Foodie on a diet

DaivaSimone

tl;dr: I'm a food writer who need to lose weight! Please add me as a friend if you like to cook and want to share recipes. I will talk a lot about food but I'm nice.

Hi!
I'm not quite new to MFP, but I've fallen the bandwagon so long ago that most of the friends I had before are now inactive. I'm now here with the objective to lose some weight before my wedding (which is september 27th, hiiiiiiiii) and to continue this lifestyle happily ever after.

My main problem with weight loss is that I have a serious problem with food: it's my job. Well, not my only job, because I'm also a technical writer for a software engineering company, but still a job because I'm a freelance food writer (I wrote and ghostwrote cookbooks, I conceived a trivia game that is about food, I write many articles in blogs and magazines, etc.) and I spend a lot of time talking and reading about food, developing and testing recipes, trying new products, reviewing cookboks... And, I also love to drink good (really good) wines and I'm a true hophead, so I love those beers with a lot a calories in it. No wonder why I'm now a big fattie on a diet.

So, while dieting/new lifestyling, my big challenge is to eat in a way that I can continue to discover (and be inspired by) food, but in a healthy and sustainable way. I need to not be bored with food, and I need to still enjou cooking (because I will always need to develop new recipe for my job), and I think that most of the times, recipes and tips that are given to people who wants to lose weight tends to be tedious and repetitive. I can't eat chicken breast, brown rice and steamed broccoli for the reste of my life, so, how can I do to keep doing my job and still lose weight? Do you have any suggestions to break the routine?

Any tips will be welcomed. If you want (if you're a fellow foodie or just because you're nice ) add me as a friend so we can share support.

PS: French is my first language, please excuse mistakes and grammar confusion, I'll try to do my best.

CA_Underdog

First, with careful eating, you should be able to fit in a nightly craft beer without trouble.

Second, your calorie allowance is stated in NET calories. Thus, you only need to do some physical activity, to unlock nearly limitless eating. A two hour hike = 800 more calories for you to play with at dinner!

DaivaSimone

Yes! I'm currently recovering from a month long bronchitis (bleh), but I'm planning to had exercice in my routine as soon as possible.

That could probably be my best bet, but while exercising a lot, I'm so... HUNGRY!!

Thank you for your advice (and for showing support about my craft beer addiction).

Rayman79

A useful tip might be to look at the aspects of your life you can't (or really don't want to) change. For you I suspect this is more centred around evening eating, preparing food, sampling, eating out at restaurants etc. If you allow this to remain the same, all you have to do is alter the rest of the day to compensate.

As an example, most foodie food tends to have a higher fat and carb content, and be a little lower on protein - especially the sweet stuff. Therefore you have a more regimented approach to your food intake for the rest of the day, focusing on getting a little more protein and keeping it reasonably low fat.

Find out the calorie intake you need, and a reasonable split of macros within that. Then just experiment over time with what works for you personally that keeps you satisfied and that you can stick to. I don't know about you but I can eat a grilled chicken breast and salad quite happily if I know I'm headed out for a nice meal that night - so for me maintaining discipline is easier through the day if I have something to look forward to in the evening.

DaivaSimone

Thanks a lot for your kind answer and those useful tips.

Fortunately (for me!) I'm not really a sweet tooth kind, so while eating out, my meals are mostly protein-centered. The downside with all those protein-centered meal is, most of the time, the heavy sauce that comes with them. I really love to eat pasta and other grains (like polenta, miam), but I can pass them if I really need to. I have some more difficulties to pass the artisan cheese at the end of the meal, so it's probably the fat intake that I will more need to watch.

Right now, my macros are at 35/30/35 ratio, and I think it's not that bad (never eaten that much fat, but keeping my carbs low should help a lot in losing weight), so I'll try to stick to this while, as you said, being more careful about what I'm eating before dinners. You're right about it: I can eat really healthy meals a little on the plain side if I know that I'm in for a scrumptious meal later.

And adding exercise will help a lot.

SapiensPisces

Thanks a lot for your kind answer and those useful tips.

Fortunately (for me!) I'm not really a sweet tooth kind, so while eating out, my meals are mostly protein-centered. The downside with all those protein-centered meal is, most of the time, the heavy sauce that comes with them. I really love to eat pasta and other grains (like polenta, miam), but I can pass them if I really need to. I have some more difficulties to pass the artisan cheese at the end of the meal, so it's probably the fat intake that I will more need to watch.

