Real food diet...is that a thing?

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Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    SLLRunner wrote: »
    AgidGirl wrote: »
    Well, here I am at the heaviest I've ever been. I haven't tried every diet out there, haven't yo-yo dieted, never taken a diet pill but, I have been REALLY LAZY about my health and fitness! What can I say, I'm a super wife, busy mom-of-three, I work full time, you know the drill. It's time for a change!

    So, here's what I'm doing so far:

    1. Eating only 'real foods', nothing processed.
    2. Tracking what I eat here on MFP (1200 calories or less)
    3. Cut out sugar
    4. Replacing 1 meal a day with a protein shake
    5. Drinking half my weight (or more) in water
    6. Taking 1 serving of Amazing Grass each day

    I've only been giving this approach a go since last Sunday. I have no problem with the food and I've been feeling pretty good, until yesterday. I think I might have hit a wall or something but...I'm exhausted! Any recommendations on things I can incorporate into my routine to help me feel more energized? Also, any tweeks or changes I should do with my 'plan'? Thanks so much for reading!

    Welcome!

    You're doing an awful lot of work when not all that is necessary. I crossed out the ones that are absolutely not necessary.

    There is no magic in things like Protein Drinks and Amazing Grass. Just eat whatever you like, eat less of it, stay in a calorie deficit, and you will lose weight.

    And even the 1,200 calories or less is probably unnecessary -- OP could likely eat more.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    spilledmilk wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    AgidGirl wrote: »


    Really? I didn't think that was the case.

    Natural sugars are found in fruit as fructose and in dairy products, such as milk and cheese, as lactose.

    Refined sugar comes from sugar cane or sugar beets, which are processed to extract the sugar. It is typically found as sucrose, which is the combination of glucose and fructose. We use white and brown sugars to sweeten cakes and cookies, coffee, cereal and even fruit. Food manufacturers add chemically produced sugar, typically high-fructose corn syrup, to foods and beverages, including crackers, flavored yogurt, tomato sauce and salad dressing. Low-fat foods are the worst offenders, as manufacturers use sugar to add flavor.

    But your body doesn't know that...

    If you have an intolerance to fructose or lactose, it certainly does

    I don't see where she said she had an intolerance to fructose or lactose....
  • bgh707
    bgh707 Posts: 164 Member
    AgidGirl wrote: »
    Well, here I am at the heaviest I've ever been. I haven't tried every diet out there, haven't yo-yo dieted, never taken a diet pill but, I have been REALLY LAZY about my health and fitness! What can I say, I'm a super wife, busy mom-of-three, I work full time, you know the drill. It's time for a change!

    So, here's what I'm doing so far:

    1. Eating only 'real foods', nothing processed.
    2. Tracking what I eat here on MFP (1200 calories or less)
    3. Cut out sugar
    4. Replacing 1 meal a day with a protein shake
    5. Drinking half my weight (or more) in water
    6. Taking 1 serving of Amazing Grass each day

    I've only been giving this approach a go since last Sunday. I have no problem with the food and I've been feeling pretty good, until yesterday. I think I might have hit a wall or something but...I'm exhausted! Any recommendations on things I can incorporate into my routine to help me feel more energized? Also, any tweeks or changes I should do with my 'plan'? Thanks so much for reading!
    AgidGirl wrote: »
    Well, here I am at the heaviest I've ever been. I haven't tried every diet out there, haven't yo-yo dieted, never taken a diet pill but, I have been REALLY LAZY about my health and fitness! What can I say, I'm a super wife, busy mom-of-three, I work full time, you know the drill. It's time for a change!

    So, here's what I'm doing so far:

    1. Eating only 'real foods', nothing processed.
    2. Tracking what I eat here on MFP (1200 calories or less)
    3. Cut out sugar
    4. Replacing 1 meal a day with a protein shake
    5. Drinking half my weight (or more) in water
    6. Taking 1 serving of Amazing Grass each day

    I've only been giving this approach a go since last Sunday. I have no problem with the food and I've been feeling pretty good, until yesterday. I think I might have hit a wall or something but...I'm exhausted! Any recommendations on things I can incorporate into my routine to help me feel more energized? Also, any tweeks or changes I should do with my 'plan'? Thanks so much for reading!

