The truth about "I still eat the foods I love"

For me, weighing food and knowing portions. That's it. Didn't cut out any foods at all. Just didn't eat as much of them. It would be hard to say exactly what I did though since it wasn't something drastic.

I don't waste calories on liquids (unless it's alcohol)
I usually don't get fries at fast food restaurants
I eat portion sizes of things rather than entire bags/cartons.

That's it.

That being said, I have a higher TDEE than most so it's easier to fit items in while still hitting macro/micro targets.

usmcmp wrote: »

I think the misconception is partly to do with people not understanding what moderation actually is. Their view of serving sizes is skewed. When someone says they still eat what they love people assume it's typical servings of a large bowl or multiple helpings, instead of measuring out an actual serving of it. Many of us are also careful to state that we still eat what we love after our other needs are met through nutrient dense and macro appropriate choices.

Yeah, I think this is the kind of clarification OP was hinting at, not being angry at facts.

trixieloo wrote: »

Lasmartchika wrote: »

So you're still eating the foods you love while losing 42 lbs. Congrats.

Just because people say "I eat all the foods still", they're not saying they're eating the same amounts of food like they did before. Just like you have demonstrated. Moderation is key, without depriving yourself of foods you love, to lose weight.

Smh.

OP never said otherwise. I got the impression that OP is just trying to clarify, for those that don't get it, what people mean when they say they still eat all those things. Not that the OP was trying to argue with people who say they still eat those foods. Not every thread is started to provoke an argument. You and OP agree. No need to smack your head.

This is how I read the OP as well.

I fit in chocolate candy daily. Yesterday, I was hit hard with strep so I treated myself to a shake and fries. I'm down 26 lbs by fitting in foods I really love, but, like others have said, I just don't eat the same amounts of them. I have approx 100 calories of chocolate every day. I also fit in about 200 cal of beer every few days. What I don't do is go to the local restaurant several times a week like before, and have chicken fingers, fries, and two pints.

At first, I was like, "wha???"

Then I read OP, and was like, "oh. yeah."

Confused. Are you asking specifically how we do it?

Chips-frequently eat half portions. I've hit my fat macro doing this more than once.

Pasta-I almost never eat it any more. Hard to count (I'm not going to cook my own separate portion) and it doesn't fill me up.

Chocolate/sweets in general-I don't really have a problem moderating these so yeah, I can stick to the occasional 80 grams of cake easily. I have sugar free fudgesicles too.

Soda/flavored coffee-I cut these out entirely because they just weren't worth moderating.

Cheese-I work it in every day, sometimes multiple times per day.

Pizza-I make it an event. I've only had it a couple of times in the last 7 months, but I went ham on it with no regrets.

Yeah, it took me reading the first paragraph a couple time to realize, its not a diss on those who still eat what they love, just a clarification that its with the caveat to eat them in moderation.

Mine is a bit backwards...before, I would rarely if ever eat ice cream..like once or twice a year, because it just felt too sinful to eat more than that. And yet, Id eat a whole pizza, have fast food for breakfast, lunch *and* dinner, gobble down gas station pie with a bottle of Starbucks frappacino...yeah, my logic was warped LoL

So, instead of eating less of it, I actually eat more ice cream now! Since I consume a balanced diet now, I dont feel bad at all about having some ice cream if it fits into my calorie goal for the day.

Speaking of fast food, I still eat it yeah, but instead of say...the Big Mac meal with a strawberry milkshake, I now get only the Filet o Fish sandwich, no fries or drink... make a salad at home to have with it and drink water... (I drink water with all my meals at home now actually)

Yup...I have what I love, but I choose *how* to have it in a different way and also mind my portions. Id rather be able to have a little bit / reasonable amount than to suffer through denying myself and complain to anyone who will listen that I can never eat something I like because it will go straight for my thighs.

sevader wrote: »

I honestly restricted and lost a lot of weight.. like I wouldn't even touch pizza it would make me sick and same with chips and all that crap

Yeah, that's kind of....not what we're looking for.

More like the HOWS of fitting the food you love into a sensible deficit.

Freeoscar, I get what you mean about some people making it sound like they've found the magic weight loss key that allows them to eat anything they want and still lose weight. It is taking me a long time to come to terms with the fact that I can, indeed, eat anything I want and still lose weight, but I can't eat everything I want. I've had to give up chips and trail mix because a serving seems like a tease and doesn't satisfy. 11 carefully counted out and weighed chips leads to just one more, just one more, just one more until I've stuffed myself silly with chips and have gone over my calorie and sodium budgets. More often than not, I'm STILL not satisfied at that point.