Eat what you want
Options
Replies
-
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »maillemaker wrote: »For example, I want to eat baby back ribs. But I'd want to eat a whole rack of them. But that's about 1300 calories and I only get 1600 calories for the entire day.
Generally, the things I want to eat are super calorie dense, which means you get have to eat a tiny portion or you've blown a large portion of your daily allotment. And I find that limiting good food to tiny portions takes even more willpower than just sticking to "OK" food. So I tend to stick to things that aren't so calorie dense. They are "OK" to eat, but not what I'd really prefer to be eating. But that's what it takes to make 1600 calories last all day and be able to eat food all day long.
So isn't the trick teaching yourself to want the foods in smaller portions or to want more lower calorie foods?
I can eat a huge burger, but when I want a burger, I actually do simply want a tasty burger that will fill me up. That "want" can be met, most of the time, by a reasonably low calorie burger I make at home and combine with some veggies.
I love pulled pork (which is really calorie dense), but I've found I'm happy eating a smaller portion (NOT tiny, and I'm a reasonably small woman) with a bunch of veggies--it's filling and satisfies my desire for the food.
I'm sure that works for some people. But what makes you happy won't necessarily make everyone happy. I'd rather not have baby back ribs either if I can't have at least one full rack. Some people might be satisfied with a small portion of ribs, but not me.
If that works for you, that's great.
The poster I was responding to has this attitude like he just can't eat what he wants to eat ever and seems to be extremely pessimistic or down about it a lot of the time, like he feels like it's unfair, so I wanted to point out that we do, in fact, have some control over what we want. It's not set in stone.
I agree that there are some foods that I'd just as soon not eat unless I've made room in my day or week for the calorie hit--Indian food is basically that way for me, so I just have it maybe once a month and don't worry about trying to cut calories. But if I felt like this meant that on a daily basis I couldn't eat what I wanted, that would be harder.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »maillemaker wrote: »For example, I want to eat baby back ribs. But I'd want to eat a whole rack of them. But that's about 1300 calories and I only get 1600 calories for the entire day.
Generally, the things I want to eat are super calorie dense, which means you get have to eat a tiny portion or you've blown a large portion of your daily allotment. And I find that limiting good food to tiny portions takes even more willpower than just sticking to "OK" food. So I tend to stick to things that aren't so calorie dense. They are "OK" to eat, but not what I'd really prefer to be eating. But that's what it takes to make 1600 calories last all day and be able to eat food all day long.
So isn't the trick teaching yourself to want the foods in smaller portions or to want more lower calorie foods?
I can eat a huge burger, but when I want a burger, I actually do simply want a tasty burger that will fill me up. That "want" can be met, most of the time, by a reasonably low calorie burger I make at home and combine with some veggies.
I love pulled pork (which is really calorie dense), but I've found I'm happy eating a smaller portion (NOT tiny, and I'm a reasonably small woman) with a bunch of veggies--it's filling and satisfies my desire for the food.
I'm sure that works for some people. But what makes you happy won't necessarily make everyone happy. I'd rather not have baby back ribs either if I can't have at least one full rack. Some people might be satisfied with a small portion of ribs, but not me.
If that works for you, that's great.
The poster I was responding to has this attitude like he just can't eat what he wants to eat ever and seems to be extremely pessimistic or down about it a lot of the time, like he feels like it's unfair, so I wanted to point out that we do, in fact, have some control over what we want. It's not set in stone.
I'm not sure I agree. We can change what we choose. That doesn't necessarily make us not want whatever we are choosing not to eat.0 -
It would be a lie if I said I ate what I want to lose weight. Of course not. I ate what I wanted before I lost weight which is why I needed to lose weight. Now, I didn't demonize anything. I didn't go into thinking I would never have a piece of cake again, but I did cut the majority of that type of stuff out while losing weight just because I didn't think the calories were worth it.0
-
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »maillemaker wrote: »For example, I want to eat baby back ribs. But I'd want to eat a whole rack of them. But that's about 1300 calories and I only get 1600 calories for the entire day.
Generally, the things I want to eat are super calorie dense, which means you get have to eat a tiny portion or you've blown a large portion of your daily allotment. And I find that limiting good food to tiny portions takes even more willpower than just sticking to "OK" food. So I tend to stick to things that aren't so calorie dense. They are "OK" to eat, but not what I'd really prefer to be eating. But that's what it takes to make 1600 calories last all day and be able to eat food all day long.
So isn't the trick teaching yourself to want the foods in smaller portions or to want more lower calorie foods?
