Am i normal, or lucky?

HMonsterX

I haven't cut anything at all out of my diet.
I don't eat breakfast.
i have 3/4 of my daily calories after 7pm.
I "eat" aspartame
I drink soda.
I don't look at carbs or fat.
I don't eat clean.
I eat wheat.

I just exercise 6 times a week, and watch my calories.

And losing this weight has been a breeze. Am i just lucky that sooooo many things often spouted on these boards don't affect me...or am i just normal, and people are making this losing weight stuff too complicated?

1grammie

You didn't tell your age. When I was younger I could lose weight with very little effort. As I aged it has become more and more difficult. Sounds like you are very active and have a high metabolism making weight loss much easier.

dmpizza

If you truly exercise 6 days a week and watch your calories then you are disciplined, but I wouldn't say lucky.
It is true some people don't see results they are happy with, so in that sense you are lucky.

deathstarclock

I'd be more concerned with your internal health.

Amo_Angelus

No, you're normal. Eat less than you use and you will still loose weight.

Most of the crap spouted by dieters is just that. Crap.

No carbs = faster weight loss, ketosis, ill health
No soda = soda has salt which makes you retain water so cutting it out will cut out a lot of sodium in your diet...but the moment you drink it again, you gain it right back. It's equivelent to shrink wrap basically.
Shrink Wrap = wrapping yourself in shrink wrap which makes you weat out water weight...the moment you drink it comes right back on :P
No Weat....I don't even know what that one's about

They're fads and ridiculous. If you have a genuine non diet reason for cutting them out, it's all gravy, doing it just to diet is ridiculous and a lot of the time I wonder if these people should get their heads looked at. But hey, Some celebrity has said it's worked for them, and it's easier than getting off your *kitten* and burning the calories...so no wonder they're popular.

twinsanity

I don't think it has anything to do with luck. It sound like your body make-up makes it easier for you to lose weight. Sounds like maybe you have a higher metabolism than some. For others, especially those with quite a bit of weight to lose, I don't think it's about them making it more difficult than it has to be, either; it's just a lot of weight they have to lose, which often times means a bigger lifestyle change is necessary for them than is necessary for you. Each person is different, and their body make-up makes losing weight different for everyone, too.

realme56

Losing weight is always easier for guys than women. You are cutting down more than cutting out which is easier than the restrictive stuff people do here. I went with no diet soda for a while but I like it and something will kill you so I am keeping my diet soda ;-)
The stress of your care giving may affect your weight loss more than you realize as well. Wish you the best.

aliciagetshealthy

It is nice that losing the weight has been easy for you, as long as you understand that being thin does not equal being healthy.

HMonsterX

The stress of your care giving may affect your weight loss more than you realize as well. Wish you the best.

I've sometimes thought of this. It's one of the reasons I'm doing this now, before things get really bad...

It is nice that losing the weight has been easy for you, as long as you understand that being thin does not equal being healthy.

I never intend to be "healthy", as due to my palette i would never be able to maintain it. It's about getting healthIER for me. I'm rather be healthier 100% of the time, then healthy for 50%, and end up falling off and regaining the weight the rest of the time.

The reason i ask is that I keep seeing new people being told to cut this, cut that, dont eat this, etc. All they might want is to shed the fat. If that is the case, then keep it simple. If you want to become a super athlete, THEN you look more deeply at actually cutting stuff.

Sezmo83

I wanted to "diet" in a way I could maintain for the rest of my life. Cutting out foods I genuinely enjoy was simply not an option because I'd just end up falling off the wagon, bingeing on them and never getting back on track. I don't want to be one of these people who refuses things because they're "bad", if I eat out or it's a special occasion I don't want to be worrying about what I can and can't have, that takes all the joy out of it for me.

So...I eat full fat cheese, drink full fat milk, have the odd slice of cake or bottle of soda. I've cut nothing completely out of my diet although I do check my portion size and eat things in moderation. As long as I make good choices most of the time I don't see a problem with it. And to be honest, if I cut out everything I've seen people advised to cut out I'd be living on fresh air and water!

