Do you eat healthy or just under a certain calorie mark?

pilatemom
pilatemom Posts: 111
in Food and Nutrition
I don't eat that healthy but I do try and I also make sure that I don't go over my calorie mark most days. What about you?
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Replies

  • keash
    keash Posts: 12
    I use to concentrate on just the calories to try and lose weight but I now take into consideration what I am eating. I find that the healthy choices bring the calorie content down all on their own and by eating more protein instead of processed carbs I am feeling fuller and eating less.
  • Rachielous
    Rachielous Posts: 80 Member
    When i fist started this I used to eat whatever I liked as long as I stayed within my calorie allowance - I lost 23lb's so I must have been doing something right!

    Now my weight loss has slowed down a lot and I have started eating a lot healthier and exercising regularly to get myself back on track - just do what is right for you :)

    I do find exercise helps me to eat healthy as when i finish at the gym I dont want to down a chocolate bar and therefore counteract what I have just achieved!

    Good luck
  • littlemeowmaid
    littlemeowmaid Posts: 114 Member
    I don't eat that healthy, Just under my calorie goal.
    But... I'm slowly but surely going to change some of my takeaway habits! :)
  • ChunkieNuts
    ChunkieNuts Posts: 135 Member
    I use to concentrate on just the calories to try and lose weight but I now take into consideration what I am eating. I find that the healthy choices bring the calorie content down all on their own and by eating more protein instead of processed carbs I am feeling fuller and eating less.

    exactly this ^^ i used to eat things just to get to my calorie limit now ive upp-ed my calories and i eat all healthy foods, not processed as much..i tend not to obsess over calories now im eating pure healthy fresh food
  • IbiH
    IbiH Posts: 250 Member
    Healthy all the way.
    If you eat things like fruit and veg you can actually eat more, with more choice and variety. When I look at other diary's I often see, McD's, KFC and other fastfoods, which can almost take up a day's calories in one go.
    With the way I eat I can eat throughout the day and still stick to the calories. Processed and fastfood in the long run is not good for you.
  • Restybaby2012
    Restybaby2012 Posts: 568 Member
    I find that the longer Im on this journey the less I look towards the proverbial junk. I find I dont crave the junk or shall we say "less" than healthy type of foods. I prefer the healthier side of things. None of this to say that there arent times I hunger for some chocolate or some chips....but I do aim for an apple or some cashews.
  • BabyJago
    BabyJago Posts: 15 Member
    With me, it depends. I do both. I am just trying to maintain my weight, not lose weight. For me 1200 calories seems to equal 1200 calories, regardless of where they come from. I make an effort to eat healthy, but work long hours and have a lot of stress in my life. If I keep my intake to 1200 without exercise or about 1500 with exxercise, I stay within the same two pound range I've been in for the last 10 years.

    Counting calories, i.e. "doing the math" works best.
  • gogoyubarino
    gogoyubarino Posts: 104 Member
    I definitely try to eat healthy as well as to meet my calorie goal. What's the point of losing weight if you're not going to nourish your body and give it what it needs in the process? At our home we eat vegetables with every meal, try to limit our intake of dairy products and meat and have virtually eliminated sugary foods (candy etc) and refined foods from our diet. We only eat breads with high grain and fibre content.

    I've always had the foundations for good eating- but I faltered along the way and got into the state that I am now. It will not happen again!
  • lbmore33
    lbmore33 Posts: 1,013 Member
    very good question....i guess it depends on your level of exercise...I just ate normal but did stay within my calorie limit....dropped 10lbs in 2 weeks (( I run alot))...funny though I didnt run any different b4 mfp but the weight just seem to melt away since joining. everybody will have different results... guess they will have to figure out what works for them.
  • xidia
    xidia Posts: 606 Member
    Primarily calories, but I'm finding I can eat more food and stay fuller longer if I eat healthy choices, and that makes me happy. I know the principles of healthy eating, I just don't apply them all the time - some days, dammit, I just want a roast dinner or a cup of hot chocolate. Then I do extra exercise if needed to make sure I still have a deficit. :)
  • mabelbabel1
    mabelbabel1 Posts: 391 Member
    I tend to eat healthily purely because the more crap I eat, the more refined carbs and sugar I eat, the more I want and the more likely I will be to end up bingeing.

    If I don't eat the above stuff I don't crave it or miss it, so for me I am better off eating healthily. I also have a calorie range not a single calorie goal.
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    Both. Healthy under a calorie mark and I certainly now avoid sugary things, bread, pasta, rice and potatos. I set my food calories at losing 1/2 a pound a week, and I have to estimate a lot of calories as I eat out for work at lunch EVERY work day.

    I strive every day to maintain within a 5 pound range - 129 to 134. I have been at 131 for a while now. ... and the dreaded non stop food temptation period of Halloween/thanksgiving and christmas / new years is upon us!
  • rocraz
    rocraz Posts: 11
    I try to do both: getting less calories than I need (calculate by MFP) and having healthy food most of the time. But I am not radical about it and I allow myself to eat more calories (but not much more) sometimes (about once a week), with pizza, ice cream and so on (but again, it´s not too often).

