Everything in moderation

welly5

I know that a lot of people on MFP eat specifically for the type of work outs that they do (high protein or low carb) or they cut out certain things that bother either digestive system (wheat free, dairy free etc) but I'd like to hear from the people that believe in everything in moderation

I generally eat healthy, lots of lean protein, fish, always whole wheat, lots of veggies and soups and fruit as a treat. However, I have a baking blog, I do baking challenges and other cake related stuff and I have no plans on giving up eating baking once in a while. So far on the days that I bake I just make sure to have low cal/ high fibre meals to compensate for the baking and I usually make a mini version of what I am making for myself.

Is anyone else like this? I refuse to make the lighter version of the dessert because I'd rather have just a tiny bit of the real thing then a lot of some diet thing.

Black_Swan

Hmm... well, i agree with you. I didnt totally cut out everything, but i am doing the "clean eating" - quite spontaneously, since i found out that works for me. But occasionally i do eat processed food, i eat meat, i have alcohol from time to time...

kristimartiny

I agree..everything in moderation. I would rather have a smaller version of the real thing than some not great tasting diet version....it will only make me want to eat more since it wouldn't be satisfying. It is a learning process...:)

tknuzum

If you are seeign the results that you want, I would say keep doing what your doing. If you do cut out things I have noticed myself that if you have a hard day or something happens you crave those things. So yeah, if you are seeing the results you want I don't see why not.

bka8

Here here!

I really appreciate some of the views I find here on MFP, but I definately can't live up to all of them. I think its wise to pay attention to what you eat, but you can't worry about it to the point it affects your bloodpressure.

I think it can be dangerous to be too passionate about one way of eating or another, especially if you're cheap like me and are trying to do all this without going to a professional trainer. When I first started dieting, I was told counting calories and carbs were the way to go, and I became so obsessed that I was border line annorexic because I was obsessed with calorie totals.

NO MATTER WHAT PEOPLE PREACH - I'm not going to give up meat. I'm not going to give up bread. I'm not going to give up sugar.

I AM - going to watch my intake, try to minimize processed foods, limit my sugars, and make better decisions about my diet in general.

I'm not going to be the next Ms. Universe, but I believe I'll be able to feel and look healthy. And having this community is really helping me stick to this!

tiffsNEWlife

I believe in this theory. I still pretty much eat the same things but in moderation. I work out hard so, I believe that if I work off the fat that I eat then we're in pretty good shape. I feel I can live with this type of lifestyle for pretty much ever. I'm not restricting myself from things that I love, just making better choices with it. I'm eating smaller portions and lots more fruits and veggies.

AndriaLL

I'm the same way. Mainly because I'd prefer to eat natural food, even if it is real whipped cream. Fat free cool whip, in my opinion, is just some chemicals mixed up to look similar...hydrogenated oils and corn syrups...but it's fake and in my opinion fake (the hydrogenated oils for example) always turns out to be worse than high fat. But I do try to limit the high fat stuff, and burn it off with exercise when I do eat it. Unlike some lucky folks I see blogging here, I will probably always crave that kind of treat and I figure it's better to have in moderation than to feel deprived to the point where I get out of control.

cookingcriolla

Not everything works for everybody. Some people have great success with high protein, or low fat etc. Whatever is going to work will have to work for my entire life so I'd rather do the moderation thing than never eat bread again! I like to cook and bake so it can make life difficult. The trick is just having a little bit or learning to balance it with exercise or limiting calorie intake on other meals during the day. What's your baking blog?

Adsnwfld

I've had good results just cutting down calories. I still have pizza night with the family, I admit I hardly eat out any more and I did stop drinking soda altogether, but I still will have an occasional dessert with the family. Once a few years ago I followed a highly restrictive high protein diet and it was unsustainable, I just couldn't do it anymore, and lost all but 10 lbs back. This time around I have just cut down on calories and I'm much happier.
Overall I feel like I'm in better shape then before and I can go out with the family for a meal.
With that being said I choose to eat lean meats like chicken and fish, some pork and I look for foods that pack the most punch for minimal calories. I eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and some nuts, like almonds.

