confused about diet

Michele81287 · September 2013

Ok here's the bottom line--I have gained 10-15 pounds from the weight I was at-- the weight I want to be at. I would like to lose the weight and I need a calorie deficiet, but I'm so confused about diet. I want to go about it by eating healthy, but I don't know what's healthy anymore. The more I read the more confused I get. Low carb says carbs make you fat, and that you need to restrict those to lose weight; vegetarian says you need carbs and too much protein is bad. It seems for any diet you can find research backing it saying thats the healthy way. For those of you who've had sucess losing weight how did you do it? What did you eat? Does it ultimately come down to a deficiet no matter the diet? I can't get my mind around how carbs are bad, but I don't want to go low carb, I can never stick with that.

jetlag · September 2013

Yes, it comes down to deficit.

Burn more than you consume. The trick is finding out (a) how much you're burning and (b) how much you're consuming, but that comes with trial and error.

Start here:

http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

Take 20% off of the TDEE number, then try to eat that. Log EVERYTHING you put in your mouth. Weigh everything you put in your mouth (don't use cups, portions, etc. WEIGH it).

When you lose weight, add up everything you ate in the week, how many calories you burned, then how much weight you lost (3500 calories per pound), then set that as your TDEE. Do this over time, average it out every week and keep adjusting.

It doesn't matter what you eat. It doesn't matter WHEN you eat. It doesn't matter HOW you eat. Eat less than you burn and you will lose weight, (edit, for the inevitable, "yeah, but I..." responses ) barring any medical reasons like insulin resistance, PCOS, thyroid issues, etc.

cwolfman13 · September 2013

How about balanced diet rich in natural, whole foods...that would be fruit, veg, proteins, healthy fats. There are 3 macro nutrients...carbs/protein/fat...they are all necessary...best approach IMHO is to find a balance of those. Carbs aren't the devil...they are immediately available fuel for your machine (body)...protein is highly essential while eating at a deficit (and vegetarians...at least one who know what the hell they are doing realize this and make sure to get plenty of vegetarian sources of protein...they just don't happen to get it from meat...but they get it). Fat is essential to hormone regulation, brain and organ function, heart health, and absorbing certain nutrients.

Yes...it ultimately comes down to a deficit. Whe people low carb, they're cutting out an entire macro nutrient...thus cutting calories (whether they are cogniscient of that or not). All diets work on the same principle...calorie deficit. It's the laws of thermodynamics...if you consume more than you burn you have a surplus...if you consume as much as you burn you maintain...if you consume less than you burn you have an energy deficiency and your body has to reach for fat stores.

One caveat to carbs is that individuals who are insulin resistant (i.e. diabetes) have to watch carbs...also, overweight individuals can benefit from watching their carb intake due to many are insulin sensitive...also, exercise helps in this RE immensely.

10-15 Lbs is largely cosmetic weight...just eat at a small deficit...1/2 Lb per week or so and get your fitness on. Don't overthink it, nothing about this is complicated...it's just that people can't believe it's so simple that they make it complicated. It's actually all very easy and pretty much common sense.

ladynocturne · September 2013

Totally understandable that you want to start your weight loss out in a healthy way.

Most people here disagree with low carb, it's fuel for your muscles for workouts and it regulates your brain chemistry. They are REALLY important, plus, fiber.

What is healthy? To me healthy is food that is prepared by hand at home from as few processed ingredients as possible.

This means, a protein, fresh veggies (if possible and affordable), and a grain of some kind. Snacks once again, as little processed as possible, nuts/nut butters, fruit, veggies, hard boiled egg, ect.

All that said, you only really need a caloric deficit to lose weight, but eating healthy will help you feel better while you do it.

ALSO, if you have to buy something in a package, bread, tortillas ect. Try to get one with as few ingredients as possible, not just because the front says "natural" or "healthy", that's just marketing.

sijomial · September 2013

For those of you who've had sucess losing weight how did you do it? What did you eat?

I ate a balanced diet of normal foods, exercised regularly (mixture of cardio and weights), maintained a small weekly calorie deficit over a long period of time.

bcattoes · September 2013

Ok here's the bottom line--I have gained 10-15 pounds from the weight I was at-- the weight I want to be at. I would like to lose the weight and I need a calorie deficiet, but I'm so confused about diet. I want to go about it by eating healthy, but I don't know what's healthy anymore. The more I read the more confused I get. Low carb says carbs make you fat, and that you need to restrict those to lose weight; vegetarian says you need carbs and too much protein is bad. It seems for any diet you can find research backing it saying thats the healthy way. For those of you who've had sucess losing weight how did you do it? What did you eat? Does it ultimately come down to a deficiet no matter the diet? I can't get my mind around how carbs are bad, but I don't want to go low carb, I can never stick with that.

Losing fat is all about a calorie deficit. Some find that easier by cutting carbs. Some prefer to cut fat. Some prefer to exercise themselves into a deficit. But as long as you burn more calories (thru exercise or daily activity) than you consume, you should lose fat. Some medical conditiions can make this more difficult, but it's true for most people

If you are obese or very overweight, losing weight is likely to make you healthier no matter what diet you follow.

When I lost weight (I've reset my ticker to lose another 10) I just ate what I normally eat but I began exercising regularly. I wasn't overeating by much. Mine was a slow gain (about 4 lbs per year) so exercise was enough to put me in a deficit.

