If You Eat Cookies, Cakes, Ice Cream Daily Do You Consider Yourself Dieting?
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Actually, depending on how much walking you do and how quickly, you may be burning more than you think. This site has a sister site: mapmyrun.com. You tell it where you walked (it gives you a map) and how long it took you and it'll tell you how much you burned. Or just plug your minutes and walking speed into the exercise log here.6
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gailjankovski wrote: »Thank you everyone for your help. Yes I went for the maximum weight loss because I have gained 40 lbs since I turned 50 three years ago and wanted to lose it as fast as possible. And I don't bother with "exercise" calories because walking the dogs and kayaking isn't really what I would consider a "work out".
But perhaps I will have to revisit that because I am finding it hard to stick to under 1200 calories even without the occasional treat or glass of wine.
For real, I would revisit it. Being miserable doesn't burn extra calories, you know?
And I understand that dog walking and kayaking don't really feel like workouts, but it's definitely still a good chunk of activity that burns more calories than just sitting there! As a former =<1200 calorie gal (and at 5'3"), I found I lose weight eating around 1750. I do lift weights, but you can definitely be eating more and still lose weight.10 -
gailjankovski wrote: »Thank you everyone for your help. Yes I went for the maximum weight loss because I have gained 40 lbs since I turned 50 three years ago and wanted to lose it as fast as possible. And I don't bother with "exercise" calories because walking the dogs and kayaking isn't really what I would consider a "work out".
But perhaps I will have to revisit that because I am finding it hard to stick to under 1200 calories even without the occasional treat or glass of wine.
You can successfully lose while eating a bit more. People seem to think losing weight requires misery. It really doesn't. Try decreasing the weight loss to 1 lb/week. That allows for some treats and sets you up for success in maintenance. You'll learn in the coming weeks and months how to balance foods in a way that meets your needs and you can enjoy.8 -
gailjankovski wrote: »Thank you everyone for your help. Yes I went for the maximum weight loss because I have gained 40 lbs since I turned 50 three years ago and wanted to lose it as fast as possible. And I don't bother with "exercise" calories because walking the dogs and kayaking isn't really what I would consider a "work out".
But perhaps I will have to revisit that because I am finding it hard to stick to under 1200 calories even without the occasional treat or glass of wine.
Kayaking's actually a pretty awesome burn, especially if you're the one steering, or if it's a single kayak. It's an excellent arm workout, and you're propelling some pretty heavy stuff through the water -- doubly so if you're going against the current.4 -
gailjankovski wrote: »Note to self: Don't send friend request to OP because if she could see my diary she would be SO confused as to my goals
OP, if you aren't currently like 4'11 and 95 lbs, I hope you are eating treats and not logging them, or not using a food scale and actually eating more than you think. Otherwise you are aren't eating enough, and I don't understand why you would bother logging if you are going to be unhealthy and under-eat like that.
Can you explain this comment to me (I am new). Or is it sarcasm? Because my log is similar to hers as I am only supposed to eat 1200 calories a day (based on the automatic calculation when I joined). I am 5' 10" and 198 lbs and looking to lose 50+ lbs.
Based on what I am seeing in the forums most people are eating way more calories than me and still losing weight?
How long have you been doing this? About 1 lb a week, 1.5 if you want to push it, is the appropriate rate of weight loss for your stats. If you've been losing more than that, you can afford to eat more, much more.
The thing with being new is that logging accurately and finding the right database entries is a learning process, so in many cases, people eat more than they think they are, at least initially. Going by the rate of weight loss for now (eat more if you're averaging more than 1 lb a week) is probably a good gauge while you learn how to log your food.5 -
Lots of good points in this thread, but I wanted to add some additional thoughts.
Did any of us become overweight by eating "clean" (whatever that means) and forgoing treats? I know I didn't. So why would sustainable weight loss be any different?
In a way, I kind of understand where OP is coming from. The diet industry has muddied the waters in terms of HOW we lose weight. Full disclosure, but I've only recently, through using MFP and reading the forums, learned that it's ok to give myself a break. I don't have to starve myself. I don't have to say no to the treats I love. Do I have to eat less of them than I did when I was gaining weight? Sure, but I'd rather eat SOME than none.
