Does anyone not buy "lower-calorie" options?

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  • piningforapples3
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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.
  • kateraichu
    kateraichu Posts: 39 Member
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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. :smiley:
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
    edited February 2015
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    Laurend224 wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    fbmandy55 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! :s

    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.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    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.
  • NerdieMcChub
    NerdieMcChub Posts: 153 Member
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    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! :)
  • earthsember
    earthsember Posts: 435 Member
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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 :P
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
    edited February 2015
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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.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
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    earlnabby wrote: »
    OdesAngel 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.
  • SuggaD
    SuggaD Posts: 1,369 Member
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    Dairy products I do low fat or fat free. Also ground turkey.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
    edited February 2015
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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.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    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.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    OdesAngel wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    OdesAngel 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 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.

    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.

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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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.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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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.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    earlnabby wrote: »
    OdesAngel wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    OdesAngel 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 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.

    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.
  • ashleycde
    ashleycde Posts: 622 Member
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    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?
  • ashleycde
    ashleycde Posts: 622 Member
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    earlnabby wrote: »
    Fat was the demon in the 80's and 90's and now it is sugar that is the fat causing demon.
    I thought potatoes and starch were the enemy now?

    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.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
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    As long as I'm not the crazy people on Instagram putting calorie-free syrup on cucumber slices, I think I'm okay. B)

    Dear God....is this really a thing? Do people actually do this?

  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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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.
  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
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    As long as I'm not the crazy people on Instagram putting calorie-free syrup on cucumber slices, I think I'm okay. B)

    Dear God....is this really a thing? Do people actually do this?

    I regretfully inform you...

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