How do you eat what you want and lose weight??

nomnomgoodies

Thanks for all the replies! You're all right now that I really look at it. I could eat a lot of different food rather than the yogurt. I think my main focus should be fixing what being "full" means to me. The main reason I eat so much yogurt is, because I like having a lot of food to eat.

JustSomeEm

So, I eat whatever I want almost whenever I want. I am just careful about the portion sizes, and if I KNOW I want something really fattening (or if I unexpectedly HAD something really fattening) I move my butt just a little more than I normally would. For me that means an extra mile on my run, or an unplanned run. Sometimes it means more yard work (my yard looks better this year than it has in quite a while). I wouldn't be able to handle this journey successfully if it wasn't for exercise. I NEED chocolate sometimes. LOL!

AbsolutelyAnnie

Hi!

It all feels a little daunting doesn't it? I know that for some people certain foods can act as triggers to over eat. I also know that I can get worried that I will be hungry, but I have found that being a little hungry is not necessarily a bad thing. Ravenous is not good, but a little rumble in the tummy lets me know my body is ready to eat.

Mentally and emotionally, it will be much harder to stick to a new way of eating if you get into a rut or if you view certain foods as "bad". For me, a cookie can bring satisfaction in a way that a carrot stick never will. However, five cookies will not. And seeing the scale move and the tape measure tighten is more satisfying than any cookie. The trick for a lot of us is breaking the emotional bondage food has over us. "It is only food." Rinse and repeat as needed.

Variety and satisfaction go a long way in making this journey enjoyable as well as successful. Send out friend requests so you have a chance to see other food diary entries. Mine is not super creative, but I'd be happy to be a friend.

Unless you are under a doctor's care for a specific medical issue that restricts sugars or cholesterol, you should try to keep your focus on calories in / calories out. You can make room for all different kinds of food and still stay in your calorie allotment.

((( Not to jump on the bandwagon, but 4 yogurts a day seems like a lot of dairy. My system couldn't handle that much. I'd be constipated in two days. And I'd be bored out of my skull and much more likely to fall into a cookie jar. )))

serindipte

BREAKFAST: 2 yogurts (120), half a PB&J sandwich (98) (218).

LUNCH: Tuna (90), salsa (10), 10g onions (5) (105), boiled egg (70), 2 yogurts (120) (295).

SNACK: Nature Valley granola bar (190).

DINNER: shirataki noodles (0), 308g stir fry zucchini (52), 70g onions (31), 116g carrots (48), 8g garlic chili oil (35), 1/4 tsp olive oil (10), 1 tbsp fish sauce (9) (185), 9 turkey meatballs (240) (425).

SNACK: 175g pomegranate (145), 4 cups Carbmaster vanilla yogurt (320).
1593 calories.

Typical day for me:

Breakfast: Egg whites, low-cal toast, spray butter: 90 cal
Lunch: Salad mix (Green leaf, spinach, broccoli, carrots), Low-fat Italian dressing, Chicken breast: 150 cal
Dinner: Fish, chicken, turkey or pork, veggies, small carb serving (usually brown/wild rice or baked sweet potato): 400 - 600 calories

On my 1460 allowance, this leaves me 820 to 620 for snacks. I know me and I'm a grazer in the evenings. I don't always snack on junk food, sometimes it's tuna, carrots, cucumber, whatever I'm in the mood for but I could easily put some of the calories back into dinner if I wanted pizza or a hamburger.

Yesterday, I stayed within my allowances and had fried chicken at lunch and a Whopper Jr with fries for dinner along with a baby Snickers in the evening.

Plot out your day, make room for what you want and, as the others asked.. Why so much yogurt?

Shazzyb71

If I want to have a specific meal at dinner, for example, I budget my calories for the day around it. And I exercise - seriously, nothing is more motivating to get out and go for a walk or a run or something than knowing I can then eat MORE during the day! :happy:

Last weekend I went on a 6 mile like with ~1000 ft. elevation gain and then ate five - yes, 5 - pieces of pizza for dinner and it 100% fit in my calories for the day. But I knew I wanted pizza for dinner so I had smaller meals earlier and earned a whole bunch of extra calories through exercise.

Basically this !!!

If you want a treat, eat less the rest of the day and exercise. That's what I do and it definitely works :-)

tedsmama

Balance. I pre log my meals. I always make sure I log myself decent sized meals and whatever I have for leftover calories I can use for extra things that I want. If it is a portion control issue (4 cups yogurt?), once you start cutting back on serving sizes it gets easier after a few days. Good luck!!!

FatFreeFrolicking

I think I've become used to eating a huge bowl of yogurt mixed with fruit at night. I do enjoy it, but should I focus on trying to get more protein in meat instead?

Are you eating regular yogurt or greek yogurt? Greek yogurt has a good amount of protein.

I buy Dannon light & fit greek yogurt quarts. 1 cup = 130 calories and 18 g protein

nomnomgoodies

I think it is a problem of portion control for me. I tend to save up my calories for dinner and snack at night, because I like having a lot to eat at the end of the day, but my breakfast and lunch tend to be a lot smaller.

caminoslo

I've seen a lot of members that eat what they enjoy (chips, cake, ice cream, etc.) and continue losing weight. I know it's all about moderation, but how does this actually work? I feel like if I used 200 calories on cookies versus 200 calories on yogurt, I'd end up getting hungry later. Because of that, my diet is really restricted, and I basically end up eating the same thing every day. I don't mind that now, but I feel like it won't help me in the future. Here's what a normal school day would look like for me.

BREAKFAST: 2 yogurts (120), half a PB&J sandwich (98) (218).