I can eat a huge burger, but when I want a burger, I actually do simply want a tasty burger that will fill me up. That "want" can be met, most of the time, by a reasonably low calorie burger I make at home and combine with some veggies.
I love pulled pork (which is really calorie dense), but I've found I'm happy eating a smaller portion (NOT tiny, and I'm a reasonably small woman) with a bunch of veggies--it's filling and satisfies my desire for the food.
I'm sure that works for some people. But what makes you happy won't necessarily make everyone happy. I'd rather not have baby back ribs either if I can't have at least one full rack. Some people might be satisfied with a small portion of ribs, but not me.
If that works for you, that's great.
The poster I was responding to has this attitude like he just can't eat what he wants to eat ever and seems to be extremely pessimistic or down about it a lot of the time, like he feels like it's unfair, so I wanted to point out that we do, in fact, have some control over what we want. It's not set in stone.
I'm not sure I agree. We can change what we choose. That doesn't necessarily make us not want whatever we are choosing not to eat.
I'm assuming that most people who like food a lot want to eat more foods than they actually can (whether because their appetite runs out or they exercise self control). If you showed me all my favorite foods and asked me if I wanted to eat them, I'd probably say yes.
But that doesn't mean that every day I don't eat all of them (meaning every day, obviously) that I am not eating what I want. I choose between foods I want.
Also, for most adults (I'd hope) what we want is determined by a lot more than simply taste preferences. I might enjoy two meals equally well based on taste, but want one more than the other because it contributed more nutritionally or would make me feel better or just because after a while I want diversity.
I find that eating something also tends to cause you to want it more. In my mid 20s I'd eat veggies at restaurants, but rarely bother cooking them at home, and I never thought I missed them. Once I started cooking them a lot and seeking out veggies that are in season or that I particularly like, I started wanting them -- we do have a lot of control over these things.
Maybe I'm lucky in that there are plenty of foods I want, so I never feel like I don't want what I'm eating or that I'm deprived because I'm eating it instead of something else, but I suspect this is actually quite common.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »maillemaker wrote: »For example, I want to eat baby back ribs. But I'd want to eat a whole rack of them. But that's about 1300 calories and I only get 1600 calories for the entire day.
Generally, the things I want to eat are super calorie dense, which means you get have to eat a tiny portion or you've blown a large portion of your daily allotment. And I find that limiting good food to tiny portions takes even more willpower than just sticking to "OK" food. So I tend to stick to things that aren't so calorie dense. They are "OK" to eat, but not what I'd really prefer to be eating. But that's what it takes to make 1600 calories last all day and be able to eat food all day long.
So isn't the trick teaching yourself to want the foods in smaller portions or to want more lower calorie foods?
I can eat a huge burger, but when I want a burger, I actually do simply want a tasty burger that will fill me up. That "want" can be met, most of the time, by a reasonably low calorie burger I make at home and combine with some veggies.
I love pulled pork (which is really calorie dense), but I've found I'm happy eating a smaller portion (NOT tiny, and I'm a reasonably small woman) with a bunch of veggies--it's filling and satisfies my desire for the food.
I'm sure that works for some people. But what makes you happy won't necessarily make everyone happy. I'd rather not have baby back ribs either if I can't have at least one full rack. Some people might be satisfied with a small portion of ribs, but not me.
If that works for you, that's great.
The poster I was responding to has this attitude like he just can't eat what he wants to eat ever and seems to be extremely pessimistic or down about it a lot of the time, like he feels like it's unfair, so I wanted to point out that we do, in fact, have some control over what we want. It's not set in stone.
I'm not sure I agree. We can change what we choose. That doesn't necessarily make us not want whatever we are choosing not to eat.
But..the OP wasnt despondent about the foods chosen, but about not being able to eat the foods wanted. So yeah, definitely makes sense to show that being able to eat the foods you want is an actual viable option.
For you, it seems to be different..like you said, if you cant eat a full rack of ribs, you dont want to eat any ribs at all. That for you is your choice..to view this as all or none and decide you will just never eat ribs again, and you are happy with your choice to do so.
Others though, would much rather be able to still eat foods that they want, and willing to do so in moderation rather than cut it out of their lives forever, and are happy with their choice to do so.
One is not better than the other..whatever works for a person as an individual and makes them feel fulfilled while still reaching their goals. Just that, when seeing someone so miserable because they feel they can never eat foods they want again, theres nothing wrong with clarifying that it is possible to do so. This process should not make someone feel miserable, its to be healthy, fit and feel good about yourself.
