Do you follow any specific form of eating (Vegan, LCHF, int. fasting, whole30, etc)?

Rannoch3908

I realize that it's 100% about calories in vs calories out. But I know people often follow certain styles or ways of eating that might HELP them meet their calorie and eating goals. I want to hear about them and why they work for you?

Some that pop into my head are intermittent fasting, ketogenics, vegan, clean eating, paleo, LCHF, etc).

What works for you and why?

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I am currently attempting to combine intermittent fasting and LCHF. I never want to eat till about 1pm or after dinner anyway so the fasting is easy. The LCHF seems really easy in theory (eat meats + veggies + healthy fats -- avoid pasta, grains, starchy veggies, processed foods). It's easy to shop for, cook, and eat. I don't crave that other stuff.

I am struggling a bit with finding easy lunches since I don't want to food prep or cook lunches. Need to find something I can just buy at walmart and throw in work fridge. Right now I don't know what to bring so I am succumbing to local fast food joints.

MidModJenn

I'm Paleo-ish. Meaning I'm Paleo except for the occasional splurge item at a restaurant or party. I don't do it for the calories, really... it's more that I feel better when I eat this way, which is helping me to stay within my calorie limits. I don't have the blood sugar swings, cravings, or upset stomach that I had when I ate a "normal" diet.

malibu927

I eat the same as I did before I lost weight. I haven't cut any foods out, but I have limited my intake on ones I ate more often that took me over my calories (fast food, desserts, etc.). I do intermittent fasting (14:10), but it's based on my work schedule.

VintageFeline

I guess IIFYM. Just moderation really with an eye on protein. But I find that's in line with how I ate anyway so essentially nothing has changed aside from quantity.

kgirlhart

I eat foods I like in portions that fit my calorie goal. I do try to make sure and hit my protein goal, but other than that I eat the same things I ate before. I just have appropriate portions of those foods now.

ilovelucy711

I try to stick with clean whole foods but splurge on chocolate lol. I read it's good to have a cheat day because it will help you not to gain weight after you lost it.

My friend wants me to do keto with her but personally I think carbs are needed like in fruits and potatoes or corn.

debtay123

I try to eat in the proper portions for me. I have recently in the last few weeks begun to TRY IF (12:12) I want to work up to 14:10 it is a lot based on my work schedule.

Machka9

When I'm actively losing weight ...

I eat whatever I want to eat ... as long as it fits within my calorie limit.

I lean a bit toward vegetarian or Mediterranean but only because that's the kind of food I like, and I'm definitely not locked into any of that.

sgt1372

Didn't realize that I was eating a paleo diet until recently.

Was just eating a hi protein/hi carb/lo gi and lo fat diet based on a 40P/40C/20F macro that turns out to have been mainly paleo.

Still eat some dairy and drink some booze but mainly stick to lean protein, fruits and veggies and stay away from starches and refined flour/sugar.

Lost 38# in 5 months and have maintaining my weight at 158 (+/-5) for the past 8. So, it works for me.

jgnatca

I eat a diabetic diet out of habit because it is balanced. See also the US Choose Your Plate or the Canada Food Guide. One vegetarian dinner a week because I like variety. Oatmeal for breakfast honouring my Scottish roots.

OliveGirl128

During my weight loss phase I did alternate day IF (JUDDD); for the transition period between weigh loss and maintenance I did a few months of 5:2IF, and then the first several years of maintenance that followed I did 16:8IF. Along with all of that I was a daily weigher, and I tracked my calorie intake either with paper and pen or some mental math with occasional spot checking here.

Now into my 4th year of maintenance I've changed focus and no longer do any form of IF, and instead I'm crafting my days around a base of 800g or more of veggies and fruit. I just found it too hard to fit that much into an IF window, so that's why I let IF go for the time being.

From that focus came a short lived experiment with a mostly whole foods, plant based diet, and then more recently my diet has evolved to a mostly whole foods, pescetarian woe, with ridiculous amounts of daily produce still included

I still weigh-in daily and I still do mental calorie math throughout the day, on top of starting to track all my veg/fruit intake here on mfp.