HMonsterX

And to be honest, if I cut out everything I've seen people advised to cut out I'd be living on fresh air and water!

NOOO!! You can't do that! The air is polluted, and water is dangerous with too much or too little!

alyssamiller77

I'm going to agree with the person that said it's not luck it's discipline. Now I'm sure there are exceptions to this, but so many of the people that I've seen complaining about not being able to lose weight on this forum have some pretty clear issues when you look at their diary. Either they're not exercising enough, or they're having far too many days where they don't stay within their calorie goals and in some cases I've even seen where it was pretty clear that they either over-estimated their calorie burn or under-estimated calories in some of the things they logged.

I'm 34 and active. I workout 7 days a week. I do strength training 5 of those days. All I've done is lower my calories and I had no problem dropping close to 30 pounds in just over 2 months. Now I wasn't very over-weight to begin with and my goal was 26 pounds, so according to everything I've read it should have been harder for me to lose and get to my goal than a more overweight person. But I was committed, logged faithfully every day (except when on vacation but even then I ate good and exercised so still lost weight) I follow my workout regimen religiously and the results have been very successful. Much like you I didn't give up anything, I didn't get into any of these "don't eat after 8:00PM" or "Diet drinks with Aspartame make you fat" because I didn't find those to be sustainable for me. So I've become a believer in the concept that when it's all said and done, calories in versus calories out is what really matters for weight management.

Rilke

I'd be more concerned with your internal health.

+1

alyssamiller77

I wanted to "diet" in a way I could maintain for the rest of my life. Cutting out foods I genuinely enjoy was simply not an option because I'd just end up falling off the wagon, bingeing on them and never getting back on track. I don't want to be one of these people who refuses things because they're "bad", if I eat out or it's a special occasion I don't want to be worrying about what I can and can't have, that takes all the joy out of it for me.

So...I eat full fat cheese, drink full fat milk, have the odd slice of cake or bottle of soda. I've cut nothing completely out of my diet although I do check my portion size and eat things in moderation. As long as I make good choices most of the time I don't see a problem with it. And to be honest, if I cut out everything I've seen people advised to cut out I'd be living on fresh air and water!

^^ This - I've been preaching this since I joined MFP. In fact I even wrote a blog post on the topic. It is sooooooo important that you make a lifestyle change that can be permanent. Giving up foods you love will never be a permanent change that you can sustain. Instead you have to learn how to fit those calorie dense foods into your overall diet in a healthy manner. THAT is the most important concept in losing weight as far as i'm concerned.

kmcrey87

You're normal! I didn't change my diet at all while I was losing weight. I just ate in moderation some of my favorite high calories treats and busted my *kitten* at the gym. You're obviously accurately tracking your calories too, which helps a ton!

Congrats on the weight loss and figuring out what works for you!

scagneti

Honestly, when you're a higher weight, any real change should result in weight loss. If my British math is right, you were like 285 pounds when you started. At that weight, any regular movement and any limit of calories is going to result in a loss. It's just plain science.

The challenge will be when you're within a healthy weight and want to lose vanity pounds.

javamonster

I wanted to "diet" in a way I could maintain for the rest of my life. Cutting out foods I genuinely enjoy was simply not an option because I'd just end up falling off the wagon, bingeing on them and never getting back on track. I don't want to be one of these people who refuses things because they're "bad", if I eat out or it's a special occasion I don't want to be worrying about what I can and can't have, that takes all the joy out of it for me.

So...I eat full fat cheese, drink full fat milk, have the odd slice of cake or bottle of soda. I've cut nothing completely out of my diet although I do check my portion size and eat things in moderation. As long as I make good choices most of the time I don't see a problem with it. And to be honest, if I cut out everything I've seen people advised to cut out I'd be living on fresh air and water!