LUNCH: Tuna (90), salsa (10), 10g onions (5) (105), boiled egg (70), 2 yogurts (120) (295).

SNACK: Nature Valley granola bar (190).

DINNER: shirataki noodles (0), 308g stir fry zucchini (52), 70g onions (31), 116g carrots (48), 8g garlic chili oil (35), 1/4 tsp olive oil (10), 1 tbsp fish sauce (9) (185), 9 turkey meatballs (240) (425).

SNACK: 175g pomegranate (145), 4 cups Carbmaster vanilla yogurt (320).
1593 calories.

I would really like to eat the things I enjoy, but I don't even eat Vietnamese food anymore, because it's too hard to calculate the calories. I'd also like to enjoy hamburgers and sweets again, but whenever I consider making room for a hamburger, I end up thinking, "Is it really worth it to use 500+ calories on something so small?" The farthest I go to letting myself have something I enjoy is limiting myself to a PB&J banana sandwich on the weekends. At this point, I'm pretty sure I worry about quantity rather than quality. I'd rather have a lot of something I'm okay with eating versus a little bit of something I really want to eat so I can feel full.

It's spring break now, and I'm really tempted to eat whatever I want for the week. How can I change my mindset on food?

Maybe you should try LOW carb diet or paleo. There's lots if things you can eat. For example you can eat a hamburger without the bun.

runningforicecream

Tbh, I make it fit. I know that sounds vague but I find it just so much fun adjusting my calories for the day. Fitting in a piece of cake here, a cup of ice cream there. Sometimes, I can fit in a whole pint of ice cream, sometimes I go over. Waaaay over. No biggies. I'll just move more to bring it back down.

If you really like the yogurt, there's nothing wrong in spending your calories there. But if you're eating it just for the sake of taking in that amount of calories, why not find something else that's equal in calories but that you actually like? Lots of food out there.

Life is way too short to eat things you don't like and to leave out the things you do.

xenu01

1. If you plan for that 500 calories at dinner (hell, make it 700 and have fries, too), you know all day it's coming and can plan accordingly. Have something light but filling for breakfast like oatmeal (why ARE you eating so much yogurt?) and then something lean but filling for lunch, like grilled chicken on a tortilla with a little bit of tomato sauce, and a green salad with a moderate amount of dressing (don't bother with light dressings, which are full of sugar).

2. Hey, look, you're not a machine, and neither is your body. You can go over your calories every now and again, like once a week, and still be a-ok.

nomnomgoodies

I actually do enjoy yogurt, and it's how I get some protein in. But I know I should probably scale back the amount of yogurt at night.

eric_sg61

I pre-log, I know my triggers, I have discipline, and I know generally what I require everyday.

wilsoje74

I actually do enjoy yogurt, and it's how I get some protein in. But I know I should probably scale back the amount of yogurt at night.

Is this Greek yogurt?

_SarahVasquez

I checked out a book from my university library called "Run your butt off". It's about knowing how much calories your body needs to survive and subtracting 500 calories (deficit) each day from your weekly deficit. Remember 1 pound is 3,500 calories so you have to divide that up by 7 days to create a 500 calories deficit for the day (to loose 1 pound a week). It's good to do 4 times a week of exercising. Even walking 30 minutes today outside or on a treadmill will burn calories or going for a 45 minute walk at a good walking speed for your dog could easily burn 70 or more calories (depending on your weight). The book I checked out was called "Run your butt off" ( it's like 5 bucks on amazon) it's a great book that starts you off slowly from walking to running 2 minutes and walking 3 minutes until running a full 30 minutes. Have patience with your body and try counting nutrients more than calories, after all the nutrient rich foods tend to be low calorie any how (excluding the nut group which is high in calories and nutrients). Also visualizing where you want to be also puts your self in a positive direction and gives your mind a picture of who you want to be in the coming weeks. & lastly measure everything you eat and drink. I use my generic measuring cup when I want to drink milk or an apple juice or popcorn. That helps me stay within moderation. Good luck & keep focused!

blueorchid1610

Moderation is definitely key. Do you like to cook? There are so many lower calorie recipes out there now and so many great healthy food options--I don't even get cravings anymore. If I do, I have no problem eating whatever I crave because it barely affects my daily calories. I'd definitely recommend looking at a wider variety of foods and recipes.

zeal26

I don't eat *everything* I want (for example, Pringles are my weakness and I literally cannot eat them in moderation so I avoid them entirely) but for the most part I am not depriving myself at all. For me, it is all about portion sizes. I will often decide that X isn't worth the calories at that particular time, but when I really want it I have it, log it and fit the rest of my day in.

So far today (it's 5:14pm) I've had:

Oatmeal made with low-fat milk, and 1 teaspoon of sugar

Nutrigrain breakfast bar
String cheese
2 x Crackerbread

Roast dinner (Much smaller portions than I used to have, but still very satisfying)

70g Cookies and Cream Icecream

I've used 956 calories so far and burned 300. For supper I'll be having a bowl of homemade soup and a scone. And I'll use the rest of my calories on snacks like berries/fruit, crackers, cereal, cheese, whatever I feel like and can fit in really. Maybe a mug of hot chocolate. It has taken a while to get used to eating less of things but I no longer feel like I'm missing out.

runningforicecream

I actually do enjoy yogurt, and it's how I get some protein in. But I know I should probably scale back the amount of yogurt at night.

Then eat it. Just fit it in, both in calories and macros. And it doesn't really matter when you eat it. You can eat all your calories in one meal in the middle of the night if you want. Calories in, calories out.