Eating too much everyday ( eating to many calories )
caprisun543
Posts: 1 Member
Brand new member so hoping this app helps me with my problem of eating to much and too many calories. Sometimes I try to eat healthier like fruits and vegetables for a day then I start eating non healthy again the next day. I would like to know how I can eat healthy and not take in as many calories. I would also like help losing weight mostly in stomach area.
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You should try eating more number of meals with fewer calories in each of the meals rather than 3 larger meals. Maybe try eating 5-6 meals a day, two or three hours apart, each with around 300 calories1
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raiibrahimasif15 wrote: »You should try eating more number of meals with fewer calories in each of the meals rather than 3 larger meals. Maybe try eating 5-6 meals a day, two or three hours apart, each with around 300 calories
See, I'm just the opposite.
Smaller more frequent meals don't satisfy me and I think about food all day, "When do I eat? What will I eat? I have to log it 6 times a day. Ugh." I do best on three good sized meals and one small snack or a dessert item per day. About 500-700 calories per meal, with all macros represented in the proportions that get me to my daily goal.
I think we each have to find what works individually, and that takes time and experimentation. More lean protein and fiber is a general guideline...
Log food and study your food diary and learn from it - over time....I've changed strategies many times and now I am just mostly whole foods, few sweet treats, I don't eat at restaurants hardly ever, and I have a whole long list of foods I know will trigger me to over-eat, so I'm very careful with those and I buy them in one-serving packs.
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@caprisun543: Hello to a fellow Michigander! (I'm down in the Lansing area.)
I'm concerned that you may be categorizing foods in a binary way, as healthy or not-healthy, and thinking you need to be eating all healthy. "Healthy" is more about one's overall way of eating in total, averaged over a day or few. Individual foods contribute more or less to that, but there aren't absolute rigid categories, generally.
For weight loss, you just need to eat fewer calories than you burn. Since you burn lots of calories just being alive, a good chunk by doing your job and home chores, and maybe a smaller amount via intentional exercise, you may have some decent wiggle room to get to appropriate calories and still eat foods you enjoy. Eating (say) a Hershey's Kiss doesn't wipe out the broccoli you ate, y'know? It's about balance.
Yes, nutrition is important for health. And sub-par nutrition can indirectly affect weight loss by triggering fatigue (so we burn fewer calories) or spiking appetite/cravings (so we can't stick to our calorie goal. But calories are still the direct mechanism.
What I did when I started here (in 2015) was log the foods I was already eating. That was eye-opening. It was pretty clear to me which foods I could eliminate or reduce (in portion size or frequency) and still be happy with my eating, and getting decent nutrition overall. You may find the same.
Basically, I remodeled my routine eating habits gradually to hit my calorie goal, feel reasonably full most of the time, get good nutrition, etc., while eating foods I personally enjoy. (IMO, life is too short to eat icky stuff, and I like lots of foods, so this wasn't a super difficult task for me. YMMV.) Within a year, I'd gone from class 1 obese to a healthy weight, and my weight has stayed in a healthy range for 7+ years since, relying on those same habits. (That, after 30 years previously of overweight/obesity).
No one approach is perfect for everyone, but that's what worked for me (and I've seen others here say similar things). If that approach appeals to you, there's a more detailed description here about how to do that:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1
That's not some universally perfect thing, but it's one option to consider.
As far as taking off weight in the stomach area: Spot reduction isn't possible. It's been demonstrated over and over again. If you lose body fat, it will come off various parts of your body in whatever order your genetics drives that. You may lose some from your stomach sooner rather than later, but for many of us, the last bits of abdominal fat are the ones that hang on until late in the process.
In the shorter run, you may find that improving your posture will make abdominal fat appear less prominent. There are various posture issues people can have, but some common ones are:
* "anterior pelvic tilt" (top of pelvic bone in front of bottom of pelvic bone so abdominal zone sticks out more in front and butt sticks out more in back - women's higher heel shoes can encourage this, besides)
* locked knees (which kind of looks like anterior pelvic tilt, isn't, but can have a similar effect on abdominal fat)
* "kyphotic posture" (not actual kyphosis, which is a structural skeletal problem). What it amounts to is the rounded-forward shoulders, chin-forward posture that lots of us get these days from slumping over keyboards/phones. It also tends to push belly fat outward.
There are exercises to improve those things. Standing straight and tall helps any central fat stay more inside the body cavity between ribs and pelvis, vs. being squeezed/pushed forward into more prominence. If there are posture issues, that can be a quick-ish appearance improvement, while weight loss is still ongoing.
Also, since you're female: Recognize that a slight abdominal swell is absolutely normal, even for slim/fit women. Healthy women have a uterus in there, and it has a shape. It should be no surprise that some of those internet "flat belly" influencers are using lighting, photoshop, and other tricks to hide reality from us. This thread is informative:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10689837/does-this-uterus-make-my-stomach-look-fat/p1
Apologies for the stupid-long essay, and best wishes: You can make this work. I'm cheering for you!raiibrahimasif15 wrote: »You should try eating more number of meals with fewer calories in each of the meals rather than 3 larger meals. Maybe try eating 5-6 meals a day, two or three hours apart, each with around 300 calories
Yup, that's another option.
What works best is individual. For some, one meal a day works best. For others, something like what you suggest works best. For many, something in between works best. OP can experiment, figure out what works for her.
Also, her profile suggests that it is "her". Details matter, but for some subset of women, 6 x 300 = 1800 calories will result in zero or no weight loss. I'm not a believer in ultra-low calories or "1200 for all women", but I'm a pretty good calorie burner as a woman, and 1850 + exercise is my routine goal in maintenance.11 -
caprisun543 wrote: »Brand new member so hoping this app helps me with my problem of eating to much and too many calories. Sometimes I try to eat healthier like fruits and vegetables for a day then I start eating non healthy again the next day. I would like to know how I can eat healthy and not take in as many calories. I would also like help losing weight mostly in stomach area.