I've found, after 50 lbs, that this just isn't that hard to follow.

welly5

Not everything works for everybody. Some people have great success with high protein, or low fat etc. Whatever is going to work will have to work for my entire life so I'd rather do the moderation thing than never eat bread again! I like to cook and bake so it can make life difficult. The trick is just having a little bit or learning to balance it with exercise or limiting calorie intake on other meals during the day. What's your baking blog?

http://seddy5.typepad.com/blog/ (clockwork lemon) I do the daring baker's challenges as well

thelima

I'll just add my "ditto" to the list!

I am eating better these days, but I do *not* have "bad" foods or "good" foods. Food is food--and a small piece of really good cheese or chocolate is 1000 times better than non-fat "cheese" or carob.

I'm all about the real foods in moderate quantities.

theatr3geek

EVERYTHING IN MODERATION! That's my motto, and I've lost 40 pounds using it, so I must be doing SOMETHING right!
You can still eat the things you love, just not as much of it. If you love chocolate, maybe have a square of dark chocolate rather than an entire Crunch bar. You can still satisfy your cravings in different ways without blowing your entire day!
Smaller portions are key. The only problem is what I'm running into now. I'm 118 pounds, but I want to lose 18 more and these last 18 are just.. NOT coming off the way the last 40 did. I might have to try a new method.

ladyhawk00

I agree with you (as in my motto in tagline).

I think one of the biggest mistakes a lot of people make is trying to follow anything that can remotely be called a "diet" or "meal plan" or anything that says to cut out ALL of something (carbs, sugar, fat, whatever.) Unless you have a serious medical problem that requires it, it's a bad idea.

Here's why. We don't live 10,000 years ago. We don't live in a little village on some remote mountain (most of us, anyway.) We live in a society and time where food is related to, and reacted to, different than it was even 50 years ago. I'm not saying that's an excuse to eat crap. But where, when and how we live is a reality. Eating healthy MUST incorporate that fact. There are some people who can and desire to eat a low carb diet (or whatever the trend is) - and more power to them if they can maintain that for the next 60 years. But those people are few and far between. For the vast majority of us, who have families and jobs and live in the 21st century, that is not a reasonable expectation.

The ONLY thing that matters in changing your eating habits is exactly that - what you can realistically MAKE a habit. What can you do on a daily basis for the rest of your life? For most people, that will not include never eating a brownie again. Or never having spaghetti. Or never having a "insert food here".

I've seen a lot of people talk about "a new lifestyle"...and then freak out when they eat something "bad" or go over cals by 100. A LIFESTYLE includes indulgences and treats and bad days and good days and REALLY bad days and kids and eating out and everything else that accompanies living in the time and place we live in. Trying to deny those realities is a perfect recipe for disappointment and returning to exactly the way you behaved before you started this endeavor. As I told someone the other day, I look at any weight loss/diet/nutrition plan in this way - Would I force my child to eat this way, would I expect him to do it for the rest of his life, and would it be healthy for him? If any of those answers is no -- WHY on earth would I do it to myself?

Figuring out what is healthy AND sustainable is hard. But it's the only way to be truly successful at weight loss.

But that's just my opinion. Come see me in 20 years and we'll see who is still maintaining their "diet".

emmyvera

I'm so glad you asked this, because earlier today I was reading a response to a post that was basically "against" a certain type of food. I see this a lot and it kinda hurts! :noway:

I LOVE food. I love to cook, bake and eat. I see the art in it and the fun!

I live by the words "everything in moderation". If a certain "way" works for you and/or if it medically necessary, then I understand. But I've had a hard time reading posts where people are against, putting down or regarding certain foods as just a "NO WAY" option.

If I go to a wedding or out on the weekend, I will have a drink or two or three.
If my husband takes me out to dinner, I will eat the fancy dessert.
If my dad makes me holiday cookies, I will have a few.

I work really hard at my exercise and food and I'm loving it. I'm also losing!! I think the reason I'm so happy about it is because I still have fun and don't deprive myself. I eat nachos at the Mexican restaurant and I do eat Chinese food.

