How do YOU do it?

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  • Ejourneys
    Ejourneys Posts: 1,603 Member
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    1. Nothing is off limits. That said,
    2. I've cut out a lot of processed foods and increased my consumption of fresh produce. For one thing, it's much more filling.
    3. I log everything and keep track of my macros.
    4. When I break from my usual fare, I do so in moderation. That means limiting myself to one or two slices of pizza on the rare pizza day. Today I received some fabulous homemade fudge from a friend. I got out the scale, broke off an ounce, and thoroughly enjoyed it, guilt-free, and logged it.
    5. I set my goal at a half-pound loss per week. Sure, it took longer, but I never felt deprived. Now that I'm in maintenance, I'm eating the very same way I was eating while losing weight except for consuming more calories. This means I've been eating sustainably from day one and I plan to continue that way.

    More detail on what worked for me:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1095703-mfp-1-year-anniversary
    Here's a follow-up:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1153938-next-stop-maintenance
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    Do you eat whatever, and I mean whatever, (chips, soda, crackers, cake, full fat coffee creamer, etc) just a deficit and have succesuflly lost weight?
    Or sticking more to healthy, unproccessed, lof fat.. or what not?

    Just wondering.

    No. When I eat whatever I want, even in limited portions, I am unable to stick to those portions. Moreover, I have several food sensitivities so eating whatever led me to be in a state of chronic inflammation and obesity. I had to cut things out for my own equilibrium and health after much trial and error.

    I've lost 116 lbs since June 2012 so I must be doing something right.

    Every person's experience is going to be different based on genetics and body type. I hope you find what fits best for you!
  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 Member
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    Thank you for posting this, its nice to see not everyone loses weight from drinking protein shakes and salads. I like realistic. :)

    But drinking protein shakes, lifting weights, getting fit (and even eating salads) is realistic and easy to do :-)
  • iamthesweenmachine
    iamthesweenmachine Posts: 72 Member
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    I don't eat much fast food anymore, and I have significantly cut back on my junk food intake. Other than that, I am still eating what I would normally have otherwise, just without the fast food or constant junk. I bring my lunch to school now instead of going to a food truck, saving both money and calories. I also keep granola bars in my locker for a quick, healthy snack.
  • cavia
    cavia Posts: 457 Member
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    I had to eliminate my triggers of chocolate and ice cream completely from my diet for the first few months until I felt I was able to be in control of those items instead of the other way round. But other than that, I ate most of the same foods, just less of them at any one sitting. I noticed my eating became 'cleaner' not because I labelled food as good or bad but my choices were now made based on how well a food contributed to feelings of satiety.
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
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    I eat what I want and like, but my choices may be quite different from the OP or other people in MFP. I don't eat fast food, sodas, candies, cookies, coffee creamer or lots of deserts. I don't eat chips, crackers, dips, ice cream, chocolate and processed foods on a regular bases either.

    I choose my calories and macros wisely, and I prefer food that keeps me satisfied. I do eat lots of salads, vegetables, fruits and lean meat, Greek yogurt, dairy and eggs; and yes, protein drinks too. Quinoa, brown rice, wheat pasta, beans and bread are also part of my diet but in moderation.

    For me eating this way is not restrictive, and I don't feel deprived either. It is my choice and I am happy with it.
  • Gingerspice45
    Gingerspice45 Posts: 137 Member
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    I eat everything in moderation now. If you deprive yourself too much your more likely to fall off the bandwagon. This has happened to me in the past where I restrict junk food too much and then go over my calories for the day or just decide to forget to count them after I make a poor choice. It drives me crazy that I can't have a piece of cake or some cookies or two slices of pizza. I find it more sustainable in the long run to have a little bit of everything.
  • mike_ny
    mike_ny Posts: 351 Member
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    I do believe that the benefits for eating healthy foods for your limited calories just makes more sense. You only have so many daily calories, so don't waste most of them them on non-nutritious choices.

    A better way to think about it, though, is that the more respect you have for your body, the more you will be willing to put in the time and efforts to reach your goals. Eating clean food is a really big first step in that direction. Many people who gained weight over the years already suffer from body image and self respect issues. Eating junk for food is just not treating your body with the respect it deserves. The better you treat it, the more you'll believe in yourself and your ability to lose weight, get fit, or whatever you're trying to achieve.
  • 1Lightstep
    1Lightstep Posts: 64 Member
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    I could not stay within my calorie allowance and lose weight if I ate everything I wanted to eat. Particularly, as most of what I would like to eat is higher in fat and therefore calories, than what I am eating now. If I had a day of eating all those things, there would not be enough exercise hours in the day to burn it.

    Over time, I have become more used to making healthier food choices and most of my food cravings have gone. A large part of my diet now consists of vegetables and fruit. I also incorporate lean protein and carbohydrates and try to make most of my choices healthy ones. E.g. wholemeal pitta instead of white bread etc.

