If You Eat Cookies, Cakes, Ice Cream Daily Do You Consider Yourself Dieting?

lantana411

I'm surprised at how many people eat cookies, croissants, ice cream, cake, chips, etc. on a daily or near-daily basis BUT LOG THEIR FOOD! I want to know - is it because they consider themselves dieting or getting ready to diet? Is this why people who diet are considered 'eating cleanly'? What do you do and what do you consider it? If you stay within your calories but drink/snack them away instead of eating meals is it dieting?

TavistockToad

People are eating in a calorie deficit... you can do that and still eat whatever you want...

rachelr1116

I don't consider myself to be "dieting" no matter what I eat. I have a diet that consists of a variety of foods (including cookies, cake, ice cream, etc.) but I log and count calories so that I can eat at a caloric deficit in order to lose weight.

RelCanonical

I gotta eat what I want to eat when I reach my goal weight, or else I'm not gonna know how to fit it into my day without gaining weight back.

pinuplove

Forget dieting. Being 'on a diet' implies that someday you'll be 'off your diet.' Guess what happens when you go back to eating cake and cookies again after your 'diet.'

I'm eating in a calorie deficit to lose weight (fat) right now. When I'm happy, I'll switch to eating at maintenance. I'll keep eating the same things, just a bit more (just a couple hundred calories more, because I'm close to goal and purposefully losing slowly now). No need to label things.

Sassafras106

I know I can still lose weight if I log those calories, so of course I log them. Even if I’m way over for the day

kommodevaran

Dieting is eating fewer calories than you burn, with the purpose of weightloss.

Your total calorie intake over time is what determines your weight. Meal timing and composition does not alter this fact, but it can have an impact on the person's willingness and ability to eat less.

Clean eating means so many things that it means nothing.

I eat a little bit of everything, ironically enough, mostly foods that most people who claim they eat "clean", eat, or try to eat more of.

janejellyroll

I consider myself to be "dieting" if I'm in a calorie deficit. I can be in a deficit while choosing to have cookies, cakes, or ice cream.

Why on earth make things harder than they have to be?

JetJaguar

Yup. As long as it fits in my calorie goal, why not?

JeromeBarry1

I haven't been dieting yet. I've been losing weight when I eat fewer calories than needed to maintain, and I've been gaining weight when I eat more calories than needed to maintain. Today, for instance, I'm trying to eat fewer calories than needed to maintain, and I've already consumed several hundred calories of chocolate candies and frozen treats. I'm planning to make and consume a pizza later this evening. If I stay on my plan, I'll finish the day in a calorie deficit. Diet? No. Living? Yes.

malibu927

Those are part of my diet (not everything every day...ice cream most days, but the others are on occasion), but I eat in a calorie deficit to lose weight. And there are too many definitions of "clean eating" to say it's one particular diet.

kami3006

I consider myself either cutting, bulking or maintaining. All of which I do eating the same foods, including the ones you have listed, and just manipulate my calories.

I continue to log those foods so I can reach the goals I want: losing, gaining, or maintaining.

I don't label how I eat.

mariluny

I don't consider myself to be dieting yet I'm currently in a weight loss journey. I fit those type of food in my calories and stay within my calorie goals.

I still eat satisfying and nourishing meals, I just set aside calories to be able to eat snack, if I want to.

Right now my calorie goals to loose weight is 1630 calories. Yesterday I had:
Breakfast: grilled cheese
Lunch: chicken thigh in a wine/cream sauce with fresh corn and cauliflower mash
Snack: Watermelon
Dinner: Linguini with tomato/zucchini sauce and parmesan
Snack: crackers, aged cheddar cheese and avocado
And I still had a few calories not consumed

The day before, I had regular meals and 65g of chips (Which is surpringly enoug quite a big bowl) at night. again with calories to spare.

sardelsa

If you mean dieting to be restriction of food to be in a deficit, then yes. I do eat those things less often when losing vs maintaining or gaining since I have other foods that are more important, but nothing is really off limits.

cwolfman13

lantana411 wrote: »

I'm surprised at how many people eat cookies, croissants, ice cream, cake, chips, etc. on a daily or near-daily basis BUT LOG THEIR FOOD! I want to know - is it because they consider themselves dieting or getting ready to diet? Is this why people who diet are considered 'eating cleanly'? What do you do and what do you consider it? If you stay within your calories but drink/snack them away instead of eating meals is it dieting?

If I'm eating in a calorie deficit, I'm "dieting." I can have a cookie for desert and still be in a calorie deficit and thus lose weight...thus I would be dieting.