^^ This - I've been preaching this since I joined MFP. In fact I even wrote a blog post on the topic. It is sooooooo important that you make a lifestyle change that can be permanent. Giving up foods you love will never be a permanent change that you can sustain. Instead you have to learn how to fit those calorie dense foods into your overall diet in a healthy manner. THAT is the most important concept in losing weight as far as i'm concerned.

Agreed. And I am female, 44, more than likely in that pre-menopausal state in which everyone deems it so hard to lose weight. Okay so I didn't have a lot to lose, but all I did was start exercising again and tracked my calories. Didn't give up chocolate; didn't give up ice cream, just curtailed my consumption of both. I do eat pretty healthy otherwise.

tigersword

I haven't cut anything at all out of my diet.
I don't eat breakfast.
i have 3/4 of my daily calories after 7pm.
I "eat" aspartame
I drink soda.
I don't look at carbs or fat.
I don't eat clean.
I eat wheat.

I just exercise 6 times a week, and watch my calories.

And losing this weight has been a breeze. Am i just lucky that sooooo many things often spouted on these boards don't affect me...or am i just normal, and people are making this losing weight stuff too complicated?

I'm the same way, 48 pounds down, and I even EAT AT RESTAURANTS regularly. :noway: :laugh:

Unless you have a metabolic health issue, there is no reason you can't lose weight and be healthy by simply monitoring your portion size and eating the right amount of calories. Human beings have evolved over hundreds of thousands of years eating such a widely varied diet that there is no one correct way to eat that is healthier than other. Some societies evolved eating strictly vegetarian, others evolved eating mostly carnivorous, and still others evolved with various plants and grains. A healthy human body has absolutely no issue digesting and utilizing anything.

Espressocycle

Eat less, move more. It really is that simple.

ronda_gettinghealthy

I haven't cut anything at all out of my diet.
I don't eat breakfast.
i have 3/4 of my daily calories after 7pm.
I "eat" aspartame
I drink soda.
I don't look at carbs or fat.
I don't eat clean.
I eat wheat.

I just exercise 6 times a week, and watch my calories.

And losing this weight has been a breeze. Am i just lucky that sooooo many things often spouted on these boards don't affect me...or am i just normal, and people are making this losing weight stuff too complicated?

absolutely you are losing a great amount of wt....come talk to me in 2 -3 years and lets talk HEALTH....I can lose wt on a complete fast for 40 days....is that good for me????? probably not....if your goal is health....you are probably not doing the best for you body...but you will have to find these things out for yourself...

LilMissFoodie

I'd be more concerned with your internal health.

I sometimes wonder when I see many, many quotes like this - usually about pedantic elements of diet - whether you would describe obsessing over every aspect of your diet as 'internally healthy'.

tigersword

I haven't cut anything at all out of my diet.
I don't eat breakfast.
i have 3/4 of my daily calories after 7pm.
I "eat" aspartame
I drink soda.
I don't look at carbs or fat.
I don't eat clean.
I eat wheat.

I just exercise 6 times a week, and watch my calories.

And losing this weight has been a breeze. Am i just lucky that sooooo many things often spouted on these boards don't affect me...or am i just normal, and people are making this losing weight stuff too complicated?

absolutely you are losing a great amount of wt....come talk to me in 2 -3 years and lets talk HEALTH....I can lose wt on a complete fast for 40 days....is that good for me????? probably not....if your goal is health....you are probably not doing the best for you body...but you will have to find these things out for yourself...

So uhh, care to share your scientific reasoning for this rather odd, baseless, and nonsensical assumption?

LilMissFoodie

I personally, would always advocate eating breakfast because I've seen a lot of research regarding the positives and none regarding any negatives (although some trying to dispute the positives). But, I don't think it's one of the biggest issues in diet. The rest all sounds normal to me. I actually think that often when people really start to overthink their diets that they do themselves more harm than good.

HMonsterX

I haven't cut anything at all out of my diet.
I don't eat breakfast.
i have 3/4 of my daily calories after 7pm.
I "eat" aspartame
I drink soda.
I don't look at carbs or fat.
I don't eat clean.
I eat wheat.