I wonder if your weekly weight loss goal is too aggressive. Many new members start of trying to lose 2 pounds per week, when it's not appropriate for the amount of weight they want to lose.
This is what can happen:
https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/
Are you using the MFP defaults for protein and fat and are you meeting them? This can help with satiety.4 -
raiibrahimasif15 wrote: »You should try eating more number of meals with fewer calories in each of the meals rather than 3 larger meals. Maybe try eating 5-6 meals a day, two or three hours apart, each with around 300 calories
that's what i do. i guess most people wouldn't consider them meals, but more like protein-heavy snacks. it's helped me lose and and also lowered my blood sugar as an added benefit.1 -
Try keep it simple.
Pre tracking is a great tool, that way you can look at what your putting in your mouth before you eat and can adjust to make better choices.
Have some meal plans in place and shop accordingly.4 -
caprisun543 wrote: »Brand new member so hoping this app helps me with my problem of eating to much and too many calories. Sometimes I try to eat healthier like fruits and vegetables for a day then I start eating non healthy again the next day. I would like to know how I can eat healthy and not take in as many calories. I would also like help losing weight mostly in stomach area.
The funny thing about food and nutrition is that there's not lot of upside if you get it right, if your healthy to begin with but there is a lot of downside when you get it wrong, which is evident in the population in health costs and quality of life. Most of the population is sick and the driver is the Standard American Diet. I don't know what you eat but your inference that you tried fruit and veg for a day and gave up is telling and that you might fall into the category that consumes the SAD diet. Obviously your having a hard time so I would suggest you get professional help and possibly employ a clinic that specializes in lifestyle behavior. Otherwise begin to remove some of your processed packaged foods, soft drinks, etc with a whole real food and the more that gets replaced the fewer calories are generally consumed and the weight comes off. Hoping that you make healthier decisions.Cheers0 -
Hi not sure if this helps but making smaller changes over time helps make them more sustainable.
I started with limiting juice and soft drinks to meal times and keeping a water bottle with me wherever I went. I then started brushing my teeth after meals to limit snacking on sugary foods. I found healthier alternatives to my favourite foods like quick homemade pizza or low calorie ice cream instead of cutting the foods I like out completely. I've recently stopped buying high sugar snacks like chocolate so they're not in the house anymore for me to snack on. I now buy vegetables, chop them up and freeze them to limit prep time make cooking healthier easier. These changes accumulate over weeks or months so none are a big shock to the system and I've been able to keep up with them.
Also adjust your calories as you go. I started at over 2200cal/day and am now able to sustainably eat 1800cal/day and not be hungry and have enough energy for the day as well as to exercise regularly and reach new fitness goals.
There's no point in under eating and over exercising to lose 2kg/week if you feel miserable doing it. It's just gonna lead to lack of motivation, cheat days and guilt and you'll be back at square one. Small changes build up and you'll be able to lose the weight slow and steadily. Hope this helps. Good luck 3 -
Hi not sure if this helps but making smaller changes over time helps make them more sustainable.
I started with limiting juice and soft drinks to meal times and keeping a water bottle with me wherever I went. I then started brushing my teeth after meals to limit snacking on sugary foods. I found healthier alternatives to my favourite foods like quick homemade pizza or low calorie ice cream instead of cutting the foods I like out completely. I've recently stopped buying high sugar snacks like chocolate so they're not in the house anymore for me to snack on. I now buy vegetables, chop them up and freeze them to limit prep time make cooking healthier easier. These changes accumulate over weeks or months so none are a big shock to the system and I've been able to keep up with them.
Also adjust your calories as you go. I started at over 2200cal/day and am now able to sustainably eat 1800cal/day and not be hungry and have enough energy for the day as well as to exercise regularly and reach new fitness goals.
There's no point in under eating and over exercising to lose 2kg/week if you feel miserable doing it. It's just gonna lead to lack of motivation, cheat days and guilt and you'll be back at square one. Small changes build up and you'll be able to lose the weight slow and steadily. Hope this helps. Good luck
These are all great ideas. If doing all of them sounds like too much, the OP could always just pick one and add it in to their lifestyle. Then add another after they get comfortable with it. Great ideas!1 -
You don't need to cut out the foods you normally eat in order to lose weight. And you don't need to eat only healthy foods to lose weight either. In fact, you could eat nothing but "healthy foods" and gain weight because it comes down to your calorie intake.
One trick I like to do is take a smaller portion of what I would normally eat and add a big side of veggies with it. For example, half the spaghetti/sauce with a huge side of steamed broccoli, or a homemade cheeseburger with a smaller patty loaded up with extra lettuce, tomato, onions, and avocado (yum!) and a side salad.
Just make sure you weigh and log everything you eat to the best of your ability (sometimes an estimation is ok, but it is eye opening when you start weighing those portions).3 -
You don't need to cut out the foods you normally eat in order to lose weight. And you don't need to eat only healthy foods to lose weight either. In fact, you could eat nothing but "healthy foods" and gain weight because it comes down to your calorie intake.
One trick I like to do is take a smaller portion of what I would normally eat and add a big side of veggies with it. For example, half the spaghetti/sauce with a huge side of steamed broccoli, or a homemade cheeseburger with a smaller patty loaded up with extra lettuce, tomato, onions, and avocado (yum!) and a side salad.
Just make sure you weigh and log everything you eat to the best of your ability (sometimes an estimation is ok, but it is eye opening when you start weighing those portions).
Exactly!0 -
I focus on what fruits and veggies I like, not what I should have. I’m more likely to stick to my goals if I like the food I am eating1
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I believe to be truly successful we need to learn about our eating habits. What we like to eat, how much, and total calories. This is where fitness pal helps. If you are diligent about tracking calories (including weighing) you will learn quickly. From there it becomes choices to find alternate foods that are similar, reduce the quantity, or eliminate the foods altogether.
