Eliminating a "diet food" mindset

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  • geneticsteacher
    geneticsteacher Posts: 623 Member
    I have eaten one fish stick but it wasn't fun. :D The portion distortion most shocking to me was.... pasta! pfapac7u6z0h.jpg
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    My diet foods include lamb, salmon, scallops. My dinners are just as simple as they were with ground turkey, but I actually look forward to them.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    geneticsteacher wrote: »
    I have eaten one fish stick but it wasn't fun. :D The portion distortion most shocking to me was.... pasta! pfapac7u6z0h.jpg

    Are you sure this is how much pasta we are supposed to eat? My pasta portion looks bigger and we've always gone by what I've always thought was standard: 60 grams dry per person which looks like about 1.25-2 cups of pasta depending on the sauce or lack of. They even sell 4 person packages here that have 240 grams of pasta. I've never heard of people advocating less than half that amount as a portion suggestion.

    I think this picture confuses a serving with a portion. A serving is not necessarily how much you are supposed to eat, but an arbitrary measured amount to make it easier for food group tracking purposes. For example, they used to recommend 3 servings of whole grains per meal, but the portion would be the entire 3 serving amount. This picture shows barely a 100 calories of pasta and in no way can be considered normal intake for an adult. Double that plus sauce, then we're talking.
  • garystrickland357
    garystrickland357 Posts: 598 Member
    amusedmonkey wrote: »

    I think this picture confuses a serving with a portion. A serving is not necessarily how much you are supposed to eat, but an arbitrary measured amount to make it easier for food group tracking purposes.

    Der... I don't think I ever really thought about that.
  • geneticsteacher
    geneticsteacher Posts: 623 Member
    One serving = one portion = 200 calories, more or less. There is no way I could fit that 3 serving plate (600 calories + calories for sauce. And cheese!) into my daily calories, unless I was willing to skip a meal or two the rest of the day. Someone with a higher calorie allowance probably could.

    The point is, the 3 serving or larger plate was considered normal when I was growing up. Heaped dinner plates were standard, as were second helpings. I can no longer eat that way unless I want to end up like some of my family - morbidly obese, diabetic, and with cardiovascular disease.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    geneticsteacher wrote: »
    One serving = one portion = 200 calories, more or less. There is no way I could fit that 3 serving plate (600 calories + calories for sauce. And cheese!) into my daily calories, unless I was willing to skip a meal or two the rest of the day. Someone with a higher calorie allowance probably could.

    The point is, the 3 serving or larger plate was considered normal when I was growing up. Heaped dinner plates were standard, as were second helpings. I can no longer eat that way unless I want to end up like some of my family - morbidly obese, diabetic, and with cardiovascular disease.

    I completely understand what you mean and completely agree. I just don't like these kinds of pictures because they often go for shock value over actual information. They either misrepresent or use photography tricks to make things look pathetic. It discourages people rather than encouraging them. I remember looking at similar pictures and thinking "I know I need to eat less, but I have to eat that little? screw that!"

    That picture showing what a European eats for dinner is displaying a plate with less than 70 calories each fish and fries, and maybe 30 calories of peas. What healthy adult consistently eats less than 200 calories for their main meal? The picture with pasta shows half a cup cooked, that's about 100 calories or so.
  • geneticsteacher
    geneticsteacher Posts: 623 Member
    Yes, that was a bad example to post. The point the OP is making is that we don't have to live on only "diet" foods. Some think they must eat only chicken, broccoli, and brown rice to be successful at losing. Pasta, or any other food, can be eaten and be part of a healthy diet if you are aware of how many calories you are eating.
  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,267 Member
    I really like your post. I didn't read everyone's replies but I just wanted to say that yes, I believe we need to quit labeling food as good or bad or diet or healthy and just call it food and watch how we eat it.
    I want my kids to grow up in a house with healthy portions and good eating and exercise habits...something I didn't have growing up. I do count my calories, but like you, I don't deprive myself of anything. If I want it, I make it fit into my calorie goals, or I go walking or running and make it fit. Yes, some days I eat cookies or junk but I make sure I'm eating highly nutritional foods as well.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    And pie is just a biscuit with fruit in it! Cake>Pie! :D

    Oh no you didn't... Biscuits > Bread any day of the week. Fruit is more flavorful and complex than the sugar bomb icing so Fruit > Icing

    Clear winner... PIE!