    I think that if you want to do an elimination diet, you should do something like a Whole 30. That will get you weaned off of the foods that gave you cravings and also help you figure out which foods you're sensitive to. I think that those who abide strictly to a CICO approach are a bit narrow-minded, since it doesn't work for anyone. In addition to food sensitivities, most people find it difficult to eat high-carb foods in moderation, so you're better off cutting them out entirely in the beginning.
  • bgh707
    bgh707 Posts: 164 Member
    Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »
    bgh707 wrote: »
    AgidGirl wrote: »
    Well, here I am at the heaviest I've ever been. I haven't tried every diet out there, haven't yo-yo dieted, never taken a diet pill but, I have been REALLY LAZY about my health and fitness! What can I say, I'm a super wife, busy mom-of-three, I work full time, you know the drill. It's time for a change!

    So, here's what I'm doing so far:

    1. Eating only 'real foods', nothing processed.
    2. Tracking what I eat here on MFP (1200 calories or less)
    3. Cut out sugar
    4. Replacing 1 meal a day with a protein shake
    5. Drinking half my weight (or more) in water
    6. Taking 1 serving of Amazing Grass each day

    I've only been giving this approach a go since last Sunday. I have no problem with the food and I've been feeling pretty good, until yesterday. I think I might have hit a wall or something but...I'm exhausted! Any recommendations on things I can incorporate into my routine to help me feel more energized? Also, any tweeks or changes I should do with my 'plan'? Thanks so much for reading!
    AgidGirl wrote: »
    Well, here I am at the heaviest I've ever been. I haven't tried every diet out there, haven't yo-yo dieted, never taken a diet pill but, I have been REALLY LAZY about my health and fitness! What can I say, I'm a super wife, busy mom-of-three, I work full time, you know the drill. It's time for a change!

    So, here's what I'm doing so far:

    1. Eating only 'real foods', nothing processed.
    2. Tracking what I eat here on MFP (1200 calories or less)
    3. Cut out sugar
    4. Replacing 1 meal a day with a protein shake
    5. Drinking half my weight (or more) in water
    6. Taking 1 serving of Amazing Grass each day

    I've only been giving this approach a go since last Sunday. I have no problem with the food and I've been feeling pretty good, until yesterday. I think I might have hit a wall or something but...I'm exhausted! Any recommendations on things I can incorporate into my routine to help me feel more energized? Also, any tweeks or changes I should do with my 'plan'? Thanks so much for reading!

    I think that if you want to do an elimination diet, you should do something like a Whole 30. That will get you weaned off of the foods that gave you cravings and also help you figure out which foods you're sensitive to. I think that those who abide strictly to a CICO approach are a bit narrow-minded, since it doesn't work for anyone. In addition to food sensitivities, most people find it difficult to eat high-carb foods in moderation, so you're better off cutting them out entirely in the beginning.

    117 pounds lost using only CICO.. and while some days i second guess myself... i am pretty sure i am someone.

    Lots of people misread what I said. I said that it doesn't work for everyone. It does work for lots of people -- evidence by your success. A diet like Whole 30 can help people figure out what works for them as individuals. The approach to eating worked much better for me, since my body doesn't tolerate sugar well.

    Also, there have been a ton of scientific studies in the past few years demonstrating the harm that processed sugar causes to the human body, as well as its addictiveness. So please don't all jump on me and tell me that it's all about willpower.
  • StarBrightStarBright
    StarBrightStarBright Posts: 97 Member
    crzycatlady1 wrote: »
    StarBrightStarBright wrote: »
    FWIW- I found that a "real food diet" (Michael Pollan style) kept me at a sustainable and healthy weight for years without trying.

    I spent my teens and early twenties inhaling "fake" diet foods and working out all of the time to maintain a weight of 135 for years - so much work to weigh 135. I gradually learned to cook from scratch and eat whole foods and while I drifted upwards a bit (to 142 (summer)-146(winter)) I kept in that range for 10 years rather effortlessly.

    After my last baby and now in my late 30s I'm finding that I need to tweak my diet (macros and smaller portions) to keep my weight in that range - BUT - I firmly believe that eating whole foods in sensible portions will help keep you satisfied while staying in a good caloric range (you do have to eat correct portion sizes though).

    *and I agree that shakes definitely do not count as real food.

