why do you eat the way you do?

Crayvn

What type of diet (healthy eating lifestyle-paleo, low carb, high protein, TDEE, vegan, etc etc.) do you use and what made you choose it. Why did it sound appealing?

tacticalhippie

The way I usually eat, well minus the morning shakes, is pretty much primal.

I seem to have better results with limiting my sugar and carbs.
They also tear my stomach up if I have too much.

I eat mostly meat, fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds to begin with.

heybales

What type of diet (healthy eating lifestyle-paleo, low carb, high protein, TDEE, vegan, etc etc.) do you use and what made you choose it. Why did it sound appealing?

Depends on the exercise routine.

Normal balanced workouts of some cardio and some lifting gets TDEE Deficit method.

Summer workouts with long bike rides gets that method with only 1 hr of the rides expected, eat back any hrs over that with same deficit.

Training workouts for a race get Sedentary TDEE with deficit, and then eat back each workout with same deficit.

Right now lifting focus, so eat at TDEE on lifting days, BMR on rest days, and refeed day at TDEE once a week. Any easy cardio done is total eatback.

In January I'll go back normal balanced method if anything to lose, and even if not actually.

Shock_Wave

Medium carbs. It helps keeps water weight down and its just enough to give me a solid energy level all though out my day including work outs. Medium fat (I like meat and use extra virgin olive oil to counter bad fats). High protein because I am into strength training and protein promotes muscle strength and gains along with nice hair and nails. <---lol just had to throw out some humor there.. :laugh:

I mainly only have sugar in my tea, creamer in my coffee, and when I eat fruit, but from time to time there are exceptions, but again its just counted towards my carbs as I do not watch my sugar marco as I do not have diabetes or any thing like that. I mainly watch Carbs, Fat , Protein macros and add up my calories that way.. Lastly after I set my TDEE then I work out then I eat back my calories to keep every thing in my deit as perfect as I possibly can. That's how I learn my body burning methods and then I know exactly how many cals it takes me to lose or gain weight.

amonkey794

What type of diet (healthy eating lifestyle-paleo, low carb, high protein, TDEE, vegan, etc etc.) do you use and what made you choose it. Why did it sound appealing?

Depends on the exercise routine.

Normal balanced workouts of some cardio and some lifting gets TDEE Deficit method.

Summer workouts with long bike rides gets that method with only 1 hr of the rides expected, eat back any hrs over that with same deficit.

Training workouts for a race get Sedentary TDEE with deficit, and then eat back each workout with same deficit.

Right now lifting focus, so eat at TDEE on lifting days, BMR on rest days, and refeed day at TDEE once a week. Any easy cardio done is total eatback.

In January I'll go back normal balanced method if anything to lose, and even if not actually.

you sure have it all figured out!

heybales

What type of diet (healthy eating lifestyle-paleo, low carb, high protein, TDEE, vegan, etc etc.) do you use and what made you choose it. Why did it sound appealing?

Depends on the exercise routine.

Normal balanced workouts of some cardio and some lifting gets TDEE Deficit method.

Summer workouts with long bike rides gets that method with only 1 hr of the rides expected, eat back any hrs over that with same deficit.

Training workouts for a race get Sedentary TDEE with deficit, and then eat back each workout with same deficit.

Right now lifting focus, so eat at TDEE on lifting days, BMR on rest days, and refeed day at TDEE once a week. Any easy cardio done is total eatback.

In January I'll go back normal balanced method if anything to lose, and even if not actually.

you sure have it all figured out!

The biggest problem for me was ending up easily under-eating for the amount being done. And inadvertently losing LBM or performance suffers or metabolism slows.

MUSTLOSENOW55

low calorie because my goal is weight loss

jimmmer

I just try to get 1-1.5 gm of protein per lb (although, sometimes I over or under-shoot it works out on a weekly average). I let the other macros fall into line after this. I make sure I get plenty of fats and carbs, but don't really strive to keep them at a cast-iron value.

Originally I was slowly shredding myself down at TDEE - 250 cals. Then I was at maintenance for a while, but I recently upped it to TDEE + 500 cals. After that I'm going to cut again for a little while.....

As to why: I'm trying to get myself shredded down as much as possible without losing LBM......

brevislux

I'm vegetarian and mostly vegan (mostly because I still slip sometimes). I chose it for ideological reasons.

Shrelana

I eat what I can afford that is quick and easy for my hubby to make and is as low cal as we can get for our budget/location/time frame...Where I live, you can buy produce, get it home, cut into it, and discover it's rotten...so we just don't buy produce any more.

