Dieting

shanghaiskinny2be

What is the best way to diet. Is this calorie counting a part of dieting?
My mom is trying to lose weight with me and is making a competition out of it. Driving me INSANE!

She has a trainer as well, so she exercises 3x a week on the elliptical machine for a half hour and pilates. She eats hardly anything. half a slice of toast for breakfast, a coffee. Lunch is 6 dumplings or three to 10 bites of food and a fruit for dinner. I am telling her when she eats normal again, she will balloon.

Do you this way of eating is shocking the body? Or is something like this successful?

meshashesha2012

my diet is to not diet. i've since lost more weight than other people i know who went on crazy low cal diets back in january, who lost several pounds in january but couldnt keep up with their 500 i'm eating a grapefruit and hope calories a day diet.

the diets like the kind your mom is on dot work because 1)they promote food denial which eventually leads to binges and 2) they dont take maintenance into account so since the person can't eat like that forever, they will eventually gain the weight back.

my suggestion would be a 20-30% reduction in calories and lose weight slowly rather than trying to do it too quickly

NoAdditives

I also do not "diet". I have made some changes to my overall diet (the foods I eat). I've reduced the amount of junk foods I eat, I've reduced the portion sizes on certain foods, I've increased the amount of vegetables I eat, etc. I do still indulge in treats now and then, but not every day. For now, I'm reducing my calories a little, but the important part of this is that I have made healthy changes that I can live with long term.

adietron

What is the best way to diet. Is this calorie counting a part of dieting?

The only way to lose weight is to create a calorie deficit. This means you burn more calories than you eat. For instance, to lose 1 pound in a week, you need to create a deficit of 3500 calories. (i.e. you have consumed 3500 calories less than what your body has burned during that week). There are MANY unhealthy ways of creating a calorie deficit, and it sounds like some of your mom's choices could fall into this category.

The only way to know exactly how many calories you consume is to keep track of them. ALL of them. Every pat of butter. Every teaspoon of sugar. If you know how many calories you eat, you know how much exercise you need to do to compensate for your indulgences.

Many people find that keeping a food diary helps their general awareness of their diet, and helps them make healthier decisions about food. (my family included!)

shanghaiskinny2be

my diet is to not diet. i've since lost more weight than other people i know who went on crazy low cal diets back in january, who lost several pounds in january but couldnt keep up with their 500 i'm eating a grapefruit and hope calories a day diet.

the diets like the kind your mom is on dot work because 1)they promote food denial which eventually leads to binges and 2) they dont take maintenance into account so since the person can't eat like that forever, they will eventually gain the weight back.

my suggestion would be a 20-30% reduction in calories and lose weight slowly rather than trying to do it too quickly

I totally agree with that, it's what I tell her.....but you know mom's, love telling you what to do but not a real joy in receiving feedback.

suziecue66

Your mum will lose quite a bit of muscle along with her fat if she continues on that path of eating very little.

chrisb75

Your mom is KILLING her metabolism. You are right to tell her she will balloon when she eat's "normal". Most people here take a different approach to weight loss, I am not on a diet, I am changing my diet forever. I log EVERYTHING I put in my mouth. I also log exercise that I do. I then try to keep my NET calories (Calories Consumed - Exercise Calories Burned = NET Calories) at a 500 calorie a day deficit from what I need to eat (MFP will help you calculate this). This will allow me to lose 1lb a week.

I will tell you what else will happen. You WILL change the way you eat. Here is how: Take a week and be diligent and honest about logging what you eat, don't worry about calories. Take notice at the level of calories and other nutrients you are taking in. I was SHOCKED when I did this: 2800 calories in a day, 7K of sodium, etc. My girfriend then helped me find healthier snacks and healthier meals. I started exercising. I found out that when I did this, I could actually eat MORE food than I was before. I am never hungry and I feel amazing. In 30 days I have dropped 8lbs and an inch off all of my measurements. This is the ONLY weight loss approach I have ever taken that worked for me. My food diary is open if you want to see what I eat (except don't look at Saturday and Sunday this week, not a good example because I was in a car for 16 hours LOL )

It also has changed the way I look at food. I look at the food I eat regularly as fuel for my body. This changes my mentality and makes me want to get the most out of my calories. This also allows me to NOT feel guilty if I have a cookie here or eat at McDonald's once in a while. I log it, fit it into my calorie goals and continue on.

I cannot recommend you trying this enough.

secretlobster

I would not judge your mother too harshly. We all have to find what works for us, and we all try things that don't work or cause us to put weight back on. She's trying her best.

Sidesteal

I think the best plan is to find a way to create a small to moderate calorie deficit while eating foods that you enjoy and getting some physical exercise.

Additionally, if your mom is not counting calories and if you are not counting her calories for her, you really can't know how much she is eating unless you are keeping track of everything she eats.

I'm not trying to defend your mom, I'm just pointing out that unless you've got a very keen ability to estimate intake and you're also aware of everything she eats, you don't really know what her intake is.

shanghaiskinny2be

I think the best plan is to find a way to create a small to moderate calorie deficit while eating foods that you enjoy and getting some physical exercise.

Additionally, if your mom is not counting calories and if you are not counting her calories for her, you really can't know how much she is eating unless you are keeping track of everything she eats.

I'm not trying to defend your mom, I'm just pointing out that unless you've got a very keen ability to estimate intake and you're also aware of everything she eats, you don't really know what her intake is.

I don't need to monitor her, she tells me exactly what she eats whenever she eats. She is one of those obsessive and enjoy talking on the phone type....