    I eat all sorts of foods, including ones I'm sure you'd consider 'fake' diet ones, and I have absolutely no problem maintaining my weight, (maintenance range is 125lbs-130lbs), and that's without any exercise factored in (I'm also almost 40yrs old and a mom of 3 kids, go me lol). It's not work at all because I enjoy what I eat. I keep my calorie intake lined up with my weight management goals and that keeps my weight on target. Has nothing to do though, with what I'm eating/not eating and has has everything to do with calorie/portion sizes. As you said-you actually gained weight while eating a whole foods diet. It's not the food choices-it's all about the calories.

    And satiety really varies between people. I do better on a higher carb macro ratio, others do well on a lower carb one etc. You may do better with a whole foods woe, while others like myself do great when incorporating things like the BK Whopper combo I had for supper last night :)

    I see my quotation marks did not come off as I'd hoped :) I put both fake and real food in quotes - because they all contain calories and thus do the same job and are both food.

    I agree the CICO works for straight up weight loss - but since there were a lot of "it doesn't matter what you eat" comments I was trying to add a positive for what the OP referred to as real food.

    What I was trying to say (and what clearly did not come across) was that eating what the OP calls "real foods" was great for me and I think it can be a great way to eat for those that want to attempt it.

  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    bgh707 wrote: »
    Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »
    bgh707 wrote: »
    AgidGirl wrote: »
    Well, here I am at the heaviest I've ever been. I haven't tried every diet out there, haven't yo-yo dieted, never taken a diet pill but, I have been REALLY LAZY about my health and fitness! What can I say, I'm a super wife, busy mom-of-three, I work full time, you know the drill. It's time for a change!

    So, here's what I'm doing so far:

    1. Eating only 'real foods', nothing processed.
    2. Tracking what I eat here on MFP (1200 calories or less)
    3. Cut out sugar
    4. Replacing 1 meal a day with a protein shake
    5. Drinking half my weight (or more) in water
    6. Taking 1 serving of Amazing Grass each day

    I've only been giving this approach a go since last Sunday. I have no problem with the food and I've been feeling pretty good, until yesterday. I think I might have hit a wall or something but...I'm exhausted! Any recommendations on things I can incorporate into my routine to help me feel more energized? Also, any tweeks or changes I should do with my 'plan'? Thanks so much for reading!
    AgidGirl wrote: »
    Well, here I am at the heaviest I've ever been. I haven't tried every diet out there, haven't yo-yo dieted, never taken a diet pill but, I have been REALLY LAZY about my health and fitness! What can I say, I'm a super wife, busy mom-of-three, I work full time, you know the drill. It's time for a change!

    So, here's what I'm doing so far:

    1. Eating only 'real foods', nothing processed.
    2. Tracking what I eat here on MFP (1200 calories or less)
    3. Cut out sugar
    4. Replacing 1 meal a day with a protein shake
    5. Drinking half my weight (or more) in water
    6. Taking 1 serving of Amazing Grass each day

    I've only been giving this approach a go since last Sunday. I have no problem with the food and I've been feeling pretty good, until yesterday. I think I might have hit a wall or something but...I'm exhausted! Any recommendations on things I can incorporate into my routine to help me feel more energized? Also, any tweeks or changes I should do with my 'plan'? Thanks so much for reading!

    I think that if you want to do an elimination diet, you should do something like a Whole 30. That will get you weaned off of the foods that gave you cravings and also help you figure out which foods you're sensitive to. I think that those who abide strictly to a CICO approach are a bit narrow-minded, since it doesn't work for anyone. In addition to food sensitivities, most people find it difficult to eat high-carb foods in moderation, so you're better off cutting them out entirely in the beginning.

    117 pounds lost using only CICO.. and while some days i second guess myself... i am pretty sure i am someone.

    Lots of people misread what I said. I said that it doesn't work for everyone. It does work for lots of people -- evidence by your success. A diet like Whole 30 can help people figure out what works for them as individuals. The approach to eating worked much better for me, since my body doesn't tolerate sugar well.

    Also, there have been a ton of scientific studies in the past few years demonstrating the harm that processed sugar causes to the human body, as well as its addictiveness. So please don't all jump on me and tell me that it's all about willpower.

    please tell me who these people are who eat in a calorie deficit and gain weight?

    so is fruit sugar also addictive and harmful, because sugar?

    please link us to these studies.