I would not feel good about myself if I could never eat certain foods I enjoy again. So its not something I chose to do to myself. Simple.0 -
Only 20 pounds so far, but yes. Last weekend, I had a cheeseburger on Friday and pancakes on Saturday. Tonight is penne and meatballs. I usually have a chocolate chip cookie or some ice cream almost every day. For me, the key is portion control and some sensible swaps. Single cheeseburger instead of a double, whole grain pancakes with blueberries instead of loads of butter. Three meatballs, not seven. One cookie instead of six.
Things like that are why I think I will finally be successful in my weight loss. In the past, I would tell myself that if I wanted to lose weight, I'd never be able to eat pizza or chips or cake again. Ever. That would work for a few weeks, then I'd go nuts and binge like crazy then beat myself up. Not to mention how grumpy and downright mean I was to everyone around me. I'd almost given up on ever losing weight. Thank goodness for mfp.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »maillemaker wrote: »For example, I want to eat baby back ribs. But I'd want to eat a whole rack of them. But that's about 1300 calories and I only get 1600 calories for the entire day.
Generally, the things I want to eat are super calorie dense, which means you get have to eat a tiny portion or you've blown a large portion of your daily allotment. And I find that limiting good food to tiny portions takes even more willpower than just sticking to "OK" food. So I tend to stick to things that aren't so calorie dense. They are "OK" to eat, but not what I'd really prefer to be eating. But that's what it takes to make 1600 calories last all day and be able to eat food all day long.
So isn't the trick teaching yourself to want the foods in smaller portions or to want more lower calorie foods?
I can eat a huge burger, but when I want a burger, I actually do simply want a tasty burger that will fill me up. That "want" can be met, most of the time, by a reasonably low calorie burger I make at home and combine with some veggies.
I love pulled pork (which is really calorie dense), but I've found I'm happy eating a smaller portion (NOT tiny, and I'm a reasonably small woman) with a bunch of veggies--it's filling and satisfies my desire for the food.
I agree. I think that the desire to overeat on portion size is effectively broken thinking and wanting to cling to bad behavior we all had around food that made us overweight in the first place.
It's desirable, to my way of thinking, to strive fix it.
0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »maillemaker wrote: »For example, I want to eat baby back ribs. But I'd want to eat a whole rack of them. But that's about 1300 calories and I only get 1600 calories for the entire day.
Generally, the things I want to eat are super calorie dense, which means you get have to eat a tiny portion or you've blown a large portion of your daily allotment. And I find that limiting good food to tiny portions takes even more willpower than just sticking to "OK" food. So I tend to stick to things that aren't so calorie dense. They are "OK" to eat, but not what I'd really prefer to be eating. But that's what it takes to make 1600 calories last all day and be able to eat food all day long.
So isn't the trick teaching yourself to want the foods in smaller portions or to want more lower calorie foods?
I can eat a huge burger, but when I want a burger, I actually do simply want a tasty burger that will fill me up. That "want" can be met, most of the time, by a reasonably low calorie burger I make at home and combine with some veggies.
I love pulled pork (which is really calorie dense), but I've found I'm happy eating a smaller portion (NOT tiny, and I'm a reasonably small woman) with a bunch of veggies--it's filling and satisfies my desire for the food.
I'm sure that works for some people. But what makes you happy won't necessarily make everyone happy. I'd rather not have baby back ribs either if I can't have at least one full rack. Some people might be satisfied with a small portion of ribs, but not me.
If that works for you, that's great.
The poster I was responding to has this attitude like he just can't eat what he wants to eat ever and seems to be extremely pessimistic or down about it a lot of the time, like he feels like it's unfair, so I wanted to point out that we do, in fact, have some control over what we want. It's not set in stone.
I'm not sure I agree. We can change what we choose. That doesn't necessarily make us not want whatever we are choosing not to eat.
But..the OP wasnt despondent about the foods chosen, but about not being able to eat the foods wanted. So yeah, definitely makes sense to show that being able to eat the foods you want is an actual viable option.
For you, it seems to be different..like you said, if you cant eat a full rack of ribs, you dont want to eat any ribs at all. That for you is your choice..to view this as all or none and decide you will just never eat ribs again, and you are happy with your choice to do so.
Others though, would much rather be able to still eat foods that they want, and willing to do so in moderation rather than cut it out of their lives forever, and are happy with their choice to do so.
