What is the Most Healthy WOE?

lindsayforlife

I'm 290 pounds, was 350+ at my highest 8 years ago. I lost that weight by graduating university and grad school (10 years) and becoming slightly more active. I was also no longer eating fast food 3 or more times per day.

I do have health issues (ulcertive colitis, hidradenitis supurative, RA, Osteoartritis and likely fibro, as well. Everything hurts). I also have mental issues (depression, anxiety, compulsive overeating, binge eating disorder, and purge tendencies.) I am professionally successful, but most of the time I hate myself. I'm in a long-term relationship (over 7 years) and he is also very overweight and a stress eater. He was 375 and is now down to about 300. He got down to 270 before we met and is back up to 300.

I understand that my health issues will make it difficult for me to embark on any diet successfully long term. But I'm trying. Right now, I am trying to eat more whole foods, cooking more from scratch, not eating out as much and trying to limit sugar, dairy and wheat because they make my AI issues much worse. I have a hard time sustaining any plan for very long. If I eat something that's not "on plan" the guilt and self-hatred are overwhelming. That feeds the cycle. I know it's cliche and has been posted here ad infinitum, but I feel like I've tried everything.

One of the most frustrating things is the contradictory advice, resources, opinions, references, etc. that make deciding on a plan so completely impossible. Eat meat! Don't eat meat. Eat veggies! Limit veggies, Eat fruit! Limit Fruit! Eat carbs! Don't eat carbs! Fat doesn't make you fat! Fat's evil! Sugar causes cancer! Sugar's not so bad! Grains cause AI issues! You can't eliminate whole food groups! Eat milk and cheese! Cavemen didn't eat cheese!

I'm being dramatic, but seriously, how the hell are we supposed to figure out what to eat? A dietitian friend of mine recommended "meat and greens". That's it. Is that sustainable?

I've heard the Mediterranean and Okinawa diets are the healthiest, but I need some guidance on how you've all determined the diet you can stick to forever? I feel like if I don't nail something down I'm destined to fluctuate between 275-300 pounds for the rest of my short life. Any guidance would be awesome. Thanks!

AnvilHead

The most healthy diet/WOE is the one in which you eat a reasonably balanced, nutritious diet that provides maximum satiety for you and is the easiest to stick to over the long term.

There is no such thing as one "most healthy" diet/WOE that is optimal for everybody. Any diet/WOE can be healthy or unhealthy, depending on how one "does" it.

janejellyroll

To me a healthy diet is one where I eat the right amount of calories to maintain a healthy body weight, meet my nutritional needs, eat foods I enjoy and can easily afford, and allows food to deepen and enhance my social connections. I also have ethical concerns about using animals for food, so a (mentally) healthy diet for me includes avoiding animal products.

Like @AnvilHead, I don't believe there is one healthy diet for everyone. When you look around the world, you can see humans thriving on a wide variety of dietary patterns.

One thing I found helpful was not focusing on hyper-specific rules (Never eat this! Only eat that!) and think about the general pattern of your diet. Are you generally eating in a way to meet your nutritional needs and get the right amount of calories? If not, what simple changes can you start to make to bring you closer to that?

If you're looking at a way of eating and wondering right off the bat if it is sustainable, that's a good indication that -- regardless of how much other people may like it -- it may not be sustainable for you.

kommodevaran

Most likely, the best/healthiest diet for you is "no particular plan" - I sense that can be difficult for you to swallow, and that it's just what you need, to challenge that "need to do good, have to do well", and put together your own plan, based on your own needs, not trying to fit into a set of semi-arbitrary rules. Guilt and perfectionism is eating you alive. I think you have to calm down and think through what you can do and what you want to do, and if things really have the effect you say they have. Sugar, dairy and wheat are among today's most vilified foods/food groups/nutrients, so make sure it's meaningful to cut it out (AI can be eye/tooth/heart disorder so I'm not sure how it's linked).

CSARdiver

Physiologically this would be your caloric intake based on your height and weight. Depending on your activity and goals there may be a marginal variance in macros.