SemmaFin

I follow a mostly vegan diet. Mostly because I can't honestly say I'm vegan until I have abstained from animal products completely. It's a transitional process that I've been working towards slowly over the last two years. I want to be vegan because it's the best way of eating I've come across through all of my food research. The hippies may be on to something. Since attempting veganism, I've gained incredible energy, which I can feel throughout the day, especially when I work out. I use to have problems with muscle stiffness and IBS. Both have disappeared since the first two months my veganism. I believe that health and diet are directly related and that plant based nutrition with little to no animal products has the power to prevent and even reverse certain illnesses, like heart disease and diabetes.

SafioraLinnea

No formal diet, no. If I had to pick something it would be IIFYM but even that is a very loose interpretation, as I don't generally care where the macros fall as long as I'm satisfied and hit my protein minimum. My protein "goal" is actually set far higher than I care about. Mostly I follow simple calorie counting with a focus on protein and nutrient dense food.

My favourite foods tend to be on the healthy side. I would rather eat a bowl of fruit than a piece of cake.

While losing, I truly eat what pleases me but I keep in mind that if I want something calorie dense or less nutritionally sound, then I tend to be less satisfied.

I have a cupboard full of "junk food" that doesn't even tempt me most of the time. When it does, I consume a reasonable portion of it.

KrazyKrissyy

Specific Carbohydrate Diet. At least until my UC and GP are under control. Seems to be helping so far in terms of symptom relief. As for calories, I'm getting enough of them and maintaining for now. I wish I could eat more of a variety but for the time being, my digestive system says no.

kommodevaran

I follow a set of eating rules that I find simple and flexible. I make exceptions, but not so often that the exceptions becomes the rule. My rules don't fall into any particular or "named" style. In fact, I deeply resent attaching a label to my eating.

I eat anything I want, but not all the time, and not everything at once.

I eat real food. I cook a lot from scatch. I plan my meals and I aim for tasty, easy, cheap, balanced and varied. I shop purposefully. I don't stock up on foods I have trouble moderating. But I don't demonize anything. I just prefer food I can eat to satiety. I love the food that loves me back.

I eat meals, and only at meals.
I wait until I'm hungry.
I portion out appropriate amounts, and stop eating when I've eaten the food I served myself.
Most days I will eat three meals, and eat all my meals 3-4 hours apart.

Niki_Fitz

My goal is to someday eat intuitively and everything in moderation. But I suck at moderation so until I reach maintenance and can tackle that huge behavior change, here's what's working for me:

- Meal timing (call it IF if you like)!
- My main meal of the day is day a primal or whole 30 style plate.
- Lots of high volume-low calorie foods
- A protein goal every day
- A "food freedom" mentality to fit in worth-it foods and drinks that don't mess with my system. I have to be careful with this last one but so far, so good.
- Above all, CI/CO over the week

Chadxx

No, I just try to focus on balanced and nutrition stuff I enjoy that keep me full. I eat a lot of lean meats, seafood, eggs, vegetables, whole grains, fresh fruits, and dairy. I typically avoid fried foods, excess sugar, liquid calories, and anything I just don't like.

rybo

16:8 IF and the majority of my foods being whole or minimally processed. No highly refined junk food, fast food, soda, or other caloric drinks (besides the occasional beer). I don't track calories or macros. If I need to lose, I sub out more veggies for other caloric dense foods, if I need to gain, vice versa. It's quite simple.

estherdragonbat

I've been kosher all my life and vegetarian since I was 19 (I'm now 45). Within those restrictions, I shoot for overall healthy food with some room for treats and indulgences.

lemurcat12

I low carb, but am not that strict about it. Right now I've added back in a serving or two of fruit per day (that plus lots of veg, some nuts, and some dairy, occasional beans are currently my only significant sources of carbs, so I still tend to be around 100 g, but am that concerned about it. This is all about what makes me feel more satisfied -- I find having more fat helps me. When I start getting corn in my CSA box, I'm eating it, though -- I love local, in-season corn, just as I can't pass up local, in-season fruit. Beyond that, I mostly cook from whole foods, but I did that before I cared about calories.

What is more important to me is eating three meals, not snacking. I find I'm more satisfied and tend to naturally eat a lot less if I only eat regular meals and don't snack or graze and I don't feel any desire to eat more often than I do. (I do enjoy eating in the morning, so breakfast is one of my meals.)

I am struggling a bit with finding easy lunches since I don't want to food prep or cook lunches. Need to find something I can just buy at walmart and throw in work fridge. Right now I don't know what to bring so I am succumbing to local fast food joints.