One is not better than the other..whatever works for a person as an individual and makes them feel fulfilled while still reaching their goals. Just that, when seeing someone so miserable because they feel they can never eat foods they want again, theres nothing wrong with clarifying that it is possible to do so. This process should not make someone feel miserable, its to be healthy, fit and feel good about yourself.
I would not feel good about myself if I could never eat certain foods I enjoy again. So its not something I chose to do to myself. Simple.
I think that the ever eating AGAIN is key. I always have my eye on my long-term plans. My maintenance calories will not be that far above what I'm currently eating. With that in mind, my goals are really clear, and one of my goals is finding a sustainable way of eating for the rest of my life.
I've dieted before. I never learned how to deal with food appropriately before, though. I cannot change how tall or how old I am. Eating appropriate portion sizes for my height and age is something I figure that it's about time I learned.
0 -
mamapeach910 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »maillemaker wrote: »For example, I want to eat baby back ribs. But I'd want to eat a whole rack of them. But that's about 1300 calories and I only get 1600 calories for the entire day.
Generally, the things I want to eat are super calorie dense, which means you get have to eat a tiny portion or you've blown a large portion of your daily allotment. And I find that limiting good food to tiny portions takes even more willpower than just sticking to "OK" food. So I tend to stick to things that aren't so calorie dense. They are "OK" to eat, but not what I'd really prefer to be eating. But that's what it takes to make 1600 calories last all day and be able to eat food all day long.
So isn't the trick teaching yourself to want the foods in smaller portions or to want more lower calorie foods?
I can eat a huge burger, but when I want a burger, I actually do simply want a tasty burger that will fill me up. That "want" can be met, most of the time, by a reasonably low calorie burger I make at home and combine with some veggies.
I love pulled pork (which is really calorie dense), but I've found I'm happy eating a smaller portion (NOT tiny, and I'm a reasonably small woman) with a bunch of veggies--it's filling and satisfies my desire for the food.
I'm sure that works for some people. But what makes you happy won't necessarily make everyone happy. I'd rather not have baby back ribs either if I can't have at least one full rack. Some people might be satisfied with a small portion of ribs, but not me.
If that works for you, that's great.
The poster I was responding to has this attitude like he just can't eat what he wants to eat ever and seems to be extremely pessimistic or down about it a lot of the time, like he feels like it's unfair, so I wanted to point out that we do, in fact, have some control over what we want. It's not set in stone.
I'm not sure I agree. We can change what we choose. That doesn't necessarily make us not want whatever we are choosing not to eat.
But..the OP wasnt despondent about the foods chosen, but about not being able to eat the foods wanted. So yeah, definitely makes sense to show that being able to eat the foods you want is an actual viable option.
For you, it seems to be different..like you said, if you cant eat a full rack of ribs, you dont want to eat any ribs at all. That for you is your choice..to view this as all or none and decide you will just never eat ribs again, and you are happy with your choice to do so.
Others though, would much rather be able to still eat foods that they want, and willing to do so in moderation rather than cut it out of their lives forever, and are happy with their choice to do so.
One is not better than the other..whatever works for a person as an individual and makes them feel fulfilled while still reaching their goals. Just that, when seeing someone so miserable because they feel they can never eat foods they want again, theres nothing wrong with clarifying that it is possible to do so. This process should not make someone feel miserable, its to be healthy, fit and feel good about yourself.
I would not feel good about myself if I could never eat certain foods I enjoy again. So its not something I chose to do to myself. Simple.
I think that the ever eating AGAIN is key. I always have my eye on my long-term plans. My maintenance calories will not be that far above what I'm currently eating. With that in mind, my goals are really clear, and one of my goals is finding a sustainable way of eating for the rest of my life.
I've dieted before. I never learned how to deal with food appropriately before, though. I cannot change how tall or how old I am. Eating appropriate portion sizes for my height and age is something I figure that it's about time I learned.
Exactly!!! Im not *on a diet*... Im *on a mission* to lose weight and keep it off by developing well-balanced eating habits that I can live with for the rest of my life. That is my ultimate goal.0 -
Thank you for posting this. I was going to post a similar thread but I found this one. I am back at it for a couple weeks now. Every other time I have failed. I think a lot of it was because I was depriving myself what I craved. This time I am eating what I want with some lower calorie substitutes while adding in lots more fruits and veggies and staying under my calories for the most part. The other times I have tried to diet I either failed miserably by now or soon after.
I am the exact same way. I have failed because of dieting. Finally I am not on a diet! I am eating foods that I love but much less.
0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 392K Introduce Yourself
- 43.6K Getting Started
- 259.8K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.7K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 401 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.4K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 992 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.4K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions