Would you rather have "the real thing" or nothing at all?

Hrl1993

I'm talking about having a lightened up version of something vs. not having that thing at all.

For example...would you rather have a "skinny" version of Chicken Parm (maybe w/ low fat cheese, baked instead of fried, etc.) or just have a more plain chicken breast that isn't "trying" to be something it's not?

I know some people would prefer the latter...I definitely prefer the former! Just seeing what you all think.

tiffanyheth

I like creative alternatives for higher calorie foods. I would try a baked panko covered chicken breast as opposed to a fried one.

debloves2ride

I'm perfectly happy with substitutes or imitation if it is healthier and has good flavor. It is all about being healthy and loosing weight. Eating to much of the "real" thing is what got me here in the first place :drinker:

smaihlee

Above all, it's most important to me that foods taste good. I'd much rather have a 25% of a portion of full-fat, awesome chicken parm than a ****ty-tasting light version.

Even so, I'm open to creative cooking and have found lots of great blogs and sites with healthier "copycat" or lightened versions of my favorite foods that are very very tasty. That being said, I will not sacrifice taste or health with the use of chemical-laden or otherwise (what I consider to be) unhealthy products to substitute for "the real thing".

brokenjawedmuse

Well, I suppose it depends.

I know my home-cooking is far lower in calories than restaurant food, so I'm not sure if what I make at home is considered "not the real thing."

I'm not a big fan of artificial crap being used to create a lower calorie option, but if there's a natural way (eg. use less butter, bake instead of fry, use less sugar, use less oil, steaming instead of frying, etc), then I'm down for it. I just hate when items are labeled 'sugar free' and they contain sucralose or some such.

stephdeeable

Some substitutions I find alright, for others things it's gotta be the real thing. Like, I would never eat shirataki noodles because they disgust me. But I love making zucchini parm. It really depends on the food.

jmcreynolds91

I dont mind the less calorie versions of things, especially because i dont feel guilty eating it. Every once in a while i will splurge and have the "real thing" Having the less calorie version has helped me loose lots of weight so i cant complain!

LorinaLynn

If I can't taste the difference, I don't care.

I get a skim milk (Super Skim) that tastes and looks just like whole milk. So I don't mind it one bit, because I'd rather use those calories and fat I save with the milk in something like full-fat cheese and real butter. I use Neufchatel cheese over cream cheese for the same reason. Tastes the same to me. If I were someone who had trouble reaching my calorie goals and macros, I'd switch.

I prefer my breaded chicken baked over deep-fried. French fries, too. Any time I tried deep frying something, I ended up burning the oil and setting off my smoke alarms, so I'd just as soon not bother. :laugh:

onyxgirl17

Depends. I don't like food that tastes "fake" or "plastic-ky". I use full fat oils, butters, and regular sugar. I just limit "how much"

BerryH

I'd rather have something delicious and weave the rest of my day around it, whether that means having a couple of smaller (but still "real food" meals) or, more likely, exercising more. For example, I have a 1,100 calorie pasta dinner planned tonight and I'm currently 100-odd calories over, but I can burn that easily between now and then.

kirstyg1980

Low fat food are usually full of chemicals - I'd rather have real butter for example over margarine - have you seen the stuff that goes into it?????

I make everything from scratch, don't like premade meals for same reasons as above etc

RhonndaJ

Entirely depends on what it is.

If the "fake" is good, I'm perfectly happy with it. But sometimes I just have to have the "real" thing.

WBB55

Depends on the "thing."

I find I don't have to go without any of my favorite foods, and can still lose weight. I try to never feel deprived or hungry.

I can make lighter versions of lots of recipes at home by substituting ingredients and changing proportions, and often like it even better than the original. Like, I LOVE pizza with low fat cottage cheese or my own lowfat homemade farmer's cheese. I don't miss the mozzarella at all when I do this. I top with TONS of oregano and garlic. I'd rather go without on my pizza if my ONLY choice was "fat-free" or "vegan" over-processed, tons of filler "mozzarella."

Also, like, I do zucchini spiral cut into angel hair or some spaghetti squash instead of actual spaghetti pasta, then top with full-flavor parmesean cheese and homemade marinara made with anchovies... mmm. Less calories, but ALL the flavor. I would toss a plate of "real" spaghetti with "fake" parmesean down the garbage.

bokodasu

Depends on the thing. I would rather have Diet Coke than regular Coke, because it tastes better. I'd rather have a bite of real cake than an entire fake cake, because fake cakes are yucky.

I also know myself well enough to know that if I'm really craving something, I need to just eat that thing and get it over with, because otherwise I will keep trying to eat similar things that never actually satisfy the craving and wind up eating five or six times as much as I would have if I'd just had the thing in the first place. Or I can decide just to ignore that craving, but not EVERY time. Point is, it's either the real thing or nothing.