Right now, my macros are at 35/30/35 ratio, and I think it's not that bad (never eaten that much fat, but keeping my carbs low should help a lot in losing weight), so I'll try to stick to this while, as you said, being more careful about what I'm eating before dinners. You're right about it: I can eat really healthy meals a little on the plain side if I know that I'm in for a scrumptious meal later.

And adding exercise will help a lot.

I love polenta too and heavy protein rich foods also.

Portion control is going to be the biggest challenge then. Try to cut back how much you normally eat and fill in the rest of the plate with steamed or only very lightly sauced vegetables. Don't feel as though you have to completely eliminate the food you love. You don't! Just try to find ways to keep it at a more moderate intake level.

CA_Underdog

I was just thinking.. last week I had a dinner out consisting of local bottles of Pinot Noir, freshly-baked bread w/ herbed olive oil, a green salad with balsamic vinaigrette and shaved parmesan, slices of margerita and italian flatbreads, chicken breast with mushrooms in demi-glaze, mashed potatoes, raspberry cheescake, tiramisu, fresh berries in powered sugar, and a pear tart. I'd give it 3.5 stars, but definite effort!

I relied on a Weight Watchers trick--I immediately boxed up half the dinner.

acpgee

I'm not a food professional, but think of myself as a bit of a foodie. Love to go to dinner parties and restaurants and drink wine.

I manage calories by doing an hour of cardio daily which earns me about 500 kcals according to my HRM. Have recently discovered that lowering the work out ntensity (stopping with HiiTS) allows me to workout without needing rest days which I prefer.

DaivaSimone

Portion control is going to be the biggest challenge then. Try to cut back how much you normally eat and fill in the rest of the plate with steamed or only very lightly sauced vegetables. Don't feel as though you have to completely eliminate the food you love. You don't! Just try to find ways to keep it at a more moderate intake level.

Really nice advice! Thank you. I've started to this with pasta (I was accustomed to big fat bowls of pasta and eating until my belly button pulls out), and now I'm having a controlled portion of whole wheat tagliatelle and homemade bolognaise with about half the plate filled with kale chips or roasted asparagus. Will definetely try to do it with all my meals.

DaivaSimone

I was just thinking.. last week I had a dinner out consisting of local bottles of Pinot Noir, freshly-baked bread w/ herbed olive oil, a green salad with balsamic vinaigrette and shaved parmesan, slices of margerita and italian flatbreads, chicken breast with mushrooms in demi-glaze, mashed potatoes, raspberry cheescake, tiramisu, fresh berries in powered sugar, and a pear tart. I'd give it 3.5 stars, but definite effort!

I've stop reading after "balsamic vinaigrette and shaved parmesan", because I was already drooling too much.

I relied on a Weight Watchers trick--I immediately boxed up half the dinner.

I read something similar in Brian Wansik's Mindless eating. I really need to put those tips into practice.

DaivaSimone

I manage calories by doing an hour of cardio daily which earns me about 500 kcals according to my HRM. Have recently discovered that lowering the work out ntensity (stopping with HiiTS) allows me to workout without needing rest days which I prefer.

And do you eat at your TDEE minus a deficit or you're using MFP counts and eating back your exercise calories?

mockchoc

Foodie here and have cooked profesionally. Happy to have you as a friend so add me if you like.

susannamarie

If you're going out once a day, I recommend the 'immediately box half the dinner and then have it for breakfast'. Couple this with a light lunch and some exercise and you should be good to go.

acpgee

I manage calories by doing an hour of cardio daily which earns me about 500 kcals according to my HRM. Have recently discovered that lowering the work out ntensity (stopping with HiiTS) allows me to workout without needing rest days which I prefer.

And do you eat at your TDEE minus a deficit or you're using MFP counts and eating back your exercise calories?

I have my MFP target set at sedentary maintenance and eat back exercise calories but try to to average a net 500 kcal daily deficit which is on target for a loss of a pound a month.

AbsolutelyAnnie

If I had to eat a chicken breast, brown rice, and steamed broccoli for the rest of my life I am pretty sure I'd burst into flames.

Seriously, I love to cook. I love experimenting with recipes and I love real food. I don't use "diet" ingredients (full fat/full sugar all the way), and I have lost 22+ pounds in 60 days.

I walk every day burn about 400 calories during each walk. I mind my portions, and I eat what I like. I rarely drank before and now I will turn down a glass of wine or a cocktail in favor of dessert.