Guamybear

I eat everything I have always eaten but have added new items to it and I eat less nowadays.. but I don't deprive myself of anything.

butterflylady86

I eat healthy no junk food, fast food, soda pop. It has worked for me for going on seven months. And 55 pounds and 55 inches lost. So I will continue to eat this way forever. It is a habit after 30 days. Thanks

fibonacci_sequins

This is a really interesting question! I, for one, really appreciate a lot of variety in my meal plan, so I tend to eat a variety of foods throughout the day. I try and have a teensy bit fat at the beginning of each meal because lipids interacting with the duodenum (where your small intestine meets your stomach) gives your brain a nice, clear signal to tell you from stop feeling hungry. This strategy has worked well for me every time I remember to use it. Also, any way that you can get your stomach to stretch using low-volume options (think eating a lot of low-cal veggies or a 50cal cup of soup) before a meal can help you reduce overall consumption, so I'll enjoy a cup of soup, a hot tea, or a big 'ole salad before eating my main meal.

I don't eat red meat or pork because I used to be a pescatarian and I was away from meat for about 6 years. I've recently adopted fowl back into my diet and have been enjoying that. Although I, personally don't eat beef or pork, I don't care if others do! It's just not for me.

As for as carbohydrate choices go, I try and pick the whole grain choice when I can. As for organics -- while I definitely see the benefits of eating pesticide-free food, the research is still out on whether or not there's a significant health benefit as opposed to consuming foods grown with approved pesticides on the market. It's also cheaper to go the non-organic route. It feels so weird typing "non-organic" because, from a chemistry perspective, ALL food organic! (except for NaCl and H2Ol! lol!). But, you know what I mean.

Speaking of NaCl and H2O, I try and keep my salt intake lowish and I can usually bank about 40 oz of water a day. I wish I could consume more water, but I have such a small bladder and I'm fearful of not having access to a restroom when I need it! Anyone else out there experience this?

Oh, and cheese. I love cheese. "Never gonna give you up. . ."

I'd love to hear about any other "why you eat the way you do" strategies that have worked for others.

jesswait

I eat gluten/dairy free. I started eating healthier on accident after realizing that food allergies were causing some of my health problems. I still have junk food (nearly every day) but I can't eat most restaurant dishes so I don't really go out very often anymore There's scant fast/prepackaged food I can eat either so that's been helpful weight-loss wise. It's not appealing, I honestly miss how easy it was to just order a sandwich when I am out with people.

Qskim

I started by not counting calories and just cutting out high processed food...lost over 32lbs just by doing that. Found this nifty little app (mfp) which helped me learn portion control. I wanted to learn portion control because even though I knew I was eating healthier I was still tired after certain foods like pasta and bread even if wholegrain and thought it was because I was eating too much. Along the way I discovered I have a wheat/gluten allergy and have pretty much eliminated those from my diet and energy is now abundant. I was set at 1200 because it's a mental thing for me ...at minimum that's the good stuff I need to have in my day but I can/do go over by as much as 500cals and I don't care as long as it's good food (sometimes it's not..I'll risk side affects occasionally for something like a pizza!). I pretty much zig zag unintentionally through the week. I don't start eating til 11/12 midday. This is just what I have naturally moved into. in total I've lost 84lbs. Have 20ish to go. Have stopped counting calories for now to see how I go but exercise has been lax die to family reasons so the jury is still out on how that's going cos I'm not in normal mode. Can't say I've "plateaued" because I know I'm not giving it 100% at the moment.

tryclyn

I eat TDEE minus a little because my first goal is fat loss.

bdamaster60

I eat depending on goals. If im bulking my protein levels sit around 1 - 1.2g per lb, carbs level at 2x protein, fat fills in the rest. If im on a cut, depending on how much body fat i've gained in the off season, My deficit to get down to 12% body fat is 2300 cal, protein at 1.2g per lb, carbs at 1.5x protein, fat to fill the gaps, when i hit 12% I drop my carbs by 20 grams for a stretch of 4 weeks, that usually gets me down to 6%, and up my fats by 10 grams. If I want to get to 4% body fat over 1 week, I cut carbs down to 30 grams, up protein to 1.5g per lb, drop fats to 30g, and increase water intake from 1.5 gal per day to 3 gal per day.

slkehl

I'm really busy and always going to a class/internship/work from dawn til dusk, so I need food that is portable. That often ends up being nuts, dried fruit, string cheese, sandwiches, yogurt, and the like. I very rarely have a full meal.

DawnieB1977

I make sure I get a good amount of protein because I workout a lot, plus I'm busy and on my feet quite a bit. I work as a teacher and I have 2 small children, so I don't often sit down for long.

I like to have something likes eggs or porridge for breakfast as it's filling and has protein in it and is relatively low fat. Lunch is often salad because it's easy to prepare and I can eat it quite quickly in my short lunch break at work, or if i'm at home and looking after the kids. Plus I don't like to have too much bread.

Basically, I aim for high protein and low(ish) carbs and low fat.

This is not massively different to how i've eaten most of my adult life, except now I am more aware of protein, and I try to reduce the amount of starchy carbs I have.

axialmeow

Low(er) carb. I have PCOS and it's really been great for helping with my symptoms!