Weight loss is simple, but not easy. Calories in/calories out. In the past I have also been guilty of not logging "cheats," but how does that help me? My body still knows I ate the calories. All I'm doing by omitting them from my diary is depriving myself of INFORMATION. I've gotten much better over the past 90 days about logging it ALL: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Get rid of the all or nothing mindset. Sometimes good enough is good enough.15 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »gailjankovski wrote: »Note to self: Don't send friend request to OP because if she could see my diary she would be SO confused as to my goals
OP, if you aren't currently like 4'11 and 95 lbs, I hope you are eating treats and not logging them, or not using a food scale and actually eating more than you think. Otherwise you are aren't eating enough, and I don't understand why you would bother logging if you are going to be unhealthy and under-eat like that.
Can you explain this comment to me (I am new). Or is it sarcasm? Because my log is similar to hers as I am only supposed to eat 1200 calories a day (based on the automatic calculation when I joined). I am 5' 10" and 198 lbs and looking to lose 50+ lbs.
Based on what I am seeing in the forums most people are eating way more calories than me and still losing weight?
How long have you been doing this? About 1 lb a week, 1.5 if you want to push it, is the appropriate rate of weight loss for your stats. If you've been losing more than that, you can afford to eat more, much more.
The thing with being new is that logging accurately and finding the right database entries is a learning process, so in many cases, people eat more than they think they are, at least initially. Going by the rate of weight loss for now (eat more if you're averaging more than 1 lb a week) is probably a good gauge while you learn how to log your food.
Honestly I have joined a while back but just got serious about logging and sticking to my 1200 calories in the last 10 days due to summer vacation and such. I have lost 3 lbs so far in 10 days but I feel with the low calorie allowance I am just setting myself up for bingeing and gaining it back. I thought I would just power through with will power but that probably isn't going to be sustainable so will revisit my goals and perhaps move more and eat more as well.
Thanks again for all the advice.15 -
gailjankovski wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »gailjankovski wrote: »Note to self: Don't send friend request to OP because if she could see my diary she would be SO confused as to my goals
OP, if you aren't currently like 4'11 and 95 lbs, I hope you are eating treats and not logging them, or not using a food scale and actually eating more than you think. Otherwise you are aren't eating enough, and I don't understand why you would bother logging if you are going to be unhealthy and under-eat like that.
Can you explain this comment to me (I am new). Or is it sarcasm? Because my log is similar to hers as I am only supposed to eat 1200 calories a day (based on the automatic calculation when I joined). I am 5' 10" and 198 lbs and looking to lose 50+ lbs.
Based on what I am seeing in the forums most people are eating way more calories than me and still losing weight?
How long have you been doing this? About 1 lb a week, 1.5 if you want to push it, is the appropriate rate of weight loss for your stats. If you've been losing more than that, you can afford to eat more, much more.
The thing with being new is that logging accurately and finding the right database entries is a learning process, so in many cases, people eat more than they think they are, at least initially. Going by the rate of weight loss for now (eat more if you're averaging more than 1 lb a week) is probably a good gauge while you learn how to log your food.
Honestly I have joined a while back but just got serious about logging and sticking to my 1200 calories in the last 10 days due to summer vacation and such. I have lost 3 lbs so far in 10 days but I feel with the low calorie allowance I am just setting myself up for bingeing and gaining it back. I thought I would just power through with will power but that probably isn't going to be sustainable so will revisit my goals and perhaps move more and eat more as well.
Thanks again for all the advice.
Nice to see something positive came out of this thread
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witchaywoman81 wrote: »Lots of good points in this thread, but I wanted to add some additional thoughts.
Did any of us become overweight by eating "clean" (whatever that means) and forgoing treats? I know I didn't. So why would sustainable weight loss be any different?
In a way, I kind of understand where OP is coming from. The diet industry has muddied the waters in terms of HOW we lose weight. Full disclosure, but I've only recently, through using MFP and reading the forums, learned that it's ok to give myself a break. I don't have to starve myself. I don't have to say no to the treats I love. Do I have to eat less of them than I did when I was gaining weight? Sure, but I'd rather eat SOME than none.
