Everyones "method" to their weight loss

sammy_c_read

Hey everyone! So I know everyone kind of believes in their own method of what works for them so I am just interested to hear. Do y'all prefer "clean eating", counting calories in vs. out, etc.

I am in a balancing game of first learning how to maintain calories in vs out without going hungry and then learning how to eat cleaner foods instead of all processed junk.

Francl27

I eat what I want within my calories while trying to reach my protein goal and not to be hungry all day. Basically, it means that I let myself have 200-300 calories of non filling foods a day (bread, cookies, ice cream etc). The rest is whole foods, pretty much.

itsbasschick

i ate clean for years and never lost a pound - in fact, i put many on. counting calories doesn't preclude clean eating, but you can't lose weight without lowering your calories, and the only way to know how much you're eating it to weigh and log.

you know, not all pre-packaged or processed foods are bad for you at all. i read a lot of labels to find the foods i prefer to eat. a couple ones that are readily available include plain greek yogurt (and some flavored ones), and oats - just regular quaker oats as they have one ingredient, which is oats, and are super good for you.

btw, my ex father in law lived to almost 100, and until the last year, he was in good health overall. he ate all sorts of stuff, much of it processed, and he lived longer and healthier than most, while his brother - who eats organic and healthy and has for decades - had a world of health problems. he's still alive in his 90s, though. i had a friend who lived on candy, stuff like hostess cakes and playing video games, and he was thin as a rail. obviously we don't want to follow his example, but eating pizza or a brownie once in a while isn't going to hurt you.

DisneyDude85

I eat what I want while exercising portion control. CICO.

Unknown

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lemurcat12

I focus on calories. I also try to get at least .8g/lb of protein (not hard, I often get more) to protect muscle, and eat a healthful diet with lots of vegetables, but that's more about health and making sure I have lots of energy, not weight.

The biggest lifestyle changes for me are being mindful about what I eat (and mostly only eating at meals or a planned snack), being as active as possible in my daily life (walking anywhere I can, not having sedentary days), and getting interested in some active hobbies (biking, running, triathlon). When I'm active I tend to find it easier to want to eat well.

sashayoung72

I totally believe the CICO and I tend to eat light breakfast, light to midsize lunch and then I really eat a huge dinner, I love to eat a half a head of cauliflower or cabbage with chicken or turkey sausage. And 100% getting enough water.

Walter__

I don't stress it. I only focus on hitting my protein goal and calorie limit. That's it.

I don't worry about what the fats/carbs will be because I HATE overly obsessing over numbers. As long as I hit my calories and protein that's all I care about.



As far as "clean" vs "junk" foods. I always have a few servings of vegetables and fruits every day. Always. I do log the fruit but not the veggies. I just have no desire to obsess over weighing and logging spinach and broccoli.

If I'm really really hungry that day, I won't eat any "junk" at all. It'll be straight up wholesome, satiating foods that fill me up.

If my appetite is okay then I'll eat more "junk".


I just try to keep it simple

ASKyle

No matter what your choice is, it's still CICO that causes the weight loss (or gain).

Protein and fat make me feel more full, so I go for a 30/30/40 macro ratio.
I bank calories during the week to spend on the weekends with friends/family/boyfriend/events/etc.
Bringing my lunch to work every day is KEY for me.

llUndecidedll

I prefer just keeping up with my calories. Since I usually eat the same things, no need for a food scale anymore. My scale broke months ago, and I haven't replaced it since. I've just been estimating my intake the past few months. I'm more likely to increase my CO than limit my CI when maintaining or losing though, but that's just what works for me at this point in my life.

BeYouTiful94

CICO all the way. I eat what I want, when I want, so long as it's in my deficit. I'd say that I probably focus more on protein because it fills me up, but I'm not super strict about it. The majority of my calories usually fall in the night because I'm a night snacker. I also do strength training and some light cardio for exercise, which gives me more calories to play with

rosebarnalice

For me, it's about three things:
1) VEGGIES/FIBER: I eat 30-40 g of veggies a day--mostly spinach, napa cabbage, shredded broccoli. I make big omelets with very little egg ir cheese and lots of veg; HUGE salads with little dressing, and soups & stir fries
2) LOW CARB: my rule is "booze, bread OR brownie"--I can have one or two a day, but not all three (with brownie being the alliterative stand in for all sweets and desserts)
3) REGULAR REASONABLE EXERCISE: I must have some sort of regular (but not obsessive or excessive! ) physical exercise. I shoot for between of 2 and 3 hours per week--walking, swimming, gardening, dancing . . . Sometimes it comes in 10 -15 minute increments, but it still counts!