ETA: ultimately you need to find a way of eating that is sustainable long term...not just for losing weight, but also maintenance. I had no intention of never eating pizza again or never eating a cookie again, so I learned to incorporate those things into my overall diet in reasonable amounts. Most of my diet (noun) is very nutritionally sound and probably what most people would consider for the most part would consider "clean"...but I have pizza most Friday nights and usually something for desert most evenings.

shadow2soul

It’s a lifestyle for me. I don’t plan or want you to give up my favorite snacks. I am at a calorie deficit for fat loss and while the fat loss stage is temporary I don’t want to make dramatic changes just for that duration. Living with a bunch of food restrictions could actually result in me binge eating my favorite foods later down the road and that won’t do me any favors.

hesn92

I guess I just don’t understand the question. I dont use the word “diet” in the same way as you apparently.

kshama2001

If I'm in a calorie deficit, I'm dieting.

I no longer have 1100 calories of ice cream in a day, but I can make room for @ 200 calories of ice cream.

collectingblues

lantana411 wrote: »

I'm surprised at how many people eat cookies, croissants, ice cream, cake, chips, etc. on a daily or near-daily basis BUT LOG THEIR FOOD! I want to know - is it because they consider themselves dieting or getting ready to diet? Is this why people who diet are considered 'eating cleanly'? What do you do and what do you consider it? If you stay within your calories but drink/snack them away instead of eating meals is it dieting?

Why wouldn't it be? If it's in a deficit (or maintenance, if that's the goal), it doesn't matter.

Why are you surprised that people can eat sweets/pastries, and still be what you consider "dieting"? And frankly, I *don't* consider people who "diet" to "eat cleanly" -- you can't operationalize either term.

COGypsy

Last I checked, misery doesn't burn any extra calories. I'm in a deficit and losing steadily. I'd still pick a moderate serving of something delicious over a pile of kale and boiled chicken just to look virtuous in my food log.

sinbos

Well most days i have 3000+ cals thanks to around 25-30k steps/day. You bet that some of these are spend for icecream. Well not today, today i hat some nice cheese (150g=550cals) as a treat.
And days like yesterday when i am over by 1500 i log still so that i know whats up and also maybe i can something save thru watching my weekly average.

kommodevaran

janejellyroll wrote: »

Why on earth make things harder than they have to be?

Even though it smells "rethorical question", it's an important question. It has been a science project for me the last four years, and my findings so far is basically:
It's part being swayed by the media, blogs, diet books, and overinterpreting nutritional guidelines.
It's part being superstitious.
And part pure self-handicapping.

WinoGelato

lantana411 wrote: »

I'm surprised at how many people eat cookies, croissants, ice cream, cake, chips, etc. on a daily or near-daily basis BUT LOG THEIR FOOD! I want to know - is it because they consider themselves dieting or getting ready to diet? Is this why people who diet are considered 'eating cleanly'? What do you do and what do you consider it? If you stay within your calories but drink/snack them away instead of eating meals is it dieting?

Count me in the "confuzzled by your questions" category.

1. Are you asking if it's possible to eat cookies, croissants, ice cream, cake, chips, etc and still lose weight? Of course! Losing weight comes from a calorie deficit - period. The type of foods you eat doesn't directly impact your calorie deficit and your ability to manage your weight accordingly.

2. Are you asking if people are gearing up to get serious about weight loss so they start with just logging the foods they eat every day, with no purposeful effort to change their dietary habits? Maybe. Or... see answer to #1.

3. Are you asking if people need to "eat cleanly" in order to be successful at losing weight? Absolutely not. "Clean Eating" is a vague, subjective, and not particularly helpful term that means something different to everyone who purports to follow it. It has no bearing on whether or not you will be successful at weight management. Again, see answer to #1.

You seem to be using the term "dieting" in a very specific way, that I would not utilize. I lost weight eating a variety of foods within a calorie deficit, including, but not limited to, the ones you mentioned above. Also pizza, wine, doughnuts, fast food, lean protein, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains along with implementing a more active lifestyle.

What do I consider that? WINNING

mbaker566

i eat ice cream almost every day. and i've lost weight nearly every week for the time i've been back. i eat at a calorie deficit.

jkal1979

Not everyone who is here to lose weight is restricting what they eat, just how much or how often they have it. For myself, I find that it’s much more sustainable in the long run to work those types of treats into my diet (noun).

