Low Cal/Low Fat verses "normal" food

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tiffsNEWlife
tiffsNEWlife Posts: 145
in Health and Weight Loss
So, I've been thinking.... I hear alll the time that Low Cal/ low fat is not always the best choice. Compared to normal food and watching your portion sizes.

Here are my thoughts.... Right now, I've pretty much just been watching my portion sizes. As well as eating a lot more fruits and veggies. Compared to buying those "low fat" low Calorie items. I still pretty much eat the same things with the exception of some. (Fast food and those really bad things" But, I'm no longer eating a full plate or going up for seconds. I'm measuring everything out and really watching the things I put in my mouth. Is this better then actually buying the low fat/calorie items. I see all the time those 100 calorie packs or "light" somthing or other. Are these items really that good for you? Or are they just advertising that? I also exercise daily.

I feel that I can really stick with this, because I'm not limiting myself from what I can actually eat. I'm not thinking in my head "I can't have that because it's not low cal" I'm think, okay I can have this but I must really limit the amount I can have. Then try and exercise. More like a lifetime thing rather then a "diet". Because I feel diets don't work and I can NEVER stick to that. This also eliminates the "cheat day" thought. I'm limiting myself all week, then splurging on a cheat day because I miss everything that I would normally eat. What does everyone else think?

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  • lushy20
    lushy20 Posts: 215 Member
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    I have incorporated some low cal yogurts and snacks into my food intake now, i still eat what i want within moderation.
    but sometimes with the low cal yogurts they can put alot of sugar in them to make them taste better.
    do what you feel is right for you. if its helping you with your weight loss then you must be doing something right.
  • hmlayman
    hmlayman Posts: 70
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    Not sure about the cheat day.... seems like a containdiction because this is supposed to be a "lifestyle change" but I feel like whatever works for people is fine. As far as the diet foods, you can always compare labels. Usually they have the same ingredients with less of said fat calories or whatever. Diet coke vs. regular coke is definately a no no becuase of the aspartame in it but something like light butter (unsalted etc.) has pretty much the same ingredients with less calories and other stuff depending on the brand. The 100 calorie packs are usually just portione snacks, not really "diet food" or they are a baked version of something that's usually fried. I buy those as well as the light butter. As far as I go I am pretty free with myself. I don't limit too much and your very right about not doing that but keeping your portions in mind. I also buy a lot of low sodium or no salt added products since sodium is so hard to keep down! Hope this helps : )
  • BrentGetsFit
    BrentGetsFit Posts: 878 Member
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    I agree wholeheartedly. Portion control, exercise and laying off the fast food will do the trick. You said the magic words, "lifestyle change". It was funny the first few weeks after I started all of this, my wife would be talking about dinner and ask if what she was making was "on my diet". I kept having to explain that everything is on my diet, I just have to account for it with responsible portions and appropriate exercise. It's quite liberating. Now to your original question, I typically go for the lighter version of something if I like the taste but you are right that some products cut cals but other numbers go up. Reduced fat PB is a good example of this.
  • 30tips
    30tips Posts: 132
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    One of the things I don´t like about low-cal foods is that the difference is often very minimal and it usually tricks you into eating more of it so you end up eating the same amount of calories or more.
    I believe you really are on the right track, the best thing is portion size and control!
    And yes, food that artificially has less calories (in other words, that wasn´t low caloric in the first place--cottage cheese has less fat in the first place for example) has to have something else in it. If something has less sodium it has more potassium. If something has less fat I think it has more sugar.
    I agree with what you´re doing, but then that´s only my style, too..
    I definitely think the cheat day is so not a good idea... because you´re inviting and welcoming a habit that has the potential to defeat the habit you´ve been cultivating the rest of the week. Think of it this way... if the cheating habit is more rewarding and powerful, then you might increase its frequency, such as cheating twice a week, so what would stop it from happening thrice a week, and so on....
  • gr8grl68
    gr8grl68 Posts: 417 Member
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    I've read Jillian Michaels "Master Your Metabolism" and she always suggests eating the most "real" food meaning if the list of ingredients is very long and you can't pronounce what's in it, don't eat it. The chemicals and substitutes they put in are worse than the higher calorie real foods--just watch your portions (which sounds like you are). She even goes into natural make-up and the types of cleaners and food storage stuff in our homes. Pretty interesting stuff. I've switched from Splenda to stevia in my coffee and all my cleaners are now natural, biodegradable--oh, and I'll take the real food over chemicals any day of the week! Keep up the great work!

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