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.

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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!!

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ninerbuff

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A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

lightenup2016

If I eat any foods I want, but stay within my deficit (avg 1500 cal /day), then I absolutely lose fat! Of course, the trick for me is to not go over my daily calorie allotment, so it's not like I can eat however much I want. But on the other hand, on very special occasions (some vacation days, my birthday, major holidays), I simply don't even worry about "how much" and I just enjoy myself. Then I get back to it the next day, and I can be back to where I was within a day or two (or a few!). It's totally worth that extra day or two to just be able to enjoy.

Since I began using MFP, I have consistently lost weight, except for two months over the holidays, during which I maintained, still using MFP. The fact that I can so easily stick with it using MFP--yeah, that's kept me pretty positive about things. During past weight-loss endeavors, I used to not even think about maintenance, only to gain weight back after reaching my goal weight. Now, I know exactly what to do, and my time maintaining over the holidays has given me the confidence I needed to feel like I can keep the weight off this time, using MFP. I do believe I'll need to continue logging even at maintenance, but I don't mind that. I have about 12 lbs to go (for a total of 30 lost), so my goal is in my sights!

aldavid18

Yes, eat whatever I want. Lost 59lbs. to date. My main advice is to be very aware of your calorie intake to your daily goal. And most of all read your labels.

Chadxx

I am 122 pounds down and counting. I am considerably stronger now than when I started. Losing weight does not automatically mean losing muscle if you keep your protein up and lift heavy. If you don't though, you definitely will lose some muscle. Yes, you can eat whatever you want and lose weight but the better you eat, the more satisfied you are likely to stay and the more nutrients you will get. I don't have any foods that aren't allowed and I do allow some indulgences but, at the same time, I try to spend my calories wisely. I am far more satisfied with a substantial portion of grilled chicken, roasted veggies, and sweet potatoes than I am the same number of calories of something from a drive through. Choosing the right foods for me has made this process relatively easy. If I tried to eat tiny portions of "junk food", I would be miserable.

dragon_girl26

For the most part, I eat whatever I like, though I have to do a lot of exercise to burn off the calories sometimes. Good thing dancing is my hobby! I'very been making a point lately to do a better job of hitting my protein goal each day, though, and eat a wide variety of foods. I went from a size 18-20 to size 8-10 doing exactly this.

kgirlhart

I lost 70 pounds and I eat whatever I want as long as I fit it in my calorie goal. I never have eaten a lot of trans fats, but I do eat sugar and I also eat out pretty regularly so I probably do eat some trans fats. The only thing I have restricted in order to lose weight was my portion sizes. I can be happy with a small portion of ice cream or chocolate. Cutting things like that out entirely would not be sustainable for me.

DancingMoosie

I eat pretty much whatever I want. Even when losing, we would still go out to eat on Fridays, Mexican food or fast food. I would just eat a smaller portion or take some home for another meal. I eat chocolate almost everyday. I worked out the whole time I lost weight, but I still probably lost some muscle. I had to build back up a little after hitting my lowest weight.

jemhh

I eat what I want BUT a good majority of what I want is meat, vegetables, fruit, eggs, dairy, whole grains, and healthy fats. I have what is traditionally called junk food--chips or cake or cookies or the like--once every week or so. I don't want them more often because I know it would make me feel and look and function poorly.

lorrpb

I suppose it depends on what you "want". Most of us got overweight by eating whatever we wanted. If you want to build or keep muscle through lifting,then you would also have to "want" appropriate amounts of protein to support this goal. You need to "want" foods with appropriate nutritional balance, to keep you healthy. To eat at a calorie goal, you need to "want" an appropriate balance of foods to keep you energized and satiated so you don't go over your calorie goal. Although you could lose weight eating only pizza, beer & donuts, you wouldn't be able to eat very much of it. These foods do not support muscle retention or building, or any nutritional goals. It is not sustainable long term, or really even short term.

Xvapor

I find it hard to maintain it's always a struggle to eat enough

lilawolf

I eat anything I want as well just not EVERYTHING lol. I look at my calories as a weekly thing. I keep Monday-Thurs very low so that I can have 1 or 2 high days. Last week, I average 1617 net calories per day even though Saturday was 3000 calories of ice cream, whiskey, cider, pizza etc. I do keep an eye on my macros, mostly protein, but that seems to settle out naturally with what I want to eat.

I lost 30+ pounds this way, 1.1lb/week doing just this. Maintained for well over a year too without logging after. Life happened (divorce, promotion, nearly 6/12 months traveling, moving multiple times etc) and I'm back looking to lose 14lbs doing the same thing.