For most people starting out, this is very hard so it’s common to start buying prepackaged meals with calculated calories. This is okay as the main objective is to change your lifestyle for long term. Eventually you will see that prepackaged meals can be cooked with less calories, fats, sodium or whatever you find more important. This takes time but eventually you will have go to foods you can eat religiously and enjoy.
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peazoo1325 wrote: »I believe to be truly successful we need to learn about our eating habits. What we like to eat, how much, and total calories. This is where fitness pal helps. If you are diligent about tracking calories (including weighing) you will learn quickly. From there it becomes choices to find alternate foods that are similar, reduce the quantity, or eliminate the foods altogether.
For most people starting out, this is very hard so it’s common to start buying prepackaged meals with calculated calories. This is okay as the main objective is to change your lifestyle for long term. Eventually you will see that prepackaged meals can be cooked with less calories, fats, sodium or whatever you find more important. This takes time but eventually you will have go to foods you can eat religiously and enjoy.
What happens if the foods you can eat religiously and enjoy are pre-packaged meals?0 -
peazoo1325 wrote: »I believe to be truly successful we need to learn about our eating habits. What we like to eat, how much, and total calories. This is where fitness pal helps. If you are diligent about tracking calories (including weighing) you will learn quickly. From there it becomes choices to find alternate foods that are similar, reduce the quantity, or eliminate the foods altogether.
For most people starting out, this is very hard so it’s common to start buying prepackaged meals with calculated calories. This is okay as the main objective is to change your lifestyle for long term. Eventually you will see that prepackaged meals can be cooked with less calories, fats, sodium or whatever you find more important. This takes time but eventually you will have go to foods you can eat religiously and enjoy.
What happens if the foods you can eat religiously and enjoy are pre-packaged meals?
The results are in, most Americans eat over 70% of their calories from packaged foods because they enjoy them, they're cheap and abundant, and keep almost indefinitely, no refrigeration for almost all of them making them convenient as well. They also have all the nutritional information to make it easier to make smarter choices. Basically UPF have all the characteristics of the ultimate food resource and with consumption of these foods increasing, that's got to tell us, it works. j/k 0 -
neanderthin wrote: »peazoo1325 wrote: »I believe to be truly successful we need to learn about our eating habits. What we like to eat, how much, and total calories. This is where fitness pal helps. If you are diligent about tracking calories (including weighing) you will learn quickly. From there it becomes choices to find alternate foods that are similar, reduce the quantity, or eliminate the foods altogether.
For most people starting out, this is very hard so it’s common to start buying prepackaged meals with calculated calories. This is okay as the main objective is to change your lifestyle for long term. Eventually you will see that prepackaged meals can be cooked with less calories, fats, sodium or whatever you find more important. This takes time but eventually you will have go to foods you can eat religiously and enjoy.
What happens if the foods you can eat religiously and enjoy are pre-packaged meals?
The results are in, most Americans eat over 70% of their calories from packaged foods because they enjoy them, they're cheap and abundant, and keep almost indefinitely, no refrigeration for almost all of them making them convenient as well. They also have all the nutritional information to make it easier to make smarter choices. Basically UPF have all the characteristics of the ultimate food resource and with consumption of these foods increasing, that's got to tell us, it works. j/k
I honestly can’t see the difference it makes if the food you eat is frozen or you suffer in the kitchen to make it. Frozen grilled chicken is still grilled chicken. Frozen broccoli is still broccoli. Frozen rice is still rice. Scratch cooking is honestly not much more than virtue signaling and not a requirement in the slightest to lose weight and maintain that weight. Or to maintain general good health.5 -
neanderthin wrote: »peazoo1325 wrote: »I believe to be truly successful we need to learn about our eating habits. What we like to eat, how much, and total calories. This is where fitness pal helps. If you are diligent about tracking calories (including weighing) you will learn quickly. From there it becomes choices to find alternate foods that are similar, reduce the quantity, or eliminate the foods altogether.
For most people starting out, this is very hard so it’s common to start buying prepackaged meals with calculated calories. This is okay as the main objective is to change your lifestyle for long term. Eventually you will see that prepackaged meals can be cooked with less calories, fats, sodium or whatever you find more important. This takes time but eventually you will have go to foods you can eat religiously and enjoy.
What happens if the foods you can eat religiously and enjoy are pre-packaged meals?
The results are in, most Americans eat over 70% of their calories from packaged foods because they enjoy them, they're cheap and abundant, and keep almost indefinitely, no refrigeration for almost all of them making them convenient as well. They also have all the nutritional information to make it easier to make smarter choices. Basically UPF have all the characteristics of the ultimate food resource and with consumption of these foods increasing, that's got to tell us, it works. j/k
I honestly can’t see the difference it makes if the food you eat is frozen or you suffer in the kitchen to make it. Frozen grilled chicken is still grilled chicken. Frozen broccoli is still broccoli. Frozen rice is still rice. Scratch cooking is honestly not much more than virtue signaling and not a requirement in the slightest to lose weight and maintain that weight. Or to maintain general good health.
You selected frozen whole food, k, your right. Kinda missed my point, but not unexpected. Who wants to cook anymore anyway and lets face it it's only calories that cause weight gain, got it, thanks. Cheers.0 -
caprisun543 wrote: »Brand new member so hoping this app helps me with my problem of eating to much and too many calories. Sometimes I try to eat healthier like fruits and vegetables for a day then I start eating non healthy again the next day. I would like to know how I can eat healthy and not take in as many calories. I would also like help losing weight mostly in stomach area.
What is your definition of unhealthy? You need more than just fruits and vegetables to eat healthfully. Fats and protein are essential to proper nutrition.2 -
neanderthin wrote: »peazoo1325 wrote: »I believe to be truly successful we need to learn about our eating habits. What we like to eat, how much, and total calories. This is where fitness pal helps. If you are diligent about tracking calories (including weighing) you will learn quickly. From there it becomes choices to find alternate foods that are similar, reduce the quantity, or eliminate the foods altogether.