Weight loss is simple, but not easy. Calories in/calories out. In the past I have also been guilty of not logging "cheats," but how does that help me? My body still knows I ate the calories. All I'm doing by omitting them from my diary is depriving myself of INFORMATION. I've gotten much better over the past 90 days about logging it ALL: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Get rid of the all or nothing mindset. Sometimes good enough is good enough.
To the bolded--yes. I lived with my vegan, "clean eating" sister for about 8 months. When I started living with her, I weighed about 165; when I moved out, I weighed 185.
You absolutely can get to be overweight (or even more overweight) eating a so-called "clean" diet. Granted, part of the problem was thinking, "It's GOOD food. I can't get fat on GOOD food, can I? So I can eat as much of it as I want!"
Wrong on so many levels.
I am glad that you have taken some time to read the forums and learn to be less strict with yourself from a food choice standpoint. And you're so right that weight loss is simple but not always easy--and failure to log food is really just depriving yourself of information since your body is definitely still keeping tack.
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witchaywoman81 wrote: »Lots of good points in this thread, but I wanted to add some additional thoughts.
Did any of us become overweight by eating "clean" (whatever that means) and forgoing treats? I know I didn't. So why would sustainable weight loss be any different?
In a way, I kind of understand where OP is coming from. The diet industry has muddied the waters in terms of HOW we lose weight. Full disclosure, but I've only recently, through using MFP and reading the forums, learned that it's ok to give myself a break. I don't have to starve myself. I don't have to say no to the treats I love. Do I have to eat less of them than I did when I was gaining weight? Sure, but I'd rather eat SOME than none.
Weight loss is simple, but not easy. Calories in/calories out. In the past I have also been guilty of not logging "cheats," but how does that help me? My body still knows I ate the calories. All I'm doing by omitting them from my diary is depriving myself of INFORMATION. I've gotten much better over the past 90 days about logging it ALL: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Get rid of the all or nothing mindset. Sometimes good enough is good enough.
To the bolded--yes. I lived with my vegan, "clean eating" sister for about 8 months. When I started living with her, I weighed about 165; when I moved out, I weighed 185.
You absolutely can get to be overweight (or even more overweight) eating a so-called "clean" diet. Granted, part of the problem was thinking, "It's GOOD food. I can't get fat on GOOD food, can I? So I can eat as much of it as I want!"
Wrong on so many levels.
I am glad that you have taken some time to read the forums and learn to be less strict with yourself from a food choice standpoint. And you're so right that weight loss is simple but not always easy--and failure to log food is really just depriving yourself of information since your body is definitely still keeping tack.
Ah, yes, you bring up another really important point here!
There have been many times where I've been "eating healthy" and exercising, but I wasn't tracking my calories and I wasn't losing weight. Why? Because I was either consuming more calories than I burned OR breaking even. "Eating healthy" doesn't automatically translate to weight loss. As someone who has been on Weight Watchers more times than I can count, in addition to South Beach and other "low carb" diets, this was a HUGE eye-opener for me.
So I suppose I should revise my earlier statement to say that none of us gained weight by breaking even or eating in a deficit. Calories in, calories out.
It's still early days in my MFP journey, but one thing I've had to un-learn is the concept of "bad foods" and "good foods." Honestly, I try to stay away from sugar free and "low fat" versions of foods I like. I'd rather spend my calories on the real thing. And I'm going to drink my wine and have my chocolate, but I'm also going to cook delicious dinners filled with lean protein and vegetables. It's all about balance.11 -
witchaywoman81 wrote: »witchaywoman81 wrote: »Lots of good points in this thread, but I wanted to add some additional thoughts.
Did any of us become overweight by eating "clean" (whatever that means) and forgoing treats? I know I didn't. So why would sustainable weight loss be any different?
In a way, I kind of understand where OP is coming from. The diet industry has muddied the waters in terms of HOW we lose weight. Full disclosure, but I've only recently, through using MFP and reading the forums, learned that it's ok to give myself a break. I don't have to starve myself. I don't have to say no to the treats I love. Do I have to eat less of them than I did when I was gaining weight? Sure, but I'd rather eat SOME than none.
Weight loss is simple, but not easy. Calories in/calories out. In the past I have also been guilty of not logging "cheats," but how does that help me? My body still knows I ate the calories. All I'm doing by omitting them from my diary is depriving myself of INFORMATION. I've gotten much better over the past 90 days about logging it ALL: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Get rid of the all or nothing mindset. Sometimes good enough is good enough.
