Myth or not a myth?

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  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    cqbkaju wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    I can't speak for the others but I assume there is quite a bit more to the OP's normal diet than fries, chocolate, pizza, or even "junk" food when I said she could eat whatever she wants.

    I think I understand your point of view, but from my perspective fries, chocolate, pizza = junk food

    Encouraging the behavior of "eat whatever she wants" may just reinforce making bad food choices.

    Learning to eat junk in moderation, say once a week, is a key to success.
    Learning to appreciate more healthy choices that you are not accustomed to -like salads- is also key.

    Just my thoughts.

    Assuming one is meeting one's nutritional needs, why does the frequency of pizza eating matter?

    Assuming one is not meeting one's nutritional needs, eating salad daily isn't going to be a magic cure.

    I think the overall context of the OP's diet is what is key here, not specific foods she may or may not be eating.

    She will lose weight eating anything she likes as long as she is in a calorie deficit. Whether she is in a deficit or not, it's wise to eat in a way that leads to nutritional needs being met. But if she wasn't choosing to do that before, I'm not sure what the benefit is of a hyperfocus on it now.

    Will OP be better off if she decides not to lose weight and continues eating as she is now? If OP is overweight, losing weight is still likely to be a net benefit to her health.

    (This is assuming she has excess weight and isn't just losing vanity pounds).

    Foods like pizza dont fit into MY calorie budget every day. They just don't. In order for me to eat pizza I have to sacrifice an entire meal and only eat 2 meals in a day. I can only eat foods like pizza, ice cream, and other calorie dense foods on days when I have woken up late and gone to bed early, and can be satisfied with only 2 meals. Many people on a calorie budget cant eat whatever they want every day. I have managed to budget small amounts of my favorite foods into my budget twice a week or so by exercising a lot on those particular days. Even then, I am limiting myself a lot. I'm definitely not eating whatever I want because my calorie budget doesnt allow it.

    One slice of Papa John's pepperoni pizza on thin crust is 255 calories. That would fit into lunch or dinner for just about any calorie goal. Now that may not be the pizza you prefer and it may not be the quantity that you want, but I guarantee you that if OP wanted it, eating pizza daily would be something she could do and still have three meals a day. Would she possibly need to experiment to ensure she felt full and satisfied? Yes -- but then most of us have had to do that, it's part of being successful and counting calories. Would she eventually decide to have pizza less often because it required compromises she didn't feel like making all the time? Possibly. Again, that's something that has happened to some of us.

    I think the disconnect is between people saying "Yes, you can have foods like pizza regularly and still lose weight" and others hearing "Yes, you can eat as much pizza as you want and still lose weight." Nobody is saying that you can eat as much of any food you want and still lose weight.



    the phrase " whatever you want" suggests no limits. I asked several different people what they thought of that term since I have seen it thrown around a lot and that seems to be what people think. Most people won't be satisfied with one piece of pizza. I know I'm not. I'm trying to be realistic here.

    Given that virtually every post saying "Yes" to OP's question is adding "as long as you're in a deficit" or "as long as you're hitting your calorie goal," I can't agree with your reading that OP is being told she can eat as much as she wants of whatever she wants.

    When you're asking different people about this, are you including the context that these discussions are taking place on a calorie counting website? That's pretty crucial context, IMO.

    I get not being satisfied with a single serving of something. It's why I don't eat, for example, Swedish Fish, because it's something like 150 calories for 7 fish and that's just not enough for me so I don't eat them. But that doesn't change the fact that I *could* eat Swedish Fish. If you're choosing not to eat pizza because you want more than one piece, that doesn't mean you can't have pizza at all. It means you're *choosing* not to have it. And that's a perfectly rational calculation that lots of people make.

    But since OP is asking about having pizza within her calorie goal, we've got to consider that she *does* think it would be worth it (at least she thinks it will be). Why should your feelings about pizza or my feelings about Swedish Fish determined whether or not OP can have pizza or candy often? What's realistic for OP may look completely different than what is realistic for you.

    A lot pf people fail trying to stick with their calorie budgets for a reason. Because they realize they can't stick to their budget eating "whatever they want". Thats my point. Some people may be able to make it happen by eating tiny portions. People new to counting calories may see that and think they can eat what they want only to see that their favorite foods have too many calories and then feel misled.

    And a lot of people fail to even try to lose weight because they think they can't have pizza, chocolate, or french fries ever.

