Diet question please help before I go fad...
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rania6236
Posts: 8
Just wondering, is it better to stick to just counting your calories and eating whatever you want till their done, or to go on some sort of plan. Like low carbs, Atkins, whatever, if you want to get your body in gear. You see I've always had this fad diet fetish and I just need a little help finding out how to really get on track, because if I'm not dropping 5lbs a week I'm doing something wrong... (crazy right). Anyway I even started blogging here on mfp about my crash dieting problem just to find others like me. Any help, guidance, advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance
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People will probably have different opinions on this, but I do not like "diets." What I like is making sure that the food I am putting in my body has nutritional value and is not processed crap. So while I try to stay within a certain number of calories, I am also watching my macros and making sure they are balanced. I don't believe carbs are inherently bad....it is simple carbs that are the culprit.0
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I tend to follow the general principle of 'eat less, move more', so if I want that cake, I try to make sure I earn it!
I also try to stick to 3 sensible meals a day and have regular snacks of fruit or raw veg. Partly because I work out a lot and get hungry and partly because I'm really unpleasant when I am hungry!! :laugh: I used to fall victim to crash dieting in my teens and have since realised (hindsight is wonderful!) that a lot of my mood swings were probably hunger, as well as hormones!
As far as weight-loss goes, I tend to think that if 'something' is coming off each week and staying off, then all is well with the world.
Although I do accept that sometimes the scales are being mean to me, so I also take my waist/hip measurements every 4 weeks, to ensure that I'm toning up.
One tip that has stayed with me about weight-loss is 'the faster it comes off; the faster it goes back on again!' If you're after permanent results, slow and steady might be the way to go.
Good luck!
Sarah x0 -
5lbs a week is NOT healthy weight loss. You can find tons of people here and everywhere that have done crash/fad diets and they put all that weight back on and then some..... try to live healthy.... find what works best for you..... I am not anti carb, but I do try to avoid simple carbs for the most part.... I like to heat high protein, high fiber..... and I work out a lot so when I do want to indulge, I don't feel guilty, and it doesn't ruin my hard work! 0
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Well how's the "professional crash dieting" worked out for you up to now? I'm not sure what you mean by "till their done", but I pretty much look at this as a permanent change, not a temporary way of getting weight off until it creeps back on again. Once I reach my goal, I want to maintain that for good. So, for me, it's much better to eat the things I like to eat, and keep it all within my calorie goal. I know that the way I'm eating now, I can continue forever, because I haven't restricted any particular food or food type. I do eat better than I did before joining MFP, but those healthy changes have happened slowly along the way. I haven't done anything drastic. I still eat carbs (including white bread and chocolate), I eat bacon, real butter, bagels and I drink wine. I've learned about moderation, appropriate portion size and which nutrients are the most important to my body.
5 lbs a week is not a healthy rate of loss and losing it quickly makes it more likely that you will gain it again, and more likely that a higher percentage of your "weight" loss will come from muscle, and not fat. That is not an ideal situation. It also makes it more likely that you will have loose skin at the end of it all. When you're on a restrictive diet, I guess seeing the scale go down quickly gives you the motivation to keep going rather than break the diet. If you just tailor your normal diet to fit within your calorie goal, then you won't feel so deprived and won't feel as much need to stop. With nearly 80 lbs to lose, patience and determination are going to be the things that get you there. Weight loss is slow and boring. Try and find things that motivate you to make this a long-term/permanent lifestyle change for your health and well-being, with weight loss as a happy side effect.
Instead of thinking about how much you want to be at your goal right now, try and think more realistically. This time next year, you could be 80 lbs lighter, and fitter, and healthier, having kept most of your lean body mass and having a fit, strong body. You said on your blog that you're still looking for a quick fix. Well, where has that got you in the past? If there were really any quick fixes that actually worked permanently, do you really think so many of us would be doing it the old fashioned way of eating less and exercising more? Take a look at the "success stories" section - very motivating, but I doubt you'll find many, if any, who reached their goal through quick fixes. You say you won't allow yourself to believe that eating sensibly and exercising will eventually work. Well, that's a choice. You choose to believe that. No one else can change your mindset but you.
So, you can go off and try the 13 day diet or whatever, but what about a different kind of challenge: you have two young children that you want to "look good" for. How about taking this opportunity to set them a good example about food and body issues, and not set them up for a lifetime of crash dieting themselves? I'm not making any comment on your parenting skills as I don't know you; I'm sure you absolutely have their best interests at heart. I'm purely speaking from my own experiences of growing up with a mother who yo-yo dieted and looked for quick fixes all the time. It didn't do me any good whatsoever. You might be surprised how much they are already picking up from your habits. Why don't you just give MFP a go - eat the number of calories suggested, give it a month or two and see how you get on?0 -
OK, my two pence worth.