To the bolded--yes. I lived with my vegan, "clean eating" sister for about 8 months. When I started living with her, I weighed about 165; when I moved out, I weighed 185.
You absolutely can get to be overweight (or even more overweight) eating a so-called "clean" diet. Granted, part of the problem was thinking, "It's GOOD food. I can't get fat on GOOD food, can I? So I can eat as much of it as I want!"
Wrong on so many levels.
I am glad that you have taken some time to read the forums and learn to be less strict with yourself from a food choice standpoint. And you're so right that weight loss is simple but not always easy--and failure to log food is really just depriving yourself of information since your body is definitely still keeping tack.
Ah, yes, you bring up another really important point here!
There have been many times where I've been "eating healthy" and exercising, but I wasn't tracking my calories and I wasn't losing weight. Why? Because I was either consuming more calories than I burned OR breaking even. "Eating healthy" doesn't automatically translate to weight loss. As someone who has been on Weight Watchers more times than I can count, in addition to South Beach and other "low carb" diets, this was a HUGE eye-opener for me.
So I suppose I should revise my earlier statement to say that none of us gained weight by breaking even or eating in a deficit. Calories in, calories out.
It's still early days in my MFP journey, but one thing I've had to un-learn is the concept of "bad foods" and "good foods." Honestly, I try to stay away from sugar free and "low fat" versions of foods I like. I'd rather spend my calories on the real thing. And I'm going to drink my wine and have my chocolate, but I'm also going to cook delicious dinners filled with lean protein and vegetables. It's all about balance.
I hear you on that. I do still use some low-calorie versions (lite mayonnaise and salad dressings come to mind), just because the calorie 'hit' on egg salad, for example, can be significant. When it comes to desserts, I give myself a limit of 200 calories per serving. It happens that many of my favorite low-calorie recipes come out of an old low-fat cookbook, but I'm not actively looking to cut my fat intake. OTOH, this week, I've made decadent chocolate macadamia nut cheesecake truffles at 100 calories apiece...6 -
Mind Maintenance will take you further than a lifetime of Dieting Mentality ever will. Our body may have changed but we didn't get a mind transplant.
If you ignore the underlying issues that got you here in the first place, they are going to resurface and bite you in the rear when life gets hard. A dieting mentality doesn't fix brain chemistry, genes or challenging life events. Dieting won't keep the blues away.
Weight Maintenance is rarely a blissful honeymoon. Some may be only holding it together in a chaotic fashion. All or Nothing Thinking goes right along with being on a perpetual diet. Just give me one good dieting day and I'll be okay. Again. Being on a perpetual diet is not a badge of honor.
When someone hits maintenance there can be more huge rationalizations in the mind that tells you that you can now tick obesity and dieting right off your list. You've arrived and you're fixed. Mind Maintenance will take you further than a dieting mentality ever will.
I don't spend my time looking over anyone else's diary. This is why many choose to keep their's private. We don't need anymore moral judgments assigned to our foods or way of eating. Perpeptual dieing can become a mind loop that works the mind up into a state of dread.
I choose to eat the foods I enjoy and you can, too. I choose a judgment free zone rather than someone looking over my shoulder.14 -
If you looked at my diary without taking into account calories, you would probably conclude I couldn't possibly be serious about losing weight (or maintaining, I lost 50 lbs and started maintenance in Feb.) Because of an insane schedule my first year of weight loss was filled with packaged meals, cheese and cracker dinners and restaurant foods. You would periodically see a day that consisted entirely of a pint of Ben and Jerry's and 2 glasses of wine. I wasn't monitoring my protein and was sadly lacking there. But I was dead serious about weight loss (and eventually eating at least my minimum nutrient requirements).
I bothered to log all these things to make sure I was hitting my calorie goals. Why wouldn't I?14 -
Not long before my dad died, he told me that he wished he'd realized earlier that when you go to a restaurant known for really good desserts you should eat the desserts first. Which he told me while we were having really wonderful brownies with ice cream, nuts, chocolate sauce and whip cream for lunch.
