Choose your calories wisely

ACarp24

It seems to me like some of the new members, and even people who have been on here for awhile are under the impression that as long as you are within your calorie limit for the day, you are eating healthy. THROW THIS LOGIC OUT THE WINDOW,BECAUSE IT ISN'T TRUE! Please know that I am in no way trying to degrade anyone, I'm just concerned. Just because you can go to pizza hut, eat a slice of pizza, and stay within your limit doesn't mean you should. I know that at least for me, I joined this website to start eating different foods, not to simply limit what I used to eat. I see way to many diaries with people over their fat limit significantly everyday. And I also know that every once in awhile its ok to go out with your friends and be bad, but a lot of people are doing it as much as once a week! For these people, and you know who you are, be aware that what you're doing isn't healthy, and I encourage you to take a good look at your diary and ask yourself, is this really what I should be eating?
and so ends my rant. comments are welcome

confuseacat

You are so right. If you eat 1500 calories worth of pizza every day you may be within your calories but it is not a healthy choice. I think most people get that but some may not.

mromnek

You are 100%, absolutely and completely correct about the wisdom of choosing your calories. But this is something that has driven me insane on a number of fronts.

I started off counting calories and managing my serving sizes. This worked out for a short bit. Then I started looking at fat, with saturated and unsaturated fats. I had gotten those under control and I started looking at proteins, wondering why I was going over daily and what did it mean. See where I am going with this? After I tackled each "metric" of my food intake, I moved on to another challenge.

I have looked at a few food diaries and thought, "There is no wonder that you haven't lost weight... look at what you are eating and calling exercise!" But as I have thought about it, these people will either figure it out, or they will fail and quit. You can patiently and politely give these people advice, but if they are not ready for it, they won't listen. If they are ready for it, they will actually come asking for the advice.

ka_42

Thank you for the kind reminder!

mromnek

Oh yeah, and ironically, tonight I am going out for Pizza. It will be the 2nd time this year I will treat myself. Before Jan 1, I would typically eat pizza at least 1 or 2 times a week.

mollyelliott

i think its more than ok, and even HEALTHY.. to eat what ever you want once a week. whether it be pizza or ice cream or whatever. its psychologically soothing. everything in moderation. its clinically proven that people who allow themselves to have some freedom in their diet are more successful long term- because without having pleasure foods dieting is tedious and like a punishment, rather than being rewarding. i see no problem in going and having a slice of pizza or whatever once a week, especially if they are staying under their calorie goal. i know personally, if i know im going out to eat, i budget that into my calorie count for the day so that i do stay under, and dont have to worry. you only live life once, so you might as well enoy it.

CrystalT

I see way to many diaries with people over their fat limit significantly everyday.

I hope you are looking at more than just someone's fat totals before you judge them. There are reasons for going over on fat. For example, I started following the Flat Belly Diet Sunday and it pushes monounsaturated fats. You'll see that I go over my fat everyday because of it even though what I'm eating is healthy.

I agree that there are people (on this site and else where) who fool themselves into thinking they are eating healthy just because they limit their calories. I just think there is a lot more to look at than fat and calories.

sheri3762

I understand what your saying, but for me personally, I do eat something we would consider "bad" once a week for one meal. It may be grilled chicken at KFC or 2 slices of chikcen BBQ pizza at Pizza Hut or possible an ice creme cone and I'm still consistantly dropping weight and inches but I also make sure I workout on that day too. . Again, this is my personal preference. The way I've approached this is like many, a lifestyle change with adaption of very healthy eating habits. I know I do not want to give up chocolage, ice cream, pizza, ect. forever, so I have to figure out how to have it in moderation so that I do not ever go back to eating unhealthy all the time. I'm afraid that if i thought I could never again eat the things I really enjoy, then I may not do so well with the changes I've made. Again, this is my personal preference and according to my doctor i am being very wise in how I've approached this. She even has splurges on a regular basis and feels our overall health is what is most important, Good luck to you on your journey!