    So why not just let people know how weight loss works and then let them get involved in their own experiments finding out what is worth it and what isn't?

    It is ok to encourage people to eat treats in moderation but "whatever you want" is not moderation. Even when mentioning that it must be within their calorie budget, that is misleading because many people cant eat their favorite foods often within their calorie budget or in a portion they would expect.

    I would say that eating fries, chocolate, and pizza within quantities that meet one's calorie goal is moderation.

    OP could eat these foods often within her calorie goal if she wanted to. Even a calorie goal of 1,200 would allow for, say, a fun-sized candy bar, a piece of pepperoni pizza, and a small bag of french fries daily with 635 calories to spare. And we have no reason to believe that OP is even wanting to eat all these foods within a single day, but we know that she could and still lose weight.

    Maybe those serving sizes wouldn't be satisfying to you. That's good information for you when planning your meals, it's irrelevant to OP.

    Maybe you would struggle with hunger on a plan that sometimes included those foods. Again, great information for you, not so important for anyone else.

    The important thing: if 1,200 calories is a deficit for someone, then eating 635 calories a day plus a fun-sized Snickers, a piece of Papa John's thin crust pepperoni pizza, and a small bag of McDonald's fries would result in weight loss. That's the question OP asked. Are you saying we should say "No" in response to that question?

    If you could figure out that pizza doesn't work for you in the context of a deficit, why can't we assume that OP will also figure it out if it is true for her?

    She may figure out what works for her. I hope she does. For a lot of people who are new to dieting, sticking with all of their same calorie rich foods and/or their usual portion sizes probably will end in failure though. Most people want to be full and not super hungry at the end of the day. If someone likes no healthy or lower calorie foods, then they will probably have a hard time sticking to their calorie budget eating only rich foods. That's the point I'm trying to make.

    I would argue that if someone tries to eat exactly what they used to eat, remains hungry for weeks on end, and then quits instead of trying to adjust, then they may not have been ready to lose weight in the first place. That may just be my own experience clouding my judgement, though.

    We have an OP here, already reaching out and trying to form some of those supportive bonds that would help get her through some of those early discomfort days many of us had, and instead of embracing her you are telling her that her way absolutely won't work. I think context is great. I think more information is usually good but not always. I just find browbeating a new dieter to be off-putting.

    im not criticizing her. I was saying how the commonly used phrase of eat whatever you want in a calorie budget is misleading and overly simplistic because it doesn't mention the hard reality of portion control or how hard fitting those foods one really wants into their calorie budget actually is.

    But portion control isn't hard. I have LITERALLY sat down with myself and said, "I'm going to be going out to eat. What can I order within my calories? Should I exercise more beforehand? Do I need a lighter lunch/dinner? Does this fit? How badly do I want it?" And making the adjustments is just... normal. Like having X amount of money in your wallet, knowing that's it until payday and deciding whether to blow 90% of it on one purchase and basically live on a shoestring for the next couple of days, or spacing it out more. It's not some messy, painful process fraught with tears and frustration. It's just... what you do.

    I have also done those things. For a lot of people portion control is hard though. If weight loss was easy, everyone would be successful at it.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    cqbkaju wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    I can't speak for the others but I assume there is quite a bit more to the OP's normal diet than fries, chocolate, pizza, or even "junk" food when I said she could eat whatever she wants.

    I think I understand your point of view, but from my perspective fries, chocolate, pizza = junk food

    Encouraging the behavior of "eat whatever she wants" may just reinforce making bad food choices.

    Learning to eat junk in moderation, say once a week, is a key to success.
    Learning to appreciate more healthy choices that you are not accustomed to -like salads- is also key.

    Just my thoughts.

    Assuming one is meeting one's nutritional needs, why does the frequency of pizza eating matter?

    Assuming one is not meeting one's nutritional needs, eating salad daily isn't going to be a magic cure.

    I think the overall context of the OP's diet is what is key here, not specific foods she may or may not be eating.

    She will lose weight eating anything she likes as long as she is in a calorie deficit. Whether she is in a deficit or not, it's wise to eat in a way that leads to nutritional needs being met. But if she wasn't choosing to do that before, I'm not sure what the benefit is of a hyperfocus on it now.

    Will OP be better off if she decides not to lose weight and continues eating as she is now? If OP is overweight, losing weight is still likely to be a net benefit to her health.

    (This is assuming she has excess weight and isn't just losing vanity pounds).