TonyB0588

lantana411 wrote: »

I'm surprised at how many people eat cookies, croissants, ice cream, cake, chips, etc. on a daily or near-daily basis BUT LOG THEIR FOOD! I want to know - is it because they consider themselves dieting or getting ready to diet? Is this why people who diet are considered 'eating cleanly'? What do you do and what do you consider it? If you stay within your calories but drink/snack them away instead of eating meals is it dieting?

The MFP way doesn't utilize the word "dieting". You can log your food no matter what you eat, and use it to assess your total calorie intake per day. Also log your daily calorie burn through exercise. A calorie deficit will lead to weight loss, while a calorie surplus will lead to weight gain.

tess5036

I log to count calories, do I remain at a deficit. I may choose to 'eat vlean' as you put it, or eat junk, but whatever I eat, I know how many calories, and the macros of what I have eaten.

I don't see myself as on a diet, it's a lifestyle change, bit as I am at a deficit, you might choose to see me in that way.

Millicent3015

Well, yes, it's important to log what you eat. The way you say it with incredulity makes me think you're at that stage where you still believe the 'good/bad/clean' labels put on food. There's no such thing as good, bad or 'clean' food, there's just more nutritious food and less nutritious. All foods can be incorporated into your diet (ie your long term eating, not a meal plan or fad you follow temporarily), and I think most people who are successfully managing their weight or overall health tend to eat the higher fat/sugar/carb foods in moderation, whatever that moderation looks like for them. I don't consider myself to be dieting. I want to lose weight and improve my health, but it's a lifelong deal for me, so while I'm not going to restrict any food, I am changing what I eat and making different choices.

Lounmoun

lantana411 wrote: »

I'm surprised at how many people eat cookies, croissants, ice cream, cake, chips, etc. on a daily or near-daily basis BUT LOG THEIR FOOD! I want to know - is it because they consider themselves dieting or getting ready to diet? Is this why people who diet are considered 'eating cleanly'? What do you do and what do you consider it? If you stay within your calories but drink/snack them away instead of eating meals is it dieting?

Weight management is about calories not type of food. Eating clean is a vague term and has nothing to do with actual fat loss.
A "diet" will only result in fat loss if you are eating less calories than you burn (have a calorie deficit). You might see people refer to this as CICO (calories in, calories out). It is how the body functions not a particular way of eating.
If you figure out that to maintain your current weight you need to eat 1,600 calories and you consistantly consume 2,000 calories of any food or drink then over time you will gain fat even if the food is the most raw, organic nutritious thing you can find. If you eat too many calories of broccoli, boiled chicken, quinoa, avocados, almonds and bananas you will gain fat the same as if you ate over your maintenance calories with frozen pizza, ice cream, casseroles and chips every day. Beware of diet plans that do not talk about calorie intake.

Dieting is a term with a lot of baggage implying very restrictive or temporary eating patterns. The term diet can also refer to any food you eat though. I did not change the type of food I am eating much so my diet did not change. I prefer to say I am watching my calorie intake rather than dieting. Logging my food daily helps me to eat what I like in appropriate amounts for my goal. My diary includes fast food, frozen foods, canned foods, sweets, bread, butter, potatoes, pasta, homemade foods from scratch, fresh vegetables and fruits. It has been most sustainable for weight management in my world to learn to eat the food I like- and that those around me eat- in appropriate portion sizes for me.

Duck_Puddle

I just eat food in a way that meets my nutritional needs and is sustainable for life. Most of what I eat is nutrient dense. Some is not. I log everything. I am currently in a calorie deficit so I am losing weight.

diannethegeek

lantana411 wrote: »

I'm surprised at how many people eat cookies, croissants, ice cream, cake, chips, etc. on a daily or near-daily basis BUT LOG THEIR FOOD! I want to know - is it because they consider themselves dieting or getting ready to diet? Is this why people who diet are considered 'eating cleanly'? What do you do and what do you consider it? If you stay within your calories but drink/snack them away instead of eating meals is it dieting?

For me, while I was restricting calories I always knew that there would be cookies, ice cream, cake, chips, etc around for the rest of my life. Sometimes because of my own choices and sometimes because of the choices of others. If I didn't learn to work around them and to take power over them instead of letting them have power over me, how was I going to manage? So yes, I ate ice cream and cake occasionally and considered myself to be dieting (successfully, I might add -- 55 pounds lost over 52 weeks thank you very much).

I never considered it "eating cleanly" whatever that means. And I never "snacked away" my calories instead of eating meals. There was room for a bit of everything in my diet, and there still is. Good protein sources, veggies, fiber, high quality fats, and a couple of oreos if I have a craving that just won't disappear or an orange creme bar just because it's summer.