Does anyone not buy "lower-calorie" options?
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When I buy low calorie diet anything, it flips some psychological switch and it makes me want to binge. At this point in my life, I'd rather eat a small amount of full fat yogurt or whatever, than a lot of a diet food. Plus, it tastes better.0
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I have tried multiple ways of altering my diet, but in the end I found the most success with a combination of smaller portions and healthier purchasing. "Diet" options don't really work for me, but, for example...
In my olden days of chubbiness, I would eat a massive bagel loaded with lox cream cheese for breakfast, Domino's pizza for lunch, and a box of mac & cheese for dinner.
Now? Well, this morning I had a Thomas thin bagel, one half, with cream cheese. (Full fat cream cheese is the only way to go. The low fat stuff makes me want to cry.) When I have coffee, I don't use low fat creamer, because I figure it's such a small amount that it isn't too detrimental and the flavor enhancement is truly worth it.
And for lunch, instead of a puffy pizza chain, I just made one quarter of an Amy's frozen pizza with mushrooms and olives. So basically I pick and choose which is the most worth it to keep the full fat option, like cream cheese and coffee creamer, whereas things like pizza and bagels can reach a compromise.
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Laurend224 wrote: »I've said this before but I will say it again. I think a lot of women of a certain generation were taught that if something is high in fat, it will make you fat. I believe it was in the 90's, I was a little kid and I remember a huge trend of everything being low fat and my mom only buying low fat cheese, cottage cheese, dressings, etc.
Fat doesn't make you fat. It's essential for your body to function properly.
Yep and I remember Susan Powter and her infomercials: STOP THE INSANITY! I found that going low fat to lose weight caused me to shed a lot of hair and I always wondered if that is why she had that buzz cut. Fat was the demon in the 80's and 90's and now it is sugar that is the fat causing demon.
The real "insanity" is thinking that something other than too many calories in general is what is causing you to gain weight.
Susan Powter!
The first diet book I ever picked up--when I was 15 and 114 pounds.
But I do buy low-fat and sugar-free options sometimes. I think I'm kind of the opposite of a "supertaster" because it usually doesn't bother me. Only when the texture is bad, like with cheeses, do I absolutely have to back away from it.0 -
I think you can lose all you want by watching your portions without dipping in to low-fat products.
I drink 1% milk and 0% yogurt. Half my scrambled eggs are supplemented with egg whites. But egg yolks are wonderful, and they contain all the vitamins! The same with peanut butter. The beneficial vitamins are in the fat.
Too many commercial low-fat products add sugar where fat is removed. When I was watching my sugars this was so very irritating. Sure, let's make the product unusable for the diabetic! This goes for low-fat peanut butter and PB2.0 -
Some things I do, some I don't. I've always had 1 or 2 % milk, so that has stayed the same. I don't drink it, but use it for cereal and things like that. I also get the lowfat yogurt but it's the only one I like... Chobani is kind of blegh and a bunch more expensive.
Those are pretty much the only things that even have the option of low-calorie options. Eat more real foods and less processed and you don't have to worry about it!
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I don't do low cal, fat free, etc, especially since what often replaces the fat and calories is tons of sodium or other stuff that isn't healthy, to make it still taste somewhat palatable. I prefer made from scratch items, or whole foods like fruits. Yes, it took a while to prefer an apple with peanut butter to a cookie, and to get used to small portions to keep the calories low while still eating full calorie foods, but it IS possible to change your tastes and your body will thank you for it. Now "smart ones cookie dough sundaes" which used to be a favorite of mine tastes like chemical bombed cardboard :P0
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The only thing I go "low calorie" on is the ice cream I buy, and that's because I can eat more of it (I like Edy's Slow Churn Chocolate or Cookie Dough. I also like some of Ben & Jerry's lower calorie options for ice cream). Other than that, it's "regular calorie" things. I just make sure I stay within my goal.0
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kenmiller75 wrote: »
You will see some people say it doesn't matter what you eat as long as you stay under your calorie goals. IMO Garbage in = garbage out. I don't believe that it's okay to eat Twinkies and Ding Dongs all day every day as long as you're at a net loss. I throw in cheat days because I love pizza and wings and we should allow ourselves time off for good behavior from time to time to keep our sanity but in the long run eating healthy should be a normal part of our lifestyle and not just a quick weight loss fix.