Machka9

CI<CO

cbelc2

Modified Mediterranean (no bread or wine) and organic as much as possible. Dairy and any red meat (almost no red meat) is grass fed and preferably local. I grow a garden pretty much year round. And I log.

jamesblood13

Unfortunately I'm yet to find my method. Currently I decide not to drink for a bit, eat well and exercise and it drops off. Then I decide one beer won't do any harm, nor will that takeout/pizza, and bam, i'm back to where I was again! haha

sammy_c_read

jamesblood13 wrote: »

Unfortunately I'm yet to find my method. Currently I decide not to drink for a bit, eat well and exercise and it drops off. Then I decide one beer won't do any harm, nor will that takeout/pizza, and bam, i'm back to where I was again! haha

i totally feel you on that. Beer is my weakness

cbelc2

...and I go to the gym 5 days a week.

absentmindedhousewife

I just found I don't get enough to feel satiated unless I throw in a bunch of raw veg. Call it clean eating if you like. Last night's dinner was a homemade tamale, chili and a big *kitten* pile of shredded cabbage and a chopped tomato.

Then I followed that with a half glass of 2% and girl scout thin mints. Because cookies are awesome.

tcunbeliever

low carb, high fat, mostly vegetarian

cross2bear

CICO for me - I dont eat out often, I eat a mix of processed food and "whole" foods, I dont drink alcohol often, I dont exercise due to medical issues, I love chocolate and indulge on occasion, I love chips so have them almost nightly in a controlled portion and have lost 65 pounds since October 2015. I know I can eat like this in the long term, and thats the most important thing to me, the piece of the puzzle that I didnt have on prior weight loss attempts.

ubermofish

Ultimately for me it is coming down to CICO, with some exercise and cooking good food at supper time. Generally I try to keep carbs down, not because they're inherently bad, but because proteins and fats suppress my voracious appetite better. I usually do a protein shake with added fat (heavy cream) for breakfast and lunch, because it's quick to make and I can prepare them ahead without much fuss.

In the mornings I do 35mins on the elliptical at a high-ish resistance, on the Precor ones I go at resistance 12 and 10 in 2min intervals.

Breakfast - Usually a protein shake, I make my own ketochow at home and it keeps me full for 4-5hrs, 453cal, 11g carb, 34g fat, 37g protein, 6g fiber.

Lunch - Another shake typically, sometimes I go to the cafeteria at work and get a chicken breast and salad, either way its usually between 450-600cal.

Supper - Depends on what I feel like making. Last night I smoked some chicken breasts and had raw veggies and ranch on the side. Tonight I'm having the leftovers from that and prepping for tomorrow. Tomorrow it'll be sous vide steak with bearnaise sauce, roasted asparagus, and shrimp with whiskey lime sauce (saving about 1000cals for that delicious nightmare)

So far I'm down about 35lbs since February, and I just started adding the exercise a couple weeks ago.

cityruss

CICO is not a choice. It's a written simplification of how the human body utilizes calorific energy. You are bound by it whatever you do, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

I personally take a flexible approach to my dietary intake, nothing out of bounds, concentrating more on fueling athletic performance than anything else.

jandsstevenson887

I'm just doing CICO and working up to running a 10K

ReaderGirl3

I do various IF protocols, but at the end of the day I'm eating at the correct calorie amount for my goals. I continue to eat all the foods that I like, I now just eat less of them ie. I consume less calories.

cwolfman13

scjamieson644 wrote: »

Hey everyone! So I know everyone kind of believes in their own method of what works for them so I am just interested to hear. Do y'all prefer "clean eating", counting calories in vs. out, etc.

I am in a balancing game of first learning how to maintain calories in vs out without going hungry and then learning how to eat cleaner foods instead of all processed junk.

Most people would consider my diet to be "clean" for the most part...."clean eating" doesn't guarantee anything. I've lost weight, maintained my weight, and gained weight eating primarily whole foods and minimally processed foods. It still comes down to calories.

That said, I find it much more difficult to overeat eating the way I do...I don't log or otherwise keep a diary so I use a variety of strategies to keep my calories in check...but I'm still aware of the calories...you ultimately have to have at least some general awareness in regards to where you are calorie wise.