My dad was a really smart man!39 -
I don't "diet". I eat whatever I want but in moderation to fit into my calories. So yeah, I eat cookies, chips, cake, fast food, fried food, giant burgers, dark beer, and I am still losing weight. So far I've lost 185lbs doing this, and I have never felt deprived or wanted to binge.18
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@RAinWA Yes, he was a smart man.
Have you ever watched the Grapes of Wrath with Henry Fonda. 'Grandpa' just wanted some spare ribs and it breaks your heart everytime you see it. It's about the Great Depression and hunger. Some of you may have living relatives who've lived through it. The survivors never forget and it affected them for the rest of their lives.
Most were conserving, never wasted anything and didn't want to see anyone go to bed hungry.
This thinking was passed on down the line through generations and some of us are a living testimony to their struggles. If you want some spare ribs, eat them. If you want some cherry cobbler or pecan pie, go ahead. Give yourself permission to have your share.
Save some for the others. Take your portion but share with the others. After all, tomorrow is another day.
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estherdragonbat wrote: »Actually, depending on how much walking you do and how quickly, you may be burning more than you think. This site has a sister site: mapmyrun.com. You tell it where you walked (it gives you a map) and how long it took you and it'll tell you how much you burned. Or just plug your minutes and walking speed into the exercise log here.
If you click on quote under the message you're responding to, people won't have to guess what you're talking about -- especially when you're not responding to the OP, which I don't think you are.
Edited to fix grammatical error.0 -
I remember when I was 22, I was very healthy and active. I'd also chosen to become a vegetarian for health (not weight related) reasons and environmental reasons. I wasn't concerned about my weight.
However, my flatmate had a girlfriend ten years older than me, who was obsessed with being thin (and she already was). I would cook a vegetarian meal with a creamy sauce, and she'd lecture me about all the fat in it and how fat I'd get. I think she thought I was doing it for my weight, because in her mind, everything to do with healthy eating was about making yourself thin.
She would run into me down the street, and see I'd bought a packet of chips and a gigantic jelly python and say nothing. When we were at the house together, she'd wait until Friday night drinks with a large group of people to announce, 'I BUSTED Candyspun the other day!' I'd look at her puzzled, and she'd say, 'oh, YOU know what you did!' When I asked for clarification, she told everyone that I had bought, *gasp!* fattening foods! And she did this weird, 'oh, you make out you're so thin, (I literally never discussed it unless she brought it up, which was all the time, but I found it boring, so usually changed the subject) but I caught you out being naughty!' No one else in the group gave a flying kitten and neither did I.
But I learned that some people with insecurities can be a royal pain in the backside with their judgements, and I find it annoying, boring and I have no time for it. I refuse to engage with this nonsense. And it's because of people like this I've encountered in my life that I keep my diary private. Because life's too short to be arsed with such nonsense behaviour. I also can't be bothered looking at anyone else's diary, either.
Eyes on your own plate, OP.
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gailjankovski wrote: »Thank you everyone for your help. Yes I went for the maximum weight loss because I have gained 40 lbs since I turned 50 three years ago and wanted to lose it as fast as possible. And I don't bother with "exercise" calories because walking the dogs and kayaking isn't really what I would consider a "work out".
But perhaps I will have to revisit that because I am finding it hard to stick to under 1200 calories even without the occasional treat or glass of wine.
kayaking and walking are great exercise. I burn in the neighborhood of 400 calories in an hour of kayaking. I walk my dog most mornings and that combined with walking around throughout in my day to day gets me around 10-12K steps which is about 5 miles...hardly sitting around doing nothing.
A workout or exercise doesn't have to be some stupid thing where you're practically puking when you're done...it doesn't have to be jumping around your living room to a DVD or droning away on some piece of equipment. Most people I know who exercise regularly and keep up with it are simply active...they cycle, they hike, they rock climb, they run, they kayak or SUP, etc.
I primarily cycle as my primary form of exercise...with cycling and my walking and general activity, I maintain on around 3000 calories per day...activity adds up...it doesn't have to be a sufferfest to be a workout.12 -
rachelr1116 wrote: »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.
Ditto. I almost always have some type of 'treat' per day, as long as I'm in a calorie deficit. Today I'm having a small ice cream cone with my kids when I pick them up from school this afternoon to celebrate the end of the first week of the school year. I've already pre-logged my dinner for tonight so I know I can fit it into my calories for the day.5
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