To complicated for success
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wildon883r
Posts: 429 Member
I seem to spend WAY to much time reading all the this and that threads on how to lose , how to maintain, what to burn what not to burn. Ask yourself can you live the rest of your life and maintain your weight with such complexity? I say no. You can go to 5 different websites and get 5 different BMR/BMI guestimates. You can even try to figure out your TDEE rates on how many calories you expend a day. Adding 100 calories or subtracting 100 calories is going to do nothing when it comes to weight maintenance or trying to trick your body into doing something it won't do all on its own.
There is no way a person can live, eat in a healthy sustainable way with all this information. Dietary intake is not meant to be complex. Eating healthy just involves some really simple choices. Sure you have to eat less to lose weight. Thats a simple concept. Being hydrated is very important for overall health. Processed sugar is yes a bad thing, sugar from fruits is not. You can't eat too many fruits or veggies considering for one who would want to and secondly they are mostly all water, fiber and nutrients. Processed food, you know stuff that comes in a box that wasn't made by nature is not a healthy choice.
As a child or young adult we never counted and we were 100 times more active then todays norm. In my most fit condition i ate, not excessively, maintained my weight and NEVER ate exercise calories back. Why i never knew or cared about them. I just exercised and stayed fit and ate what was on the table at the time. I used to drink a gallon of milk every day when i was a kid, eat half a loaf of bread and butter at supper with potatoes, beef and noodles, gravy. I remember eating a dozen eggs for breakfast and never gaining an ouce lol. once or twice at least. Notice most of those foods are on the so called try to avoid list.
What we never ate was boxed, There was no such thing as fast food. Very seldom did we eat junk food. I could go to the local bar. Get a smoked sausage or fried bologna sandwich that had nothing processed in them. You know bologna or sausage that actually molded in a short time? Fries were made by a lady behind the counter who actually cut the potato's herself. How in the hell does a large order of Wendy's french fries have 550 calories when that same potato raw is a lil over 100 calories? I can oven fry those potatoes and not increase the calorie count at all and taste just like fried in oil. 5 piece chicken nuggets around 250 calories but doesn't look like real chicken at all.
The key is to eating healthy and maintaining a trim body is (real foods). Learn what a freaking portion/serving is by eyesight (no scale)-weighing is retarded sorry. Get away from the computer, take a walk, ride your bike, work in the garden for 20 minutes weeding or what not. Don't drink syrup (soda pop) very often and as much as i love beer. Limit your intake to once a week. Eat normal as in eat a good HEAVY breakfast ie 2-3 eggs scrambled, some bacon 2- slices , maybe a small serving of hashbrowns in a pan (homeade) and a nice no sugar added beverage. Oatmeal in place of eggs or beans in place of bacon. Just some examples. If you eat a good LEAN healthy breakast(doesnt mean small) there is no need to eat until lunch and if you eat before maybe a high protein snack. If you get hungry in the afternoon have a snack. People have lil time to exercise but can spend hours reading the message boards here
A quote i got somewhere stated "When you eat, ask yourself what benifit to your body is there in what your going to eat." White bread or bread in general offers NO benefit to your body as good as they taste. Eggs/Protein, Bacon/animal fats, potato/beans carbs and fiber is all good. It's actually possible to lose weight without a smart phone app, website or food scale . Sorry for the rant but after reading 100's of posts i had to throw my hands up in the air and ponder. I supposidly burned near 460 calories on a 2 hour motorcycle ride. 460 calorie above what? So because i went for a ride i can have another slice of pizza hut pizza even though i don't need it? lol. Get the point. Keep it simple or you will have a harder time losing weight when you start worrying about it cranking up your cortisol levels which in turn does slow down fat burning. Eat when your hungry , don't if your not. learn to recognize your own hunger. I'm not going to go get me a peanut butter sandwich to make up calories that i show short on MFP. I'm not hungry and my body will tell me when i need to eat and i will eat a balanced meal with normal sized portions. Good Luck
There is no way a person can live, eat in a healthy sustainable way with all this information. Dietary intake is not meant to be complex. Eating healthy just involves some really simple choices. Sure you have to eat less to lose weight. Thats a simple concept. Being hydrated is very important for overall health. Processed sugar is yes a bad thing, sugar from fruits is not. You can't eat too many fruits or veggies considering for one who would want to and secondly they are mostly all water, fiber and nutrients. Processed food, you know stuff that comes in a box that wasn't made by nature is not a healthy choice.
