Besides calories what other things do you limit?

NavajoGirl85
NavajoGirl85 Posts: 164 Member
edited 4:30PM in Health and Weight Loss
People ask me what I limit. I tell them calories and sugar. I also feel better when I limit my sodium, don't feel so bloated. A coworker said she is losing weight just by portion control and having a very strict limit on carbs. I feel like everyone I hear from says limit this, limit that. I have lost 38 pounds so far limiting what I'm already doing and I feel like I'm running out of food options making me want to cheat on a meal. Right now I'm craving those foods that are very unhealthy and I don't want to slip up. Some days are easy but today it's been really hard for me to keep my will to not eat those unhealthy foods.
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Replies

  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    Nothing really. I eat fewer starchy carbs when cutting generally but there will be days when I barely get any protein so I can eat major carbs. I don't even look at my sugar intake. The only thing I really limit is portions.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited March 2017
    I don't have any hard and fast rules about anything. I do know that there are times when I struggle with my diet, and during those times I may cut out certain foods that I know are more apt to trigger a binge or send things sideways for me. But when I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, I don't really limit anything. It's not usually that hard for me to fit in a bacon cheeseburger or pizza or fast food or dessert or whatever else.

    As far as general advice to limit foods... that's usually coming from one of 2 camps - (1) people who want a crutch or excuse or easy fix. "Just stop eating ___ and you'll be set." Actually, you probably won't. (2) People who want to make a legit effort, but don't want to count calories. "If I cut out high calorie foods like ____ and ____, I should be OK." Maybe... only time will tell, and it will vary person to person. Oh, or camp #3 - people trying to sell something.
  • NavajoGirl85
    NavajoGirl85 Posts: 164 Member
    I do really well and I've been at this for a few months. There was only one day where I ate a meal that probably wasn't the best but got right back to working out that afternoon. I don't have a lot of days like this but today is hard. I used to get my favorite foods and snacks and just kick back watch TV for the evening and just have the food there if I wanted it. So today is really hard for me to not do that. It's almost depressing for me at times.
  • cordney
    cordney Posts: 73 Member
    I limit alcohol, only because I don't like drinking calories.
  • NavajoGirl85
    NavajoGirl85 Posts: 164 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    I limit being lazy

    I do that too. I find something to do everyday and I usually fit in some kind of workout everyday.
  • cafisher0404
    cafisher0404 Posts: 77 Member
    I also try to limit alcohol because it feels like a waste of calories... I'm not very successful at times.

    Other than that, I have "bad" food in smaller portions so I don't feel like I'm deprived. I just try not to have the bad food at the same times as the alcohol or else my willpower for moderation disappears.
  • NavajoGirl85
    NavajoGirl85 Posts: 164 Member
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    "just by portion control" - think about that for a second.

    I do portion control with everything I eat but it's usually healthier options. Today I'm wanting to eat something not so healthy but I don't want to mess up my progress so I wont.
  • NavajoGirl85
    NavajoGirl85 Posts: 164 Member
    cafisher0404 wrote: »
    I also try to limit alcohol because it feels like a waste of calories... I'm not very successful at times.

    Other than that, I have "bad" food in smaller portions so I don't feel like I'm deprived. I just try not to have the bad food at the same times as the alcohol or else my willpower for moderation disappears.

    I don't drink so I'm glad I don't have to worry about that. I don't see a problem with having a drink I just dont. I might have a drink once a year.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,148 Member
    NavajoGirl85 wrote: »
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    "just by portion control" - think about that for a second.

    I do portion control with everything I eat but it's usually healthier options. Today I'm wanting to eat something not so healthy but I don't want to mess up my progress so I wont.

    Will this "unhealthy" food put you over your calorie limit? If not, your progress will be fine.

    I limit calories (food tastes good and I like to stuff my face) and sodium (high blood pressure).
  • NavajoGirl85
    NavajoGirl85 Posts: 164 Member
    zyxst wrote: »
    NavajoGirl85 wrote: »
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    "just by portion control" - think about that for a second.

    I do portion control with everything I eat but it's usually healthier options. Today I'm wanting to eat something not so healthy but I don't want to mess up my progress so I wont.

    Will this "unhealthy" food put you over your calorie limit? If not, your progress will be fine.

    I limit calories (food tastes good and I like to stuff my face) and sodium (high blood pressure).

    It's hard to eat out of the house when I don't know what the nutritional values are. You can sometimes look up the nutritiin online but every website says the numbers are different. I'm given 1770 calories a day, with food and excercise I have 1400 left. I have found that when I eat more than 700 mg of sodium a day it makes my stomach feel so bloated.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    NavajoGirl85 wrote: »
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    "just by portion control" - think about that for a second.