Is this your copy/paste answer to every thread regardless of the OP?
To OP, I use sugar free stuff here and there like maple syrup and diet soda, just to save calories. But a majority of what I eat is regular, whole, full fat.
Sugar free maple syrup?????????????? No such thing since maple syrup is something like 95% sucrose. Then again, I live in a maple syrup producing state so we have the real stuff everywhere instead of the fake "pancake syrup" like Log Cabin or Mrs. Butterworth.
I love Log Cabin, lol. I grew up on Log Cabin.0 -
Dairy products I do low fat or fat free. Also ground turkey.0
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Depends what. Greek yogurt, I honestly can't really tell the difference between 0% and 2% sometimes... depends a lot on the brand too. Milk we buy 1% but I only use it in recipes anyway. Cheese I typically get full fat, although I might get part skim mozzarella for pizza because frankly I can't tell the difference either.
I use whole eggs but will add some egg whites to fluff it up. I buy 90% or 94% beef though because I just like it better. But 99% turkey is disgusting, IMO, so I stick to the 93% stuff. I buy chicken sausages instead of pork, typically, because the difference in taste isn't worth the calories for me, but if I want a brastwurst, I'll get some, for example.
I buy any kind of chicken pieces, and I do use PB2, but only when I care for the peanut butter taste in oatmeal or yogurt. I wouldn't use it anywhere else.0 -
I think you can lose all you want by watching your portions without dipping in to low-fat products.
I drink 1% milk and 0% yogurt. Half my scrambled eggs are supplemented with egg whites. But egg yolks are wonderful, and they contain all the vitamins! The same with peanut butter. The beneficial vitamins are in the fat.
Too many commercial low-fat products add sugar where fat is removed. When I was watching my sugars this was so very irritating. Sure, let's make the product unusable for the diabetic! This goes for low-fat peanut butter and PB2.
I don't understand how people can use PB2. But I've never tried it, so I guess I shouldn't knock it. I personally make my own peanut butter, it's magic.0 -
I hear ya. My family makes gag faces when I bust out my sf maple flavor syrup. But 15 cals vs 200 is a big difference for me. I'd rather add In some extra fruit or bacon for that amount.kenmiller75 wrote: »
You will see some people say it doesn't matter what you eat as long as you stay under your calorie goals. IMO Garbage in = garbage out. I don't believe that it's okay to eat Twinkies and Ding Dongs all day every day as long as you're at a net loss. I throw in cheat days because I love pizza and wings and we should allow ourselves time off for good behavior from time to time to keep our sanity but in the long run eating healthy should be a normal part of our lifestyle and not just a quick weight loss fix.
Is this your copy/paste answer to every thread regardless of the OP?
To OP, I use sugar free stuff here and there like maple syrup and diet soda, just to save calories. But a majority of what I eat is regular, whole, full fat.
Sugar free maple syrup?????????????? No such thing since maple syrup is something like 95% sucrose. Then again, I live in a maple syrup producing state so we have the real stuff everywhere instead of the fake "pancake syrup" like Log Cabin or Mrs. Butterworth.
I hope the pure stuff by you is not as pricey as it is here.
It is definitely more expensive than the pancake syrup, but not unreasonable, especially when you buy it directly from the sugarers (soon, usually mid-March!). When I was a kid, every spring a couple of families would come to town from "up north" and sell their syrup and maple sugar candy door to door. I live in a different part of the state now and am closer to some stands of maples. One is in a state park and the DNR runs a sugar shack. A bunch of us go there via a hiking trail. At the shack, they make the syrup and on weekends during the sugaring season they have pancake breakfasts where they make the pancakes and you take yours over to the vat where they are boiling down the sap, and they pour a scoop of hot syrup straight from the boiling vat.