I just exercise 6 times a week, and watch my calories.

And losing this weight has been a breeze. Am i just lucky that sooooo many things often spouted on these boards don't affect me...or am i just normal, and people are making this losing weight stuff too complicated?

absolutely you are losing a great amount of wt....come talk to me in 2 -3 years and lets talk HEALTH....I can lose wt on a complete fast for 40 days....is that good for me????? probably not....if your goal is health....you are probably not doing the best for you body...but you will have to find these things out for yourself...

I take my multivitamins+minerals and my fish oil. I exercise a lot. As i said, there are varying degrees of "healthy". Im hardly starving myself, trust me :P. I'm just proof that you don't need to eat a totally bland, boring, hard to stick with totally clean diet just to lose fat and feel great!

As for 2-3 years, yes, let's talk then. I'll have given up smoking, be at my goal, have bulked up a bit in the gym, and be much healthier.

Louise12

Everything in moderation i say!

SmashleeWpg

Guess it all depends what you classify as "lucky" -- don't they say luck runs out eventually? Additionally, I think the more important questions here are: are you healthy? Do you "feel" good? Or are you tired? Do you have a spring in your step and endless energy, or do you suffer from stomach problems, irritability, bloatedness, sluggish feelings, and lack of energy? Is your skin clear, or dull? Is your hair shiny, or lackluster? Just some of the few benefits to eating healthfully / drawbacks to just eating "whatever" and calling it a day. But at the end of the day, it IS about a lifestyle change, and if this is something that you can stay with, still live and enjoy things, then, that's what works for you!

kyle4jem

I haven't cut anything at all out of my diet.
I don't eat breakfast.
i have 3/4 of my daily calories after 7pm.
I "eat" aspartame
I drink soda.
I don't look at carbs or fat.
I don't eat clean.
I eat wheat.

I just exercise 6 times a week, and watch my calories.

And losing this weight has been a breeze. Am i just lucky that sooooo many things often spouted on these boards don't affect me...or am i just normal, and people are making this losing weight stuff too complicated?

Monster... you are most definitely NOT normal.

You are extraordinary. A breath of fresh air and a paragon of common sense in a sea of incredulity :happy:

I've been recently reading some amazing stuff by Lyle McDonald... I know he's a bit of a low-carb man really... but the essence of what he sees as the "secret to weight loss" is simple: eat less, move more. And why do most folk fail....because they over-complicate things by restricting this that and the other.

I would not be worried about your health. I was a 250lb blob in a pocket-person's bod. According to my GP I should have had high BP, diabetes, high cholesterol and a 1001 other ailments... but no. I was just FAT. I still am FAT but I'm on my way to a better, lighter me. I may never be ripped or buff... but I will be trimmer and no longer obese.

Like you, I've not really cut anything that matters out of my diet - ok I don't pig out on chocolate and biccies anymore, but that's not to say I'll never have another Jaffa cake (life's way to short for that :laugh:). I love white rice and paté and butter and so many things that are supposedly gonna kill me, but they haven't thus far and so I'll continue to eat what I want when I want... just in smaller quantities.

I too have lost weight more easily that ever before and I only exercise moderately (bit of cycling, walking, swimming, but nothing that would make Michaels or Horton break sweat over :laugh: )

So yeah, in many respects maybe you are normal... you're doing it your YOUR WAY and boy is it working!

Good luck and thanks for keeping us sane! :flowerforyou:

alyssamiller77

Guess it all depends what you classify as "lucky" -- don't they say luck runs out eventually? Additionally, I think the more important questions here are: are you healthy? Do you "feel" good? Or are you tired? Do you have a spring in your step and endless energy, or do you suffer from stomach problems, irritability, bloatedness, sluggish feelings, and lack of energy? Is your skin clear, or dull? Is your hair shiny, or lackluster? Just some of the few benefits to eating healthfully / drawbacks to just eating "whatever" and calling it a day. But at the end of the day, it IS about a lifestyle change, and if this is something that you can stay with, still live and enjoy things, then, that's what works for you!