    I also run away as much as I can from industrialized food: I hardly drink sweetened drinks (pop soda). I have a balanced meal and I often drink fresh fruit juice (it´s not hard or expensive to get those where I live) or water. My food is cooked (really cooked) in my home and I don´t like eating in restaurants too much.

    On weekend, my friends (and I) are used to have a barbecue or cook anything ourselves in order to spend some time together instead of going out to restaurants.

    Cheers
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    All of the above.
    I eat anything below my TDEE to lose weight.
    I eat healthy above TDEE for body composition.

    A regular lift day http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/Helloitsdan?date=2012-11-19

    A regular rest day http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/Helloitsdan?date=2012-11-18
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    I am making better food choices, but often have a hard time getting in fruits and veggies and required proteins and stuff. My boyfriend and I are on an EXTREMELY limited budget (30 bucks or less a week for food) and being as we have to feed two people on it - and he's very choosy and doesn't want to eat healthier - I can't afford to buy my own separate food.

    So I cut out what I can (soda, as much fast food as humanely possible) and then focus on not overeating. The few active food switches I've made are very cheap - I buy non-carbonated powder mix drinks (right now my favorite is Country Time half tea/half lemonade - about 2.50 a container) instead of soda. Whenever I can afford lunch at the school cafeteria, I opt for the salads or pasta dishes in the smallest bowls possible. Stuff like that. It's small, but over the long-term, should add up.
  • terracotti
    terracotti Posts: 101 Member
    if by eating healthy you meant no junk food, yes I do, I'm trying, sometimes I add some healthy food to my diets.
    I try to eat homemade food as often as possible, actually I'm rarely hungry and I don't eat much at home but I tend to eat a LOT outside, seems like my tongue just loves tasty food, so I avoid eating outside. that way, I can eat around1200 without being hungry.
  • Tujuannaevans
    Tujuannaevans Posts: 34
    :flowerforyou: Smaller meals and eating healthy snacks every few hours seems to be reviving my metabolism! Calorie counting is important but if u eat healthy portions you don't have to worry so much about all the counting.
  • iAMsmiling
    iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
    I try to eat healthy because it's the only way I can get enough food to be satisfied and still stay under my calorie goals.
    I do throw in a cookie or other treat here and there to maintain my sanity.
  • vypeters
    vypeters Posts: 475 Member
    I try to eat healthy mostly but not obsessively.

    This also depends on your definition of healthy. For example, to me my daily small measured serving of natural peanut butter is healthy because I'm otherwise a little low on fats. Other folks might think not just because it's peanut butter. I define healthy as a good variety of real foods including fruits, vegetables and whole grains and within a reasonable macro proportion.
  • Absonthebrain
    Absonthebrain Posts: 587 Member
    I try to eat healthy mostly but not obsessively.

    This also depends on your definition of healthy. For example, to me my daily small measured serving of natural peanut butter is healthy because I'm otherwise a little low on fats. Other folks might think not just because it's peanut butter. I define healthy as a good variety of real foods including fruits, vegetables and whole grains and within a reasonable macro proportion.


    This^^^
  • 4Phoenix
    4Phoenix Posts: 236 Member
    I eat healthy AND I eat under my calories.....I eat LOTS too!
  • EmilyOfTheSun
    EmilyOfTheSun Posts: 1,548 Member
    I try to make healthy choices b/c healthy foods keep me feeling more full. And you get to eat more. Healthy foods tend to have less calories so I can fill my plate up even more!
  • FitBeto
    FitBeto Posts: 2,121 Member
    I do a little of both.

    Naughty and nice, just like my ___________
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    Some of both.

    I try to make good choices most of the time. But sometimes, life happens and I have a donut. I'm not going to stress over a donut, especially if I'm regularly getting the nutrition that I need.

    You can have your cake and eat it too :)
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
    I eat clean foods. This weekend I ate some things I don't normally eat and paid for it with a migraine from hell.
  • Daysednconfused
    Daysednconfused Posts: 975 Member
    I eat healthy AND I eat under my calories.....I eat LOTS too!

    ^^^^^This! Well, maybe not entirely healthy, but much healthier than I used to!
  • DeeVanderbles
    DeeVanderbles Posts: 589 Member
    I used to just try and stay under calories. I'd only allow really high calorie treats if they were within my calories but they were generally still high in fat, sodium, etc. But I just finished a 10-day herbal cleanse during which I ate mostly salads with some protein, and veggies. That was the push I needed to start eating healthy within my calories. I'll still have a little treat now and then but it's generally only a serving, or half a serving.
  • VanessaHeartsMasr
    VanessaHeartsMasr Posts: 727
    Some of both.

    I try to make good choices most of the time. But sometimes, life happens and I have a donut. I'm not going to stress over a donut, especially if I'm regularly getting the nutrition that I need.

    You can have your cake and eat it too :)

    This!
  • willwillywilson
    willwillywilson Posts: 229
    I try to eat healthy and also come in under my calorie goal. Portion control was never really that easy for me so it works better for me that way.
  • LisaLouisiana
    LisaLouisiana Posts: 145 Member
    I eat very healthy and I love it! It took me a little while to get the junk out of my diet, but it's the best thing I could have done for myself. Now I eat healthy stuff and it seems like I eat more now because the healthy foods seem to be naturally low in calories. So I'm eating better, eating more and losing weight. That's a win-win-win!

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