What is your eating focus?

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thektturner
thektturner Posts: 228 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Just curious what other people focus on when they are deciding what to eat?

Do you eat what you want, trying to make healthy decisions and just log it?
Do you try to balance protein/fat/carbs?
Do you focus on eating smaller meals/ portion control?
Do you focus on sodium/sugar/fat (just one aspect of a diet plan)?
Or - Do you just make sure you have enough/not too many calories, but not really care where they come from?

I realize that everyone has different methods and I'm just curious. I look at some people's food diaries and they look so different from my own.


My focus:
I am a little OCD so I am very controlling. I cycle my calories - trying to eat 1200 some days and 1500 other days so that my body doesn't get used to any routine.
I also try to make sure I get enough fiber and protein without going over my sugars. I find this really prohibits me from eating anything unhealthy, so I focus on what I need to eat vs what I'm not allowed to eat.
I log everything at the beginning of the day so that I can modify if I'm not meeting one of these criteria. I may modify it a bit later if I don't feel like eating something at the time I should be.

I have my journal broken up into 6 meals, 2 of them often being essentially snacks.


*I don't know if thinking about what you focus on vs. what other people focus on may help anyone, but I am curious, nonetheless.

Replies

  • priskar
    priskar Posts: 156
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    I just had WLS (VSG) so I'm focusing on Protein, Water and Vitamins. I'm just starting to add chopped up food back into my diet but I'm very OCD about weighing everything and charting here and elsewhere for my nutritionist.

    Cheers,

    Priska
  • beethedreamer
    beethedreamer Posts: 465 Member
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    my plan is kind of similar. I try to stay around 1200 calories with about 150 carbs. I try and get enough protein but usually it's only about 70 grams a day, but it's hard since I don't eat meat. I limit my sodium to 1500 mg of sodium but usually it's less than 100 per day. I eat 6 times a day most days with about 200 calories per meal. I also drink a protein shake as one of those meals, and it's always after I work out. I also plan my day the night before and make minor changes throughout the day depending on what my food weighs (the food scale is my best friend :p).
  • msbanana
    msbanana Posts: 793 Member
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    I eat when I'm hungry I don't when I'm not.

    I'm allergic to wheat barley and rye so I avoid most simple carbs. I've finally started monitoring my sodium intake which forces me to make healthier choices. I try to do whole foods as much as possible and try avoid processed stuff (mostly because I get tired of readiinfg labels) and GF junk is freaking expensive. Because I lift weights I TRY to get 100g of Protien a day and limit my fat intake (which is hard to do with that much protien). But notice I say TRY... if I crave some crap I'll eat it. Thing with this is that I know this is how it's going to be for the rest of my life. All of this has become habit for the most part and I just try not to limit myself or beat myself up if I eat crap.
  • KristinaW
    KristinaW Posts: 42
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    I try to eat healthy and control portion size at the same time. It seems to be working alright for me. though I have to admit, on days when I am way low on calories I will eat chocolate or something to make a quick bridge of the gap.
  • mccorml
    mccorml Posts: 622 Member
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    ive gotten to the point where i look at the pack of everything i make i guess and i pretty much know how much im putting in my body haha
  • sharonuk10
    sharonuk10 Posts: 277
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    I am a portion controller. I eat what I want and decide rather or not I have the calories for it. I am a lifestyle change not a diet and if I deny myself things then I will be doomed for failure.
  • Cytherea
    Cytherea Posts: 515 Member
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    I tend to eat what I want, try to make healthy choices, and try to stay close to my daily calorie goal. In the beginning, I had a ridiculously hard time staying under the fat grams per day, so I really focused on that. Now, I find there will be whole weeks where I never even come close to my total fat allowance for the day. I take that as a victory, lol.
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
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    I keep within my calorie limits. I don't avoid any foods except 2 things
    1) no fast food
    2) no soda pop

    I've done well with the no soda pop. It will be 1 year for me come next month in December of no soda pop. The fast food part is harder. I like McDonald's breakfast so I've had that in the past. Instead of cutting it out altogether I've been weaning myself slowly. At first it was once a week, now it's once a month. Fortunately it's only breakfast, I haven't had fast food for lunch or dinner since I quit soda pop back in Dec. '09.
  • selbyhutch
    selbyhutch Posts: 531 Member
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    I'm most concerned about calorie limit, controlling my "unnatural" sugars, and eating non-processed foods.
  • blel0906
    blel0906 Posts: 89
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    i eat what I want and try to make healthy choices...I watch the calories closely and monitor the other numbers ie sodium, sugar...almost every week I find something I can do better for example this week got bagels for breakfast and was a little surprised at how much sodium was in them so I probably won't get them as a main breakfast food. So far this is working for me..i'm losing weight consistantly, not feeling deprived or like I'm on a diet.

    i'm loving it!! I feel healthy and more engergetic..also slowly (very slowly) my sweet tooth is starting to curb itself..I'm finding somethings I used to like are too sweet.

    Other things I'm doing...I gave up soda, avoid eating out but when I do I TRY to make healthier choices and I never go back for seconds no mater how good the meal is.
  • AmandaR910
    AmandaR910 Posts: 991
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    Calories first, sodium second.
    I never go over on either of those. After those, I focus on the type of food. I try to go for the snack with the most nutritional value, such as a Clif Bar over a candy bar, even though calories are the same.
  • little_ali
    little_ali Posts: 15
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    I focus on my calorie goal. I was surprised when I started MFP and saw how much rubbish was in most of the foods I was eating. So now, when I go shopping I make healthier choices but I tend not to restrict any particular foods (except meat which I don't eat). For example if I was wanting a treat I would add it in and then spend the rest of my calories for that day more sensibly so that I could still remain within my daily goal.
  • Sugar_Apple
    Sugar_Apple Posts: 951 Member
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    I'm taking things one step at a time....

    The first week I focussed on getting my 8 glasses of water, counting calories and right portion size... then I went onto upping my proteins cause I realise I was always under....this week my focuss will be on reducing my sodium intake, I started tracking it and realised I was eating way too mcuh......after that I will tackle fibre...

    This is all new to me so I find taking baby steps have been working so far...
  • ErinMarie25
    ErinMarie25 Posts: 733 Member
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    Portion control, counting calories, and reduction of sugar.

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