Well I'm not Monster, but I have a similar approach and here's what I can tell you. Even before my lifestyle change, my blood work at each physical comes back well within parameters. Three years ago I had a physical and the only negative my doctor could find was my weight. Now I've taken care of that and at my most recent physical my blood work was again stellar, my blood pressure is on the low end of ideal and my doctor's description of it was that I'm healthier than 99% of the people he sees in his office. To answer your questions above I have plenty of energy, I don't have stomach problems or any issues like that. I've got as clear of skin as I've ever had in my life. Can't tell you about my hair since I keep it shaved to under a 1/4". The fact is I'm in the best shape of my life and I'm still able to enjoy all the "bad" foods I love, I just do it in a sensible fashion.

I have to agree with the point that was brought up about people obsessing and becoming almost pedantic in their approach to healthy eating. If that is what works for you and you enjoy living that way, more power to you. I'm glad for you. However, personally I wouldn't be happy that way and that's just stress that I don't need to include in my life. So in the absence of any scientific or clinical evidence to show that my choices are causing health issues, how can you possibly sit and argue that my approach is not healthy?

HMonsterX

Guess it all depends what you classify as "lucky" -- don't they say luck runs out eventually? Additionally, I think the more important questions here are: are you healthy? Do you "feel" good? Or are you tired? Do you have a spring in your step and endless energy, or do you suffer from stomach problems, irritability, bloatedness, sluggish feelings, and lack of energy? Is your skin clear, or dull? Is your hair shiny, or lackluster? Just some of the few benefits to eating healthfully / drawbacks to just eating "whatever" and calling it a day. But at the end of the day, it IS about a lifestyle change, and if this is something that you can stay with, still live and enjoy things, then, that's what works for you!

I am healthier than i have ever been in my adult life. I feel better than i ever remember feeling. Doing things i never did before. My skin in clear, my hair shiny, and my nose is cold and wet. The only pain i have is from my tennis elbow from overdoing the badminton, but that's my choice to "keep" it, as i dont really want to stop playing for 6 months. My dodgy knee is far, far better, could be because of the cod liver oil tablets i take. My BP is and always has been fine. My old problem was trying to be "healthy", sticking with it for a few weeks, then getting fed up and going back to normal. This time, I've simply kept "normal", just downsized things.

Ty for the kinds words guys too

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I haven't cut anything at all out of my diet.
I don't eat breakfast.
i have 3/4 of my daily calories after 7pm.
I "eat" aspartame
I drink soda.
I don't look at carbs or fat.
I don't eat clean.
I eat wheat.

I just exercise 6 times a week, and watch my calories.

And losing this weight has been a breeze. Am i just lucky that sooooo many things often spouted on these boards don't affect me...or am i just normal, and people are making this losing weight stuff too complicated?

I think you're normal. I reduced tater tots and eat relatively clean because I did before, but I do think it helps me keep my calories under control by allowing me to eat larger portions at lower calorie counts. I eat 2 breakfasts because my body says "EAT WOMAN OR VOMIT" not because I think it's a necessity for everyone. I eat at least 1/2 my calories after 7 PM, because I find it more pleasant to eat after my 2 yo goes to bed than wolfing something down with him and not knowing how much time I have to eat. I consume sweet n low and aspertame, I will get into a fist fight over the last little pink packet on the table, so back off. I don't like soda, but I drink wine ever single night (that I'm not drinking beer). I no longer look at carbs or fat (even though they're still in my tracking) because I normally go under so it's needless . . . I actually pushed up my carb %age to accomodate my fruit and ice cream. I'm allergic to wheat, but I eat all the wheat versions with substitute flour, removing wheat from your diet only helps if you actually have an allergy.

I eat and I exercise. But I eat so I can exercise and not the other way around.

People are definitely making this weight loss stuff way to complicated.

iwannaloose

I would say, keep doing what you're doing, and do what you feel is right! Everyone is different!