Anything on the menu?

mrandredparis

When I first hit the trails running on a diet I read certain items should be removed, like bread or grain items but now I understand that anything can be on the menu just so long as you control your intake. For example there was a guy named John Cisna who went on a McDonald's diet, he wrote about it in My McDonald's diet, he even toured with sponsorship at schools around America. There's intermittent fasting where you can eat only during certain hours of the day. And there's diets where you whip up what you like and just eat 5-6 times(3 meals and 2-3 snacks )a day, tracking everything in a diet journal (MFP). But what really works long term or is it just you decide and you stick with it and it works?

AnnPT77

The thing that's long-term easiest and happiest for you, results in good health/energy for you, and gets you to your goals and keeps you there, is the best.

I think mostly whole foods, good overall nutrition on average, and appropriate calories on average (whether a person literally counts the calories or not) is going to be the best for the majority of people. But there's a lot of potential variability in that spectrum that still is IN that spectrum.

Daily habits, the things we do on repeat the majority of our days almost on autopilot, are a power tool in all of the above, IMO. We can change those habits from less productive ones to more productive ones, if we try things, notice our reactions, and proceed in positive ways.

You could take a look at the US National Weight Control Registry, and studies done with that cohort, for some ideas.

http://www.nwcr.ws/

mrandredparis

AnnPT77 wrote: »

The thing that's long-term easiest and happiest for you, results in good health/energy for you, and gets you to your goals and keeps you there, is the best.

I think mostly whole foods, good overall nutrition on average, and appropriate calories on average (whether a person literally counts the calories or not) is going to be the best for the majority of people. But there's a lot of potential variability in that spectrum that still is IN that spectrum.

Daily habits, the things we do on repeat the majority of our days almost on autopilot, are a power tool in all of the above, IMO. We can change those habits from less productive ones to more productive ones, if we try things, notice our reactions, and proceed in positive ways.

You could take a look at the US National Weight Control Registry, and studies done with that cohort, for some ideas.

http://www.nwcr.ws/

Well I eat a mostly Mediterranean diet now, but I get most of my protein from animal products like chicken and fish, a small bit of tofu and I don't have bread (as it's a choking hazard). But I was looking for more of a debate on the subject

COGypsy

I think the key part of your post is the "stick with it". You will find as many ways to eat as there are people eating and any of them can lead to weight loss, given a calorie deficit. Going on some special "diet" and returning to "normal" eating afterwards is usually a recipe for regaining the lost weight. Figuring out the foods and timing that work best for your preferences and lifestyle and then consistently following those guidelines you've set for yourself is most likely to lead to ongoing weight loss success.

My n=1 is that I enjoy a protein and carb focused diet. I don't find fat satiating, if I need something to sustain me for a long stretch of the day, a potato with chopped carne asada and salsa is my go to. I don't fast, it makes me too grumpy for other people to tolerate. I also don't like to cook for one, so I do so only minimally. I eat a lot of frozen vegetables and meat with various seasonings that I can either air fry or microwave and I pretty typically eat out 3-4 times a week. I lost 40 pounds and have maintained that loss for nearly a decade eating this way. I guarantee you that there are zero influencers promoting my way of eating, yet it's been incredibly effective for me personally.

I find that most of the people who promote any kind of "One True Way to Eat" are either new converts or stand to gain something from bringing people onboard to that way of eating.

Alatariel75

For me, it's what I can stick with long term in a varied and busy life. Diets which involve "breaking" it by having something banned and then having to "restart" or "get back on the horse" just do not work for me mentally. By this I mean paleo, keto and the like where whole food groups are on the "no" list.

For me, I do eat 90% whole unprocessed food, and I naturally minimise many carbs (pasta, rice, bread) simply because I actually don't love them and I'm generally happy without them. But it would be bad for my mental state for, when on the rare occasion I do have a spaghetti marinara and some garlic bread, to feel that I "broke" my diet and have to get back on track.

This is why MFP works for me, because I log it, maybe compensate for it by adjusting calories for a couple of days, and move on. It takes so much stress out. I ensure that my diet includes a large amount of a variety of vegetables, lean and/or high quality proteins etc, and I apply a pretty broad and (if I do say so myself) extensive nutritional knowledge to what I eat, so it's not just a matter of me making it fir the numbers.

AnnPT77

mrandredparis wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

The thing that's long-term easiest and happiest for you, results in good health/energy for you, and gets you to your goals and keeps you there, is the best.

I think mostly whole foods, good overall nutrition on average, and appropriate calories on average (whether a person literally counts the calories or not) is going to be the best for the majority of people. But there's a lot of potential variability in that spectrum that still is IN that spectrum.

Daily habits, the things we do on repeat the majority of our days almost on autopilot, are a power tool in all of the above, IMO. We can change those habits from less productive ones to more productive ones, if we try things, notice our reactions, and proceed in positive ways.

You could take a look at the US National Weight Control Registry, and studies done with that cohort, for some ideas.

http://www.nwcr.ws/

Well I eat a mostly Mediterranean diet now, but I get most of my protein from animal products like chicken and fish, a small bit of tofu and I don't have bread (as it's a choking hazard). But I was looking for more of a debate on the subject

So my opinion isn't sufficiently controversial? (<== I'm kidding around here. )

Personally, I don't fast, I don't low carb, I do calorie count (most of the time, now in year 8+ of maintaining) because as a data geek with an analytic nature overall that makes sense for me.

