone or with others (for some random coincidental reason.) Giving the illusion that they eat whatever they want.

    or they eat at maintenance because they either log or can do intuitive eating
    or they log so they know what they can eat at any given time
    or they just ran a 10k or lifted a lot of weight at the gym (but look like everyone else as far as muscles go)

    I eat whatever I want in moderation.

    check my diary the evidence is there.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,207 Member
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    Says it all in the title really but I know so many people that literally eat what they want and still manage to stay at a decent weight and not put any on. Is it possible to not diet and still indulge in what you want with an exercise plan put in place? X

    I eat what I want, but not as much as I want. I also find what I want changed somewhat as I realized how different foods affect how long I feel full. You will have to count calories though as for weight loss, how many calories you eat is what matters, not what they are made up of.
  • cbelc2
    cbelc2 Posts: 762 Member
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    I think the goal is in learning to love the foods that love you back. Mindfully eating to nourish the body and soul and moving the body like it was meant to move shouldn't feel like deprivation or punishment. Getting to that place might take one over a few bumps in the road, but it's not insurmountable. We have been bombarded with processed and quick cheap food that tastes over the top good with flavor enhancers and looks so beautiful due to colorants. Take a step back and really think about your question.
  • faramelee
    faramelee Posts: 163 Member
    edited March 2016
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    You have to like what you eat, how else are you going to lose and then maintain? My diet has changed greatly from when I was bigger but that's because I cut out a lot of crap to start with and my tastebuds changed dramatically. I enjoy and look forward to my meals (apart from fish (eurgh!) but I feel like I should have it once a week), I eat chocolate every day and I drink way too much wine at the weekend. My meals are nutritious and I walk 45 minutes to and from work 5 days a week and do HIIT workouts or kickboxing for half an hour 5 days a week also. I lost 35lbs and have maintained for 19 months now.

    Also be careful of judging these people who appear to be able to eat loads, not move yet stay the same weight. Unless you are with them 24/7 you don't know how they live....

    Good luck!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    sylkates wrote: »
    I know so many people that literally eat what they want and still manage to stay at a decent weight and not put any on.

    In my experience, these people are either a) really young (what the hell my teenage metabolism was amazing. I moved less than I do now, ate more, and was 20 pounds lighter) or b) they're very muscular/athletic OR have calorie-burning jobs like being a waitress and are just burning off way more calories than they want to eat.

    Or c) they're eating a lot of food in front of you, but cutting back when they're alone or with others (for some random coincidental reason.) Giving the illusion that they eat whatever they want.

    Yep. I was one of these people 'til my mid 20s. I was pretty active.

    I know people now who others might think are those people (like my sister), but she is reasonably mindful about her eating and works out.

    I know some others who just don't care about food and are thin. They can eat what they want, but what they want and what I want are not the same. ;-)
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    edited March 2016
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    Yes because I can manage to make things fit if I want them, no because there's just no way I could only eat what I want all the time, and stay within my calories. You have to compromise - have a lighter dinner and skip the bun on the burger so you can have a piece of chocolate instead, for example. But I've found that I just can't compromise on getting enough protein and fiber, or I get hungry.

    So yes, but not all the time.
  • DKG28
    DKG28 Posts: 299 Member
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    the answer for me is no. what I want is almost always calorie dense, and if I want to eat more than one meal a day, I have to make other choices. I crave sweets, and last week ended up eating nothing but cookies for two whole days, because nothing else fit in my calories after giving in to my craving. that's not a healthy approach - the eat anything as long as you have a calorie deficit thing can be taken to an unhealthy extreme...skipping proper food entirely to fit in the snacks/sweets you want. I don't eat things I don't like, but most of what I eat when I'm trying to lose in a healthy manner is food that i'm rather neutral about. It doesn't satisfy cravings; it feeds the body. Eating what my body needs, not what I crave (often emotionally) is what I'm trying to learn. I think it's a bit disingenuous to say limiting portion size but eating exactly what you want is the way to go. The portion size of some of the things we crave would be so tiny, it's unrealistic to say we're satisfied by that, and that those tiny portions would be sustainable in the long run. For me, I have to make peace with a mentality that says I can eat many things I like and lose weight, but some of the recipes I love are just not going to work for me in meeting my goals.
  • selina884
    selina884 Posts: 826 Member
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    This is the correct place for me to vent.

    You know those super slim and trim girls that consume nothing but JUNK all day long, mindlessly without any real care or concern for their health and then have babies and still jump right back into the same figure.