As a child or young adult we never counted and we were 100 times more active then todays norm. In my most fit condition i ate, not excessively, maintained my weight and NEVER ate exercise calories back. Why i never knew or cared about them. I just exercised and stayed fit and ate what was on the table at the time. I used to drink a gallon of milk every day when i was a kid, eat half a loaf of bread and butter at supper with potatoes, beef and noodles, gravy. I remember eating a dozen eggs for breakfast and never gaining an ouce lol. once or twice at least. Notice most of those foods are on the so called try to avoid list.
What we never ate was boxed, There was no such thing as fast food. Very seldom did we eat junk food. I could go to the local bar. Get a smoked sausage or fried bologna sandwich that had nothing processed in them. You know bologna or sausage that actually molded in a short time? Fries were made by a lady behind the counter who actually cut the potato's herself. How in the hell does a large order of Wendy's french fries have 550 calories when that same potato raw is a lil over 100 calories? I can oven fry those potatoes and not increase the calorie count at all and taste just like fried in oil. 5 piece chicken nuggets around 250 calories but doesn't look like real chicken at all.
The key is to eating healthy and maintaining a trim body is (real foods). Learn what a freaking portion/serving is by eyesight (no scale)-weighing is retarded sorry. Get away from the computer, take a walk, ride your bike, work in the garden for 20 minutes weeding or what not. Don't drink syrup (soda pop) very often and as much as i love beer. Limit your intake to once a week. Eat normal as in eat a good HEAVY breakfast ie 2-3 eggs scrambled, some bacon 2- slices , maybe a small serving of hashbrowns in a pan (homeade) and a nice no sugar added beverage. Oatmeal in place of eggs or beans in place of bacon. Just some examples. If you eat a good LEAN healthy breakast(doesnt mean small) there is no need to eat until lunch and if you eat before maybe a high protein snack. If you get hungry in the afternoon have a snack. People have lil time to exercise but can spend hours reading the message boards here
A quote i got somewhere stated "When you eat, ask yourself what benifit to your body is there in what your going to eat." White bread or bread in general offers NO benefit to your body as good as they taste. Eggs/Protein, Bacon/animal fats, potato/beans carbs and fiber is all good. It's actually possible to lose weight without a smart phone app, website or food scale . Sorry for the rant but after reading 100's of posts i had to throw my hands up in the air and ponder. I supposidly burned near 460 calories on a 2 hour motorcycle ride. 460 calorie above what? So because i went for a ride i can have another slice of pizza hut pizza even though i don't need it? lol. Get the point. Keep it simple or you will have a harder time losing weight when you start worrying about it cranking up your cortisol levels which in turn does slow down fat burning. Eat when your hungry , don't if your not. learn to recognize your own hunger. I'm not going to go get me a peanut butter sandwich to make up calories that i show short on MFP. I'm not hungry and my body will tell me when i need to eat and i will eat a balanced meal with normal sized portions. Good Luck
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Replies
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Hm.
Well, I'm sorry but I disagree with a lot of this post.
First off, some people NEED to see what they're eating in a day and having a smartphone app that can help you count your calories is then part of your new lifestyle and weight loss plan.
If weighing your food, counting out an exact amount of almonds or whatever keeps you on track - then do it. I know that I KNOW how to maintain weight and am usually pretty good at eye-balling what a serving size is, but sometimes I do weigh or count it just to make sure I'm doing it accurately. There's nothing wrong with it and you know what? If keeping the dang weight off for the rest of my life means I have to count out almonds or weigh a cup of corn -- I will surely do it.
