What do you do? (re: diet)

JamieZ0503
JamieZ0503 Posts: 24
in Health and Weight Loss
Do you eat whatever you want as long as it is within your calories or macros? Or are you low-carb/paleo or something different?

Is it possible to look great and lose weight while not necessarily eating low carb?

Replies

  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    I eat what I want. I lost weight doing it and have been maintaining for 2.5 years eating what I want. I do eat relatively healthy though with some treats built in. Nothing is off limits.
  • 12_oz_Curls
    12_oz_Curls Posts: 140 Member
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  • Madame_Goldbricker
    Madame_Goldbricker Posts: 1,625 Member
    I eat what I like. I mostly stay in a deficit. I lose pretty consistently doing it this way. It works for me to have something I can do as part of a long term lifestyle as a short term diet wouldn't be an option for me.
  • freckledrats
    freckledrats Posts: 251 Member
    When I lost my initial weight (170 lbs to 140ish lbs) I cut calories and ate what I pleased, more or less. I think I had a warped view of "eating healthy" and stuck within that, but it was super full of sodium and other crap that I wouldn't consider that healthy now.

    I fell off the wagon and stalled at 140 for a while, then began losing weight again and eventually lost 30 more pounds. I did it by eating mostly fast food and lean cuisines and diet soda. No healthy food hardly at all.

    Both times I exercised by doing moderate cardio 30 minutes 3-5 times a week. I'd push for 5x as much as possible, but most of the time I was getting 4 days a week.

    Do I recommend that? Not really. If your primary goal is just dropping pounds and you don't care about eating healthy, yes, it is doable. It's harder to feel satisfied on a low calorie fast food diet, because your portions have to be so small to stay within your calorie budget, but I'm living proof it's possible, and not hard.

    I will go on to say that it helps a LOT to build habits centered around unprocessed, good-for-you foods and limit your treat and sugar intake. Satiation goes up, you're more likely to stay on the wagon, and you'll feel overall better, too.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    I eat what I want within my caloric allowance. I am not on a diet, this is a way of life.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    Google Lyle McDonald. He writes with quite an attitude, but he has really interesting material about your question. Bottom line: some people feel better low carb, some people feel better low fat. The important things are (1) to consume enough protein & fat; and (2) to eat (and accurately count) what you prefer beyond (1). What constitutes "enough" in (1) depends on one's goals and lean body mass.

    People with poor insulin sensitivity generally feel better on (and adhere better to) a low carb diet. Endurance athletes generally feel better on a low fat (high carb) diet. For a given person and goal (e.g. fat loss vs. maintenance vs. muscle gain), the protein should be the same whether low fat or low carb.

    Personally, I feel best on a diet where the calories from macros are equal. It's more protein than I need, but it's satisfying.
  • 12_oz_Curls
    12_oz_Curls Posts: 140 Member
    When I lost my initial weight (170 lbs to 140ish lbs) I cut calories and ate what I pleased, more or less. I think I had a warped view of "eating healthy" and stuck within that, but it was super full of sodium and other crap that I wouldn't consider that healthy now.

    I fell off the wagon and stalled at 140 for a while, then began losing weight again and eventually lost 30 more pounds. I did it by eating mostly fast food and lean cuisines and diet soda. No healthy food hardly at all.

    Both times I exercised by doing moderate cardio 30 minutes 3-5 times a week. I'd push for 5x as much as possible, but most of the time I was getting 4 days a week.

    Do I recommend that? Not really. If your primary goal is just dropping pounds and you don't care about eating healthy, yes, it is doable. It's harder to feel satisfied on a low calorie fast food diet, because your portions have to be so small to stay within your calorie budget, but I'm living proof it's possible, and not hard.

    I will go on to say that it helps a LOT to build habits centered around unprocessed, good-for-you foods and limit your treat and sugar intake. Satiation goes up, you're more likely to stay on the wagon, and you'll feel overall better, too.