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I eat primarily whole foods...they are what they are, there's no low fat almonds for example. The only low/no fat things I eat are non-fat Greek Yogurt and 1% milk.0
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Oh, yeah! Low-fat cheddar and I pre-cut to portion because it is so easy to go over.
No syrup on our pancakes. We've converted to fruit and yogurt.0 -
I hear ya. My family makes gag faces when I bust out my sf maple flavor syrup. But 15 cals vs 200 is a big difference for me. I'd rather add In some extra fruit or bacon for that amount.kenmiller75 wrote: »
You will see some people say it doesn't matter what you eat as long as you stay under your calorie goals. IMO Garbage in = garbage out. I don't believe that it's okay to eat Twinkies and Ding Dongs all day every day as long as you're at a net loss. I throw in cheat days because I love pizza and wings and we should allow ourselves time off for good behavior from time to time to keep our sanity but in the long run eating healthy should be a normal part of our lifestyle and not just a quick weight loss fix.
Is this your copy/paste answer to every thread regardless of the OP?
To OP, I use sugar free stuff here and there like maple syrup and diet soda, just to save calories. But a majority of what I eat is regular, whole, full fat.
Sugar free maple syrup?????????????? No such thing since maple syrup is something like 95% sucrose. Then again, I live in a maple syrup producing state so we have the real stuff everywhere instead of the fake "pancake syrup" like Log Cabin or Mrs. Butterworth.
I hope the pure stuff by you is not as pricey as it is here.
It is definitely more expensive than the pancake syrup, but not unreasonable, especially when you buy it directly from the sugarers (soon, usually mid-March!). When I was a kid, every spring a couple of families would come to town from "up north" and sell their syrup and maple sugar candy door to door. I live in a different part of the state now and am closer to some stands of maples. One is in a state park and the DNR runs a sugar shack. A bunch of us go there via a hiking trail. At the shack, they make the syrup and on weekends during the sugaring season they have pancake breakfasts where they make the pancakes and you take yours over to the vat where they are boiling down the sap, and they pour a scoop of hot syrup straight from the boiling vat.
I bought sugar free syrup for a while but I figured, I use the stuff so little, might as well just use real maple syrup when I do. Plus if I'm going to blow 500 calories on pancakes, might as well use the good stuff on it. Lately I've been using nutella or hazelnut butter instead anyway.0 -
The only thing I buy is light mayonnaise, because I like a good serving of mayo and don't find it tastes any different from regular mayonnaise. My boyfriend uses regular mayonnaise so I'll still have the full-fat stuff too, if he's cooking with it for both of us, or I'm out of the light version.
Beyond that, I prefer everything else with all its fat and glory. My boyfriend accidentally bought low-fat cream cheese once and it was awful. We threw it out and bought the good, full-fat stuff the next day.
Everything else I buy is either produce or meat, so I can't actually think of anything else that comes in light or non-fat. Are there that many things?0 -
I thought potatoes and starch were the enemy now?Fat was the demon in the 80's and 90's and now it is sugar that is the fat causing demon.
Potatoes are so good for you, and not even that high in calories. It makes me so sad when people hate on potatoes. As for sugar, sure, refined white sugar probably isn't great for you, but natural sugars found in fruits aren't going to hurt anyone or make them fat. I love fruit. I average 2 pineapples and a papaya a week.
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cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »As long as I'm not the crazy people on Instagram putting calorie-free syrup on cucumber slices, I think I'm okay.
Dear God....is this really a thing? Do people actually do this?
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It varies for me. For example, I think low fat/calorie cheese is an abomination and wouldn't be caught dead eating it. But low cal bread, mayo, syrup, yogurt....is fine for me.0
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Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »As long as I'm not the crazy people on Instagram putting calorie-free syrup on cucumber slices, I think I'm okay.
Dear God....is this really a thing? Do people actually do this?
I regretfully inform you...
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cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »As long as I'm not the crazy people on Instagram putting calorie-free syrup on cucumber slices, I think I'm okay.
Dear God....is this really a thing? Do people actually do this?
I regretfully inform you...