It is possible, and this is very likely a whole new avenue for you and your foodie career. Feel free to add me if you'd like.

SapiensPisces

Portion control is going to be the biggest challenge then. Try to cut back how much you normally eat and fill in the rest of the plate with steamed or only very lightly sauced vegetables. Don't feel as though you have to completely eliminate the food you love. You don't! Just try to find ways to keep it at a more moderate intake level.

Really nice advice! Thank you. I've started to this with pasta (I was accustomed to big fat bowls of pasta and eating until my belly button pulls out), and now I'm having a controlled portion of whole wheat tagliatelle and homemade bolognaise with about half the plate filled with kale chips or roasted asparagus. Will definetely try to do it with all my meals.

dmkoenig

Congratulations on your journey to good/better health; it will take time but you can indeed have your cake and eat it too, with some cautions already described by others. After all, The Food Network has Celebrity Chefs of all shapes and sizes so it is possible to eat good food and still keep trim.

I understand the language of food all too well. I actually honeymooned in Montreal back in 1980 eating at establishments like the Beaver Club, where I experienced my first dessert cart and nearly fell off my Queen Anne's chair when I saw this dream-laden contraption roll up to our table.

Anyway, many of the things that have already been recommended by others are things I continually have to focus on.

1. Portion control. Give me a wedge of fine cheese and I want to inhale it in its entirety not just sample.

2. Eating too fast. The act of devouring is almost as pleasurable as eating good food for me but it ties in closely with portion control. Slowing down can help tremendously. And it's probably considered good etiquette at those fine establishments to set down the fork occasionally.

3. Adaptation. While some classic recipes simply cannot and should not be altered, there is a whole world of interesting flavors out there. I was raised on German sausage and similar rich foods. My Mom (now 80) over the years became a nurse and grew interested in nutrition. She completely overhauled her entire repertoire and credit to her culinary skills made things taste good or better. They weren't always the same classics but they also became incredibly healthy meals in the process.

4. Exercise. I have always had the good fortune of enjoying exercising but the downside was that I started to rationalize sloppy eating habits because I may have ridden 50 miles on the bike the prior weekend and so I would start adding 3-5 pounds/year, not a good plan over a few decades. Nevertheless, exercise is a key lifestyle improvement and what I believe is as close to what we have as a fountain of youth. Take advantage of it but don't simply focus on cardio (walking, riding bikes, etc.). While cardio will burn calories while working out, strength training will re-shape bodies and stokes the fire of metabolism.

5. Track what you eat. That is a real eye-opening experience and will help you manage your meal selection throughout the day so you can make those important trade-offs.

Bon chance!

tracydr

Welcome! Looking forward to seeing some recipes from you! I've found a couple of great websites with interesting ideas. Just bought some agar agar to try using to make things like faux almond milk whipped cream. It can also be used to thicken soups.
Skinny Taste has some really good recipes that are real food.
Chocolate covered Katie also has some interesting ideas.

lemurcat12

Hi. I love trying new foods, cooking, eating out, and I'd love to be your friend. I've been kind of boring with the cooking lately because I've been working late, but plan to change that.

You definitely have some challenges with the job, but I think your interests can be strengths for losing weight too. I know when I start thinking about food or wanting to eat I can channel that into thinking about creative recipes or combinations that sound good but not too high calorie or perhaps planning for the week without any diet food or chicken, broccoli, and brown rice rut Also it's easier to make positive changes rather than feel like you are depriving yourself, so it's good to be able to be excited about fresh fruits and vegetables, etc. I know I'm excited for when the farmers markets will really be going.

gmallan

Have you ever heard of intermittent fasting (IF)? IF leans gains style means you fast for a certain amount of time (often 16 hours) and eat all your calories for the day in the remaining "feeding" window (often 8 hours). This allows you to eat larger meals. Could be worth checking out

mockchoc

Have you ever heard of intermittent fasting (IF)? IF leans gains style means you fast for a certain amount of time (often 16 hours) and eat all your calories for the day in the remaining "feeding" window (often 8 hours). This allows you to eat larger meals. Could be worth checking out

I do this ^. I'm not a breakfast person so I just have a coffee in the morning instead then can eat for 8 hours between say 12 noon and 8pm. I love having those calories saved in the morning to spend in the evening when I much prefer to have a full sized regular meal like the rest of the family.