    Foods like pizza dont fit into MY calorie budget every day. They just don't. In order for me to eat pizza I have to sacrifice an entire meal and only eat 2 meals in a day. I can only eat foods like pizza, ice cream, and other calorie dense foods on days when I have woken up late and gone to bed early, and can be satisfied with only 2 meals. Many people on a calorie budget cant eat whatever they want every day. I have managed to budget small amounts of my favorite foods into my budget twice a week or so by exercising a lot on those particular days. Even then, I am limiting myself a lot. I'm definitely not eating whatever I want because my calorie budget doesnt allow it.

    One slice of Papa John's pepperoni pizza on thin crust is 255 calories. That would fit into lunch or dinner for just about any calorie goal. Now that may not be the pizza you prefer and it may not be the quantity that you want, but I guarantee you that if OP wanted it, eating pizza daily would be something she could do and still have three meals a day. Would she possibly need to experiment to ensure she felt full and satisfied? Yes -- but then most of us have had to do that, it's part of being successful and counting calories. Would she eventually decide to have pizza less often because it required compromises she didn't feel like making all the time? Possibly. Again, that's something that has happened to some of us.

    I think the disconnect is between people saying "Yes, you can have foods like pizza regularly and still lose weight" and others hearing "Yes, you can eat as much pizza as you want and still lose weight." Nobody is saying that you can eat as much of any food you want and still lose weight.



    the phrase " whatever you want" suggests no limits. I asked several different people what they thought of that term since I have seen it thrown around a lot and that seems to be what people think. Most people won't be satisfied with one piece of pizza. I know I'm not. I'm trying to be realistic here.

    That’s because there are no limits

    Chocolate cake
    Ice cream
    Pizza

    All permitted in appropriate portion sizes.

    It’s the learning process so that you develop sustainable habits for life. And don’t yo yo cycle forever

    Exactly. The pizza I like is 300 calories a slice. The cake, easily 400-500.

    I can't fit them in "whenever I want" because I don't have that much room to eat satisfying portions (3-4 slices of pizza, for example, and more than a sliver of cake). But I can fit them in as sometimes treats.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    bpetrosky wrote: »
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    So far it is. The hardest part for me is sticking to my calorie budget without being hungry. That has forced me to eliminate my favorite foods for the most part because they dont fit in my calorie budget.

    EXACTLY. But you CAN still eat your FAVOURITE FOODS ONCE IN A WHILE WITHIN YOUR BUDGET.

    The point is that in order to lose weight and maintain your weight you have to forge a new reality where instead of literally asking yourself "am I going to order extra large fries AGAIN? I've had fries with every single meal THIS WEEK! I wish McDonald's had some salad"... which is an ACTUAL SELF DIALOGUE I'VE HAD several years ago when they didn't offer salads.... you look through your log and you discover a single small order of fries, a steak sandwich with fries, and an all you can eat fish and chips dinner which involved at least 250g of chips, THIS YEAR.

    So eating your favourite foods does not mean having fries every day because then you won't be able to stay within your budget.

    Simpez.

    Exactly. I have budgeted treats in occasionally but that certainly does not mean "whatever I want".

    It DOES. It is 100% exactly and precisely what it means.
    You can eat whatever the *kitten* you want. AS LONG AS YOU CAN STICK TO YOUR BUDGET.
    So you have to budget and ration and make choices because you... have a budget!
    And consequences when you can't stick to it.

    Hey @nooshi713: I work a minimum wage job and Shania Twain is coming to town. Can I go see her? I dig that chick!

    Why, yes, PAV888 if you can make it fit your budget go see Shania, but you might find yourself a bit short of rent money if you're not very careful. and, now that I think of it, you might not even be able to get front row seats, but perhaps a nice seat in the nosebleed section will let you have some fun!

    @nooshi713, you *kitten* why are you **kittening** me by saying I can go see Shania.

    I TOLD YOU I am making minimum wage. And I have to pay rent. And I want to see Shania and Jay-Z, and Biebs and Pearl Jam, and Eminem, and eat lost of M&Ms for that matter!

    So OBVIOUSLY I can't go see all of them so why are you lying to me and pretending that I can!

    All I can afford to do is go to the park and listen to whoever the city brings in for free in conjunction with the harvest festival, or maybe the Jazz festival, or the big parade festival.

    You liar you, telling me I can go to whichever concert I want to if I can fit it in my budget.

    QFA: Quoted for Awesome

    Yep
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