For most people starting out, this is very hard so it’s common to start buying prepackaged meals with calculated calories. This is okay as the main objective is to change your lifestyle for long term. Eventually you will see that prepackaged meals can be cooked with less calories, fats, sodium or whatever you find more important. This takes time but eventually you will have go to foods you can eat religiously and enjoy.
What happens if the foods you can eat religiously and enjoy are pre-packaged meals?
The results are in, most Americans eat over 70% of their calories from packaged foods because they enjoy them, they're cheap and abundant, and keep almost indefinitely, no refrigeration for almost all of them making them convenient as well. They also have all the nutritional information to make it easier to make smarter choices. Basically UPF have all the characteristics of the ultimate food resource and with consumption of these foods increasing, that's got to tell us, it works. j/k
I honestly can’t see the difference it makes if the food you eat is frozen or you suffer in the kitchen to make it. Frozen grilled chicken is still grilled chicken. Frozen broccoli is still broccoli. Frozen rice is still rice. Scratch cooking is honestly not much more than virtue signaling and not a requirement in the slightest to lose weight and maintain that weight. Or to maintain general good health.
I get that you don't want to cook and I accept that.
I suffer when I CAN'T cook. Can you accept that I love to cook and this has nothing to do with virtue signaling?5 -
kshama2001 wrote: »neanderthin wrote: »peazoo1325 wrote: »I believe to be truly successful we need to learn about our eating habits. What we like to eat, how much, and total calories. This is where fitness pal helps. If you are diligent about tracking calories (including weighing) you will learn quickly. From there it becomes choices to find alternate foods that are similar, reduce the quantity, or eliminate the foods altogether.
For most people starting out, this is very hard so it’s common to start buying prepackaged meals with calculated calories. This is okay as the main objective is to change your lifestyle for long term. Eventually you will see that prepackaged meals can be cooked with less calories, fats, sodium or whatever you find more important. This takes time but eventually you will have go to foods you can eat religiously and enjoy.
What happens if the foods you can eat religiously and enjoy are pre-packaged meals?
The results are in, most Americans eat over 70% of their calories from packaged foods because they enjoy them, they're cheap and abundant, and keep almost indefinitely, no refrigeration for almost all of them making them convenient as well. They also have all the nutritional information to make it easier to make smarter choices. Basically UPF have all the characteristics of the ultimate food resource and with consumption of these foods increasing, that's got to tell us, it works. j/k
I honestly can’t see the difference it makes if the food you eat is frozen or you suffer in the kitchen to make it. Frozen grilled chicken is still grilled chicken. Frozen broccoli is still broccoli. Frozen rice is still rice. Scratch cooking is honestly not much more than virtue signaling and not a requirement in the slightest to lose weight and maintain that weight. Or to maintain general good health.
I get that you don't want to cook and I accept that.
I suffer when I CAN'T cook. Can you accept that I love to cook and this has nothing to do with virtue signaling?
This. Plus opening a few tins and packs and mixing it together is a lot different than spending that extra few minutes to get spices and various aromatics right. Sure, I can grab a frozen chicken and veggies and warm them all up, throw a bit of spice and salt over it and eat. But actually cooking these things together gives a totally different taste sensation.1 -
kshama2001 wrote: »neanderthin wrote: »peazoo1325 wrote: »I believe to be truly successful we need to learn about our eating habits. What we like to eat, how much, and total calories. This is where fitness pal helps. If you are diligent about tracking calories (including weighing) you will learn quickly. From there it becomes choices to find alternate foods that are similar, reduce the quantity, or eliminate the foods altogether.
For most people starting out, this is very hard so it’s common to start buying prepackaged meals with calculated calories. This is okay as the main objective is to change your lifestyle for long term. Eventually you will see that prepackaged meals can be cooked with less calories, fats, sodium or whatever you find more important. This takes time but eventually you will have go to foods you can eat religiously and enjoy.
What happens if the foods you can eat religiously and enjoy are pre-packaged meals?
The results are in, most Americans eat over 70% of their calories from packaged foods because they enjoy them, they're cheap and abundant, and keep almost indefinitely, no refrigeration for almost all of them making them convenient as well. They also have all the nutritional information to make it easier to make smarter choices. Basically UPF have all the characteristics of the ultimate food resource and with consumption of these foods increasing, that's got to tell us, it works. j/k
I honestly can’t see the difference it makes if the food you eat is frozen or you suffer in the kitchen to make it. Frozen grilled chicken is still grilled chicken. Frozen broccoli is still broccoli. Frozen rice is still rice. Scratch cooking is honestly not much more than virtue signaling and not a requirement in the slightest to lose weight and maintain that weight. Or to maintain general good health.
I get that you don't want to cook and I accept that.
I suffer when I CAN'T cook. Can you accept that I love to cook and this has nothing to do with virtue signaling?
Yep, for me it's about having control over what goes in the food, but has nothing to fo with being better than anyone else.1 -
kshama2001 wrote: »neanderthin wrote: »peazoo1325 wrote: »I believe to be truly successful we need to learn about our eating habits. What we like to eat, how much, and total calories. This is where fitness pal helps. If you are diligent about tracking calories (including weighing) you will learn quickly. From there it becomes choices to find alternate foods that are similar, reduce the quantity, or eliminate the foods altogether.
For most people starting out, this is very hard so it’s common to start buying prepackaged meals with calculated calories. This is okay as the main objective is to change your lifestyle for long term. Eventually you will see that prepackaged meals can be cooked with less calories, fats, sodium or whatever you find more important. This takes time but eventually you will have go to foods you can eat religiously and enjoy.
What happens if the foods you can eat religiously and enjoy are pre-packaged meals?