    This.

    Every "sugar is teh devil" study I've ever come across was not peer reviewed.
  • bgh707
    bgh707 Posts: 164 Member
    All I was doing was suggesting an approach that has more of a track record that would provide a framework for what the OP seemed to intend to want to accomplish.
  • cbelc2
    cbelc2 Posts: 762 Member
    I think you may not be eating enough. Try replacing that shake with real food. And instead of grass, try some vegetables.
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    edited March 2017
    I think that a lot of people use the term CICO as shorthand for "eat anything you want as long as your calories in are less than your calories out". Basically, IIFYM - but ignoring the macros. Then they decide that people following that plan will choose to only eat junk food (because that's what they'd choose? or just because they want to think that their diet is "better"?). So, clearly, that makes CICO bad. :tongue: Despite the fact that their alternative plan has them eating whatever they want (since they've chosen their own restrictions).
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    bgh707 wrote: »
    All I was doing was suggesting an approach that has more of a track record that would provide a framework for what the OP seemed to intend to want to accomplish.

    More of a track record than the human physiological mechanism for losing body fat aka CICO? Well blow me.
  • AgidGirl
    AgidGirl Posts: 138 Member
    edited March 2017
    CICO...yes, this is simple math and is obviously going to work. My thought process is that although a Twinkie and a piece of salmon might have the same caloric intake does that make both foods equal? No, it doesn't. I understand that's not the point many are trying to make here. I'm not just worried about losing weight (although that's my main objective), I'm also worried about the food I'm eating and how it affects my health. All things in moderation right? I agree and after reading all of the comments I don't think my original plan is realistic. I also don't think that eating 'whole foods' or 'real foods' whatever you call it is a bad thing.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • z4oslo
    z4oslo Posts: 229 Member
    edited March 2017
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    AgidGirl wrote: »

    fruit sugar and candy sugar are the same thing, just an FYI for you.


    The difference is what sugar comes WITH, with fruit sugar comes with fiber and vitamins, and fiber is the key here as it prevents your blood sugar from spiking.



  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    z4oslo wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    AgidGirl wrote: »

    fruit sugar and candy sugar are the same thing, just an FYI for you.


    The difference is what sugar comes WITH, with fruit sugar comes with fiber and vitamins, and fiber is the key here as it prevents your blood sugar from spiking.



    does not change the fact that sugar = sugar

    and you get a similar insulin spike from protein, are you also suggesting taking fiber with that?
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    edited March 2017
    StarBrightStarBright wrote: »
    crzycatlady1 wrote: »
    StarBrightStarBright wrote: »
    FWIW- I found that a "real food diet" (Michael Pollan style) kept me at a sustainable and healthy weight for years without trying.

    I spent my teens and early twenties inhaling "fake" diet foods and working out all of the time to maintain a weight of 135 for years - so much work to weigh 135. I gradually learned to cook from scratch and eat whole foods and while I drifted upwards a bit (to 142 (summer)-146(winter)) I kept in that range for 10 years rather effortlessly.

    After my last baby and now in my late 30s I'm finding that I need to tweak my diet (macros and smaller portions) to keep my weight in that range - BUT - I firmly believe that eating whole foods in sensible portions will help keep you satisfied while staying in a good caloric range (you do have to eat correct portion sizes though).

    *and I agree that shakes definitely do not count as real food.

    I eat all sorts of foods, including ones I'm sure you'd consider 'fake' diet ones, and I have absolutely no problem maintaining my weight, (maintenance range is 125lbs-130lbs), and that's without any exercise factored in (I'm also almost 40yrs old and a mom of 3 kids, go me lol). It's not work at all because I enjoy what I eat. I keep my calorie intake lined up with my weight management goals and that keeps my weight on target. Has nothing to do though, with what I'm eating/not eating and has has everything to do with calorie/portion sizes. As you said-you actually gained weight while eating a whole foods diet. It's not the food choices-it's all about the calories.

    And satiety really varies between people. I do better on a higher carb macro ratio, others do well on a lower carb one etc. You may do better with a whole foods woe, while others like myself do great when incorporating things like the BK Whopper combo I had for supper last night :)

    I see my quotation marks did not come off as I'd hoped :) I put both fake and real food in quotes - because they all contain calories and thus do the same job and are both food.