All restrictive diets will fail...it's only a matter of time, so don't try. Incorporate a process that works for you, focus on calories first, then macros.

mmapags

AnvilHead wrote: »

The most healthy diet/WOE is the one in which you eat a reasonably balanced, nutritious diet that provides maximum satiety for you and is the easiest to stick to over the long term.

There is no such thing as one "most healthy" diet/WOE that is optimal for everybody. Any diet/WOE can be healthy or unhealthy, depending on how one "does" it.

This^ /end of thread.

nvmomketo

I agree that you need your own plan, although there do seem to be some foods that bother arthritis and AI issues more than others - refined and highly processed foods (mainly carbs in the form of sugars, flours and [powdwered] starch).

I started with low carb to deal with prediabetes, arthritis and AI issues. I cut refined and processed carbs first and felt a lot better. So much better that I kept cutting down to keto levels. I let my carbs creep upwards, and with it went calories and I regained a bit, and I got my pains back. Now I am down to almost zero carb because I feel better there, and because it makes weight management easy for me. Ymmv

I have good friends with AI issues who do LCHF to keto but find they feel best when they include more plant foods than I do. One also finds that organic and nonGMO makes a difference for her. It's going to vary from person to person as to how how foods affect you.

kshama2001

kommodevaran wrote: »

Most likely, the best/healthiest diet for you is "no particular plan" - I sense that can be difficult for you to swallow, and that it's just what you need, to challenge that "need to do good, have to do well", and put together your own plan, based on your own needs, not trying to fit into a set of semi-arbitrary rules. Guilt and perfectionism is eating you alive. I think you have to calm down and think through what you can do and what you want to do, and if things really have the effect you say they have. Sugar, dairy and wheat are among today's most vilified foods/food groups/nutrients, so make sure it's meaningful to cut it out (AI can be eye/tooth/heart disorder so I'm not sure how it's linked).

Lindsay - count me as another vote for eating in such a way that is best for you.

NovusDies

I would start by saying that any and all food is on your plan except items that specifically interfere with your health or things you absolutely hate to eat or hate the thought of eating. That is the plan I am on and I have lost a considerable amount of weight without ever feeling guilty for indulging in something that might not be on a structured plan. I do eat a large variety of what is classically considered healthy foods but I enjoy other things in moderation.

There are people out there chasing what I call super health. They think that if they eat only the best nutritional food they will somehow get something others are missing. Now the new enemy is our hormones and we have to control them for maximum health. It creates a lot of confusion and, IMO, nonsense to wade through. Proper nutrition will make us feel better if we were not properly nourished before but it doesn't require herculean efforts to achieve. I trust some common sense and the realization that really feeling better requires weighing less not a smoothie made of "super foods" and lawn clippings each morning or avoiding pre-prepared food as though it was poison.

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elsie6hickman

Stop reading all that stuff about what is bad for you or good for you. Almost every time, it will later be published that it isn't true. Remember eggs? Good, then bad, then good. Don't follow anything that labels itself a diet - they don't work for everyone, or only may work for a short time. Let MFP give you target calories and then write down every thing you eat. See where you might want to make changes. Or you could go see an registered dietician to help you come up with a healthy eating plan (you can still use MFP). Try to get your boyfriend involved. Obviously, you are intelligent woman having made it through grad school - apply the same kind of techniques that got you through grad school - do research. You can do this. Good luck to you!!

ahoy_m8

I’m a big believer in the power of small things done consistently to make the biggest impact over time. I think this applies to relationships, finances, attitude... lots of things in addition to health habits, by the way. A major diet overhaul with lots of big changes all at once isn’t going to last — for anyone. It won’t make a big difference in the long run. On the other hand, if you change one small thing at a time and really stick with it, you will see results that last and benefits that compound.

Long way of saying: stick with foods you genuinely enjoy, that are satisfying to you and practical to prepare in portions that meet your calorie goal. A good first step is replacing foods that aggravate your medical conditions with foods you like and make you feel good. Also, our tastes change over time, so don’t worry about the perfect forever WOE. Start with what you enjoy now, experiment, and keep making small adjustments as you feel better and better.

PAV8888

lindsayforlife wrote: »

I have a hard time sustaining any plan for very long. If I eat something that's not "on plan" the guilt and self-hatred are overwhelming. That feeds the cycle.