sonnacchio

I get it, and I do try to eat healthy...BUT...I guess if I want to "spend" my calories on pizza, or girl scout cookies, or ice cream AND I can stay within my calories for the day; I call that living a realistic life. I try to treat my calories like $ and I choose what and how much I eat very carefully. I use myfitnesspal to help me monitor how much I am eating on a daily basis. I don't think choosing to eat pizza is necessarily bad...Perhaps I am missing the point.

adegonia

I am probably one of the new people that you are referencing although looking back through my food diary I haven't been doing too terrible. I guess I just see it a little different. I didn't join to become a health nut (no offense to anyone who is I just don't have the desire) I joined to loose weight but do it by a lifestyle change not by a superstrict diet that I will grow tired of. I don't really like many healthy foods and to be honest can't afford to eat the way I would like to. I know that since I have joined I have made better choices for myself even if they aren't also the most healthy. Example I would skip breakfast enjoy a 1200 calorie lunch at taco bueno and then go home and eat another 1000 calorie or so dinner followed up by some ice cream most nights. So even though you may look at our diaries and think there is still a lot of room for improvement, admittedly so here, I also know that I am making better choices that I can stick with and I am losing weight. I think most people fail because they get sick of being so strict on themselves and let go completely. So if I feel like a cookie, I eat a cookie but I also keep in the back of my head that if I eat that cookie I will have to eat salad for dinner which for me is a vast improvment.

mvl1014

Since I'm one of your friends whose diary you can see, I will comment on this topic. I have no idea if I'm one of the people you're referring to, but I just want to give you my perspective.

1) I absolutely agree with you about not all calories being equal.
2) My first goal in starting MFP was controlling my portions.
3) I don't very often long fruits & veggies. If you ever see ranch dressing and croutons but no salad (or butter but not corn) you may wonder about this.
4) I'm not yet concerned with fine-tuning macronutrients. It will come, but I need to tackle one thing at a time.

Mellie13

I agree to a degree. I also think some people are fooled into thinking that "light" or "sugar free" or "reduced fat" or even "fat free" means that it's healthy. IT'S NOT!!!! It is usually loaded with chemicals that are not real food. It is about much more than just calories, so I agree with you there, but I also agree with the fact that psycologically it is harmful to deprive yourself. That is why diets always fail! It must be a lifestyle change. Sorry, I'm off my soap box now.

♥seoid♥

ditto mvl

GRose

I am a new member & while I would like to completly change my eating habits to be more healthy most of the time, I have accepted the fact that it takes me a long time to get something started. I know that I may not be eating the best foods for me all of the time but by doing things in small steps, I know that I can accomplish not just weight loss but also a new way of life. If taking small steps (like eating 1-2 slices of Pizza Hut pizza instead of 5) helps me to satisfy my craving while still assisting me with my ultimate goal of being a healthier, happier person, then that's what I need to do for me. Besides, tracking everything (food, excercize, etc..) is a HUGE step for me, as I am not used to doing so.

Having said that, I do agree that eating whatever you want just to use your calories is not an effective way of watching what you eat. There are quite a few different things that go into determining whether or not you're making healthy choices and doing your best to be a healthier person.

I hope this doesn't come across too harsh.. I just wanted you to be aware of where I was coming from & where others may be coming from as well.

questionablemethods

Right on! I agree. However, I think it is also important to remember that large changes often take time. When I started getting educated about nutrition, my first goal was to get my calories under control. It was too much to also worry about the quality of my food. Then I got the macronutrient stuff under control. Then I started to get clean and taking out all the processed junk and eating organic, pesticide- and chemical-free whole foods. And I look at the bottles of salad dressing I used to eat and see high fructose corn syrup is the first ingredient or I think about the artificial sweeteners I used to eat and I think "I used to think THIS was healthy?" BLECH!

But hey! I've been allowing myself one or two Girl Scout cookies most nights. I agree that sometimes we need to allow ourselves treats. Consistency is key--not perfection. Some people can make huge changes in their lives all at once. For other people, it is an incremental process.

faithstephenson

I think each person has to decide for themselves, hopefully with input from a good doctor, what is the best way for them to reach their goals. I know that I fail when I say "I can't have___". So when I started here, I decided to start with limiting portion size of what I normally ate, without regard to fat content ot anything else. Once I got used to that, and my weightloss leveled off a bit, I decided to try to keep that fat number in check. Now I do most days. I've even started to choose to use reduced fat items, as long as taste doesn't suffer. This is how I will be able to live. Not saying "I can't...", but "Today I choose..." Your method may work long term for you, but I know from experience it won't for me. You may need to just have some patience with people as they figure out what they can and can't do.

simona1972

Joining MFP I had goal in the forefront of my mind....controlling portions so that I wasnt overeating. I knew this was a HUGE problem for me.