SprinklesNSparkles

Balanced. I eat a balanced mix of protein, carbs, and fat. I eat low sodium because I have issues that require that.

If I want something decadent, I fit it into my day and move on. This isn't a "diet", it's a way to live life.

ebonypixie

I typically eat a well rounded diet in relation to trying to balance my macros everyday. On a good day I can get about 80grams of protein in I focus on protein a lot because it leaves me satiated and less bloated than a high carb diet. I am gluten intolerant as of a couple months ago (and have chronic anaemia due to malabsorption) so I eat gluten free but try to stay away from processed 'gluten free' foods..so I eat a lot of rice, potatoes, meat and veg! Salads are a staple in work and I vary between slow releasing oats in the morning or bacon and eggs!

I use the TDEE defecit method and wear a Fitbit so if I have a slow day (TDEE 1700) I will eat about 1400-1500. If I have a crazy day (TDEE 2000+) I will eat about 1600-1700. I try to balance my net calories for the week so I can see where Ive gone right/wrong.

Now, all I have to do is get back on the exercise wagon (its suffered due to chronic anaemia) :P

JesterMFP

TDEE isn't a type of diet. Everyone who counts calories is doing so based on their TDEE, whether they realise it or not.

Anyway. I eat basically what I want to eat, fitting it into my calorie goal first, and then fitting it into my macronutrient goal. I do this because I have a long history of emotional eating and I realised that in order for me to reach my goal, and to maintain any weight loss, I would not be able to be too restrictive with my diet. I knew that cutting out the foods I like would make me feel deprived and ultimately backfire at some point. So, maintaining a small calorie deficit while not feeling deprived has been my main priority.

Additionally, I do care about the nutritional content of my diet, so I have made gradual changes along the way and try to meet my macronutrient goals. I say "try" because it's a work in progress, but I'm very conscious of getting plenty of protein. I also aim to eat lots of vegetables and a wide variety of fruit, nuts, fish and meats.

As I move into maintenance, and I have a few more calories to play with, I'm going to be focussing on hitting my macros more consistently.

Crayvn

TDEE isn't a type of diet. Everyone who counts calories is doing so based on their TDEE, whether they realise it or not.

I know TDEE isnt a "type" of diet. I wasnt quite sure how to *label* it based on my question. I think everyone got the idea tho.

SideSteel

When I'm tracking intake, which I'm currently taking a short "break" from:

I eat with the following goals in mind:

1) Consume within the appropriate range of calories for my goal (2200-2400 for cutting, 3100-3200 for bulking)
2) Consume at least 1g/lb LBM in protein and at least .35g/lb bodyweight in fat. I will usually go over these and I will ALWAYS average over these over the course of a week or so.
3) I absolutely attempt to use some common sense with food selection. This means eating a lot of fruits and vegetables and fish and chicken and lean meats and almonds etc...
4) And I also make sure to IIFYM like a boss and eat some ice cream regularly, or chips, or cake, or whatever I want.

I try not eat UNDER 200g carbohydrate when at a calorie deficit, for training intensity purposes.

jennfranklin

High protein but not low carb. Probably falls somewhere in the middle as far as carb intatake! I also try to include "good fats" everyday.. Nuts, olive oil, coconut oil, avacado, etc...

darrensurrey

I eat any old **** I fancy. I do try to eat more protein, though, because my protein intake has been woefully low in the past.

I also eat all the time (although after midday as currently seeing what effect skipping breakfast THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY will have on me). I do suspect that my neck is getting fragile as skipping THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY will result in my head falling off. If the world ends on 21st as predicted, then I accept full responsibility for skipping THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY. :bigsmile:

parmoute

I eat everything I have always eaten but have added new items to it and I eat less nowadays.. but I don't deprive myself of anything.

^^ This.

But I also try to plan ahead so I can get as much food into my day while staying within my calorie budget. Really the only way to do that is to eat less junk food and eat lots more fruits and veggies. When I first started, carbs was the macro I paid most attention to because I really like carbs, but now that I'm working out more I'm paying more attention to the protein (and still falling quite short, so definitely a work in progress).

geebusuk

I eat food I like which is fits in to my calorie goal and ideally is filling.
It sounds appealing because I, well, eat food I like and don't feel hungry .

Flixie00

I eat my net calories, try to spread out my eating across the day (I mainly eat 5-6 times a day), make sure I eat plenty of protein and that my carb and fat intake is not too excessive, stay hydrated and I try to eat my 5 a day fruit and veg. Aside from these points, I eat what I want. I am rarely hungry and I think I am quite fit / healthy. I suppose that's a diet of sorts.

Yanicka1

I do TDEE minus 15%. I eat .75 to 1g of protein per lean mass and don't bother about anything else. My moto is keep it simple!!!!