If we are on this website and trying to lose or maintain weight - we can use all the help we can get and honestly, belittling what people do is wrong. If you don't wanna count your almonds, weigh your chicken or whatever - then don't. But, don't tell me I shouldn't.
As for getting away from the computer -- hm. I work on my feet 5 days a week, I go to the gym 3 days a week -- if I wanna sit on my butt in front of the computer as my "downtime" I surely to goodness will.
Maybe I'll do that AND count almonds at the same time.
(BTW, we DID have fast food when I was a kid and we DID eat processed foods on occasion -- so saying we never ate this stuff as a kid is WRONG).
Also, you only get one life to live and quite frankly I wanna enjoy it -- even if it means I eat something processed (like a candy bar) once in awhile -- I will and I won't feel bad about it either0 -
It's easy: Eat only food that has a mom or comes from the earth (ie: meat, fruit, veggies). If it only has 1 ingredient on the label or no label at all, chances are it's a good thing to eat (again, meat, fruit, veggies)
don't worry about the rest. Whole, natural foods are more satiating than processed ones, so you naturally eat less, thus creating a calorie deficit, and thus losing weight.0 -
So....just wondering...if you think weighing, tracking, counting calories, etc is "retarded", why are you using this website???0
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First of all it's *Too.
Also, I have to say I disagree with a lot of what's in your post. Your intentions are good-- eating whole foods, not obsessing over calories (in the sense that counting means everything, when really it's just a building block to a bigger picture), not eating exercise calories back, being active. All good advice, if stated a bit vehemently, with exaggerations interspersed throughout. (A dozen eggs? Really? And considering fast-food started up in the 50's, can you really say it 'didn't exist', or that you 'never' ate processed food?)
However. I must agree with chevy88grl that telling others what they should and shouldn't do, without being asked, is going to get you a lot of nasty responses. Take me, for example. If I only felt hungry enough to eat three times a day, then I'd be set, wouldn't I? Sadly, that's not the case, and my night-time cravings are why I am still so overweight despite doing fine during the day. Also I work five days a week as a cashier in a grocery store and am often too exhausted to even think about exercising, let alone get out and do it. Now, I'm not saying my habits are healthy, because they're not, and I'm working to change them. But just because you could eat a dozen eggs and not gain a pound doesn't mean the rest of us have been so lucky, and just because you yourself have no trouble being active doesn't mean it's the same for everyone.
Try to be more considerate in the future when posting, and maybe we'll listen to you more.0 -
People have lots of differing opinions on the best way to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Many of them have proven successful - but not everyone is the same, nor do we all respond the same way to diet, exercise, carbohydrates, sodium, processed foods, etc. To each his own.
For instance, I don't consider bread that I make myself to be particularly processed. Sure, the flour has been milled, but I use whole wheat flour, sourdough starter that I have been keeping alive for a year or so now, honey, a bit of salt, and sometimes a couple tablespoons of butter. That's really it. I don't eat other bread because it's not nearly as good as my homemade whole wheat sourdough. But to some people it's processed food because the wheat has been ground, and the food contains multiple ingredients. They can say all grains are bad for you, but unless you have issues with wheat, I disagree. That's okay. We can each have our own opinions, and shouldn't feel that our way is the only way. Peace. :flowerforyou:0 -
Okay, so, a few things.
As someone who is attempting to re-learn appropriate eating behaviors and habits, I find that myfitnesspal has been invaluable in letting me see exactly what it is I'm eating, how much of it I'm eating, and how to do better with it. Though I have not yet lost weight, I am learning how to better regulate myself and put together healthier meals.
Coming on a site specifically intended to have a supportive and understanding community, for people to track their calories and exercise with the intention of improving themselves, and ranting about how those people annoy you and aren't good enough and are making things overcomplicated, is ridiculous and rude. If you don't want to see people's posts in the forums, the solution is simple: don't read the forums. Coming onto the message boards is entirely voluntary on your part, so whining about how you "had" to read all of these posts from people talking about what to do and what not to do is invalid. No one pointed a gun at your head and forced you to read the posts, or even to look at them.