As I did that and realized just how small a serving was - especailly of my beloved fat laden goodies, my whole way of looking at food changed. When I think back to how I was eating just 3 months ago, I cringe. My typical diet would:

Breakfast - Fast Food Breakfast Sandwiches - usually 2 or 3 depending on the sandwich and how big it was.
Lunch - Burger and Fries
Dinner - Fried meat of some sort - no veggies except potatoes.

I'd be snacking all day on chocolate, chips, cookies, crackers. You name it, I ate it. Weekends was always pizza & wings or Chinese Food.

So I agree that we should choose our calories wisely. But at the same time, I also think that it comes naturally with time. As we feel healthier, we crave healthier foods. I dont think I could stomach what I used to eat and I dont want to even venture a try. But I will also say that if I want a treat, I'll have one. The difference is now...the treats are few and far between and if I do eat something a little more caloric and fattier, I make up for it with exercise.

I also wanted to add that I think fat isnt the only culprit of unhealthy eating - someone could be using heart healthy fats and that's a good thing...processed food is HUGE on my list of foods that should be banned...and that's anything from boxed granola bars that are all sugar, to fake sugar substitues they put in foods like sugar free puddings and the like. Processed food, IMO is a greater evil because they're filled with sugars - I used to snack on these all day and think since it was a granola bar or it said "sugar free" on it, I was fine. Okay...I'll get off my soapbox now...

ACarp24

I'm not talking about mono unsaturated and poly unsaturated fats, I'm talking about people who's fat and calories are clearly coming from the wrong source.

I see way to many diaries with people over their fat limit significantly everyday.

I hope you are looking at more than just someone's fat totals before you judge them. There are reasons for going over on fat. For example, I started following the Flat Belly Diet Sunday and it pushes monounsaturated fats. You'll see that I go over my fat everyday because of it even though what I'm eating is healthy.

I agree that there are people (on this site and else where) who fool themselves into thinking they are eating healthy just because they limit their calories. I just think there is a lot more to look at than fat and calories.
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nolachick

bumping to read later but I will say I am guilty as I was looking thru my diary last night I noticed constantly going over fats and sodium.
and no I'm not happy about that!

mworld

i just looked at yours and total tangeant....boy i miss Wegman's. When I lived in NY that Dewitt location was amazing. Easy to eath healthy when you have a store of that caliber that is so cheap!

godblessourhome

regarding the fat, it is just as important to make sure you are not too far UNDER on fat as it is to be too much OVER fat. a diet too low in fat can also cause you to come up short on several important dietary nutrients, such as the mineral zinc, some b vitamins, and certain essential fatty acids that your body needs (a fat is made up of fatty acids). you also need fat in your diet in order to help your body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins such as a, d, e, and k, as well as other compounds like lycopene.

I'm talking about people who's fat and calories are clearly coming from the wrong source.

it may be crystal clear to you, but it may not be that clear to them. in most cases, i think people are doing the best they can. you really have no idea what people's motives for joining are. also, many times people don't log every thing (i personally don't log exercise unless it goes over what i consider part of my lifestyle, yet i do a workout video/run on the treadmill/play the wii and walk my dog daily, so my exercise shows up as very minimal.)

that said, you are absolutely correct that choosing your calories wisely is important! thanks for the reminder! the problem is that we each have different priorities on what is the most important. it could be portion-control as mentioned, it could be being 'healthy' (of which there are lots of different ideas) like your goals, it could be eating clean without pesticides, chemicals/processed and hormone-injected food. health is a journey that most people are just beginning.

i think your intention with this post is very admirable, but it is clear that a lot of people now feel a little hurt and/or judged. at the very least, defensive about their choices.
dawn