I was starving myself - Now I just had buttered cornbread!

BeachIron

perhaps instead of "unhealthy" I should have said "indulgent and calorie-dense, with little nutritional value".

Otherwise, I mostly agree with what you're saying. The only part I take exception with is the denial part. Changing my junk-food eating ways has virutally eliminated my desire for such things. I want to see another few pounds drop off this week more than I want my entertain my tastebuds for a few minutes. Of course one treat isn't going to derail a weight loss effort, but I strongly believe that mindset it a huge part of success. Choosing to view those indulgent and calorie-dense, with little nutritional value foods as things that just plain do not belong in my body is not setting myself up for failure. It might work that way for some, but that's not true for everyone.

Just like when I'm laying on the weight bench and pressing the bar up towards the ceiling... I don't *have* to do it. it's not entertaining. It's hard work. It gets results, though... so I do it. I *want* those results, so I do what it takes to get them. That's how my psychology works... I don't consider it denial, either. Sure, watching a movie would be more fun. This is more important.

That's great that it is working for you. Just let us know how pure denial is working in another year. Or two. Or three. It certainly doesn't work for everyone and there is evidence that reasonable diets without serious denial work quite well. The goal for many of us, and I would assume that you're the same in this, is long term consistency and adherence (keeping the weight off). Some people do indeed need to cut out their trigger foods in the beginning, but many of us don't. I'd much rather have someone start with simply a modest calorie deficit that they keep most days, and learn to exercise, for several months in the beginning simply so that their old habits can start to disappear and these new ones formed. As they get better at it, they can improve, but absent trigger foods, there doesn't seem to be any reason to cut out anything from one's diet. Instead, it is better to learn moderation and how to mix various foods in ways that satisfies the basic macronutrient, fiber, and micronutrient needs.

As for liking exercise, that's great, many of us love to work out. I'd personally much rather be in the gym or on the beach for a run then pretty much any other place.

And as for "breaking the relationship with food," maybe some need to do that, but food and me go way back and there's no way in hell I'm denying myself the pleasure of pizza, beer, ice cream, or any of the other things that I enjoy. Balance for me is found where I can eat the maximum amount possible and still hit my goals.

Pookylou

The heavy restriction (1200 or less) then binging/rebounding you describe is is exactly how I have yo-yo'd for the last 10 or so years, once I realised I can actually eat as I am going to for the rest of my life and still lose weight it all fell into place for me. (obvs a bit below maintenance for loss :laugh: I am not a special snowflake, but I wish I was)

Great post OP :flowerforyou:

Jeneba

I am a tiny person. I DO N O T N E E D T O E A T M O R E!!!!! I am almost 57 years old. I have been doing this for YEARS and I know perfectly well what works for ME! ANd - it is not "yo yo dieting." Western people just go through cycles and life events and sometimes we gain weight and need to take it off. Please - no more of this preaching.

Turnaround2012

And as for "breaking the relationship with food," maybe some need to do that, but food and me go way back and there's no way in hell I'm denying myself the pleasure of pizza, beer, ice cream, or any of the other things that I enjoy. Balance for me is found where I can eat the maximum amount possible and still hit my goals.

OP Here - Well Put - It is about finding balance - Thanks!

----
OK - Now I am going to run LOL

BeachIron

And as for "breaking the relationship with food," maybe some need to do that, but food and me go way back and there's no way in hell I'm denying myself the pleasure of pizza, beer, ice cream, or any of the other things that I enjoy. Balance for me is found where I can eat the maximum amount possible and still hit my goals.

OP Here - Well Put - It is about finding balance - Thanks!

----
OK - Now I am going to run LOL

Cheers, OP. And enjoy the run!

Turnaround2012

Pookylou ..
once I realised I can actually eat as I am going to for the rest of my life and still lose weight it all fell into place for me.

thanks! :drinker:
That right there is the quote of the day. I really feel that when I get to maintenance I will be eating the same way. It is Liberating!

Turnaround2012

[/quote]

Cheers, OP. And enjoy the run!
[/quote]

Thanks Beach ... and... I was able to go for 30 minutes after a very long hiatus because I had enough fuel in me to run!

jonward85

Love the OP's point. Cheers bro...also..those cornbread muffins are pretty good...im thinking about some this weekend.

Turnaround2012

Love the OP's point. Cheers bro...also..those cornbread muffins are pretty good...im thinking about some this weekend.

Thanks.. Can't eat them every day.. but when I do I kick my feet up and enjoy them! LOL

Unknown

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SezxyStef

I am a tiny person. I DO N O T N E E D T O E A T M O R E!!!!! I am almost 57 years old. I have been doing this for YEARS and I know perfectly well what works for ME! ANd - it is not "yo yo dieting." Western people just go through cycles and life events and sometimes we gain weight and need to take it off. Please - no more of this preaching.

What...??? That is the exact definition of yo you dieting.

Every culture has cycles and life events that is not just a western thing.