    Bah, real cake doesn't need icing. That's a US thing... putting icing on everything!!!
    geneticsteacher wrote: »
    I have eaten one fish stick but it wasn't fun. :D The portion distortion most shocking to me was.... pasta! pfapac7u6z0h.jpg

    Yeah no, a serving of pasta is bigger than that, lol.

    But 3 servings of pasta is 600 calories. Lots of people only have pasta with maybe some cheese and sauce, so it's still only 700ish calories for a meal... it's really not that horrible when the 'average' diet (not like 'diet to lose weight' but 'diet as food consumed') should be around 2000 calories.

    But again, my philosophy is move more = eat more, lol.
  • geneticsteacher
    geneticsteacher Posts: 623 Member
    Yeah, but for those of us who are older and 1,200 calories allows us to lose only 1/2 lb. per week, 600 calories + toppings would be way overboard.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    geneticsteacher wrote: »
    Yeah, but for those of us who are older and 1,200 calories allows us to lose only 1/2 lb. per week, 600 calories + toppings would be way overboard.

    My mom is 80 and struggles to stay above Underweight because she is so active. She walks, gardens, swims, practices yoga, and goes to the gym twice a week. A few years ago she was on a ladder all summer, scraping and painting her house, and a few years before that she was training for hiking in the Grand Canyon.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    geneticsteacher wrote: »
    Yeah, but for those of us who are older and 1,200 calories allows us to lose only 1/2 lb. per week, 600 calories + toppings would be way overboard.

    Move more = eat more. MFP gives me 1300 calories to lose 1/2 lb a week... never ever going to happen because I just can't eat that little without being hungry all the time. So I make sure to get at least 10,000 steps a day.
  • geneticsteacher
    geneticsteacher Posts: 623 Member
    I usually get 10,000 steps a day also. Exercise allows me to add 75-150 calories/day and it helps. Kshama2001 - your Mom sounds fantastic! I can't say that anyone in my family has ever struggled to stay above underweight. We all like to cook and like to eat.
  • can111
    can111 Posts: 63 Member
    This discussion takes me back to my old WW days. They would allow any food as long as it fit in your point (calorie) allotment for the day AND you still fulfilled the nutritional requirements for the day. My friends and I would ask each other if a certain food was "point worthy". The thought process still holds today: is a high calorie baked good/junk food going to fit into your daily calorie budget and still allow you enough calories to consume foods required for good nutrition? Sometimes that 75 calorie Lindt chocolate ball fits VERY nicely in my daily calories! (But i have to be very careful that it does not start me on more and more sugar ... still learning this!)
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    Fat bombs. Flourless sugarless baked items. Protein fluffs.

    I'm in maintenance and I do use these "diet foods" to balance my macros. I don't really like protein fluff (I'll make it if I'm out of yogurt -- similar nutrition), but I do really like flourless sugarless almond ricotta cake. My meals tend to be low fat, so I depend on high fat snacks (e.g. 1oz nuts+1oz cheese). Fat bombs are associated with Atkins or keto diets. I do neither, but they help balance my way of eating -- and are enjoyable!

    I do agree with all the comments about eating what's enjoyable in satisfying portions, and I do that, but there are kind of quirky things I eat, too. !Buen provecho!
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 2,085 Member
    I don't really label foods as "diet" or otherwise.

    That being said, I like to eat and always have. I tend to pile a lot of veggies on my plate because they give me volume, but low calories (especially at dinner). They don't have much for "sticking" power though, so I tend to save the veggie bomb for dinner when I want to feel satisfied, but don't mind going to bed a teensy bit hungry. During the day, I need to find the balance between volume and satiety, so my lunch and snacks tend to be a bit more balanced. whereas dinner is often protein and veggie heavy.

    But, a lot of it is what works for each individual. I'm also of the move more so I can eat more group, while my fitness is definitely important, being able to eat to satisfy is another motivator for me.
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