That has to be one of the grossest things I've ever seen. I love cucumbers, and I love syrup, but trying to imagine what they taste like together makes me want to gag. It's funny that they tried to style the photo to make it look appetizing. Someone set up that picture and thought "If I snap the photo while the syrup is dripping off of the cucumber, it'll look more appetizing...."
*shudders*
I don't want to derail the thread, so I guess I'll answer the OP -I don't buy a lot of diet or low-cal stuff, because the real stuff tastes better. I buy full-fat dairy and mayo. I do drink diet soda if I want soda, simply because I don't like to drink my calories, except for beer. I don't do light beer. I really like to enjoy my beer, so if I know I'll be having a beer or two, I'll find a way to work it into my day.0 -
I don't typically buy things that are advertised as being low cal, low fat, diet, etc because a lot of times they are just replacing those things with something else that is probably worse for you. But it's not always the case. I just look at the ingredients before making a choice0
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Mostly not, but for a few items I do - I typically buy "light" salad dressings (ETA: 90% of the time I make my own salad dressings, any store-bought is the once in awhile that I use ranch or bleu cheese) and mayo, just because you save SO many calories on those without sacrificing much taste at all. But those are the only things I purposefully buy "light" versions of to save calories. I'm not afraid of dietary fat - full-fat cheese/cottage cheese, sour cream, etc.
There are also a few things that I buy the "light" version of because I genuinely prefer the taste (skim milk, Diet Coke) and/or there is another nutritional advantage (ex: I buy the 100 calorie English muffins and the Chobani 100 Greek yogurt not to save calories but because of the extra fiber/lower carbs on those - I'm not low carb at all but carbs are where I tend to go over - plus, I do like the way they taste just fine).0 -
cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »As long as I'm not the crazy people on Instagram putting calorie-free syrup on cucumber slices, I think I'm okay.
Dear God....is this really a thing? Do people actually do this?
I regretfully inform you...
YUCK.
I do also use light mayo (which is maybe once a month). The taste difference just isn't worth the extra calories for me. Better save them for chocolate or ice cream.0 -
Laurend224 wrote: »I don't buy low cal or light anything. I cook from scratch mostly and am vegan.
Snap, except for the vegan bit. I used to buy skim milk, but I don't really eat cereal anymore, and I hate skim milk in coffee, and we buy whole for the kids, so now I drink it too. If I'm out and get a cappuccino or a latte I will get it skinny, although full fat tastes better, but I don't want to waste that many calories.
I buy low fat natural yogurt, but that's about it for low fat.0 -
Your body needs fat. Lots of it. The good stuff.0
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I don't buy things because they are low calorie, low fat, low sugar etc.
I buy them because I like the taste or I don't buy them because I don't like the taste.0 -
I prefer the taste of full calorie, full fat options. I just eat less of them.0
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Spam light is objectively superior to Spam original, regular almond milk is too sweet for my taste (while dairy milk just tastes bad) and I can't imagine why anyone drinks non-diet soda.
I also rather like low-fat cheese on its own, but it doesn't work as well for melting or in recipes.
I dunno, I don't think of it as "diet" food, just as food.0 -
I think it depends. I utilize several lower calorie options and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I actually had a lot of fun finding things that I enjoyed just as much if not more than my old favorites. There were some things that I was using all the time and just could not justify wasting such a huge amount of calories on, like mayo and margarine. I use greek yogurt ranch instead of whatever I was using before (& like it 10,000x more), vanilla almond milk, PB2, 45 calories per slice wheat bread, ground turkey, & Dreyer's slow-churned rocky road, which is my absolutely favorite ice cream. I also drink diet soda if I want soda, which was a switch I was kind of forced into when my dad was diagnosed with diabetes and that's all that was in the house.
But, I use regular half & half for my coffee, if I need sugar for something I use normal sugar, I eat normal Lays potato chips (I just buy them in the individual bags), etc. etc.
You don't have to give up flavor, texture, whatever for low-cal options. If you want to find delicious lower calorie options for things, they are out there you just have to look for them and try a lot until you find what you like. If you don't look/try, you won't find, & that's okay too. To each his own.0
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