The results are in, most Americans eat over 70% of their calories from packaged foods because they enjoy them, they're cheap and abundant, and keep almost indefinitely, no refrigeration for almost all of them making them convenient as well. They also have all the nutritional information to make it easier to make smarter choices. Basically UPF have all the characteristics of the ultimate food resource and with consumption of these foods increasing, that's got to tell us, it works. j/k
I honestly can’t see the difference it makes if the food you eat is frozen or you suffer in the kitchen to make it. Frozen grilled chicken is still grilled chicken. Frozen broccoli is still broccoli. Frozen rice is still rice. Scratch cooking is honestly not much more than virtue signaling and not a requirement in the slightest to lose weight and maintain that weight. Or to maintain general good health.
I get that you don't want to cook and I accept that.
I suffer when I CAN'T cook. Can you accept that I love to cook and this has nothing to do with virtue signaling?
I get that a lot of people enjoy cooking. Heck, I enjoy it if there’s a reason and people to cook for. What frustrates me is the sheer volume of advice that you MUST cook at home from scratch in order to control calories and lose weight. I think for a lot of people it’s a barrier to entry. The advice to go slow and make small changes flies in the face of the advice that weight loss can’t happen unless you cook from scratch. I think that the perspective that ANY food can be part of a healthy diet, even if it comes from a freezer bag or a takeout box is completely woefully understated.1 -
kshama2001 wrote: »neanderthin wrote: »peazoo1325 wrote: »I believe to be truly successful we need to learn about our eating habits. What we like to eat, how much, and total calories. This is where fitness pal helps. If you are diligent about tracking calories (including weighing) you will learn quickly. From there it becomes choices to find alternate foods that are similar, reduce the quantity, or eliminate the foods altogether.
For most people starting out, this is very hard so it’s common to start buying prepackaged meals with calculated calories. This is okay as the main objective is to change your lifestyle for long term. Eventually you will see that prepackaged meals can be cooked with less calories, fats, sodium or whatever you find more important. This takes time but eventually you will have go to foods you can eat religiously and enjoy.
What happens if the foods you can eat religiously and enjoy are pre-packaged meals?
The results are in, most Americans eat over 70% of their calories from packaged foods because they enjoy them, they're cheap and abundant, and keep almost indefinitely, no refrigeration for almost all of them making them convenient as well. They also have all the nutritional information to make it easier to make smarter choices. Basically UPF have all the characteristics of the ultimate food resource and with consumption of these foods increasing, that's got to tell us, it works. j/k
I honestly can’t see the difference it makes if the food you eat is frozen or you suffer in the kitchen to make it. Frozen grilled chicken is still grilled chicken. Frozen broccoli is still broccoli. Frozen rice is still rice. Scratch cooking is honestly not much more than virtue signaling and not a requirement in the slightest to lose weight and maintain that weight. Or to maintain general good health.
I get that you don't want to cook and I accept that.
I suffer when I CAN'T cook. Can you accept that I love to cook and this has nothing to do with virtue signaling?
I get that a lot of people enjoy cooking. Heck, I enjoy it if there’s a reason and people to cook for. What frustrates me is the sheer volume of advice that you MUST cook at home from scratch in order to control calories and lose weight. I think for a lot of people it’s a barrier to entry. The advice to go slow and make small changes flies in the face of the advice that weight loss can’t happen unless you cook from scratch. I think that the perspective that ANY food can be part of a healthy diet, even if it comes from a freezer bag or a takeout box is completely woefully understated.
Sheer volume of advice? I'm sure it's been said, what hasn't been said, but I can't recall anyone say that unless you cook from home from scratch you won't lose weight.
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kshama2001 wrote: »neanderthin wrote: »peazoo1325 wrote: »I believe to be truly successful we need to learn about our eating habits. What we like to eat, how much, and total calories. This is where fitness pal helps. If you are diligent about tracking calories (including weighing) you will learn quickly. From there it becomes choices to find alternate foods that are similar, reduce the quantity, or eliminate the foods altogether.
For most people starting out, this is very hard so it’s common to start buying prepackaged meals with calculated calories. This is okay as the main objective is to change your lifestyle for long term. Eventually you will see that prepackaged meals can be cooked with less calories, fats, sodium or whatever you find more important. This takes time but eventually you will have go to foods you can eat religiously and enjoy.
What happens if the foods you can eat religiously and enjoy are pre-packaged meals?
The results are in, most Americans eat over 70% of their calories from packaged foods because they enjoy them, they're cheap and abundant, and keep almost indefinitely, no refrigeration for almost all of them making them convenient as well. They also have all the nutritional information to make it easier to make smarter choices. Basically UPF have all the characteristics of the ultimate food resource and with consumption of these foods increasing, that's got to tell us, it works. j/k
I honestly can’t see the difference it makes if the food you eat is frozen or you suffer in the kitchen to make it. Frozen grilled chicken is still grilled chicken. Frozen broccoli is still broccoli. Frozen rice is still rice. Scratch cooking is honestly not much more than virtue signaling and not a requirement in the slightest to lose weight and maintain that weight. Or to maintain general good health.
I get that you don't want to cook and I accept that.
I suffer when I CAN'T cook. Can you accept that I love to cook and this has nothing to do with virtue signaling?
This. Plus opening a few tins and packs and mixing it together is a lot different than spending that extra few minutes to get spices and various aromatics right. Sure, I can grab a frozen chicken and veggies and warm them all up, throw a bit of spice and salt over it and eat. But actually cooking these things together gives a totally different taste sensation.
I honestly don’t care much about the difference when it comes to keeping body and souls together. Besides, I can’t air fry a chicken breast in less than 8 minutes and more like 10 or 12. Baking time is even longer, plus the time it takes to empty the oven and find places for all the stuff I store in there. Then you get into finding things for sides and starches and those typically take at least 20 minutes to cook or chop. And then you still have to do all the dishes for that endeavor.
Between my freezer and salad bags, I’m usually in and out in less than 10 minutes and have virtually no dishes to do. Especially since everything in my house goes in the dishwasher (except my knives….don’t mess with my kitchen knives!).
