Have you lost weight by ditching certain foods?

mymy1997

Hello there, I hope you have a wonderful day. I have hypothyroidism and I have stopped eating bread since it makes me sluggish and I feel like passing out after indulging in carbohydrates. So have you cut out any foods from your diet and started noticing real results?

ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken

Yes. BUT only because those certain foods were my weakness. For example if I get my hands on something like cake or peanut-butter chocolate candy or ice cream I will eat it until it's gone. Certain other types of things like a lot of carbs in bread, pasta, rice etc... seemed to stoke the flames of a ravenous appetite which kept me stuffing my face. Removing certain kryptonite prevented me from over eating on a constant basis which helped me stay in a deficit.

AmyOutOfControl

Wine. I tend to eat all the yummy snacks when I drink.

LessCookiess

I stopped drinking soda regardless if it's diet or not, and vending machine treats.

kwissten

For me the weight loss really started happening when I cut out white carbs like white bread, rice, potatoes and replacing them with brown rice, whole grain breads, and sweet potatoes.

malibu927

Other than most fries from fast food places, no. But it only works if cutting these foods out puts you in a calorie deficit.

AnvilHead

I've had great success without cutting anything out of my diet. I eat some things less often and others more often, but I don't consider any food off limits.

nvmomketo

I dropped added sugar and grains, as well as most fruits. Its limiting but I feel much better doing it so I'll continue.

Rebecca0224

I stopped drinking regular soda and switched to 0 calorie soda because I need the increased caffeine in Pepsi max and have noticed my blood sugar is better.

SafioraLinnea

I've tried it, and all that happens for me is I crave that food and feel like a failure if I eat it. I just try to eat as healthy as possible, living in the real world, and keep as close to my calorie limit for the day as possible.

My one exception for food I never eat is pizza. Pizza kills me every time. It makes me feel so sick and bloated and nauseated and gross. I have stopped eating pizza.

Sassafras106

I have inadvertently because I can't eat as much of certain things and still feel like I'm healthy and within my calorie goal, and I don't want a ton of it sitting around my house (I.e. Pizza, Chinese food, etc)

SCoil123

I'm gluten and wheat free (they are not the same) the wheat is for an allergy and cutting all gluten was recommended because I have hashimotos. I already pretty much ate that way because of the wheat only now it's a concious decision and I'm more aware. It hasn't affected my weight loss. I actually gained 30lb eating this way. It had helped with my inflammation and chronic hives though.

As someone who has to cut foods for medical reasons I honestly don't know why anyone would do it who doesnt have to.

Seffell

Not cutting anything completely is what helped me to stay on track for more than a year.

jennybearlv

Nope. Eating all the foods, just less of them keeps me committed.

malioumba

SafioraLinnea wrote: »

I've tried it, and all that happens for me is I crave that food and feel like a failure if I eat it. I just try to eat as healthy as possible, living in the real world, and keep as close to my calorie limit for the day as possible.

My one exception for food I never eat is pizza. Pizza kills me every time. It makes me feel so sick and bloated and nauseated and gross. I have stopped eating pizza.

I don't know whether to feel bad for you, or to feel jealous.

amtyrell

Not eliminating anything. However I have made it a policy now to not buy the family size bag of potato chips (kcmasterpeice bbq) but instead only the tiny single serve size. I can't and should not fit a whole family size bag in and i used to eat a whole bag regularly which is part of why I am fat. I will eat a bag full regardless if 1oz or 30oz. I can and do occasionally allow myself the 1oz bag. I am losing weight about 1.4 lbs a week.

whiskey5jda2008

I find that having accountability partners has changed somewhat of what I eat. Some days I go over and they don't create a fuss then. However one day I posted that I was gonna get some pizza. Man all of my friends were on me like white on rice!

I also find that logging everything helps me make better choices about what I eat i.e. more green rabbit food, fruits, fish, chicken (not fried), and whole grains.

