portion control or healthy food?

sabimausl85

so, right now i am doing usually healthy (nuts, fruit, veggies, lean meat...) but some days when i am off i want to eat the "bad" food (pizza, doughnuts, sweet potato caserole...) and i try to still focus on my calories, which means portion control.

what would be the better choice? or does it matter? and which way is the way where i can loose faster/more?


good example would be:

1pack of chocolate a day (1200 calories) VS lots and lots of veggies and fruit a day (1200calories)

jesz124

Firstly, eat more than 1200 calories of whatever you choose a day. 1200 is a generic amount MFP gives to everyone, with the intention that you will eat back your exercise calories.

It doesn't really matter what you eat with your allotted calories. It's down to personal preference. But personally I have found I get through the day a lot more comfortably if I use my calories on protein based food and good fats, and a few carbs.

You can choose to use your calories on purely chocolate but I think you will feel pretty crappy and you won't get a lot back from that chocolate energy wise throughout the day.

Mutant13

Easy. Moderation.

Of course you are getting more bang for your buck nutritionally when you eat veg and chicken breast and nuts etc, but in order for your habits to be sustainable you need to allow yourself to eat something that you just happen to want occasionally. It's all about striking a balance

sabimausl85

so its okay if i eat healthy 4 days a week (when i am at work) and food i like 3 days a week?

plus i do not work out. i am moving to a different country in 3 months, so a gym membership is useless. but i try to move and walk as much as i can throughout the day.
i will start playing volleyball on a professional base again in june though. but until then i want abou 20 more lbs to be gone.

Mutant13

In my opinion the best way is to always plan to eat healthy, and find healthy food that you enjoy, then when you want ice cream, cookies, pizza etc HAVE SOME. Have a moderate amount then stop. Whole days of perfect eating combined with whole days of bad eating is too much of an all or nothing approach IMO

sabimausl85

" too much of an all or nothing approach IMO"

means?

Mutant13

It means that I'm my opinion, dedicating whole days to either eating 'good' or 'bad' is to extreme for a healthy, easy to maintain approach to eating

sabimausl85

so just keep on trying to eat most healthy, and if i want a doughnut, then track the calories and eat fruit for the rest of the day (not exactly a good example, but just for explanation reasons...)?

Mutant13

Exactly!

ldrosophila

portions have worked for me as far as weight loss, but maybe I'd have better porportions if I had done healthy

DavPul

Everything Jes and Mutant said above me is solid advice. It's not an either or, it's both.

sabimausl85

both (healthy and unhealthy) but more healthy...
thats what i try to do anyways.

like i said, if i want a box of doughnuts, then only fruit/veggies the rest of the day...-kinda thing

how about the 1220 calorie goal that MFP gave me. and i dont work out at all. how much should i increase?

ladymiseryali

Why not do both? Eat healthy most of the time, but if you feel the need to eat something that's not so good, have it, but have ONE portion. That's what I do.

pspetralia

I try to eat mostly healthy, but I also plan a small treat into my day almost daily. Sometimes it is just three Hershey kisses, but it is enough to make me satisfied.

neandermagnon

I do both, I see it like this:

portion control/calorie counting for fat loss (or to maintain a healthy weight)

healthy food for a healthy, properly nourished body (including the brain, which is an organ in the body)

exercise for health, fitness, strength, vitality, to protect the joints, for bone density, to look good, etc, etc...

jenilla1

Why not do both? Eat healthy most of the time, but if you feel the need to eat something that's not so good, have it, but have ONE portion. That's what I do.

:drinker:

Crystaleyed

I would always go for the fruit and veg. if you can, but having said that that's not the way I started. I think if you're starting off and you've been struggling with everything for a good few weeks then portion control may be a good way to get used to it and to start off. But like I said healthy food is always better.

jesz124

both (healthy and unhealthy) but more healthy...
thats what i try to do anyways.

like i said, if i want a box of doughnuts, then only fruit/veggies the rest of the day...-kinda thing

how about the 1220 calorie goal that MFP gave me. and i dont work out at all. how much should i increase?

Why not try working out your TDEE and reducing it by around 15-20% for fat loss. There's loads of TDEE calculators on the net.

JesterMFP

I think both are important. Portion control is essential for controlling your weight/fat (whether you want to gain, lose or maintain). Whether you manage portion control intuitively, or need to count/log calories, it's still necessary for weight management.

Eating a well-balanced, nutritious diet is very important for health. If you want to be in control of your weight though, you still need to be consuming the right amount of calories, in whatever form they come.

A third thing that is important to me is adherence, being able to stick with this way of eating, and not being miserable about it. So, I make a point of not being too restrictive of the foods or food groups that I eat. I focus more on getting more nutrients in than cutting out the less nutritious stuff. It's all about balance.

In your example of 1200 calories of chocolate, or 1200 calories of fruit & veggies - the fruit and veggie option would be better, but neither represents a well-balanced diet. Yesterday I consumed a lot of nutrients in oats, nuts, fish, cheese, salad, four types of vegetables with my fish, greek yoghurt and some berries. I also had room for some chocolate, a glass of wine, and still met my calorie and macronutrient goals. It doesn't have to be an either/or thing.

I also agree that if you're struggling to make radical changes, it can be more effective in the long run to focus more on calories to start with, and make gradual changes to your diet as you go. That's what I did; I hit my calorie goal, lost some weight, and started looking at what I could improve in my diet. I made gradual changes that I knew I could live with so I didn't feel too deprived on strictly "health food".

This also helps with the "health food vs food I like" mentality. Make small changes and you might be surprised by what ends up as being food you like. I still eat food that other people consider "bad" and have cut out, but I now get a lot of pleasure out of a meal of baked salmon, green vegetables and quinoa. Or, greek yoghurt and blueberries. Rather than cutting stuff out, add more things into your diet, and you'll probably find that your tastes expand and you're satisfied by all kinds of foods.

ktsmom430

Both.
Portion control/size is key in losing weight. Whether it is calories from healthy eating or from foods that are highly processed or have very high calorie content per portion that many would say are empty calories, with little nutritional value. Calories add up very quickly from processed foods, plus the added sodium and sugar is not particularly good for you.
Your choice, and what works best for you.

quirkytizzy

Both. If you're only eating foods you don't like, you'll hate it and give up. There are days when I want the Philly Cheesesteak, but already had McD's for lunch, so that's when I go for the veggie sandwich. That sort of thing.

sabimausl85

thanks guys, i really try to balance it right now. i had a couple bad days last week, but i am doing better now and already lost half of what i gained on my BAD DAYS

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

Both. I eat a good amount of protein, veggies, flax seeds, etc. but sometimes I have a cookie or some ice cream.