Eat whatever you want and still lose weight?

SnuggleSmacks wrote: »

kommodevaran wrote: »

TheVirgoddess wrote: »

maillemaker wrote: »

I am a firm believer in eating what ever the heck I want just in moderation!

For me, "eating whatever the heck I want" and "moderation" are at direct odds with one another. Because what I want to eat never fits within my allotted calorie limits. Thus it always boils down to what I get to eat, now what I want to eat.

Eating whatever the heck I want is how I got fat to begin with.

Eating whatever you want, or how much you want? There's a big difference between the two. I've lost a lot of weight eating whatever I want - just not as much as I used to when I was obese.

Some foods are very difficult to fit in - so calorie dense that just a little bit is more than enough calories, and at the same time taste in a way that any amount is never enough.

Food should make you happy and satisfied, not leave you more hungry.

My solution has been to find out which foods I like that I can eat to satiety, focus on them, and have small amounts of the hyperpalatable stuff very, very rarely.

That sounds sensible, and a lot of people feel the same way. I've found that weighing out strict servings or even half servings of foods I love works for me. A half serving of lemon ricotta ravioli mixed with some veggies and a half tablespoon of butter ends up feeling very decadent and satisfying. Add some chicken and it's a very healthy meal. A slice of pizza cut into very narrow wedges and presented beautifully over a salad pleases the eye as much as the palate. Craving a greasy cheeseburger? Make sliders and oven fries. Making your food beautiful contributes to satiety. So does eating on smaller dishes.

You describe very much like how I do it - my new (MFP era) favorite dishes include a small (20-30 grams) piece of delicious full fat cheese and some fruit (usually pear or grapes); green apple slices (or orange sections) and peanut butter; pear and almond or cashew butter; full fat greek yogurt, nuts or nut butters, maybe honey or maple syrup. I eat a lot of chicken, thigh or wings, with skin; pork, lamb and beef chops; salmon, herring; sometimes duck or oysters; today was cockles. Vegetables for dinner is often just defrosted and lightly heated peas or green beans, very simple, but they are so fresh and appetizing; grilled/baked corn on the cob goes well with a good chunk of red meat and baked parsnips with honey, olive oil and sesame seeds. I can make soup from just about any vegetable wonderful and creamy with my immersion blender. Not included what I eat for dinner, I chew my way through four pounds of raw vegetables per week. Same amount of fruit, I love fruit! I just bought a big bag of uglies dirt cheap, and the smell and taste like candy. If I want a fruit or chocolate smoothie I'll just whip one up. I get enough fiber from oatmeal and crispbread - for dinner I want white rice or pasta; or I'll make mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes with red chili, or bake chunks of them in the oven. I can choose between all kinds of porridge - oats, millet, polenta, tapioca or semolina, I cook it with milk and water, and serve with butter.

As long as I do the cooking, I get to eat amazing food every day - oh, the smell and the taste - and the idea that I can create something like that, for almost no money, and it's healthy - it just blows my mind - and it's so much fun too!