Fad diets, whatever they are, will generally make you lose weight (ok, I have yet to hear of anyone losing weight on the chocolate and cake diet, but you know what I mean!)
If you want to lose weight, and keep it off, you need to find out what you should be eating calorie wise at your goal weight. Eat that, and your body will get to that weight and stabilise there.
This explains the maths behind it pretty well:
http://www.barbellsandbeakers.com/2012/07/04/the-math-behind-weight-loss-caloric-deficit-explained/
Then use a calculator to determine your BMR and TDEE
http://calorieline.com/tools/tdee
This is the simplest one I've found to be honest. It tells you how many calories you need to eat a day to become the weight you want to be and stay there, factoring in the amount of exercise you do. Without starving yourself or going on a fad diet. Simples.
The way I've done it (works for me personally, but what works for one person doesn't always work for another) is to do it in steps. So, when I weighed 151lb, I calculated the calorie intake for someone weighing 148lb and stuck with that until my weight dropped. Then I dropped it to calculate for 145lb and so on. So the drop in calories didn't seem so huge, it was a small drop each time and I didn't notice it.
Each time I get to a goal, I take a diet break for a week, and allow myself to eat a bit more than on my cut weeks. This isn't something anyone has to do, I do it because I have Crohns and celiac disease and don't absorb nutrients very well, so when I am calorie cutting, I can get nutrient depletion. But it allows me a week where I can get a bit more in, if I don't do this every so often I can get very tired and lack energy, which means I don't have the energy to train so it's counterproductive. I've never gained more than 0.5lb during a diet break week though, so for me it's worth it having a week every so often where I can eat a few "naughty" things - I don't feel deprived, and my energy levels stay good. The weight then comes off quickly when I cut again, it seems to fire up my metabolism.
This works for me, because I get sick if I do low calorie dieting, or cut out complete food groups from my diet. I am starting to train for a triathlon, so I have to fuel my body right, or I can't do the things I want to. If you're going to cut anything out of your diet, cut out processed foods, and eat as much real food as possible. If you are the sort of person who likes the "challenge" of dieting, then I would challenge you to get rid of all the low fat diet foods and all that and replace them with fruit and veg, lean meat, fish, low fat dairy products, healthy fats like avocadoes, coconut oil, nuts, and yes, real butter - just use less of it than you would margarine, and wholegrains, and cook/prepare your food from scratch. And that will be a good example to your kids, get them involved with the food prep.
This is just what works for me - I wanted to find something that would allow me to lose weight but still enjoy food and get the right nutrition, and most importantly keep it off and avoid yo-yo dieting.
It aint a quick fix, my 11lb has taken 3 months to come off, and the only time I ever lost 5lb in a week is when I've had food poisoning. But it's not going back on.0 -
Simply drink water as much as you can and eat more green vegetables. salad, fruit and juice.
Avoid the oily and out side food. Weight losing is tough task so keep some patience.0 -
counting calories and working out seem to be the best method I have found. Stay away from processed foods and meats, and eat healthy. I dont mean just eat rabbit food. Yesterday I had a cheeseburger BUT I got a burger from a place where they never freeze their meat, they use whole grain breads and fresh vegetables on their burger. See what I mean? you need carbs in your diet to function. For me, what works best (I have a diabetic in the house so I can tell you all about carbs, sugars, proteins etc) carbs in the morning, proteins later in the day. Carbs are great brain food and they get you going, protein gives you energy and keeps your stamina up. Simple sugars go through the body quickly and can be burnt up quickly if you excercise it off , otherwise it will tend to spike and crash your blood sugar. Sugar from fruits, stabilize your blood sugar quicker, carbs from whole wheat and veggies are complex and take longer to break down keeping you fuller longer, and that brain going. Smaller meals more often help stabilize your blood sugar. and a gentle suggestion, if you find your self "craving" fad dieting, maybe talk to someone about it (a professional) it is an adiction that can really mess you up! Best of luck to you! Hope that helped some0
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OK, my two pence worth.
Fad diets, whatever they are, will generally make you lose weight (ok, I have yet to hear of anyone losing weight on the chocolate and cake diet, but you know what I mean!)
If you want to lose weight, and keep it off, you need to find out what you should be eating calorie wise at your goal weight. Eat that, and your body will get to that weight and stabilise there.
This explains the maths behind it pretty well:
http://www.barbellsandbeakers.com/2012/07/04/the-math-behind-weight-loss-caloric-deficit-explained/
Then use a calculator to determine your BMR and TDEE
http://calorieline.com/tools/tdee
This is the simplest one I've found to be honest. It tells you how many calories you need to eat a day to become the weight you want to be and stay there, factoring in the amount of exercise you do. Without starving yourself or going on a fad diet. Simples.