Also note that CICO is just the mathematical equation...anything you do diet wise comes down to CICO...CICO is just the math.

kgirlhart

The only thing I restrict is calories. I eat foods that I like that fit in my calorie goal for the day. That includes sweets and processed foods and alcohol. I also eat out regularly including fast food. I am learning which foods help me stay full longer so I eat more protien and less sweets than I used to, but I still eat sweets and I don't deny myself anything that I really want. I just know that if I have a donut for breakfast I will be hungry way before lunch, so I will usually pick the eggs instead. I also try to be more active. I don't exactly exercise so I can eat more, but I can eat more if I'm active so I try to at least get in a 3 mile walk every day. So far I am down 43 pounds since October 2015 and I have 17 to go. This is working for me and I feel that I will be able to stick with it forever. I lost weight years ago doing low fat and while I did lose weight I was miserable a lot of the time and sad because I couldn't eat things that I really wanted to eat and eventually I quit eating low fat and gained the weight back plus some. Now I know that I can eat what I want, I just might not be able to eat the portion sizes that I used to have.

fitdaisygrrl

kgirlhart wrote: »

The only thing I restrict is calories. I eat foods that I like that fit in my calorie goal for the day. That includes sweets and processed foods and alcohol. I also eat out regularly including fast food. I am learning which foods help me stay full longer so I eat more protien and less sweets than I used to, but I still eat sweets and I don't deny myself anything that I really want. I just know that if I have a donut for breakfast I will be hungry way before lunch, so I will usually pick the eggs instead. I also try to be more active. I don't exactly exercise so I can eat more, but I can eat more if I'm active so I try to at least get in a 3 mile walk every day. So far I am down 43 pounds since October 2015 and I have 17 to go. This is working for me and I feel that I will be able to stick with it forever. I lost weight years ago doing low fat and while I did lose weight I was miserable a lot of the time and sad because I couldn't eat things that I really wanted to eat and eventually I quit eating low fat and gained the weight back plus some. Now I know that I can eat what I want, I just might not be able to eat the portion sizes that I used to have.

This too. I focus on what keeps me fuller but still have anything I want- I just track it all (my food scale is my best friend) and move more so that I can eat more. Down 19 lbs, 31 to go. I'm not on a race to lose my weight, I know this may be slow sometimes and there are weeks that I lose only 0.5 lbs, but that's okay. I want this to be sustainable and know that I'll be tracking long after I reach my goal and while I maintain. I also focus on fitness goals and keep that separate from my weight loss goal. I'm training to run 5k and soon after 10k and eventually a half-marathon.

RandiNoelle

I have to cook most, if not all, of my own food. I still eat nearly everything I enjoy, I just make smarter and healthier choices. I do weigh my food and read all the nutritional values for everything. I also work out. Small stuff. I haven't joined a gym yet. I have a treadmill at home and 5 lbs weights that I work out on. I watch my step count and try to get 10,000 steps in a day. I enjoy talking walks/jogs/runs in the evenings after work now that the weather is pretty. They are usually 2 - 2.5 miles. I'd like to run a half marathon by next April.

Cortneyrenee04

Like someone said before, I eat super light through the day and eat most of my calories at dinner/before bed. I drink lots of water to stay full all day and rarely feel very hungry. I always go for veggies and eggs first and calorie dense things only at the end of the day if I can afford it.

Colorscheme

Ok, here's my friend:
tall [like 6 ft], obese [l300 something pounds]. She's losing weight just by reducing portions and moving more. She does not cook and doesn't log and weigh anything she eats. Apparently that works for her and I'm so jealous as she's lost almost 20 lbs in like a month and a half.

Me:
5'7", 158 lbs. Log and weigh everything. Bought a Fibit last summer and use that to track exercise. I'm not as successful as my friend because the exercise makes me hungry and I have a tendency to overeat. Not because I think I earned food, but because I am legit hungry even though I drink a lot of water. I also only realized that I was logging inaccurately which is why I wasn't making progress. Now I am a lot more diligent with weighing and I hope to start making progress soon.

I don't eat out often, maybe once or twice a month. My friend eats takeout or buys every meal.

jessicarobinson00

I'm just doing CICO: that said, I do find that particular foods (though filling at the time) tend to leave me starving later rather than satiated. So for me it's a balancing act between eating filling quality foods, but also fitting in treats and snacks in moderation.