How I decided how to eat for life

I thought about trying this. Probably will when I'm maintaing.
Just for the times i bloat i will cut out certain things that i know make me bloat when i would like a flat tummy (bikini.. etc)
I think what people forget is that sometimes eating junk will get you at your calorie intake faster than eating a whole food meal.
600 calories could be divide between 2 meals, but one junk meal could equate to 600 calories causing you to overeat. At least thats how i look at it. You should really just be able to enjoy your food and hit your goal without going over.

You've nailed it!! It drives me nuts when I hear people talk about giving up foods, fad diets, and all that because it's just not necessary to lose weight. I've lost all my weight enjoying the foods I love, in moderation. :-)

I sort of stumbled into how I eat by default too.

I'm pretty much a whole foods ovo-lacto vegetarian with an ice cream habit.

I didn't give up meat for health. I just really don't like it. As for the whole foods thing? Eh, I've been a scratch cook since I was 10 years old. I'm a damned good cook too. I'd rather make my own foods than buy packaged ones. I've always been this way. Nothing pretentious about it. We were poor when I was a kid, and it was cheaper to do things that way.

Wait, does this mean I'm a whole foods hipster?

ninerbuff wrote: »

I looked objectively at many different approaches and why it would/wouldn't work for me. Practically all diets fall under these so I just kept it simple:

Vegan- I like meat too much
Low carb- I like carbs too much
Paleo- Too many restrictions for things I like
"Clean" eating- I like processed foods from boxes and cans

So it left me with pretty much with:

Eating whatever I wanted, but making sure I met my daily macro/micro nutrient essentials and staying within a calorie limit to reach whatever goal I was striving for at that time.

Remember it's for LIFE, not just to lose a few pounds on a plan that you'll ditch later because you HATE being on it. Of course this is what I PLAN to do for life. Others will have their own too.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

All those diets create a lot of stumbling blocks and too many opportunities to go off the rails. Like some complicated gadget with way too many needless features - the more things there are, the more things there are that can go wrong.

I really like the original post.

For me it was something like this:

Vegan -- read the arguments for it. Thought about what I like about it--the focus on veggies and foods like legumes, about eating mindfully, about the ethics of food sourcing. Thought about what I didn't like about it--I don't think the health-based arguments are well-founded, typically too low fat for me to feel satisfied, I respect but ultimately don't buy the ethical argument, and I have trouble when my protein is too low. What I did: took the bits I liked, the focus on getting lots of good, plant-based foods in my diet and appreciating how varied this can be, as well as reinforcing my personal commitment to knowing where my meat/eggs/dairy come from and being choosy.

Low carb -- I'd had some friends with positive experiences and past experience by losing weight through cutting (not to keto levels) carbs. What I liked about it: was intrigued by the idea that it would make you feel better, change your appetite, etc, and plus I'm not that into many staple carbs (i.e., bread, rice, cereal). What I didn't like: well, I enjoy other carbs, and when I try to eat more vegetarian I tend to rely on them. What I did: tried it out and then reintroduced carbs at various levels. Ultimately I found that I actually feel better eating more carbs, but still find cutting them (to 100 g or so) an easy way to lose weight and keeping them around 40% a good place for me.

Paleo -- looked into it, read a bunch of paleo stuff, listened to some podcasts. What I liked: part of this is just that I think grains are overrated and overemphasized, so I was interested. I also like eating lots of meat and veggie based foods, it wasn't low carb (the sources I saw anyway), I have a personal bias toward eating local, "natural," from whole foods, and it seems like a way of eating that would fit my preferences. What I didn't like: I wouldn't find dropping legumes a hardship, but I'm pretty sure they are healthy. I also don't feel worse when eating grains, and think plenty of grains are neutral to positive nutritionally, and I do like pasta on occasion. And I couldn't give up dairy. Also, the caveman rationale is silly. What I did: I do focus on meat and veggies, and am trying to get more wild game, wild caught fish, and eat more organ meats. Also, as with vegan, I like the focus on lots of veggies (and greens) and go along with that. And even though I think it's kind of hypocritical, a lot of the products made for paleo (like lunch options) happen to be things that I also like, so I'll take advantage of that.

Clean -- hate the name, but I still considered it. I honestly don't see the point in claiming that all processed foods are the same and think anyone who claims to have given up processed foods is usually not telling the truth. That said, I already tend to prefer cooking from whole foods when possible, and I considered whether I was relying too much on processed stuff. I am planning to reduce my consumption of protein bars some, because there are other options, although I see no reason to drop them entirely. I also have no plans to drop veggies out of season (what am I supposed to eat in Chicago if I do that?), or non local fish (including smoked salmon), or cheese or eating at restaurants, or any of the other "processed" foods that I think are actively positive in my diet. And this includes chocolate, coffee, and gelato, because they are definitely positives!

So basically for me being thoughtful and caring about both nutrition and my own tastes has meant not accepted any canned approach or outside rules, but crafting my own way of eating (that is not set in stone) based on my own ideas and preferences and the evidence I find convincing. As a result, I'm also open to changing my mind on things.

Agreed with everything you've said. Restricting isn't very practical forever. I find learning moderation and practicing good choices are essential. Of course, no one is perfect and my choices aren't always stellar. Pfft-I just shake it off and do the next right thing.

As with everyone else: whatever works for you is what matters.

runmama411 wrote: »

Agreed with everything you've said. Restricting isn't very practical forever. I find learning moderation and practicing good choices are essential. Of course, no one is perfect and my choices aren't always stellar. Pfft-I just shake it off and do the next right thing.

I bet you'd say I've been "restricting" for about 14 years. Seems practical to me.

And, fwiw, isn't calorie counting and eating for the magical macro ratios "restricting"?
Isn't "moderation" "restricting"?

ninerbuff wrote: »

I looked objectively at many different approaches and why it would/wouldn't work for me. Practically all diets fall under these so I just kept it simple:

Vegan- I like meat too much
Low carb- I like carbs too much
Paleo- Too many restrictions for things I like
"Clean" eating- I like processed foods from boxes and cans

So it left me with pretty much with:

Eating whatever I wanted, but making sure I met my daily macro/micro nutrient essentials and staying within a calorie limit to reach whatever goal I was striving for at that time.

Remember it's for LIFE, not just to lose a few pounds on a plan that you'll ditch later because you HATE being on it. Of course this is what I PLAN to do for life. Others will have their own too.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

yup yup yup!

i eat whatever the heck i want, i just stay within my calorie goals!

and on the (fairly) rare day when i go over... whatever. its called life and we cant control everything every moment!

34 pounds down since january so whatever I"m doing, is working for me!