However the important thing is having people who can hold you accountable, yet encourage you too.

sijomial

I excluded nothing, but I did make more calorie conscious choices from the foods I enjoy and reduced overall quantity of food just for a while.

I prefer the approach of starting from what I should include rather than what to exclude.

Morgaen73

I've only cut out fast food.

tinkerbellang83

Nothing, just eat less of it than I used to (95% of the time)

yobigman

I lost about 10 pounds when I stopped drinking alcohol. Alcohol adds calories, and it made me want to eat more too. Beer & pizza go great together!

geebusuk

Yes, but mostly because I just ate too many calories of said food.

creepy_unicorn

Junk food in general for me. I seem to be an 'all or nothing' kind of girl, where junk is concerned. I am confident that I'll break out of this tendency though

Silentpadna

Ditching a particular food, or foods, is not by itself a panacea. If doing that causes you to lose weight, that only means that you've created a necessary deficit to lose weight.

Now for me, getting rid of regular soda (for the most part), which I was drinking the equivalent of about 6 cans per day, was a massively huge step. I would also actively look to eat foods that made the Coke taste even better - which only blew up my intake even more. It was very much like an addiction. I might drink a can of Coca Cola once or twice a week now, but after unlearning a bunch of crap, I am more in tune with CICO and I know when I can handle a treat now and then. It's freeing to know that I don't have to ditch a particular food if I am mindful of what goes in and what my calorie target is. I'm also aware enough to be very careful about the soda thing. It's always been the thing that, if I falter, I falter hard.

Bottom line: whatever the mechanism is, you'll lose weight by creating a deficit. If you can't create a deficit without ditching a particular thing, then ditch that thing. Ultimately, however, it's just math. Energy supplied and energy consumed.

KMMRN

I have cut out a lot of refined carbs....not because of my weight loss program, but because I discovered they make me VERY sleepy. I have to be alert for my job as a nurse and discovered by accident that small meals of mostly protein and a bit of fat with a moderate amount of fresh produce does not cause post meal sleepiness.

RaphaBianchi

No, I haven't cut out any foods.

3rdof7sisters

Nothing really, just stay within calorie budget, and portion size.
I don't eat much fast food anymore. Once in a while Subway Veggie delite with no cheese, so I guess fast food is what I have cut, but mostly because of high sodium in fast food.

cmacphee3

I read an interesting article that said some people are moderators and some people are abstainers. Basically for people who are able to eat moderate amounts of foods they crave, it works best for them NOT to cut out any foods (unless medically necessary) because doing so could lead to binging. In people like me however, we tend to be pretty all or nothing when it comes to foods we crave. I know that if I have ONE bite of chocolate or cake or sweets, then I will end up eating as much as I possible can. I have tried many times to eat certain things in moderation, and it just does not work for me. The only way I can be successful is to cut out those particular junk foods completely. Sometimes I feel like I'll be ok if I let myself have some for Christmas or my birthday, and usually that leads to weeks of being off track because it is so hard for me to stop eating them again once I start. So yes, everyone will keep preaching moderation, but understand that if that does not work for you, you aren't alone.

Harbin2017

Rice, bcs it's empty calories, white bread/flour, any kind of soda and fruit juices (i prefer coffee or whole fruit), any packaged pizza, peanut butter. I wished i could exclude sweets too.

ladyreva78

Sadly, I've had to ditch alcohol for health reason. I do miss that good glass of red wine with dinner on occasion, but it is what it is... no point in whining about it.

Did it help my weight-loss? Maybe. I stopped before I joined MFP and I've been dry for nearly 1.5 years now. I did lose, but wasn't very successful at keeping those losses (with or without booze). It probably makes it easier to stick to my deficit since my 'one glass of wine' = 2-3 servings

Otherwise, there's foods I only have very rarely now (homemade Gorgonzola pizza for example) because those 800-900 cals per serving are pretty hard to fit in. I eat less pasta since my idea of a serving and the reality don't quite coincide, so again, I usually have a serving that satisfies me on days where I can fit it in.

JeromeBarry1

Yes. I ditched seconds.