Everything in moderation? Really?

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  • gomellygo
    gomellygo Posts: 1
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    I completely get what you're saying.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    Am I the only person on MFP who *doesn't* believe in "everything in moderation"?

    sadly, no. but I wish you were.

    Yeah, I guess these points of view that differ from yours annoy you, don't they?

    :indifferent:
  • OnTheWayToPerfection
    OnTheWayToPerfection Posts: 115 Member
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    I eat EVERYTHING I want and I have been for my whole entire weight loss journey. How? Moderation.
    Cleaner eating, yes, but I'm still not going to deny myself of things I enjoy.

    I've hit a loss of 25lbs.

    GO MODERATION!
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
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    I'm confused as to why this is a controversial subject. "Everything in moderation" is followed by the unstated but understood "that you want to eat". It doesn't mean you literally have to eat everything, force yourself to eat pop tarts if you don't want them. I eat everything I want to eat in moderation -- and I don't want to eat those things I have trouble eating in moderation.
  • gpstrucker
    gpstrucker Posts: 930 Member
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    I eat whatever I want to eat. As long as I meet my weekly calorie and macro goals it's no big deal. It's been working for me. To each his own. Personally I won't be a slave to some dietary ideology.
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
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    Am I the only person on MFP who *doesn't* believe in "everything in moderation"?

    sadly, no. but I wish you were.

    Yeah, I guess these points of view that differ from yours annoy you, don't they?

    :indifferent:

    no. not really. just seems that there is a group of people on here that insist on one extreme or the other. but often, living in an extreme can be an unpleasant living. and life is meant to be enjoyed. so why not achieve your goals while enjoying life at the same time?

    (I packed a dinner today. grilled chicken and potatoes, cottage cheese, carrots and some greek yogurt. would have been great. but my boss brought in pizza for the night crew. I like pizza. I ate four slices. and I've still got a bit of room left for some ice cream tonight when I get home. and I'll still wake up tomorrow.)
  • russellma
    russellma Posts: 284 Member
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    I'm confused as to why this is a controversial subject. "Everything in moderation" is followed by the unstated but understood "that you want to eat". It doesn't mean you literally have to eat everything, force yourself to eat pop tarts if you don't want them. I eat everything I want to eat in moderation -- and I don't want to eat those things I have trouble eating in moderation.

    Finally... somebody who's as confused as I am! LOL

    I can eat anything that I'm willing to give up some of my allotted calories and macros for. Period.

    Over the last 35 lbs, my tastes have changed as I learned that some things can be substituted for other things that I enjoy just as much. I've learned to order only what I really want and enjoy, so I don't need french fries with my burger or chicken nuggets anymore. I used to love vending machine cappuccino, but since I've reduced the amount of sweets that I eat (though I still eat plenty), the junk I used to love is too sweet, so I don't enjoy it anymore.

    It's not that I CAN'T have those things (that aren't really good for me anyways). I just don't want them anymore!

    Now ice cream, on the other hand, is one of the major food groups, in my book, so I regularly indulge and don't even blink about making room in my daily calories for it. I don't eat as much as I used to, but the smaller bowl is totally worth it.

    It's everything in moderation that I think is worth the calories. Sounds like a reasonable compromise to me!
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    Am I the only person on MFP who *doesn't* believe in "everything in moderation"?

    sadly, no. but I wish you were.

    Yeah, I guess these points of view that differ from yours annoy you, don't they?

    :indifferent:

    no. not really. just seems that there is a group of people on here that insist on one extreme or the other. but often, living in an extreme can be an unpleasant living. and life is meant to be enjoyed. so why not achieve your goals while enjoying life at the same time?

    (I packed a dinner today. grilled chicken and potatoes, cottage cheese, carrots and some greek yogurt. would have been great. but my boss brought in pizza for the night crew. I like pizza. I ate four slices. and I've still got a bit of room left for some ice cream tonight when I get home. and I'll still wake up tomorrow.)

    Why do people keep insisting that my life is unpleasant and that I don't enjoy life just because I eliminated certain foods from my diet? Neither of these is true. And while life a year ago or ten years ago wasn't bad either, I can say that I enjoy life at least as much now as I did then.

    The most "extreme" thing about this to me is that peoples' assumptions about the quality of my life are *extremely* wrong.

    Enjoy your pizza and ice cream. As I've said many times before, I'm not trying to take these things away from you. (For what it's worth, I took a similar approach to my eating when I was in my early 30s without any noticeable consequences at the time too.) I'm just throwing out a different approach for discussion for those for whom your approach is no longer working.
  • Ravenclaw2012
    Ravenclaw2012 Posts: 26
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    In my opinion, everyone finds something different to work for them. I know I couldn't have even gotten a foot in the door if I thought I was going to have to completely deprive myself of things I love. Because to be honest, if I cut out all of the unhealthy things I ate, I would literally starve. I am VERRRRY picky and my love is with bread, meat, fruit, and dairy. HATE veggies [more than any five year old you could imagine.] So instead I just kept eating like I wanted to, but in smaller portions. Because if I wanted the weight loss to be permanent, it needs to be something I can do for the rest of my life. I can't force myself to like things because they're healthier and I really don't want to. I've lost and kept off 50 pounds with my method and it works for me, my habits, and my personality. I just track everything and keep an eye on my scales, clothes, and how I feel and that's all that matters to me :) However I do respect those who follow a stricter, healthier diet and I do envy you somewhat. But I just felt the need to share my own opinion on the everything [you want] in moderation thing.
  • raiseyourgame
    raiseyourgame Posts: 36
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    For me, it's not necessarily what I eat when it's "bad" food - it's how I feel while I'm eating it. I made a "controlled and consious" decision to eat fettuccine alfredo and I didn't feel like my healthy eating plan went off track.
  • hothodgie
    hothodgie Posts: 258 Member
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    This is another one of those "in my experience" things. For example, I used to love...*LOVE* frosted brown sugar cinnamon poptarts. De-frickin'-licious. After having cut the flours and added sugars and artificial flavorings from my diet for a while, I took a bite of one of these incredibly awesome foods and...ugh. So overpoweringly sugary and the flavor was so...(unnatural? chemical?)...just not good. Similar thing with other foods. Foods that I once thought were delicious, once I stopped eating them (and others like them) for a long period of time, were no longer tasty to me.