By following healthy habits which does not exclude any food because it's "bad" including corn bread muffins with butter leads to an overall better quality of life and most who do this do not go through "cycles" of weight gain. *cough yo yo dieting*

The OP is correct. Eating enough food all the time is the best route to take based on BMR and TDEE (which btw can be calculated without a site or going to a clinic.)

fbmandy55

I think next week the wife and I are going to a local "weight loss center", just for the RMR calculation. I'm having good success, but she is struggling while trying to find the right diet for her. I think her BMR calculation is *way* off, especially given that she has (treated with medication) hypothyroidism. I'll be there mostly for support, but I might as well know mine, too

Go to a doctor and not a weight loss clinic. Weight loss clinics are all about money and will push expensive fad diets that are proven not to work.

sherrybaby81

what is it going to take to stop these "see what works for me? what's wrong with you people everyone is the same!" threads?

people
are
not
all
the
same

most of us *do not* need to be eating more. just going by the diaries I've flipped through on here, most of us need to be eating less.

THANK YOU!

EvgeniZyntx

perhaps instead of "unhealthy" I should have said "indulgent and calorie-dense, with little nutritional value".

Otherwise, I mostly agree with what you're saying. The only part I take exception with is the denial part. Changing my junk-food eating ways has virutally eliminated my desire for such things. I want to see another few pounds drop off this week more than I want my entertain my tastebuds for a few minutes. Of course one treat isn't going to derail a weight loss effort, but I strongly believe that mindset it a huge part of success. Choosing to view those indulgent and calorie-dense, with little nutritional value foods as things that just plain do not belong in my body is not setting myself up for failure. It might work that way for some, but that's not true for everyone.

Just like when I'm laying on the weight bench and pressing the bar up towards the ceiling... I don't *have* to do it. it's not entertaining. It's hard work. It gets results, though... so I do it. I *want* those results, so I do what it takes to get them. That's how my psychology works... I don't consider it denial, either. Sure, watching a movie would be more fun. This is more important.

Sure, it is indulgent (in taste) and has limited variety but nutritionally a brownie provides xxx cals of energy and a variety of sugars that your brain can use as well as a bit of protein and oils that the cells are happy with. It isn't zero or even close to zero. That you choose other food is fine - just don't consider it nutrionally empty.

Mindset can be an important part of any effort - agreed. Different mindsets will get you there. There are fantastic examples of people here with really good results while eating, as a choice, ice cream every day. I personally eat a "significant amount" of chocolate every week - but I'm certainly *not* the success story yardstick. My point is not that at all that your methods is right or wrong but that the psychology of things has different leverage and that is the point where a variety of approachs might goet one to goal. The real issue isn't losing weight, although that might be true for some, the real issue is what is sustainable for someone long term - given that 95% of weight loss plans, diets and strategies fail what can you do, as a lifestyle change, that will keep it off until it becomes second nature.

For me, as a very social person, a lover of food and markets living in France and Germany, it's been volume and portion control and learning more about calorie density while still making Coquille St Jacques avec creme fraiche and Tarte Tatin (mussels in a creme and wine sauce and upsidown apple pie with creme) every so often, just fitting it in. I wouldn't be very friendly or even part of my family if I didn't partake a little.

For you it isn't - I get that. It's a strategy that many do not chose and it works for us.

I believe that we are here at different philosophies of life - stoicism versus epicurianism. We stand in a ring of opposite camps.
In your corner you have the modern arranged and structured life armed against the vagaries of pop-tarts and surprise cake, in my corner I call on the blatant indulgence of art, wine and feast.

Food can be art. But perhaps you have no place for that. That too, is fine. Different goals.



BTW - I enjoy lifting, and the results - if i didn't I wouldn't do it.

Turnaround2012

I believe that we are here at different philosophies of life - stoicism versus epicurianism. We stand in a ring of opposite camps.
In your corner you have the modern arranged and structured life armed against the vagaries of pop-tarts and surprise cake, in my corner I call on the blatant indulgence of art, wine and feast.

Very well stated!

Très Bien - Merci Beaucoup!

fbmandy55

I am a tiny person. I DO N O T N E E D T O E A T M O R E!!!!! I am almost 57 years old. I have been doing this for YEARS and I know perfectly well what works for ME! ANd - it is not "yo yo dieting." Western people just go through cycles and life events and sometimes we gain weight and need to take it off. Please - no more of this preaching.

joshdann

This guy may be able to explain a few things. Judging from your posts you probably won't take the time to view it, but you should.

you assume *way* too much.

endoftheside

Starving myself was how I used to do it, because I thought that eating as little as possible, getting the weight loss DONE, and then going about my business was what I needed to do. What really happened was that when it came time for maintenance I went back to my old ways and gained it all back and then some. Once I realized that there is actually no endpoint to this process, it was both depressing AND freeing.