I do best with a solid breakfast with plenty of protein, protein through the day, and some high volume food at some point during the day, usually a truly big lot of veggies at dinner, but it varies. I set myself a protein minimum and fats minimum in grams, don't mind if I exceed those; and don't care how many carbs I eat as long as calories average out where I need them. I try to eat enough varied, colorful veggies and fruit that I get the necessary micronutrients and fiber from food, to the extent possible. Since I like nearly all veggies and fruits, that's mostly easy.

The majority of what I eat is whole food, but there are some traditional processed foods in the mix (cheese, tofu, yogurt, tempeh, and the like) and small amounts of what most would consider highly processed or treat foods. I think it's good to eat some probiotic foods (live culture yogurt/kefir, miso, raw vinegar, etc.). I drink alcohol occasionally.

I have rare days occasionally where I ignore my usual nutritional or calorie goals, which I think is NBD.

I don't eat foods that I think are yucky. I try to mostly eat foods I actively enjoy. Since I'm not generally a picky eater, that's easy.

I'm ovo-lacto vegetarian, and have been for 50+ years, thin to overweight to obese and back to thin again. I don't think vegetarianism is inherently or necessarily healthier or better or more moral than being an omnivore . . . nor less so either. (Before becoming widowed, I was happily married for 21 years to an omnivore who was also a hunter.)

I think "pretty good on average" is a reasonable nutritional standard. I think nutrition is important, but there are various reasonable paths to accomplish it. I think sustainable nutrition needs to help create overall good life balance for an individual: Be a good balance of nutrition, tastiness, satiation, practicality, and affordability.

I think it's likely that certain eating habits contribute more than others to good long-term health than others, but the research keeps evolving, and my best bet is there's not "one true and universal best way". Others will debate that, I suspect, because there are "one true way" posts here sometimes. I agree with the post above that those folks are often new converts, or think maybe they've just found an eating routine that's so revolutionarily wonderful for them that they think it's Universal Revealed Truth. If the latter reason, yay them, but I'm not going to hop on their bus because what I do is working fine for me so far.

As you can see, I have lots of personal food preferences . . . but I think it would be silly for me to think that those are true for everyone, especially after years of reading posts here from people who eat very differently but also have good health outcomes, maintain a healthy weight, and are generally happy with what they eat.

Occasionally, I'll debate someone here who advocates something I think is truly unhealthful, especially if they're advocating for others to do that thing. Otherwise, I think most people can find their own best path.

What do you feel needs to be debated? I didn't find your personal eating style particularly debatable, either.

neanderthin

It's complicated. It's challenging for many people to maintain their weight despite their awareness of the risks. I don't believe you can rely on examples to try and emulate or use as justification as in your example of a McDonalds diet.

Most people don't have the knowledge of food science and human biology to assess if something is based on a sound foundation or is aimed to advance corporate interests and profits. The influence of corporations on food science and nutrition research can indeed impact the credibility and perceived trustworthiness of their message. The cholesterol hypothesis also known as the lipid hypothesis is a good example, that changed everything and I mean everything. Kids didn't have a chance with tony the tiger saying Kellogg's Frosted flakes "They're Grrreat!" There are no RCT's on mortality and never will be which leaves the nutritional waters, as clear as mud. imo

paperpudding

When I started losing weight I didnt remove anything from my diet.

Except full sugar soda - not something essential for everyone to remove but easy swap for sugar free which I like just as much and is just as easily available.

I did reduce my frequency and portion size of calorie dense things and start eating more of low calorie things like vegetables.

Re wanting a debate - I dont think there is anything to debate - as long as your intake is reasonably nutritious and balanced most of the time and your calories are around the right amount most of the time, over the long term (whether you count them or monitor some other way or intuitively do so) then you will be successful and healthy

Eat 10 times a day, once a day, at whatever times you like- all that is just personal preference - what matters is doing something you like and is sustainable for you over the long term.

and that doesn't have to be the same all the time - eg perhaps you eat breakfast on days you are working and not on weekends or whatever.

nossmf

Can a human body lose weight while still including all sorts of foods? Sure, lots of examples around MFP, including when I lost 50 pounds while still eating burgers, pizza, ice cream, etc, just applying proper portion control.

Can YOU lose weight while still including all sorts of foods? Ah, that's a question which has to be answered on a person-by-person basis. Some people's body chemistry cannot process certain foods and must do without; some people do not possess the willpower to apply portion control to certain foods and so choose to cut them out to prevent temptation.

AmunahSki

Lost the weight I wanted to lose by using MFP monitoring calories in/calories out, and as I continued into maintenance I still eat all the same things - just a little more of it, with a bit more alcohol and the occasional special treat. The beauty of this method is that I rarely (feel the need to) overindulge.

In fact, for the upcoming holidays, I’ve decided to lose a little to give myself a nice buffer, and simply cutting out all alcohol and the occasional dessert I’m losing about half a pound a week - and I don’t feel at all deprived. Trust the process (and the maths). This is mentally such a game changer.

I see a lot of posts from people looking for motivation or willpower… but those people don’t tend to stick around for long. Fads will come and go, it’s the habits you shape that will literally shape you!