People come here for advice. And while it's wonderful that you can eat 2-3 eggs, bacon, whatever for breakfast and not gain any weight whatsoever, or can have "a dozen eggs" and not gain an ounce, your experience is not everyone's experience. Everyone's body works differently, and I know--for me at least--I value other peoples' opinions on the matter of food and health and how to balance oneself. I am a novice in such things. I read, I process, I choose what I think will work for me.
I find this post to be judgemental, accusatory, and entirely unsupportive. Perhaps the next time you choose to post on a message board meant to be accepting and open-minded, you should settle on your words more carefully.0 -
Bacon/animal fats good? In the same category as beans/fiber or protein and eggs? Check with a cardiologist on that one. I think there's a pretty general consensus on that...0
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OKAY, quite frankly I am plain flat out sick and tired of these posts! I think back to when I started this, JANUARY 2010, on my own, MARCH 2010 with MFP and posts lime this are the kind that I had to weed through to figure this whole thing out myself! I do not think you are benefitting anyone by getting on here and PREACHING. Does is make you feel better about yourself to do that? Your OPINIONS are your opinions and everyone has them, but do not makemit sound likenyou are this gifted weight loss know all with your WHOLE five months on MFP.
This is a struggle and people need helpful advice. People need "opinions" to be able to decipher exactly how they want to do this. Quite frankly, honestly speaking, it is damn expensive to eat organic and maybe you live on Mars but "most" people DO NOT have the money to eat that way! I do not eat organic but I learned how to eat "better" and how to cook "better" and how to read labels. I have logged on here for over 420 days and I log EVERYTHING EVERYDAY even though I have lost 110 pounds and am very close to my goal. The dedication and commitment helps me keep myself honest! So if I want to do that I can freaking guarantee you that I am going to do it whether you say I don't need to or not!
When I became a member of this site, over 14 months ago, there was so much more motivation and encouragement than there is now. There was not daily posts from weight loss "know it alls" and weight loss "police," and I used all of the information to help me with my own plan to do this day in and day out.
With that I will chose to move along now because I SEEM TO BE DOING JUST FINE, just the way I am doing it, EVERYDAY!0 -
People have lots of differing opinions on the best way to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Many of them have proven successful - but not everyone is the same, nor do we all respond the same way to diet, exercise, carbohydrates, sodium, processed foods, etc. To each his own.
For instance, I don't consider bread that I make myself to be particularly processed. Sure, the flour has been milled, but I use whole wheat flour, sourdough starter that I have been keeping alive for a year or so now, honey, a bit of salt, and sometimes a couple tablespoons of butter. That's really it. I don't eat other bread because it's not nearly as good as my homemade whole wheat sourdough. But to some people it's processed food because the wheat has been ground, and the food contains multiple ingredients. They can say all grains are bad for you, but unless you have issues with wheat, I disagree. That's okay. We can each have our own opinions, and shouldn't feel that our way is the only way. Peace. :flowerforyou:
Mmm. Your bread sounds yummy!
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So....just wondering...if you think weighing, tracking, counting calories, etc is "retarded", why are you using this website???
Agreed! 0 -
Also agree!0
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Honestly before I used this website I was basically dieting blind. I didn't know where to start, what was bad and what was good, what to look for on labels and other things. I just use this website to keep myself on track and rly learn whats in the foods im eating and whats causing me to not lose weight. DON'T BOTHER USING THIS WEBSITE IF YOU THINK YOU'RE TO GOOD FOR THE HELP IT PROVIDES.0
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I'm not hungry and my body will tell me when i need to eat and i will eat a balanced meal with normal sized portions. Good Luck
I'll agree with the gist of what you're saying.
