Who eats whatever they want and drops body fat?

GuessIgottalog

Just wanting to get the feel of what other people eat and do to lose body fat/ not muscle?

Is it really just as simple as 1) eating whatever foods (processed, trans fat, salt, sugar etc...) as long as you are at a deficit 2) Lifting weights 3) doing some cardio 4) tracking foods on MFP to ensure you are maintaining a deficit? 5) Do you need to keep a positive mind 99% of the time too?

I just want to hear other people's stories with fat loss. Please understand that I am not going to be into strict af diets and getting ready for comp diets kind of things. That is not for me. Thank you. I wish! LOL but I don't have the support nor will I ever...
So just fat loss and easiness, convenience if possible for me.

Hello_its_Dan

Moderation

cwolfman13

Yes and no...I find weight management to be much easier with a diet rich in whole food nutrition. I have indulgences, but I generally have rules for these kinds of things...like Friday night is pizza night...that's it...I don't have pizza any other time of the week...I eat desert a couple of times per week (and it's usually something pretty small), etc. I would also add that I don't log or count calories so lots of whole foods makes things easier on me. I'm also kind of a nutrition nerd and a food snob...

Also, I'd steer clear of partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats) regardless of your weight management objectives.

MalkinMagic71

I've dropped 200+ pounds eating whatever I wanted just watching portions and counted calories.

I eat pizza several times a week. Chocolate, pasta etc.

crzycatlady1

I lost around 50lbs, went from size 14 jeans to size 4s and normalized a prediabetic glucose number, all while eating fast food several times a week, all sorts of processed 'diet' foods, sugary foods, diet soda by the bucket etc. The only thing I focused on was my calorie intake and making sure I was hitting the calorie deficit I needed for my weight loss goals. Oh, and I did no exercise at all either-zip, nada, nothing lol.

Now I'm several years into maintenance and I still to eat all the foods I like, with a continued focus on my calorie intake. My bmi (according to this mornings' weigh in), is 20.7, I consistently have great health markers and blood work panels, including a total cholesterol of 143, glucose numbers in the 80s and 90s, a waist circumference of 25 etc, and I'm doing things in a way that's sustainable for me, for the next 45+ years

JeromeBarry1

If you lose weight you're losing both body fat and body muscle. You are losing more fat than muscle, but still some muscle.
A diligent heavy lifting program throughout the weight loss program promotes keeping most of your muscle, but when you lose a lot of weight you will lose some muscle.

One year ago, using my scale which pretends to report body fat percentage, I found that I was at 40% body fat. I've lost 92 lb since then and Sunday night I used the same device and this time it reports that I am at 15.9% body fat.

You can do the math, but clearly I've lost a lot of fat. I've lost muscle, too, because I neglected to lift heavy from the beginning. I eat stuff I like. I use the food diary to plan my daily food and I plan to stop eating after eating 1600 calories and before eating 1700 calories. It's easy. Last night I had pizza, homemade, for 504 calories. Sunday I had a greasy hamburger and fries. Tonight I'm going to have a cheesesteak sandwich and fries. I cook my own stuff, so my burger was on an Oroweat thin sandwich bun and my sandwich tonight will be on homemade bread and I'll precisely control the amount of cheese on it to fit my calorie budget.

tinkerbellang83

Down 7.2kg so far in 10 weeks (got a bit off track at christmas as I was travelling a lot and didn't log so it's really 8 weeks). I eat a fair bit of sugar, still order Dominos now and again or go out for food. The difference now is I do all of that in moderation. I have had a couple of days eating at maintenance level too.

marieamethyst

I went from a size 14 to a size 4 and was able to get a flat stomach after stretching it out during pregnancy - I eat/drink whatever I want as long as it fits in my calorie goal. (I also try to exercise 5 times a week)

not_a_runner

I follow what I would call a "flexible diet." My main goal is just to hit my calorie goal, with a secondary goal of hitting a certain amount of protein. The rest of my calories are whatever I'd like. I am also flexible with my daily intake, if I want more some days I'll eat more and then less another day.
In order to hit the protein goal I usually have to put a little thought into my day, and I also aim to eat more whole foods because this is important to me personally. (I don't believe I am going to sustain my weight loss without making a few lifestyle changes - I've lost the weight once already and gained it right back.)
I still eat pizza and ice cream and chocolate etc. and am losing fat and maintaining muscle as well as could be expected I'd say. I strength train 4-5 days a week with a progressive/established program and do minimal cardio.

So I guess another yes and no from me. I include plenty of "whatever I'd like" and I feel this helps me stick with my plan, but I also feel it is important to work on getting in plenty of whole foods/making changes that you can carry with you to help maintain the loss.

Sara1791

I eat whatever I like, but hardly ever as much as I'd like. I guess I eat more "whole" foods now because they are more filling, have fewer calories, and they're usually more nutrient dense. I've lost almost 60 pounds so far, and a lot of that was fat. My muscles are starting to show and I feel good most of the time.

Being "positive" doesn't make it happen. It's not faith or magic, just science. But arming yourself with facts, making contingency plans for inevitable bad days, deciding to be in it for the long haul will be really helpful. I have found that the more successful I am, the healthier I live, the better I feel, but YMMV.

Francl27

Yes and no. I make *some* of the things I want fit in, but if I don't get enough protein and fiber, I get hangry.

I think it really depends on what stuff you like. My favorite things are high calorie desserts - very hard to fit in. A slice of pizza or two? No problem... at least it's filling and doesn't leave me craving more carbs.

I've lost 75 lbs and maintained the lost (more or less 5 lbs) for almost 3 years though! I do make room for those desserts... just sometimes.

sardelsa

Yup over here. Flexible dieter, lifting 3-4x per week, no cardio (but I breastfeed lol), I don't track my macros but because of my high intake and past experience tracking I can be pretty sure I hit those minimums. I recently lost my baby weight, preserving muscle and lowering my bf%.

vanmep

I can guarantee you that having a positive mindset 99% of the time is unrealistic. I don't see other people commenting on that part of your question, but I would be interested to see what other people think. My own experience has been that it is super important to make your lifestyle reasonable enough that you can carry on when you don't have a positive attitude. Also, to figure out how you will manage the days (and sometimes weeks) when your attitude is not feeling up to the change you are making.

SiegfriedXXL

Hi there. I've lost a bit over 100 pounds so far and I eat pretty much whatever I want. Some things I avoid because I can't control them but I've had cheat meals, diet breaks, and indulgences and I'm still steadily losing. Just keep me away from the carne asada nachos.

Alatariel75

I've lost 80lbs eating whatever I want - but please note that "whatever I want" includes whole bunches of lean meat, whole grains, vegetables, home cooked meals etc. Yes, I work things I love into my calories, I've had meals, days, and weeks, even months where I've gone off the rails. But even when I'm 100% on track and tracking, I've made room for things I love.

leanjogreen18

40 lbs down so far.

I eat what I want but i moderate. I also make modifications to my favorite higher calories foods like pizza, but that doesn't mean I don eat take out pizza on occasion, I do.

I make sure i have an overall balanced nutritious diet, but I make room for whatever I want.

bbell1985

For me there is a difference between eating whatever I want on a daily basis, and not banning food. Do I eat WHATEVER I want? No. Not really. But I'll get me a bacon cheeseburger and fries once in awhile. If I just ate whatever I wanted the portions would be so small. I would have trouble adhering to a calorie deficit.

Could I still lose fat though? Yeah.

Debmal77

@Look_Its_Kriss wow.....you look amazing!!

ninerbuff

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