I can eat whatever I want...

justal313

Moderation is the key

On the money. Eat a balance, including those indulgences once in awhile (key words!) I am known to have some cookies, donuts, or BEER! here and there when I mentally can't get past it...or just really want it. I do a lot better if I have my beer and then double my exercise effort rather than think about the random "not good for me food" and torture myself. It is all about choices and moderation. I keep my general trend healthy. Sometimes it isn't a straight line trend but it works for me.

:drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

One of the reasons I took up running was so that I didn't have to give up beer.

The best part of running and especially organized races is the beer. :drinker: Except for the warrior dash, they had MILLER :grumble: :noway: :sick:

Elf_Princess1210

The good thing is you're more interested in changing your lifestyle. good for you

kelleyannclemons

I've been the same pretty much. If I want a cookie, I eat one...same goes with potato chips and cheese sauce, etc. All of it is fine to me as long as I stay within my calorie limits.

What I have noticed is even with eating what I want, if I need more quantity of food, I throw more fruits and veggies in the mix for that day (I feel better when I snack throughout the day. If I have big meals, I tend to crash/get sleepy). I have also seen my tastes change more and I'm unconsciously choosing the lower sodium and non processed foods.

Even with cooking I notice a difference. My husband and I rarely eat take out because of how salty and bland it tastes. We prefer the taste of different herbs and spices rather than the sodium now.

It has all been step by step rather than an all-at-once type of change for my family, but it has worked. I'm excited to see what and how I will be eating another 6 months from now!

SanteMulberry

I absolutely believe different bodies react differently to foods. My husband, the polar opposite of my experience, lost 60lbs giving up starches and limiting dairy. His appetite leveled and decreased significantly. When hed eat starches hed be starving. So he cut out most all junk and refined sugar. As we sat at a restaurant and I ate a roll he said to me "if I ate that, I wouldnt be able to stop. Id need to eat the whole basket". Its interesting bc when I eat a roll, I dont desire another one, it doesnt affect me in that way. But for him, starches lead to binges so cutting them out led to no binges, eating less and losing weight. We are living proof that different bodies react differently. Similarly when I went on his diet for a year, I gained nearly 15lbs and was starving all the time. i actually felt like I was dying on low carb. I was dizzy all the time and was beyond hungry regardless of calories. hes the opposite, he is never hungry on low carb

I think there is wisdom in this^^^. Even mother's and daughters have different weight-loss parameters. There are many variables, age, body composition, etc. I eat more now (and am losing) than I did before (and was slowly gaining for years). The difference is that I started eating right for my body, and added a couple of hours a week of exercising in the pool and lifting weights. I have arthritis and some days hurt so much that I had trouble getting off the couch. This continued for a number of years of slow gain in spite of almost continuous dieting. The less I ate, the more unhealthy I got---and only got fatter on the "balanced weight-loss" diet my doctor put me on! One of the things that I determined after that failure, was that sugar and wheat were both very bad for me and I needed to cut them out. I did that and started losing weight more or less effortlessly. When that stalled, I added exercise. As I have built up my muscle (and it is possible even for people in their 80s) I started losing weight on more calories than I thought I could eat and lose weight. Everyone is different and it is important to experiment to find out what works for you. In general, eating less and exercising more works for a variety of people but learning WHAT to eat to suit your own body is important too.

shst07

bump

Sonya_C24

Thanks for the encouraging post! Seriously it bums me out to think about calorie counting but the fact that u are losing without being super restrictive on types of food is exciting. Does anyone have open food diaries I could look at or do we have to be friends first?

SanteMulberry

Thanks for the encouraging post! Seriously it bums me out to think about calorie counting but the fact that u are losing without being super restrictive on types of food is exciting. Does anyone have open food diaries I could look at or do we have to be friends first?

My food diary is only open to my friends but you are welcome to send me a friend request.

gooseberrypink

I absolutely believe different bodies react differently to foods. My husband, the polar opposite of my experience, lost 60lbs giving up starches and limiting dairy. His appetite leveled and decreased significantly. When hed eat starches hed be starving. So he cut out most all junk and refined sugar. As we sat at a restaurant and I ate a roll he said to me "if I ate that, I wouldnt be able to stop. Id need to eat the whole basket". Its interesting bc when I eat a roll, I dont desire another one, it doesnt affect me in that way. But for him, starches lead to binges so cutting them out led to no binges, eating less and losing weight. We are living proof that different bodies react differently. Similarly when I went on his diet for a year, I gained nearly 15lbs and was starving all the time. i actually felt like I was dying on low carb. I was dizzy all the time and was beyond hungry regardless of calories. hes the opposite, he is never hungry on low carb

I'm exactly the same way you are. I hear about how filling and satiating high-fat low-carb diets are and it just isn't true for me at all. An hour after eating a ton of eggs and bacon I am starving. I can eat a bagel and be good for many hours. Even keeping my calories low, I cannot lose on a low carb diet.

FlaxMilk

My theory on why you are losing, and I could be completely wrong, but generally those who go on a clean diet cut out a lot of fat and proteins from their diet. Like dairy and butter. They arent supplying the body with essential nutrients and as such the body slows down a bit to conserve. I know there are going to be people who say oh no I eat tons of nuts and avocados and I only eat lean raised organic unicorns with the occasional organic baby Pegasus steak.

However, I bet if you look at what you were eating when you were "clean" a majority of it is pretty low in fat.

Besides isn't it more fun to be a dirty junk food eating girl?

I love fats. I don't eat dairy. My days are often over in fats. I don't really buy that those who say they are trying to eat clean actually go low fat as a rule. I'm sure some do, as I'm sure others who don't try to eat "clean" do. Tons of "fat free" junk food.

I don't eat the organic unicorns though, I'm vegan.

Peace for the pegasus eaters.