But I think you're idealizing how we ate when we were kids. Unless you had parents that didn't work (unlike now, that was actually an option!) I think we do try to make it more complicated than it probably is, but that's because when we were kids, the science just wasn't there. I don't fly by the exercise calories rule, and that's fine for me. But when people are stalled and they need a push, it's proven that that works.
ALL FORUMS ARE FOR PREACHING>sorry-it's true. Sure, if you agree with the post, it's merely stating an opinion, if you don't it's preaching.
So, live and let live...wonder how many pages this will get to before it gets closed.
(getting the dead horse picture ready....)0 -
thats not true..i have done all this with very little effort.
and there is only ONE reliable formula for calculating your BMR. you can find it on wiki. sounds like excuses to me bud.0 -
I'm not hungry and my body will tell me when i need to eat and i will eat a balanced meal with normal sized portions. Good Luck
I'll agree with the gist of what you're saying.
But I think you're idealizing how we ate when we were kids. Unless you had parents that didn't work (unlike now, that was actually an option!) I think we do try to make it more complicated than it probably is, but that's because when we were kids, the science just wasn't there. I don't fly by the exercise calories rule, and that's fine for me. But when people are stalled and they need a push, it's proven that that works.
ALL FORUMS ARE FOR PREACHING>sorry-it's true. Sure, if you agree with the post, it's merely stating an opinion, if you don't it's preaching.
So, live and let live...wonder how many pages this will get to before it gets closed.
(getting the dead horse picture ready....)
My body requires me to eat my exercise calories back if I want to lose any weight. I've gone the "don't eat them back" route and didn't move an ounce. Once I ate them - what do you know? the weight moved again.
It's a very individual thing, IMO. Some of us NEED those calories and some don't.0 -
So....just wondering...if you think weighing, tracking, counting calories, etc is "retarded", why are you using this website???
Because I believe that knowledge is POWER and also being a realist i call it how i see it. This is a great source of information namely the database for how many calories certain foods have. Once you get a basic knowlege of that your on the right path. I put on 40+ extra pounds over the years not because i ate bad foods or drank beer. I simly over ate to much and drank to much. Most people don't even realize that a normal sized meal is one of those skimpy TV dinners you can buy at the store. The food is trash but the portion size is perfect. Overweight people need to learn to eat sensibly and eat more importantly eat healty foods. Keep it simple.0 -
Overweight people need to learn to eat sensibly and eat more importantly eat healthy foods. Keep it simple.
Which is essentially true, but how do you think that people get to that stage? Were any of us born knowing how to read and write? No, we needed to be taught these things, just the same as some people need to be taught/shown the way to a healthier lifestyle. Believe it or not, some people genuinely don't know what their food contains, nor what a healthy portion size is, so the tools here and the opinions and experiences of MFP members are invaluable.
I can see that your intentions may be good but you do sound as though you are belittling people who don't think the same way as you. If what you're doing works for you, then that's absolutely brilliant but it doesn't mean that because other people do things differently that their way is wrong. I actually think it can be very damaging to be told you're doing something wrong - would you really want to be responsible for someone just throwing in the towel because your words made them feel inadequate? For some people, just being here is a huge step.
The reasons we are all here are legion but we have a common goal - to be healthier. Let's not lose sight of that, and more importantly, let's not start preaching at each other. That way madness lies.0 -
All good advice, if stated a bit vehemently, with exaggerations interspersed throughout. (A dozen eggs? Really? And considering fast-food started up in the 50's, can you really say it 'didn't exist', or that you 'never' ate processed food?)
However. I must agree with chevy88grl that telling others what they should and shouldn't do, without being asked, is going to get you a lot of nasty responses. Take me, for example. If I only felt hungry enough to eat three times a day, then I'd be set, wouldn't I? Sadly, that's not the case, and my night-time cravings are why I am still so overweight despite doing fine during the day. Also I work five days a week as a cashier in a grocery store and am often too exhausted to even think about exercising, let alone get out and do it. Now, I'm not saying my habits are healthy, because they're not, and I'm working to change them. But just because you could eat a dozen eggs and not gain a pound doesn't mean the rest of us have been so lucky, and just because you yourself have no trouble being active doesn't mean it's the same for everyone.