The way I've done it (works for me personally, but what works for one person doesn't always work for another) is to do it in steps. So, when I weighed 151lb, I calculated the calorie intake for someone weighing 148lb and stuck with that until my weight dropped. Then I dropped it to calculate for 145lb and so on. So the drop in calories didn't seem so huge, it was a small drop each time and I didn't notice it.
Each time I get to a goal, I take a diet break for a week, and allow myself to eat a bit more than on my cut weeks. This isn't something anyone has to do, I do it because I have Crohns and celiac disease and don't absorb nutrients very well, so when I am calorie cutting, I can get nutrient depletion. But it allows me a week where I can get a bit more in, if I don't do this every so often I can get very tired and lack energy, which means I don't have the energy to train so it's counterproductive. I've never gained more than 0.5lb during a diet break week though, so for me it's worth it having a week every so often where I can eat a few "naughty" things - I don't feel deprived, and my energy levels stay good. The weight then comes off quickly when I cut again, it seems to fire up my metabolism.
This works for me, because I get sick if I do low calorie dieting, or cut out complete food groups from my diet. I am starting to train for a triathlon, so I have to fuel my body right, or I can't do the things I want to. If you're going to cut anything out of your diet, cut out processed foods, and eat as much real food as possible. If you are the sort of person who likes the "challenge" of dieting, then I would challenge you to get rid of all the low fat diet foods and all that and replace them with fruit and veg, lean meat, fish, low fat dairy products, healthy fats like avocadoes, coconut oil, nuts, and yes, real butter - just use less of it than you would margarine, and wholegrains, and cook/prepare your food from scratch. And that will be a good example to your kids, get them involved with the food prep.
This is just what works for me - I wanted to find something that would allow me to lose weight but still enjoy food and get the right nutrition, and most importantly keep it off and avoid yo-yo dieting.
It aint a quick fix, my 11lb has taken 3 months to come off, and the only time I ever lost 5lb in a week is when I've had food poisoning. But it's not going back on.
[/quote
THIS ^^^^^
Thank You so much for this calculator link at last something I can understand,you are right it is the easiest one.0 -
OK, my two pence worth.
Fad diets, whatever they are, will generally make you lose weight (ok, I have yet to hear of anyone losing weight on the chocolate and cake diet, but you know what I mean!)
If you want to lose weight, and keep it off, you need to find out what you should be eating calorie wise at your goal weight. Eat that, and your body will get to that weight and stabilise there.
This explains the maths behind it pretty well:
http://www.barbellsandbeakers.com/2012/07/04/the-math-behind-weight-loss-caloric-deficit-explained/
Then use a calculator to determine your BMR and TDEE
http://calorieline.com/tools/tdee
This is the simplest one I've found to be honest. It tells you how many calories you need to eat a day to become the weight you want to be and stay there, factoring in the amount of exercise you do. Without starving yourself or going on a fad diet. Simples.
The way I've done it (works for me personally, but what works for one person doesn't always work for another) is to do it in steps. So, when I weighed 151lb, I calculated the calorie intake for someone weighing 148lb and stuck with that until my weight dropped. Then I dropped it to calculate for 145lb and so on. So the drop in calories didn't seem so huge, it was a small drop each time and I didn't notice it.
Each time I get to a goal, I take a diet break for a week, and allow myself to eat a bit more than on my cut weeks. This isn't something anyone has to do, I do it because I have Crohns and celiac disease and don't absorb nutrients very well, so when I am calorie cutting, I can get nutrient depletion. But it allows me a week where I can get a bit more in, if I don't do this every so often I can get very tired and lack energy, which means I don't have the energy to train so it's counterproductive. I've never gained more than 0.5lb during a diet break week though, so for me it's worth it having a week every so often where I can eat a few "naughty" things - I don't feel deprived, and my energy levels stay good. The weight then comes off quickly when I cut again, it seems to fire up my metabolism.
This works for me, because I get sick if I do low calorie dieting, or cut out complete food groups from my diet. I am starting to train for a triathlon, so I have to fuel my body right, or I can't do the things I want to. If you're going to cut anything out of your diet, cut out processed foods, and eat as much real food as possible. If you are the sort of person who likes the "challenge" of dieting, then I would challenge you to get rid of all the low fat diet foods and all that and replace them with fruit and veg, lean meat, fish, low fat dairy products, healthy fats like avocadoes, coconut oil, nuts, and yes, real butter - just use less of it than you would margarine, and wholegrains, and cook/prepare your food from scratch. And that will be a good example to your kids, get them involved with the food prep.
This is just what works for me - I wanted to find something that would allow me to lose weight but still enjoy food and get the right nutrition, and most importantly keep it off and avoid yo-yo dieting.
It aint a quick fix, my 11lb has taken 3 months to come off, and the only time I ever lost 5lb in a week is when I've had food poisoning. But it's not going back on.
[/quote
THIS ^^^^^
Thank You so much for this calculator link at last something I can understand,you are right it is the easiest one.0
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