    Those - I hate them. I envy them. Im jealous of them!
  • GYATagain
    GYATagain Posts: 141 Member
    edited March 2016
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    I feel that the operative words here are "what they want"..... If, perhaps what you "want" to eat is balanced foods that fuels (& fills) your body and stays within your calorie count; then Sure! If, on the other hand, what you "want" (like many of us on MFP) is Cake, Cookies, Pizza, Pop, Fast-Food and you "want" that on a daily basis and you consistently go over your calories, then Nope. To reiterate other posters - you cannot out train a heavy poor diet. Learning that balance is time well spent on MFP or anywhere else for that matter. From my experience, which isn't the same as most folks on here; being older (58), shorter (5'2"), desk job, Hypothyroid, lost 75# thus far... blah blah blah --- it is with sad acceptance that I have learned to eat what I "want" in my 1200 allowed calories a day and after 3+ years of this journey, I Want what best fuels me. And yep, there are times that means fuel my soul with a moist German chocolate cake (very small piece, thank you).
  • Meezyweezy
    Meezyweezy Posts: 1 Member
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    Kind of. I stopped eating meat, except for chicken and fish. And also stopped eating breads. But other than that I eat what ever I like while being mindful. I've managed to loose 18 pounds in 3 weeks. But I also work out 4 times a week.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    selina884 wrote: »
    This is the correct place for me to vent.

    You know those super slim and trim girls that consume nothing but JUNK all day long, mindlessly without any real care or concern for their health and then have babies and still jump right back into the same figure.

    Those - I hate them. I envy them. Im jealous of them!

    why...as far as you know they go home and run 10k on a treadmill to keep the weight off...

    My sister is one of those women...eats whatever she wants, drinks etc...but workouts at least 90mins a day.
  • selina884
    selina884 Posts: 826 Member
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    SezxyStef wrote: »
    selina884 wrote: »
    This is the correct place for me to vent.

    You know those super slim and trim girls that consume nothing but JUNK all day long, mindlessly without any real care or concern for their health and then have babies and still jump right back into the same figure.

    Those - I hate them. I envy them. Im jealous of them!

    why...as far as you know they go home and run 10k on a treadmill to keep the weight off...

    My sister is one of those women...eats whatever she wants, drinks etc...but workouts at least 90mins a day.


    These particular ones don't do any exercise.

    ..and good on your sister. I bet she looks great. Ive picked up cycling and intend to cycle about 100 miles per week. (to start off with)

    Before the bullying brigade jumps me - I mentioned junk because it's usually high calorie.


    Give me pizza, bread, pasta anyday though even though it bloats me out.
  • Wysewoman53
    Wysewoman53 Posts: 582 Member
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    No!
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    Yup. Logging just reminded me how I used to eat when I couldn't gain weight and I knew nothing about CICO. Usually at work people often wonder how I eat so much without gaining weight. If only they understood my little secret.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    Yup. Logging just reminded me how I used to eat when I couldn't gain weight and I knew nothing about CICO. Usually at work people often wonder how I eat so much without gaining weight. If only they understood my little secret.

    they wouldn't believe you even if you told them... ;)
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
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    SezxyStef wrote: »
    zerojunk wrote: »
    This is my second time losing weight and last time it was zero junk too..... Worked just fine until I got with a bigger girl with a great face and she kept pushing the crap on me cause it made her feel bad that I wouldn't have any at all. So axe the junk and girls who eat it is my motto this time around. Nothing but CIA/NSA black ops girls who are gymnasts this time around lol. Maybe FBI if they are on top of things.

    So you are going to the tried and true method for weight loss but not keeping it off....okayyyyy...

    POster above nailed it...if you want to lose weight great cut out "junk" but if you want to lose and maintain the weight you have to include all foods you plan on eating at maintenance while losing or you will fail at the maintenance part...

    and please don't blame your girl for what you put in your mouth...you could have said no thx but you didn't want to...

    ^^This, 100%
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    Moderation, not deprivation. I eat all the foods I love. I try to fit them into my day. I exercise when I can. It's all about balance. Eat in a way that is sustainable for you.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    selina884 wrote: »
    This is the correct place for me to vent.

    You know those super slim and trim girls that consume nothing but JUNK all day long, mindlessly without any real care or concern for their health and then have babies and still jump right back into the same figure.

    Those - I hate them. I envy them. Im jealous of them!

    Except you don't really know that that's how they live. For example, when I go to family gatherings or parties, I eat like there's no tomorrow. I eat ALL THE FOODZ. But when I go home, it's all normal stuff. I weigh my food. I exercise.

    If you look at my profile, when I first started I wrote I wanted to be "one of those skinny b's running down the street" I always see by the gym. Guess what? Those skinny b's work hard to be that way. I used to envy them and now I'm one of them.

    Don't assume that they eat junk all day long just because you see a small sampling of their day. Until you're babysitting them 24/7 you really don't know.

    Also don't be jealous. You do you and you'll get there. Don't compare yourself to others. :)
  • smcrimmon84
    smcrimmon84 Posts: 135 Member
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    To an extent, absolutely.

    I have not 100% eliminated ANY single thing from my diet. I eat all of the things I like. I have a soda here and there. I have pizza 2-3x a month. I eat froyo a few times a WEEK. I go out to eat. I celebrate events with friends and family. I live life.

    In a perfect world, I could eat 4 slices of pizza every day for dinner and a pint of Ben and Jerrys for dessert and still be at a healthy weight and be a healthy person..but you know, that isnt life. But I do eat "what I want, when I want" within reason and have had great success.