I just try to eat a balanced diet (lots of vegetables, lean meats and oily fish, olive oil, whole grains) most of the time and allow for treats and splurges now and then. I don't eat low anything, I ate/eat moderate carb, moderate fat, moderate protein, high fiber.

Michele81287 · September 2013

Thanks for that calorie counter Jetlag, I think that looks pretty accurate. According to that my BMI is 1316 and TDEE is 1925-1950 per day (so around 1900) which sounds reasonable. Other calorie counters have estimated that my TDEE must be over 2,000, because I workout 4-6 days a week ( I 'm currently doing a repeating 3 day push/pull/legs/rest/repeat split followed by 30 minutes of cardio), but other than my workouts I'm pretty sedentary with a more or less sedentary job. So if I do want to lose a pound a week (cut 500 calories) I should be eating 1400 calories/day.

So If weightloss really comes down to calories, then I'm going to eat how I want to eat--a balanced diet--and stop chasing extremes. I don't have any thyroid or medical issues so this should work for me. Only one way to find out is to stick with it! So I'll stick to my calorie budget and hopefully see results. Fingers crossed!

It really can drive you crazy though when you have this and that diet, each claiming that they're the healthiest way to eat and they're complete opposites lol.

TwelveSticks · September 2013

So If weightloss really comes down to calories, then I'm going to eat how I want to eat--a balanced diet--and stop chasing extremes. I don't have any thyroid or medical issues so this should work for me. Only one way to find out is to stick with it! So I'll stick to my calorie budget and hopefully see results. Fingers crossed!

That's exactly what you should do. 'Eat what you like to eat' is the most important thing - just less of it! Eating a diet filled with things you don't like isn't a sustainable solution and even if you lose weight, it goes back on when you stop dieting because you go back to eating what you like again.

flumi_f · September 2013

So If weightloss really comes down to calories, then I'm going to eat how I want to eat--a balanced diet--and stop chasing extremes. I don't have any thyroid or medical issues so this should work for me. Only one way to find out is to stick with it! So I'll stick to my calorie budget and hopefully see results. Fingers crossed!

Yup! The only thing that will be sustainable for you is finding something you can stick to forever.

I was never a friend of extreme diets or supplements. Eat natural foods, eat lots of different foods, cook colorful, tasty meals, keep the processed ones to a minimum. Enjoy your treats. In moderation they are not bad for you.

You may figure out after a while, that your body works better on some foods than others. Listen to that, not to all of the positive and negative articles on every type of eating known to man...

This way you will stay happy and healthy while reducing your weight :happy:

bajoyba · September 2013

I've never heard a vegetarian say that too much protein is bad. I'm a vegetarian, and I try to get as much protein as possible! As others have said, just try to eat a balanced diet. Whole foods are always a plus because they tend to be more nutrient dense, but really, weight loss just comes down to creating that calorie deficit. Just figure out what's sustainable for you, and you'll get there.

Michele81287 · September 2013

Don't overthink it, nothing about this is complicated...it's just that people can't believe it's so simple that they make it complicated. It's actually all very easy and pretty much common sense.

Ha Ha tell me about it--making things complicated has been more or less my downfall in getting these 10 pounds off for the past several months. I read this, I read that. One thing says this is good for you. Another thing says its bad for you---ahhhh!!!! Looking back though, I have lost weight on a low carb diet, I have lost weight on a vegetarian diet, and I have lost weight on a more balanced diet that included a little bit of everything. If I remember I think what they all had in common was a calorie deficet. The most enjoyable diet (and thus probably most sustainable) to me was the balanced diet.

Michele81287 · September 2013

I've never heard a vegetarian say that too much protein is bad. I'm a vegetarian, and I try to get as much protein as possible! As others have said, just try to eat a balanced diet. Whole foods are always a plus because they tend to be more nutrient dense, but really, weight loss just comes down to creating that calorie deficit. Just figure out what's sustainable for you, and you'll get there.

I guess I was thinking of the China Study where T.Cambbell says Americans eat way more protein than necessary, animal protein is a carcinogen, and you only really need 10% of macros to consist of protein.

jetlag · September 2013

Thanks for that calorie counter Jetlag, I think that looks pretty accurate. According to that my BMI is 1316 and TDEE is 1925-1950 per day (so around 1900) which sounds reasonable. Other calorie counters have estimated that my TDEE must be over 2,000, because I workout 4-6 days a week ( I 'm currently doing a repeating 3 day push/pull/legs/rest/repeat split followed by 30 minutes of cardio), but other than my workouts I'm pretty sedentary with a more or less sedentary job. So if I do want to lose a pound a week (cut 500 calories) I should be eating 1400 calories/day.

So If weightloss really comes down to calories, then I'm going to eat how I want to eat--a balanced diet--and stop chasing extremes. I don't have any thyroid or medical issues so this should work for me. Only one way to find out is to stick with it! So I'll stick to my calorie budget and hopefully see results. Fingers crossed!

It really can drive you crazy though when you have this and that diet, each claiming that they're the healthiest way to eat and they're complete opposites lol.

Good for you. You don't need to demonize any food groups (except frankenfood, blech), just be reasonable about how much you eat. Even Jillian Michaels says "you can eat cake and lose weight, just not the whole cake and not every day".

confused about diet

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