    I say focus on calorie intake for about 4-6 weeks. Once you have that mastered, then worry about macros. Sodium is a really hard one to get around, and honestly since I live in a hot climate, sweat my *kitten* of when I run, and drink lots of fluid, I don't worry too much about it. I just never add salt to anything.
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,817 Member
    Do you eat whatever you want as long as it is within your calories or macros?

    Yes. But it's not a 'diet' it's a new lifestyle.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I go for the 80/20 mix. I try to eat mostly what is traditionally considered "healthy" unprocessed/minimally processed foods (veggies, fruits, meat, dairy, etc.) But I don't cut out everything that doesn't not fall into the those categories. I really like those "healthy" foods though so I don't feel like "ugh, more salad, boo."
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
    Google Lyle McDonald. He writes with quite an attitude, but he has really interesting material about your question. Bottom line: some people feel better low carb, some people feel better low fat. The important things are (1) to consume enough protein & fat; and (2) to eat (and accurately count) what you prefer beyond (1). What constitutes "enough" in (1) depends on one's goals and lean body mass.

    People with poor insulin sensitivity generally feel better on (and adhere better to) a low carb diet. Endurance athletes generally feel better on a low fat (high carb) diet. For a given person and goal (e.g. fat loss vs. maintenance vs. muscle gain), the protein should be the same whether low fat or low carb.

    Personally, I feel best on a diet where the calories from macros are equal. It's more protein than I need, but it's satisfying.

    This. I'm a runner so i need the carbs but i don't go over board. I prefer the low-fat route.
  • baconslave
    baconslave Posts: 7,021 Member
    My new way of life (fairly new, I've been at it for 4 months) is a type of low-carb called Keto (or NK, which is short for nutritional ketosis.). Basically I keep the carb count to 20-30g, but the closer to 20 the better. Eat lots of fat and some protein. The fat keeps me satisfied. The foods I end up picking as a result do not cause cravings, keep the calories down, and help me with portion control. All issues I have had with other ways of eating.
  • nicailyzee
    nicailyzee Posts: 183 Member
    I go for the 80/20 mix. I try to eat mostly what is traditionally considered "healthy" unprocessed/minimally processed foods (veggies, fruits, meat, dairy, etc.) But I don't cut out everything that doesn't not fall into the those categories. I really like those "healthy" foods though so I don't feel like "ugh, more salad, boo."

    This is a good way to look at it. No perfection and don't be afraid to try new things!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Do you eat whatever you want as long as it is within your calories or macros? Or are you low-carb/paleo or something different?

    Is it possible to look great and lose weight while not necessarily eating low carb?

    Absolutely. The #1 thing for guaranteed weight loss is calorie deficit. How you get that deficit is up to you.

    Weight loss is lifestyle change for me......I don't eat low carb to lose weight because when the weight is gone I would have to figure out how to keep the weight off while "eating regularly."

    I focus on protein first. I get my protein in and strength train to keep lean muscle. I also have a moderate goal (again, to help maintain muscle)....I'm older, so lean muscle is already at risk for me.
  • numinousnymph
    numinousnymph Posts: 249 Member
    generally speaking i do eat what i want as long as it will fit into my calories and some of my other macros. i try to limit my consumption of processed foods, though, 'cause i just feel it's better for my body.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,304 Member
    Do you eat whatever you want as long as it is within your calories or macros? Or are you low-carb/paleo or something different?

    Is it possible to look great and lose weight while not necessarily eating low carb?

    Yes I eat whatever I want as long as it more or less fits in my calorie allowance.

    Of course it is possible to lose weight without going low carb - as long as you are in a calorie deficit.

    Conversely it would be possible to gain weight on a low carb diet - if you were not in a calorie deficit.

    "looking good" is subjective - but I think probably depends more on exercise and fitness and reasonable weight level than whether your diet is low carb or not.
  • Shalva
    Shalva Posts: 55 Member
    I eat whatever I want as long as I stay within my calorie allotment for the day. It is nice because I don't feel at all deprived, my husband I eat the same meals, just different portion sizes and its great. Oh yeah, I do eat carbs.

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