I value convenience over just about everything when it comes to food. If I want a more elaborate dining experience, the lovely people at Door Dash are happy to bring the culinary world to my doorstep. Or I invite people over and cook for them on the weekend. But for the regular day-to-day, I’d rather have my evenings to relax instead of all the unpleasant (for me) work of cooking and cleaning.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »neanderthin wrote: »peazoo1325 wrote: »I believe to be truly successful we need to learn about our eating habits. What we like to eat, how much, and total calories. This is where fitness pal helps. If you are diligent about tracking calories (including weighing) you will learn quickly. From there it becomes choices to find alternate foods that are similar, reduce the quantity, or eliminate the foods altogether.
For most people starting out, this is very hard so it’s common to start buying prepackaged meals with calculated calories. This is okay as the main objective is to change your lifestyle for long term. Eventually you will see that prepackaged meals can be cooked with less calories, fats, sodium or whatever you find more important. This takes time but eventually you will have go to foods you can eat religiously and enjoy.
What happens if the foods you can eat religiously and enjoy are pre-packaged meals?
The results are in, most Americans eat over 70% of their calories from packaged foods because they enjoy them, they're cheap and abundant, and keep almost indefinitely, no refrigeration for almost all of them making them convenient as well. They also have all the nutritional information to make it easier to make smarter choices. Basically UPF have all the characteristics of the ultimate food resource and with consumption of these foods increasing, that's got to tell us, it works. j/k
I honestly can’t see the difference it makes if the food you eat is frozen or you suffer in the kitchen to make it. Frozen grilled chicken is still grilled chicken. Frozen broccoli is still broccoli. Frozen rice is still rice. Scratch cooking is honestly not much more than virtue signaling and not a requirement in the slightest to lose weight and maintain that weight. Or to maintain general good health.
I get that you don't want to cook and I accept that.
I suffer when I CAN'T cook. Can you accept that I love to cook and this has nothing to do with virtue signaling?
I get that a lot of people enjoy cooking. Heck, I enjoy it if there’s a reason and people to cook for. What frustrates me is the sheer volume of advice that you MUST cook at home from scratch in order to control calories and lose weight. I think for a lot of people it’s a barrier to entry. The advice to go slow and make small changes flies in the face of the advice that weight loss can’t happen unless you cook from scratch. I think that the perspective that ANY food can be part of a healthy diet, even if it comes from a freezer bag or a takeout box is completely woefully understated.
This isn't ringing a bell for me. If posters complain that they eat out all the time and aren't losing weight, sure, people will say it will be EASIER if they eat/cook at home. (But not necessarily cook from scratch.) This is to get a better grasp of the calories.
If posters mention lots of food allergies/intolerances, people will definitely suggest cooking from scratch.
I've seen lots of mentions of frozen food. I myself have talked about the convenience of frozen berries. Less often, I have mentioned that frozen peas and corn are a staple for me.
Oh, maybe you are referring to the statement that packaged food calories can vary up to 20%? I don't think that's been accompanied by "and so you MUST cook from scratch." It's more of an "FYI, be aware of this."1 -
sollyn23l2 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »neanderthin wrote: »peazoo1325 wrote: »I believe to be truly successful we need to learn about our eating habits. What we like to eat, how much, and total calories. This is where fitness pal helps. If you are diligent about tracking calories (including weighing) you will learn quickly. From there it becomes choices to find alternate foods that are similar, reduce the quantity, or eliminate the foods altogether.
For most people starting out, this is very hard so it’s common to start buying prepackaged meals with calculated calories. This is okay as the main objective is to change your lifestyle for long term. Eventually you will see that prepackaged meals can be cooked with less calories, fats, sodium or whatever you find more important. This takes time but eventually you will have go to foods you can eat religiously and enjoy.
What happens if the foods you can eat religiously and enjoy are pre-packaged meals?
The results are in, most Americans eat over 70% of their calories from packaged foods because they enjoy them, they're cheap and abundant, and keep almost indefinitely, no refrigeration for almost all of them making them convenient as well. They also have all the nutritional information to make it easier to make smarter choices. Basically UPF have all the characteristics of the ultimate food resource and with consumption of these foods increasing, that's got to tell us, it works. j/k
I honestly can’t see the difference it makes if the food you eat is frozen or you suffer in the kitchen to make it. Frozen grilled chicken is still grilled chicken. Frozen broccoli is still broccoli. Frozen rice is still rice. Scratch cooking is honestly not much more than virtue signaling and not a requirement in the slightest to lose weight and maintain that weight. Or to maintain general good health.
I get that you don't want to cook and I accept that.
I suffer when I CAN'T cook. Can you accept that I love to cook and this has nothing to do with virtue signaling?
Yep, for me it's about having control over what goes in the food, but has nothing to fo with being better than anyone else.
I’d posit that I have as much control or even more since the majority of my food comes with labeling. Plus there’s less food waste, I measure the amount I plan to eat and put it in a bowl. No throwing away odds and ends or pits and peels all over. If I want 80 grams of green beans, I pour out exactly that, so total control. Also no temptation to eat a little more just because now I have a little pile of food that I don’t want to throw away that was more than the amount I want to eat. Granted, I don’t eat “flavored food” just pretty much veggies/ meat/ starch, not frozen lasagna or pizzas. Those are definitely harder to calculate. Basic food though? Nothing more to control than the same food from the produce section/butcher counter.1 -
sollyn23l2 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »neanderthin wrote: »peazoo1325 wrote: »I believe to be truly successful we need to learn about our eating habits. What we like to eat, how much, and total calories. This is where fitness pal helps. If you are diligent about tracking calories (including weighing) you will learn quickly. From there it becomes choices to find alternate foods that are similar, reduce the quantity, or eliminate the foods altogether.