Try to be more considerate in the future when posting, and maybe we'll listen to you more.
Eating that many eggs was overdoing it but we were at the lake and they asked and i was hungry. I ate them barely lol... Choosing what to eat and how much or when is a matter of simple self discipline. Thankfully my job is physical so i get strength work several hours a day lifting objects that way 25 to 100+ lbs, Being too tired to exercise is just an excuse. If people want to exercise tired or not they go out and do it unless they are physically unable which is a totally different thing.
Giving into a craving is a choice and thats it. When i stopped using nicotine which i used for over 20 years i did it cold turkey. I wanted it and i did it. No support group, nothing. I made the choice. Healthy eating and a healthy weight is a choice for the majority of people. What this site gave me data i could use as reference information. I used to order half pound burgers when i ate them and now i eat the size of a burger that was normal 30 years ago 1/8th lb burger that they call kid sized now. I never knew a 1/2 lb burger was 800 freaking calories sheesh but America slams them down by the ton and why we are one of the fattest nations in the world.
People too lazy to cook so its easier to just hit the drive up and double your caloric intake of what you would probably make the same at home. I will say this there are alot of arm chair nutritionists here that have no clue what the heck they are talking about. I just ate breakfast i had a waffle, 2 eggs and 2 slices of bacon with a cup of coffee. Rough estimate about 500 calories. When i was making the waffles i automatically thought of a two waffle serving but i only ate one and saved a lil under 200 calories.
I will go for a 2 mile jog/walk and burn a couple hundred calories basically eating away half the calories i consumed for breakfast in 20 minutes. Voluntarily exercising doesn't thrill me but im reaching my goal. Good luck and i'm not here to appease people sorry.0 -
Overweight people need to learn to eat sensibly and eat more importantly eat healthy foods. Keep it simple.
Which is essentially true, but how do you think that people get to that stage? Were any of us born knowing how to read and write? No, we needed to be taught these things, just the same as some people need to be taught/shown the way to a healthier lifestyle. Believe it or not, some people genuinely don't know what their food contains, nor what a healthy portion size is, so the tools here and the opinions and experiences of MFP members are invaluable.
I can see that your intentions may be good but you do sound as though you are belittling people who don't think the same way as you. If what you're doing works for you, then that's absolutely brilliant but it doesn't mean that because other people do things differently that their way is wrong. I actually think it can be very damaging to be told you're doing something wrong - would you really want to be responsible for someone just throwing in the towel because your words made them feel inadequate? For some people, just being here is a huge step.
The reasons we are all here are legion but we have a common goal - to be healthier. Let's not lose sight of that, and more importantly, let's not start preaching at each other. That way madness lies.
I see alot of whining people seeking pity from others on their weight loss adventure. There are actually people that have physical conditions that prevents them from losing weight but that isn't the majority of folks here freaking crying because they couldn't say no to a piece of chocolate cake or a half rack of bbq ribs. Sorry but i served many years in the miitary where excuses and the word CAN'T were not acceptable.I'm greatful for that direction in life it gave me. The successful require no praise from others in knowing they did a good job. The bottom line is the only limits in life are the ones we set or allow others to set for us. As to exercise. There is no BAD exercise and the more the merrier be it through sport or work it all counts towards fitness. Weight loss is not a science although many members here like to think it is. Diets and diet plans are a disease in modern day culture and not the cure. I've never in my nearly 50 years of living heard anybody say eat your exercise calories back. Why? Because i would bet less then 10% of humanity even counts their caloric intake. Those that are physically active don't thats for sure.0 -
whatever works.
if you don't like the site.... don't read it.... duh!!! don't waste your precious time reading it all and then b!tching about it.
many people obviously benefit from the support and information that this site offers. whatever, if it works for you and you are losing weight, go with it.0
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