    I completely understand this. I once used to drink 2 64oz pepsi or mt. dew every day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon at work. I went through a divorce and stayed with a friend for a few weeks. She only had diet pepsi on hand. After staying there and drinking the diet pop, regular pop was suddenly too sweet for me. I am currently working on not drinking diet soda and only having water all day with an occasional glass of wine. Water was never something I enjoyed, but have found that I really do like it if it is ice cold. I have had 66 oz of it today and am on my 4th sports bottle of it. I am down to only a few diet cokes a week, usually on the weekends. So I do get the understanding here. However, I think if I went a year without ice cream or cheesecake they would still taste incredibly delicious. I only have cheesecake a few times a year and I still love it just as much!! LOL.
  • CoachJake83
    CoachJake83 Posts: 108
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    I agree! You gotta have mind over matter! You have to dig deep and find that emotional connection with your WHY. As in, WHY am I choosing to live a healthy life? You have to be passionate about your reason for living healthy, and you have to learn new habits by eating healthy foods! If we let our taste buds run rampant than, well, we'll become a country that is 2/3's obese like we have become.

    Granted, cold turkey over night is difficult, we gotta make steps to eat healthier and healthier. Last year I started eating healthy but still had a lot of processed foods, and my sodium was up over 3500/4000mgs a day! Now it's more whole food sources and it's like 1500-2000 a day and I feel so much better!
  • stephyy4632
    stephyy4632 Posts: 947 Member
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    haven`t hit a wall yet with eatting what I want in moderation and I`m very close to being down 50pounds now. (this is the only time I`ve ever in my life attempted to loose weight). Its working for me so why mess with a good thing I enjoy my food and I`m enjoying my body changing for the better :)
    do I read lables and watch portion size YES
    do I make better choices YES
    do I have the energy and strength to do my daily activities YES and some
  • Erica_theRedhead
    Erica_theRedhead Posts: 724 Member
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    To each their own. I know that the "EIM" doesn't work for you and that's a fine, probably better way to go in the long run. But most people that get obese end up having an addiction to food. I know that I'm addicted to it. If I cut something out of my diet cold turkey, I will eventually end up binging and completely undoing all of my work. Basically, I began to make concious efforts in my daily life to eat healthier, and cleaner. Thankfully now, it has become second nature to eat that way a majority of the time. But if I'm out with friends, or just feel like I need some Mighty Taco late night, I'm going to have it. Because it wasn't that one burrito I ate that one time that made me fat. It was the burrito and taco combo, with nachos, repeated 2 times a week I owe for that...
  • Katahna
    Katahna Posts: 326 Member
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    Everything in moderation is better than everything all the time as much as you want, for people like us =]
  • wolveslovemee
    wolveslovemee Posts: 156 Member
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    Its easier for myself to eat really clean 90% of the time. Less calories, more food for lunch, etc etc. I like having a lot to eat, so eating very clean makes more sense for someone who likes to have a huge lunch xD
    Cant gain weight from eating a huge bowl of veggies and greens!
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
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    As far as progress is concerned there is really no reason that a food should ever be totally off limits.

    Professional bodybuilders even have cheat days and will down cheeseburgers and ice cream.

    If eating something you really want helps keep you on track, then do it.


    And some people actual need some of the "bad" food. not everyone has the goal of being skinny, and actually want to look like they've spent a day in a gym. Typically, for the weight gain portion of that, it's going to require some "dirty" foods. I'd still be 150 pounds if it wasn't for pizza, Breyer's Ice Cream, and Wendy's double stacks.
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
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    For me, previous attempts at diets that forced me to give things up were always failures. Eating whatever I wanted as long as it fit my calorie allowance and "earning" more food through exercise has led to me weighing less than I have in my adult life. I'm 17 pounds below my initial goal and still losing.
  • Reneefit135
    Reneefit135 Posts: 170
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    I actually think i needed to hear this OP. I make excuses for my taste buds way too often. I literally start going nuts if i have a craving for chocolate or french fries and i start eating a bunch of stuff trying to feel that need. But its just like any bad relationship sometimes you just have to say goodbye if its unhealthy. hmmmmm food for thought. THanks
  • maryjay51
    maryjay51 Posts: 742
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    i'm a food junky so yes moderation is important to me so that i dont see 300lbs on the scale ever again. its taken the last 2 1/2 yrs to really get it with food that really isnt healthy. i do however miss ice cream and other things i use to gorge in.. i find myself wanting it so i have some ..not all like the old days. it shuts my body up and i can get on with myself ..most the time after eating it i realize its not as tasty as i remember. ....well except the ice cream lol that i havent quite gotten over and probably never will. ive lost 80lbs all together in the last 2 1/2 yrs so im doing well and doing whats working for me

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