SabrinaJL

I'm also gonna go with "depends on what it is". I'd never ever ever eat turkey bacon. Just no. But I tried a yogurt blue cheese dressing that's half the fat and cals of most regular dressing and I actually ended up liking it better than the regular.

JossFit

Well, I suppose it depends.

I know my home-cooking is far lower in calories than restaurant food, so I'm not sure if what I make at home is considered "not the real thing."

I'm not a big fan of artificial crap being used to create a lower calorie option, but if there's a natural way (eg. use less butter, bake instead of fry, use less sugar, use less oil, steaming instead of frying, etc), then I'm down for it. I just hate when items are labeled 'sugar free' and they contain sucralose or some such.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. Making things at home, even with full fat/calorie incredients is still often lower in calorie than what you would find if you were dining out.

I also don't want to eat any 'frankenfoods' to save a few calories, but if I can make substitutions with natural foods I absolutely will.

BlackKat75

Like most of the others, it depends on what it is, but generally I would rather have the "real thing" than a chemical-laden facsimile thereof. I use butter rather than margarine, real sour cream, gelato, etc. I just ensure that it fits within my calorie goals and enjoy it in moderation. I'd rather have one rich delicious Belgian chocolate truffle than a 100-calorie snackpack of a cocoa-flavored concoction that isn't as satisfying. If I'm cooking, I may reduce some ingredients in order to make it healthier (e.g., reducing amount of oils or soy sauce), but only if I'm not sacrificing taste.

peacemongernc

Usually, I want the real thing. But I'll try reduced calorie versions of things IF they don't have artificial crap. I'd rather have sugar than pretend sugar, and fat than pretend fat. But I'm willing to consider variations that substitute real food for a higher calorie version of the same thing. Like I usually use applesauce in baked goods that call for oil, and I'm not opposed to throwing out a few egg yolks from time to time.

peacemongernc

I'd never ever ever eat turkey bacon. Just no.

That's how I used to feel until I tried the Trader Joe's uncured turkey bacon. My kids even like it. They won't eat other kinds.

DaniH826

It depends on the discrepancy calorie-wise. You can switch to lower fat options with certain things and still get plenty of flavor. Some meals have way too much fat and unnecessary calories and are overloaded, which to me is the real thing taken too far. The real thing will always taste yummy and nourish your body. If it doesn't do both, then it's not real but artificially loaded with unnecessary things, whether you go up in calories or down in calories. Least that's my opinion.

Having said that, there will be no low fat sour cream in our house. I'd rather deal with the 30 extra calories, honestly.

funkycamper

Well, I suppose it depends.

I know my home-cooking is far lower in calories than restaurant food, so I'm not sure if what I make at home is considered "not the real thing."

I'm not a big fan of artificial crap being used to create a lower calorie option, but if there's a natural way (eg. use less butter, bake instead of fry, use less sugar, use less oil, steaming instead of frying, etc), then I'm down for it. I just hate when items are labeled 'sugar free' and they contain sucralose or some such.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. Making things at home, even with full fat/calorie incredients is still often lower in calorie than what you would find if you were dining out.

I also don't want to eat any 'frankenfoods' to save a few calories, but if I can make substitutions with natural foods I absolutely will.

Both of these.

I avoid low-fat cheese and margarine as I think they are the epitome of frankenfoods. Yuck. Using less but still getting good flavor is fine. I have enjoyed many lower-calorie versions of things as long as they don't include frankenfoods.

Lupercalia

I don't eat any of those reduced fat or light versions of full fat foods.

Like others have said, I too substitute certain items that I don't eat. The example of using zucchini in place of pasta was given. I do that, I also substitute cauliflower for rice, mashed potatoes, and cous cous as I don't eat grains these days.

I also cook entirely from scratch.

And yes, I do watch calorie counts. :happy:

roiLEI1554

definitely would rather have a lightened up version! It's good to still be able to enjoy some foods even if its not heavy (also, this way, it's easier to get used to lighter, less fatty/salty foods rather than still crave the regular version).

Timshel_

I am all for lower calorie foods, but most that replace fats or sugars, or add proteins and nutrients, taste like crap. Give me the leaded version of it all and I will moderate portions.

rfsatar

Full fat coke, white bread if I can't get 50/50, white flour.
But semi-skimmed milk, grilling and baking where poss instead of frying ...

Protein at breakfast, keeps me fuller until Homemade soup at lunchtime, keeps me fuller, until balanced meal in the evenings.
Means I can have eggs and bacon 3 days a week!!!

Fizzy drinks as a treat at a weekend, cordial/fruit juice during the week.

Anything in moderation and try to log as accurately as possible ... And I have learned to control my portions as a result!