So stop feeding the cycle. Don't go on a plan. And stop trying to find the "perfect way of eating".

There is only one thing matters in order to bring your weight under control and to a happy place: the calories you consume.

Small changes over time work wonders.

Log your food. Evaluate the calories you spend vs the benefit you get out of everything that goes into you.

Was the dressing or the butter or the ketchup or the mustard worth it? Was the second half of the hamburger bun worth the half an apple you could have had instead? Was the cream in your coffee these past two days worth the ice cream bar you could have traded them in for today? What if you had switched the cream to milk and had a couple of Fudgiscles instead of a Magnum bar?

Do all this for long enough... and you will figure out what works best for you.

Your taste and what you enjoy will also change over time. So don't be afraid to experiment.

Don't tie yourself to "trivial" details, or to any one meal or any one day. It is the sum total over time that matters!

Almost every government on this planet has developed some sort of "healthy eating" guidelines. The Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations is kind enough to provide links to many of them http://www.fao.org/nutrition/education/food-dietary-guidelines/en/

Really, though. Most of them suggest that you eat a variety of stuff. Not too little. Not too much. Fruits are good. Vegetables are better. By preference, treats should be just that: treats.

Have at it!

(P.S.: there is nothing particularly wrong with the macro split that MFP suggests by default and it already takes into account the higher protein needs of someone in a deficit)

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lindsayforlife

Thank you all so much for your insight. I appreciate it! I’ve begun eating more cleanly and with less sugar wheat and dairy, so I will see how that goes. Thanks again!

rikkejohnsenrij

The healthiest diet is the one you can stick to. Try logging everyting, and make small adjustments to make it fit your calories and your life

I'm a busy mother of 2, so I decided early on, that a "real diet" was a no-go, as I dont want to make too many different meals for dinner.
I also want to keep on doing social stuff a couple of times a week without having to worry too much about what I eat.
I still want my protein and veggies/greens for health purposes

In the I ended up doing something almost 5:2 ish, with 500-1000 calories twice a week, 2 days where I eat 1800 ish calories and the rest I eat in the weekend. ( I excercise 500 calories a day on average and maintain at 1800 calories)

It's working, I lose a small amount each week, and I dont FEEL like dieting, which is the most important part for me

kommodevaran

lindsayforlife wrote: »

Thank you all so much for your insight. I appreciate it! I’ve begun eating more cleanly and with less sugar wheat and dairy, so I will see how that goes. Thanks again!

Are you sure you still want to pursue "clean" eating, instead of challenging your issues with food?

CSARdiver

ahoy_m8 wrote: »

I’m a big believer in the power of small things done consistently to make the biggest impact over time. I think this applies to relationships, finances, attitude... lots of things in addition to health habits, by the way. A major diet overhaul with lots of big changes all at once isn’t going to last — for anyone. It won’t make a big difference in the long run. On the other hand, if you change one small thing at a time and really stick with it, you will see results that last and benefits that compound.

Long way of saying: stick with foods you genuinely enjoy, that are satisfying to you and practical to prepare in portions that meet your calorie goal. A good first step is replacing foods that aggravate your medical conditions with foods you like and make you feel good. Also, our tastes change over time, so don’t worry about the perfect forever WOE. Start with what you enjoy now, experiment, and keep making small adjustments as you feel better and better.

Kaizen - a fundamental principle in the business world.

The data overwhelmingly supports this. Large reactionary changes always fail - it's only a matter of time. Small realistic changes on the other hand hold a tremendous chance of success.

hesn92

In my opinion. The healthiest way of eating is just incorporating plenty of veggies because they contain lots of nutrients, have a lot of fiber to help fill you up and don't have many calories usually (there are exceptions of course) and figuring out correct portion sizes and building your plate appropriately (Say, 50% veggies, a quarter meat, a quarter carb/starchy stuff. You can google it, I'm sure that's not completely correct) Not restricting anything, allowing yourself whatever your preferred treats are, in moderation. Severely limiting liquid calories helps, if you happen to be one who drinks a lot of regular soda, juices etc. It also helps me to have somewhat set eating times/frequencies, because I have a tendency to mindlessly graze.