    There are days when I want something that could not be called healthy. I find it useful to enter what I would like to eat into the food diary for the day along with all my healthier foods before hand and when I see the rather scary total calorie number, I make alterations until I have a manageable meal plan that is within my allowance. This can mean not having it, or having a smaller amount of some things to make space for others. Knowing in advance, what the calorie cost is can sometimes put me off having it completely.

    There are occasions when I want an extra something and I work out what exercise I would have to do to work it off. It is surprising how often you realise you do not want it that much when you realise how much work you would have to do in order to have it or failing that, work out how much longer you would have to wait to lose that next pound if you did not work it off.

    My overall diet contains compromises, such as skimmed milk instead of full fat etc. Compromises and having smaller portions or less often allows me to have a diet of things I find pleasant and some things that I really enjoy. As for things like cake and chips and crisps, they are in my MFP food list but appear very rarely in my food diary.

    I am still fairly new on MFP and my diet is working for me. When I have been here a bit longer, I might be looking at making changes, but right now, small very occcasional treats keep me on track.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    to those who eat whatever and whenever but within caloric limit, I guess you guys either don't eat very much to begin with or you don't really have bad eating habit with junk foods. :)
    Junk foods are in individual perception. :smile:

    No food is good or bad. There are people on here who have lost weight eating all fast food, and others who eat clean. It's all about calories in/calories out.

    I don't eat fast food, but I do like sweets once in awhile, and I have a coconut frozen dairy desert that I love. Christmas I had two types of sweets and they were great.
  • Wildtigerx
    Wildtigerx Posts: 5
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    I eat whatever I want within reason. Although most of the time I try to follow the 80% clean eating principle. I also began exercising, primarily Jillian Michaels 30DS, HIIT workouts and taebo, all can be done at home! If I begin losing my way, I put it behind me and pick up where I left off and definitely don't dwell over it!
  • lovebig30
    lovebig30 Posts: 167 Member
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    Eat what I want in moderation. I do eat a at least 4 cups of veggies and 2 to 4 servings of fruit most days. I never eat low fat , low sugar unless its my yogurt. I eat dips with my veggies and full fat ranch on my salads. I just don't drink sodas all day long anymore and weigh out all my food.
  • lilredhead314
    lilredhead314 Posts: 52 Member
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    I eat whatever I want but less than I used to. I've always been a fairly heathy eater so my "whatever I want" includes a lot of veggies and whole foods.
  • hannahpistolas
    hannahpistolas Posts: 290 Member
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    I eat whatever I like.

    It's more fun for me.

    As long as 90% of the time I stay below 1,600 calories, I'm good to go (and it works for me).
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    Yep, have lost it and kept it off while eating burgers, pizza, chips, sweets, half & half in my coffee, ice cream, etc - just not every day, and stay within my calorie limits (most of the time).
  • richardhale82
    richardhale82 Posts: 8 Member
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    Absolutely not. Eating healthy is where you get 80% of your results! You have to find a menu that will do you good.
  • ScottH_200
    ScottH_200 Posts: 377 Member
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    Let's see, a large Big Mac meal is almost 1,400 calories.

    For those that are obese and sedentary, just go ahead and keep on eating whatever you want, whenever you want, and see how far that gets you ;-)
  • djxil
    djxil Posts: 357
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    I cut out fast food, soda's and my favorite, coffee energy drinks. I started preparing my food from scratch as much as possible, I am only 35 days in but I do not miss the old foods. I eat more vegetables and fruits and avoid processed food. Will I still eat what I want, within reason, sure, will I fall back to fast food and soda's, nope, don't crave them any longer, in fact, I get a little sick thinking about it when I drive by them.

    I have lost about 22# in my 35 days here at MFP and love how I feel.
  • DianaGabriela2013
    DianaGabriela2013 Posts: 108 Member
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    I eat whatever I want within reason. Although most of the time I try to follow the 80% clean eating principle. I also began exercising, primarily Jillian Michaels 30DS, HIIT workouts and taebo, all can be done at home! If I begin losing my way, I put it behind me and pick up where I left off and definitely don't dwell over it!

    Sounds just like me!.. eating healthy most of the time.. allowing treats once in a while (pizza, cake, wings) and also doing 30DS, mostly for fitness. I started out really healthy, found it easy since i am not into sweets or soda, replaced coffee for green tea and didn't even miss it.
    Then i started noticing that people still eat high calorie, low nutrient items and still loose weight. I'm deciding that in order to make this a lifetime change I HAVE to allow for "junkier" things in there even if once a week or whenever the craving hits, for me junkie is pizza, burgers, Nachos.. yumm.
    I was never one to snack on chips and soda anway, so eating "healthier" is pretty easy. But for the same reasons that eating healthy was not a drastic change to my diet, I am not loosing so fast.
    Oh well, i think that for me, because I do love food, it is much easier to stick to healthier things that will allow me to eat more and not hit 1,200 calores mid day, then to eat ANYTHING but tiny bits of if because otherwise i would go over my calories. I guess i pick eat MORE, and if i eat MORE it has to be heathier.

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