For most people starting out, this is very hard so it’s common to start buying prepackaged meals with calculated calories. This is okay as the main objective is to change your lifestyle for long term. Eventually you will see that prepackaged meals can be cooked with less calories, fats, sodium or whatever you find more important. This takes time but eventually you will have go to foods you can eat religiously and enjoy.
What happens if the foods you can eat religiously and enjoy are pre-packaged meals?
The results are in, most Americans eat over 70% of their calories from packaged foods because they enjoy them, they're cheap and abundant, and keep almost indefinitely, no refrigeration for almost all of them making them convenient as well. They also have all the nutritional information to make it easier to make smarter choices. Basically UPF have all the characteristics of the ultimate food resource and with consumption of these foods increasing, that's got to tell us, it works. j/k
I honestly can’t see the difference it makes if the food you eat is frozen or you suffer in the kitchen to make it. Frozen grilled chicken is still grilled chicken. Frozen broccoli is still broccoli. Frozen rice is still rice. Scratch cooking is honestly not much more than virtue signaling and not a requirement in the slightest to lose weight and maintain that weight. Or to maintain general good health.
I get that you don't want to cook and I accept that.
I suffer when I CAN'T cook. Can you accept that I love to cook and this has nothing to do with virtue signaling?
Yep, for me it's about having control over what goes in the food, but has nothing to fo with being better than anyone else.
I’d posit that I have as much control or even more since the majority of my food comes with labeling. Plus there’s less food waste, I measure the amount I plan to eat and put it in a bowl. No throwing away odds and ends or pits and peels all over. If I want 80 grams of green beans, I pour out exactly that, so total control. Also no temptation to eat a little more just because now I have a little pile of food that I don’t want to throw away that was more than the amount I want to eat. Granted, I don’t eat “flavored food” just pretty much veggies/ meat/ starch, not frozen lasagna or pizzas. Those are definitely harder to calculate. Basic food though? Nothing more to control than the same food from the produce section/butcher counter.
Dude, I couldn't care less whether you or anyone else cooks or not. Yes, of course you can eat in a healthy, sustainable way using frozen veggies and berries. Guess what, it's ok to eat in a completely unhealthy, unsustainable way as well. It doesn't matter. Even The Rock knows it doesn't matter. Nobody's arguing that. Not sure what happened with you, but I'm guessing you felt like someone was judging you. I cook because, with Celiac Disease, I have to hyper control exactly what goes into my food. Is that mentally healthy? No. But I sacrifice a certain amount of mental health so I don't poo my pants.2 -
sollyn23l2 wrote: »sollyn23l2 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »neanderthin wrote: »peazoo1325 wrote: »I believe to be truly successful we need to learn about our eating habits. What we like to eat, how much, and total calories. This is where fitness pal helps. If you are diligent about tracking calories (including weighing) you will learn quickly. From there it becomes choices to find alternate foods that are similar, reduce the quantity, or eliminate the foods altogether.
For most people starting out, this is very hard so it’s common to start buying prepackaged meals with calculated calories. This is okay as the main objective is to change your lifestyle for long term. Eventually you will see that prepackaged meals can be cooked with less calories, fats, sodium or whatever you find more important. This takes time but eventually you will have go to foods you can eat religiously and enjoy.
What happens if the foods you can eat religiously and enjoy are pre-packaged meals?
The results are in, most Americans eat over 70% of their calories from packaged foods because they enjoy them, they're cheap and abundant, and keep almost indefinitely, no refrigeration for almost all of them making them convenient as well. They also have all the nutritional information to make it easier to make smarter choices. Basically UPF have all the characteristics of the ultimate food resource and with consumption of these foods increasing, that's got to tell us, it works. j/k
I honestly can’t see the difference it makes if the food you eat is frozen or you suffer in the kitchen to make it. Frozen grilled chicken is still grilled chicken. Frozen broccoli is still broccoli. Frozen rice is still rice. Scratch cooking is honestly not much more than virtue signaling and not a requirement in the slightest to lose weight and maintain that weight. Or to maintain general good health.
I get that you don't want to cook and I accept that.
I suffer when I CAN'T cook. Can you accept that I love to cook and this has nothing to do with virtue signaling?
Yep, for me it's about having control over what goes in the food, but has nothing to fo with being better than anyone else.
I’d posit that I have as much control or even more since the majority of my food comes with labeling. Plus there’s less food waste, I measure the amount I plan to eat and put it in a bowl. No throwing away odds and ends or pits and peels all over. If I want 80 grams of green beans, I pour out exactly that, so total control. Also no temptation to eat a little more just because now I have a little pile of food that I don’t want to throw away that was more than the amount I want to eat. Granted, I don’t eat “flavored food” just pretty much veggies/ meat/ starch, not frozen lasagna or pizzas. Those are definitely harder to calculate. Basic food though? Nothing more to control than the same food from the produce section/butcher counter.
Dude, I couldn't care less whether you or anyone else cooks or not. Yes, of course you can eat in a healthy, sustainable way using frozen veggies and berries. Guess what, it's ok to eat in a completely unhealthy, unsustainable way as well. It doesn't matter. Even The Rock knows it doesn't matter. Nobody's arguing that. Not sure what happened with you, but I'm guessing you felt like someone was judging you. I cook because, with Celiac Disease, I have to hyper control exactly what goes into my food. Is that mentally healthy? No. But I sacrifice a certain amount of mental health so I don't poo my pants.
Celiac makes it a whole different story. I had gastroparesis several years ago and remember well how challenging all the eliminations diets, liquid diets, low FODMAP diets and all that stuff were. That's probably when I started seeing food as just one more thing to deal with on my to-do list. I didn't have the option of choosing what I wanted to eat, there were hard limits and a short list of what my body could handle. Thankfully that resolved, but I'd still rather just go to bed than mess with dinners or meal prep most nights. I'm sure it's strange on a diet website to not think about food a lot, but I really can't be the only one.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »neanderthin wrote: »peazoo1325 wrote: »I believe to be truly successful we need to learn about our eating habits. What we like to eat, how much, and total calories. This is where fitness pal helps. If you are diligent about tracking calories (including weighing) you will learn quickly. From there it becomes choices to find alternate foods that are similar, reduce the quantity, or eliminate the foods altogether.
