Diet or watching what you eat?

laurenelha21

Hey guys! Just wondering who’s on a diet and if so which one, or if you just sort of watch what you eat during the day

CarvedTones

I guess I watch though I tend to have my staples - yogurt and fruit for breakfast, salad and lean protein for lunch, fruit for snacks. Dinner is the "watch what I eat" meal at home with the family so it doesn't revolve around my dietary needs. I weigh/log everything and stay under on calories, but it's hard to get the mix of carbs/fat/protein consistent when my biggest meal is not planned to address that. The weight is coming off and I am not unhealthy, so it is working. I also think it is more sustainable than being on a particular diet. I might go up on portions on my staples and maybe choose a little differently at dinner. Truly watching what you eat implies tracking to me, BTW.

kommodevaran

Neither approach is especially effective for weightloss. Restrictive diets lead to rebound overeating, while sort of halfarsed watching what you eat will not necessarily produce a calorie deficit.

To lose weight the MFP way: Set an appropriate calorie target. MFP suggests one based on your sex, height, weight, age, activity level AND YOUR DESIRED WEEKLY WEIGHTLOSS RATE which you should pick rationally, which would be around 1% of your bodyweight. Stick to that target every day, it's not that hard if you aim to make those calories count. Don't try to fool the system. Your body absorbs the calories you give it, so you can just pick correct database entries, weight it and log the exact amount that you actually ate. Then be patient and keep in mind that results don't show overnight, or even weekly, but accumulate over months and years.

Lounmoun

laurenelha21 wrote: »

Hey guys! Just wondering who’s on a diet and if so which one, or if you just sort of watch what you eat during the day

I eat food I like and watch my calorie intake. I log my food.

A diet, watching what you eat, counting calories will lead to the same result of weight loss if you have a calorie deficit.

leggup

I count calories. Is that watching what I eat? I stop eating when I hit my calories for the day. Is that a diet? I eat chocolate and things.

Mycophilia

I'm on the balancing diet™. All you have to do is balance calories, nutrition, satiety, taste and cost to fit your needs. Simple as that.

dinadyna21

If it fits my macros, I eat it. That could mean anything from grilled chicken breast to pizza to chocolate icecream to skim milk to kale. That's pretty much my 'diet'.

2snakeswoman

Whenever I have to measure/weigh what I'm eating and write it down, I am on a diet. That's how I think of it.

Westschmeis

No diet, just focus on nutrition, and log absolutely everything to maintain the needed calorie deficit.

It helps that I get to plan and cook the majority of food for our 4 member family, and we eat very little prepared, canned or frozen food. CSA veggies help in the effort also.

CICO is the logical, mathmatic reality for consistent weight loss, and it works best when you improve fitness level at the same time. IMHO

GottaBurnEmAll

See for me, weighing and measuring my food is just managing my weight and is akin to a grooming habit to maintain my body. The tools I use to keep my food intake under control are no more intrusive in my life than the tools I use to manage bodily hygiene.

So saying that, I'm not on a "diet". I care about the nutrition in the food I eat, because I feel better when I eat better and I genuinely like nutritious foods.

I also like things like candy and cake. I have them on occasion when they fit my calorie budget.

I'm not a fan of named or fad diets, I'm more a fan of making incremental changes to how one approaches food and eating to the point those changes become habits so that sustainable ongoing patterns of eating and exercising are formed.

dsboohead

Diet...program...awareness call it what you want. Is it all for attaining weight loss?
The one thing I do know is logging for "awareness" is primary and the foundation.
Psychologically, that plays a huge roll.

lemurcat12

I eat healthfully, in a way I enjoy, and watch how much I consume. I counted calories when losing, however.

perkymommy

laurenelha21 wrote: »

Hey guys! Just wondering who’s on a diet and if so which one, or if you just sort of watch what you eat during the day

The meaning of "diet" is the actual type of way you eat. Like a dog or cat's diet might be dry food or wet food. So I don't think of it as "dieting" as in "I'm on a diet" ever. I weigh and measure foods and eat what I want more often than not.