Rather than food prep I often just make extra when I make dinner and bring that for lunch. I have tupperware containers and pack it up immediately so it's ready to go. Even more common is a salad with protein. I might bring it (I have some olive oil and vinegar at my office I can mix up!), but there are also a few places around me that have good prepared salads or, even better, a good self-serve salad bars I can use (like you'd see in a grocery store, but with more protein options).

bbell1985

I am a volume eater who skips breakfast. Is that a way of eating? High protein, moderate fat, moderate carbs.

AmyOutOfControl

I find that if I deny myself a certain food group, I obsess about how good or bad it is. This equals a huge binge eventually. I have the same mentality about not "allowing" myself to eat at certain times.

I do much better eating a realistically healthy and moderate diet -- snacking when I am hungry. I have also learned to forgive myself for "slip-ups" and look at the long term weight and fitness trends.

I was in the YoYo diet - you must look good by bathing suit season - you are weak if you fail - mentality for so long. It is awesome to be off that diet shame train.

janejellyroll

I'm vegan, but it's not for calorie-control reasons. It's an ethical thing.

AMV91

16:8 IF, normally whole foods based, but I do eat junk when I want it as well.

Doing 2 BIG meals and a snack just works better for me than 6 much smaller meals. I like to be very full rather than always some amount of hungry.

DharmainHeels

MidModJenn wrote: »

I'm Paleo-ish. Meaning I'm Paleo except for the occasional splurge item at a restaurant or party. I don't do it for the calories, really... it's more that I feel better when I eat this way, which is helping me to stay within my calorie limits. I don't have the blood sugar swings, cravings, or upset stomach that I had when I ate a "normal" diet.

This is me exactly only with keto. I lost 15 lbs so far when I have not seen the scale budge in years.

DharmainHeels

I do a modified keto diet and IF 6:18 and so far it has been perfect for me.

sardelsa

Flexible eating... Aiming for higher protein and balanced nutrition. Love to cook and eat different foods. I am also doing a really sloppy version of calorie cycling atm

donsred

I've been vegetarian since about 2005, and vegan about three years. When I went vegetarian I lost about 10 pounds instantly, without trying. Unfortunately, going vegan didn't do the same thing, or I wouldn't be on here, trying to lose those LAST 10 POUNDS. I also eat whole foods as much as possible, and drink a green smoothie every morning. Now THAT was a good idea. I'm hypoglycemic, and I can go longer without eating now, and I don't get sick as quickly if I take longer to eat.

Rannoch3908

Saw a documentary lately that was pushing turning to a vegan diet. Have a friend that the pounds are falling off of eating that way. Plus he feels better about himself which is a plus. He mentioned the crazy new energy he has. Not sure I could go to all plant based diet though - would be a BIG step for my wife and I. We like super easy simple cooking (meat into pan + veggies steamed = start eating). I feel like vegan or even vegetarian would take a lot more effort. Right now we are low effort and that helps us stick to our plan. We fall off the wagon when things get tough, tedious, time consuming.

Maybe there is a book out there that is "easy 10 minute vegetarian/vegan meals that still taste like meat" or something - ha ha.


My doctor suggested eating KETO (LCHF) to ward off future possible diabetes. It runs in family and with me being 298+lbs. He said it's the "diabetes cure diet" he suggests to his patients and that he sees a lot of people cure their own diabetes with it.

Just eating in moderation and calorie counting has never worked in 15 years of trying. Having a simple, fast, designated planned way of eating always really helped us. Lost 26lbs so far - more to come!

MegaMooseEsq

If I can make a lunch suggestion, I'm really into the "adult lunchables" that have been getting popular recently. I generally put together my own version in the morning, but you can buy them pre-made all over the place - Hormel's Natural Choice are my favorite, or Oscar Meyer p3 Protein Packs. Depending on how much you eat for lunch, you could add some fruit or crackers that are easy to keep on hand. My "diet" mainly consists of whole or moderately processed foods, which is what I prefer to eat anyhow!

monica_delarosa

I am trying to be vegan. I saw Forks Over Knives and it inspired me. For now I am vegan about five days a week. On my good days for breakfast I am having a bowl of diced fruit. For lunch rice noodle soup with lentils and lots of veggies. For dinner a rice bowl with black beans and lots of veggies.