    I do portion control with everything I eat but it's usually healthier options. Today I'm wanting to eat something not so healthy but I don't want to mess up my progress so I wont.

    I just meant that it was thrown off like "oh just by portion control" which is pretty much actually everything.
  • BlueSkyShoal
    BlueSkyShoal Posts: 325 Member
    I have a real sweet tooth and I eat sweets / cookies pretty often, as otherwise I am prone to cheating. My only restrictions on chocolate are that I try to buy chocolate not sourced from Africa, as they use a lot of slave labor in the cocoa bean fields there. South American chocolate is okay. So if you're having trouble with your chocolate cravings maybe that will help, lol.

    I hate dark chocolate. Milk chocolate for life.
  • NavajoGirl85
    NavajoGirl85 Posts: 164 Member
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    NavajoGirl85 wrote: »
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    "just by portion control" - think about that for a second.

    I do portion control with everything I eat but it's usually healthier options. Today I'm wanting to eat something not so healthy but I don't want to mess up my progress so I wont.

    I just meant that it was thrown off like "oh just by portion control" which is pretty much actually everything.

    I understand.
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
    I watch salt pretty carefully because I cook for my mom, who has kidney failure, and my dad with high blood pressure.
  • NavajoGirl85
    NavajoGirl85 Posts: 164 Member
    BlueSkyShoal wrote: »
    I have a real sweet tooth and I eat sweets / cookies pretty often, as otherwise I am prone to cheating. My only restrictions on chocolate are that I try to buy chocolate not sourced from Africa, as they use a lot of slave labor in the cocoa bean fields there. South American chocolate is okay. So if you're having trouble with your chocolate cravings maybe that will help, lol.

    I hate dark chocolate. Milk chocolate for life.

    I never really bought snacks, although I would eat candy from time to time. At this point it's a salty sweet meal I'm craving. Something like chinese food. Which used to be one of my biggest problems before I started to lose weight. Today it's just screaming at me.
  • MomReborn
    MomReborn Posts: 145 Member
    I limit stuff I'm allergic to. Because death/being near death sucks. Other than that, I try to maintain a calorie deficit. If I'm over in the evening, it gives me more of a reason to unwind longer in my workout space.
  • jjohnstonlni
    jjohnstonlni Posts: 42 Member
    I limit nothing except my calories. If I want sugar, I have it as long as I'm within my budget for the day.
  • KatieJane83
    KatieJane83 Posts: 2,002 Member
    Calories. Otherwise, I pretty much eat all the things.

    Well, alcohol too, but I don't drink for other reasons, not related to my weight loss.
  • NavajoGirl85
    NavajoGirl85 Posts: 164 Member
    At the end of the day, after food and my excercises, I usually have 600 calories left for the day. I have a real problem letting myself eat all the calories I've been given for the day. Do I have enough calories to eat a cheeseburger? Yes, but I don't want to feel like crap. Sodium is evil to me.
  • NavajoGirl85
    NavajoGirl85 Posts: 164 Member
    tomteboda wrote: »
    I watch salt pretty carefully because I cook for my mom, who has kidney failure, and my dad with high blood pressure.

    Sorry to hear about your parents!
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    I regularly eat take away food that I can't find the exact nutrition info for. I eyeball and pick a good database entry from an American Chinese restaurant chain like Panda Express. Same for Japanese. Same for pizza. Same for everything I don't have the info for. If that's a bit too much of a wing it situation then you could weigh out a portion of the things you have for a little better accuracy.

    None of that is unhealthy, just more calorie dense so needs a little more care not to overeat but one meal isn't going to undo progress. My 63lbs disappeared are proof.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,572 Member
    NavajoGirl85 wrote: »
    People ask me what I limit. I tell them calories and sugar. I also feel better when I limit my sodium, don't feel so bloated. A coworker said she is losing weight just by portion control and having a very strict limit on carbs. I feel like everyone I hear from says limit this, limit that. I have lost 38 pounds so far limiting what I'm already doing and I feel like I'm running out of food options making me want to cheat on a meal. Right now I'm craving those foods that are very unhealthy and I don't want to slip up. Some days are easy but today it's been really hard for me to keep my will to not eat those unhealthy foods.

    I dunno - limiting my calories pretty well forces me to limit certain foods to little or none. Portion control IS what it is really about, and that, in effect, is the same thing as limiting calories. If you have lost 38 pounds, obviously you are doing something right. I wouldn't worry about what other people say.

    To stay within my calorie budget means that I do have to cut out a lot of bad habits. But that's a good thing.
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