I figured out my TDEE at my goal weight and said, ok self, this is how you get to eat now. Period. You need to figure out how to make this work with holidays, and traveling, when life's stuff hits the fan, and when you are bored/sad/in a rut/grumpy/what.ev.er. To make it sustainable long-term, the first things that dropped--the idea that I would constantly deprive myself, and that I needed to eat completely differently. Do I try to add more vegetables now and work on my fiber and sodium? Yes. Do I keep my macros within ranges that help keep me satisfied? Yes. Do I say I cannot eat pizza or cornbread with butter? No way. The losing weight part is just a very long practice run for the real work of maintenance, and as long as I see it that way I keep the focus in the right place...moderation.

guessrs

Awesome post!! I think what you ate is the adult Disneyland. Everyone who starts on mfp should read your post!!

Sandia_Sweetie

bump to read later :happy:

onwarddownward

I am another one who was starving myself. I have a killer workout that burns over 1000 a day. I was following my best instincts and eating about 1350 a day. Sometimes less. I congratulated myself for eating less.

I lost about 30 lbs, but my loss started slowing and I started crashing in the following manner:

Exhaustion
Lack of Stamina
Moodiness
Feeling Ill

I charted out my TDEE, subtracted 20 % and have been eating about 2300 a day, sometimes more.

My workouts in the pool are very strong now.
My level of stamina is much better
I am less tired overall.

I have lost six or so pounds in the last two weeks and that's fine by me. I don't need to lose forty pounds in forty days or whatever the tabloids are saying.

I am enjoying my life more.

Rambopal

Thanks for your posts joshdann.

WendyTerry420

what is it going to take to stop these "see what works for me? what's wrong with you people everyone is the same!" threads?

people
are
not
all
the
same

most of us *do not* need to be eating more. just going by the diaries I've flipped through on here, most of us need to be eating less.

Most people who are trying to lose weight could stand to eat more than they are. The VLCD concept is outdated.

WendyTerry420

Eating more calories (i.e. the mythical TDEE-20%) is never, ever physically required. Science supports this.

I could eat at 1200 and lose 2 pounds a week but...well, what the hell for. The joy of eating less? Lol?

TDEE isn't a myth. Ever hear of the Law of Thermogenesis? Science.




And yeah, I lost over two pounds a week for the first 60 pounds. (Eating 1800/day, not 1200) Once I got down to 200, I decided to slow it down. My body, my choice. Personally, I think the mindset that food is only for fuel and not intended to be pleasurable is a sign of disordered eating.

Turnaround2012

endoftheside wrote:

I figured out my TDEE at my goal weight and said, ok self, this is how you get to eat now. Period. You need to figure out how to make this work with holidays, and traveling, when life's stuff hits the fan, and when you are bored/sad/in a rut/grumpy/what.ev.er. To make it sustainable long-term, the first things that dropped--the idea that I would constantly deprive myself, and that I needed to eat completely differently.

Very well put - Thank You - I am glad to know that I am not alone :drinker:

Turnaround2012

guessrs Wrote:

Awesome post!! I think what you ate is the adult Disneyland. Everyone who starts on mfp should read your post!!

Thanks so much for the support and good luck with your races!

Turnaround2012

onwarddownward wrote:

I am another one who was starving myself. I have a killer workout that burns over 1000 a day. I was following my best instincts and eating about 1350 a day. Sometimes less. I congratulated myself for eating less.

I lost about 30 lbs, but my loss started slowing and I started crashing in the following manner:

Exhaustion
Lack of Stamina
Moodiness
Feeling Ill

I charted out my TDEE, subtracted 20 % and have been eating about 2300 a day, sometimes more.

My workouts in the pool are very strong now.
My level of stamina is much better
I am less tired overall.

I have lost six or so pounds in the last two weeks and that's fine by me. I don't need to lose forty pounds in forty days or whatever the tabloids are saying.

I am enjoying my life more.

I don't need to lose forty pounds in forty days or whatever the tabloids are saying.

This ^^^^ I am ignoring the tabloids too! :drinker:

Turnaround2012

WendyTerry420 wrote:

And yeah, I lost over two pounds a week for the first 60 pounds. (Eating 1800/day, not 1200) Once I got down to 200, I decided to slow it down. My body, my choice.

Thanks for the affirmation. I tried the 1200 thing for two years in a row.. now I am losing eating 2000+ and taking my time.
I am so glad that I am not "insane" for wanting to do it slowly! :drinker:

Turnaround2012

Last night I knew that I was going to a dinner party where the hosts are fantastic cooks. I knew there was going to be awesome appetizers, entree, and a knockout dessert.

I worked out extra and watched my calories in the AM and Lunch because I knew I would get them back later.

I walked in the door with 1800+ calories "in my pocket" and I enjoyed the entire dinner and had a great time.

---

Then.. I got on the scale this morning and I am at my lowest weight since joining MFP about a year ago.

I want to thank all the tireless veterans and others who patiently post about TDEE, BMR, how MFP works!

I have a long way to go, but I am enjoying the ride and I KNOW - I KNOW!!! that when I get to "maintenance" I will be able to stay there and enjoy my relationship with Food and Fitness!

Fit_Content

bump to read later