Maybe some people work better with an all or nothing perception. And that is totally cool too! :bigsmile:

I guess I just really needed to vent about this. :explode:
Ha - Ha! Thanks!

hpsnickers1

I do believe in moderation. I would love to eat all natural but it's not possible for me. I'm here to get all around healthier and learn to balance out my nutrition (the 10 pounds I would like to lose is a bonus!). I also needed to learn portions. Basically I needed to learn how to eat. And it's happening.

hpsnickers1

EVERYTHING IN MODERATION! That's my motto, and I've lost 40 pounds using it, so I must be doing SOMETHING right!
You can still eat the things you love, just not as much of it. If you love chocolate, maybe have a square of dark chocolate rather than an entire Crunch bar. You can still satisfy your cravings in different ways without blowing your entire day!
Smaller portions are key. The only problem is what I'm running into now. I'm 118 pounds, but I want to lose 18 more and these last 18 are just.. NOT coming off the way the last 40 did. I might have to try a new method.

I'm a little curious as to how small you are - as in height and bone structure. Maybe your body doesn't want to be 100 pounds. I'm only 5'2" with small frame and my healthy weight is 118-122. If I dropped down to 100 I would look anorexic.

welly5

I've seen a lot of people talk about "a new lifestyle"...and then freak out when they eat something "bad" or go over cals by 100. A LIFESTYLE includes indulgences and treats and bad days and good days and REALLY bad days and kids and eating out and everything else that accompanies living in the time and place we live in. Trying to deny those realities is a perfect recipe for disappointment and returning to exactly the way you behaved before you started this endeavor. As I told someone the other day, I look at any weight loss/diet/nutrition plan in this way - Would I force my child to eat this way, would I expect him to do it for the rest of his life, and would it be healthy for him? If any of those answers is no -- WHY on earth would I do it to myself?

Figuring out what is healthy AND sustainable is hard. But it's the only way to be truly successful at weight loss.

I really agree with this, I feel like to make sustainable changes means not ignoring the fact that I will be baking and drinking and going out to dinner

plus my boyfriend (who i live with) is a huge foodie and his family is involved in the restaurant business so I'm not going to be giving up fine dining any time soon. However going out to expensive places doesn't happen all the time so I'm not too worried about

ladyhawk00

I'm so glad you asked this, because earlier today I was reading a response to a post that was basically "against" a certain type of food. I see this a lot and it kinda hurts! :noway:

Ditto! I was annoyed for half an hour yesterday when someone posted 5 times on a thread telling everyone to stop eating bread. lol :grumble:

welly5

A few years ago I lost a lot of weight by running and dieting. I didn't eat any junk food and cut out most sugar etc. Then when I finished losing the weight it was like a massive backlash and I had no will power to deny myself anything. I gained about 10 pounds back.

I think moderation will be the key to avoiding any backlash. I feel like if I go too far restricting in one direction then I go just as far in the other direction when I rebel

wintervixen78

I jumped into MFP deciding I would do high proten and low carb diet. Erm reality check, high everything, but in moderation. LOL My big love is cheese, and I still have whatever cheese I want, but it's 30g of this and 30g of that, fineley grated etc I have 5 different types in my fridge right now. No where in my fridge will you find anything with low fat in it, (low in fat, means high in something else, salt, e numbers, carbs etc to make it tast good). I do love sausages and burgers, so I now eat meat free products with heavy meals and meat with light meals, but have increased chicken and fish! This is the least deprived I've ever felt on any diet. In fact, this is the first time I can truly say that this is not a diet, but a lifestyle change.

ladyhawk00

I jumped into MFP deciding I would do high proten and low carb diet. Erm reality check, high everything, but in moderation. LOL My big love is cheese, and I still have whatever cheese I want, but it's 30g of this and 30g of that, fineley grated etc I have 5 different types in my fridge right now. No where in my fridge will you find anything with low fat in it, (low in fat, means high in something else, salt, e numbers, carbs etc to make it tast good). I do love sausages and burgers, so I now eat meat free products with heavy meals and meat with light meals, but have increased chicken and fish! This is the least deprived I've ever felt on any diet. In fact, this is the first time I can truly say that this is not a diet, but a lifestyle change.

Good attitude and approach! Live it!