For most people starting out, this is very hard so it’s common to start buying prepackaged meals with calculated calories. This is okay as the main objective is to change your lifestyle for long term. Eventually you will see that prepackaged meals can be cooked with less calories, fats, sodium or whatever you find more important. This takes time but eventually you will have go to foods you can eat religiously and enjoy.
What happens if the foods you can eat religiously and enjoy are pre-packaged meals?
The results are in, most Americans eat over 70% of their calories from packaged foods because they enjoy them, they're cheap and abundant, and keep almost indefinitely, no refrigeration for almost all of them making them convenient as well. They also have all the nutritional information to make it easier to make smarter choices. Basically UPF have all the characteristics of the ultimate food resource and with consumption of these foods increasing, that's got to tell us, it works. j/k
I honestly can’t see the difference it makes if the food you eat is frozen or you suffer in the kitchen to make it. Frozen grilled chicken is still grilled chicken. Frozen broccoli is still broccoli. Frozen rice is still rice. Scratch cooking is honestly not much more than virtue signaling and not a requirement in the slightest to lose weight and maintain that weight. Or to maintain general good health.
I get that you don't want to cook and I accept that.
I suffer when I CAN'T cook. Can you accept that I love to cook and this has nothing to do with virtue signaling?
I get that a lot of people enjoy cooking. Heck, I enjoy it if there’s a reason and people to cook for. What frustrates me is the sheer volume of advice that you MUST cook at home from scratch in order to control calories and lose weight. I think for a lot of people it’s a barrier to entry. The advice to go slow and make small changes flies in the face of the advice that weight loss can’t happen unless you cook from scratch. I think that the perspective that ANY food can be part of a healthy diet, even if it comes from a freezer bag or a takeout box is completely woefully understated.
Nah, the good news is that you don't need to cook. It's beneficial to track your calories carefully, and restaurant food or a salad from a deli can be notoriously difficult in that respect, but you should be fine with packaged food with a nutritional label. I'd just put it on a scale as well as there's often more in a package than is indicated. And if you enjoy eating this way? Who are we to judge?1 -
sollyn23l2 wrote: »sollyn23l2 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »neanderthin wrote: »peazoo1325 wrote: »I believe to be truly successful we need to learn about our eating habits. What we like to eat, how much, and total calories. This is where fitness pal helps. If you are diligent about tracking calories (including weighing) you will learn quickly. From there it becomes choices to find alternate foods that are similar, reduce the quantity, or eliminate the foods altogether.
For most people starting out, this is very hard so it’s common to start buying prepackaged meals with calculated calories. This is okay as the main objective is to change your lifestyle for long term. Eventually you will see that prepackaged meals can be cooked with less calories, fats, sodium or whatever you find more important. This takes time but eventually you will have go to foods you can eat religiously and enjoy.
What happens if the foods you can eat religiously and enjoy are pre-packaged meals?
The results are in, most Americans eat over 70% of their calories from packaged foods because they enjoy them, they're cheap and abundant, and keep almost indefinitely, no refrigeration for almost all of them making them convenient as well. They also have all the nutritional information to make it easier to make smarter choices. Basically UPF have all the characteristics of the ultimate food resource and with consumption of these foods increasing, that's got to tell us, it works. j/k
I honestly can’t see the difference it makes if the food you eat is frozen or you suffer in the kitchen to make it. Frozen grilled chicken is still grilled chicken. Frozen broccoli is still broccoli. Frozen rice is still rice. Scratch cooking is honestly not much more than virtue signaling and not a requirement in the slightest to lose weight and maintain that weight. Or to maintain general good health.
I get that you don't want to cook and I accept that.
I suffer when I CAN'T cook. Can you accept that I love to cook and this has nothing to do with virtue signaling?
Yep, for me it's about having control over what goes in the food, but has nothing to fo with being better than anyone else.
I’d posit that I have as much control or even more since the majority of my food comes with labeling. Plus there’s less food waste, I measure the amount I plan to eat and put it in a bowl. No throwing away odds and ends or pits and peels all over. If I want 80 grams of green beans, I pour out exactly that, so total control. Also no temptation to eat a little more just because now I have a little pile of food that I don’t want to throw away that was more than the amount I want to eat. Granted, I don’t eat “flavored food” just pretty much veggies/ meat/ starch, not frozen lasagna or pizzas. Those are definitely harder to calculate. Basic food though? Nothing more to control than the same food from the produce section/butcher counter.
Dude, I couldn't care less whether you or anyone else cooks or not. Yes, of course you can eat in a healthy, sustainable way using frozen veggies and berries. Guess what, it's ok to eat in a completely unhealthy, unsustainable way as well. It doesn't matter. Even The Rock knows it doesn't matter. Nobody's arguing that. Not sure what happened with you, but I'm guessing you felt like someone was judging you. I cook because, with Celiac Disease, I have to hyper control exactly what goes into my food. Is that mentally healthy? No. But I sacrifice a certain amount of mental health so I don't poo my pants.
Celiac makes it a whole different story. I had gastroparesis several years ago and remember well how challenging all the eliminations diets, liquid diets, low FODMAP diets and all that stuff were. That's probably when I started seeing food as just one more thing to deal with on my to-do list. I didn't have the option of choosing what I wanted to eat, there were hard limits and a short list of what my body could handle. Thankfully that resolved, but I'd still rather just go to bed than mess with dinners or meal prep most nights. I'm sure it's strange on a diet website to not think about food a lot, but I really can't be the only one.
That's great that you've been able to find that balance. I get it. There's nothing in the world wrong with finding a way of eating and making your meals in a way that works for you. That's awesome. I refuse to prep/cook anything that takes over 20-30 minutes. Ideally everyone finds their own way.0
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