    I agree the CICO works for straight up weight loss - but since there were a lot of "it doesn't matter what you eat" comments I was trying to add a positive for what the OP referred to as real food.

    What I was trying to say (and what clearly did not come across) was that eating what the OP calls "real foods" was great for me and I think it can be a great way to eat for those that want to attempt it.

    Ah, thanks for clarifying! And I'm definitely not saying a whole foods approach is bad, (I'm actually one of those crazy people participating in the 800g a day veg/fruit challenge this month lol). Just that people are successful following all sorts of plans, but the underlying theme for weight loss is cico :)
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    bgh707 wrote: »
    Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »
    bgh707 wrote: »
    AgidGirl wrote: »
    Well, here I am at the heaviest I've ever been. I haven't tried every diet out there, haven't yo-yo dieted, never taken a diet pill but, I have been REALLY LAZY about my health and fitness! What can I say, I'm a super wife, busy mom-of-three, I work full time, you know the drill. It's time for a change!

    So, here's what I'm doing so far:

    1. Eating only 'real foods', nothing processed.
    2. Tracking what I eat here on MFP (1200 calories or less)
    3. Cut out sugar
    4. Replacing 1 meal a day with a protein shake
    5. Drinking half my weight (or more) in water
    6. Taking 1 serving of Amazing Grass each day

    I've only been giving this approach a go since last Sunday. I have no problem with the food and I've been feeling pretty good, until yesterday. I think I might have hit a wall or something but...I'm exhausted! Any recommendations on things I can incorporate into my routine to help me feel more energized? Also, any tweeks or changes I should do with my 'plan'? Thanks so much for reading!
    AgidGirl wrote: »
    Well, here I am at the heaviest I've ever been. I haven't tried every diet out there, haven't yo-yo dieted, never taken a diet pill but, I have been REALLY LAZY about my health and fitness! What can I say, I'm a super wife, busy mom-of-three, I work full time, you know the drill. It's time for a change!

    So, here's what I'm doing so far:

    1. Eating only 'real foods', nothing processed.
    2. Tracking what I eat here on MFP (1200 calories or less)
    3. Cut out sugar
    4. Replacing 1 meal a day with a protein shake
    5. Drinking half my weight (or more) in water
    6. Taking 1 serving of Amazing Grass each day

    I've only been giving this approach a go since last Sunday. I have no problem with the food and I've been feeling pretty good, until yesterday. I think I might have hit a wall or something but...I'm exhausted! Any recommendations on things I can incorporate into my routine to help me feel more energized? Also, any tweeks or changes I should do with my 'plan'? Thanks so much for reading!

    I think that if you want to do an elimination diet, you should do something like a Whole 30. That will get you weaned off of the foods that gave you cravings and also help you figure out which foods you're sensitive to. I think that those who abide strictly to a CICO approach are a bit narrow-minded, since it doesn't work for anyone. In addition to food sensitivities, most people find it difficult to eat high-carb foods in moderation, so you're better off cutting them out entirely in the beginning.

    117 pounds lost using only CICO.. and while some days i second guess myself... i am pretty sure i am someone.

    Lots of people misread what I said. I said that it doesn't work for everyone. It does work for lots of people -- evidence by your success. A diet like Whole 30 can help people figure out what works for them as individuals. The approach to eating worked much better for me, since my body doesn't tolerate sugar well.

    Also, there have been a ton of scientific studies in the past few years demonstrating the harm that processed sugar causes to the human body, as well as its addictiveness. So please don't all jump on me and tell me that it's all about willpower.

    You may have meant to say that CICO doesn't work for EVERYONE, but you actually said it doesn't work for ANYONE. You can see that if you expand the quotes above.

    Regardless of what you meant and what you actually said, I'm not sure you understand CICO. It is a fundamental energy balance, not a diet, an approach, or a way of eating. It doesn't mean "eat nothing but junk food and as long as you're in a deficit, you will lose weight" and if you interpret it that way, well, that's on you, not on the people saying that weight loss comes strictly from a calorie deficit, not from the specific foods you eat.

    This isn't a sugar thread, and there are countless others where the concept of whether sugar is addictive or not, so I'm not going to get into that any further here.

    I'm still curious why you think OP needs to undertake an elimination diet when she didn't describe any concerns about food sensitivities.
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