Being a "foodie" and losing weight

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  • VryIrishGirl76
    VryIrishGirl76 Posts: 1,167 Member
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    Definitely!
    And shame on that coach for telling you different!

    I adore cooking and planning my meals.
  • vortex15
    vortex15 Posts: 19 Member
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    I agree with everyone here. It is completely possible and fun. I have started intermittent fasting with my new weight loss restart. I am finding that it lets me make a lot of the same foodie meals for lunch and dinner. I know its not for everyone, but it is working for me with my schedule, so we will see how it goes.
  • toe1226
    toe1226 Posts: 249 Member
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    Yes Yes Yes!!! I also love being a part of the process of food and have baked breads and made yogurt- but two things that I've done that have allowed me to stay a part of the processing of my food while reducing my intake: pickling things.

    Pickled vegetables (and pickled hard boiled eggs!) are lighter than bread baking but still allow you to follow a process.

    Also, I make my own nut butters, I know that they are calorically dense but high fat/protein works well with me, plus they keep forever so I don't feel that pressure to eat them right away the way I would feel about bread.

    Also, when thinking about making something really decadent, I'll focus on scallops or a light fish instead of something really dense.

    Finally, I realized that I had these roadblocks in my mind of what I perceived others expected from my foodie cooking- and they weren't true! I've been shocked to go on dates or dinner parties with friends who end up making really nice, light meals. There was a period of time where I felt like everything had to be a bacon wrapped date stuffed with cheese (so good!) but there are a lot of creative ways to lighten up the foodie process.
  • verdebug
    verdebug Posts: 20 Member
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    CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »
    I do 99.9% of my own cooking and find your weight loss coach to be entirely incorrect. Frankly, it is much easier to count calories doing your own cooking because you have a more accurate idea of how many calories you're actually eating, since you know what is in your food.

    And since I do my own cooking and baking and am good at it, I have fairly high standards in what I eat - which is not at all to say that I don't eat "junk" food, but it does mean that I am less tempted to eat random crap from a grocery store bakery or disappointing low-quality restaurant meals than I was before I really started doing all of my own cooking and dessert-making. I feel like I do better at maintaining quality over quantity.

    This. Exactly this. Be a complete food snob. I've lost 60 pounds this way. Just like I wouldn't buy cheap plastic crap at the dollar store for my home, I don't put gross faux food in my mouth. Long term, eating the real stuff keeps me satisfied, and it is super fun, too. One of my favorite things to do is to pick a different style of cuisine from around the world and once a month, make a feast from that region. It's fun, I learn about new techniques and ingredients, and I enjoy the challenge of keeping things on the lighter side.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Yes, you can most definitely do this.
    Many of us here are foodies (it is how I got to be obese in the first place). Love to cook, love to eat and we are good at it.
    There are more healthy, fantastic tasting recipes, available for anyone's tastes. The possibilities are at your fingertips.
    Best of luck!
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Is this a trick question? Of course you can!
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    KnitSewSpin wrote: »
    I would describe myself as a foodie. I love cooking shows, collect cookbooks, and get very excited about planning our weekly menu. I cook our bread products from scratch. I cook most of what we eat from scratch even yogurt and sour cream. Have not tried cheese yet.

    I was told by a weight loss coach last summer that I'll never be able to lose weight and keep it off being a foodie. Especially a foodie with children.

    I know intellectually this is not true but it was a bit demoralizing and since I am a very slow loser sometimes I think I should not focus so much on the pleasure of food. It lets doubts creep in. Like I'm doing smthg wrong.

    I wouldn't say it's an obsession. But it's a hobby for me like the knitting, sewing, and gardening I do.

    So can you be a food lover, lose weight, and keep it off, while keeping your love of all things food and cooking and baking?

    That weight loss coach is an idiot. I love food way more than the average person does. I've always said eating is my favorite hobby. I managed to lose all of the weight I wanted to lose while still thoroughly enjoying food, as have many people. In fact, people that think of food only as fuel make me sad. There's nothing wrong with liking food.

    As long as the food you eat fits into your calorie and/or macronutrient goals, you'll lose weight. Period.
  • mooreks81
    mooreks81 Posts: 15 Member
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    Maybe it's easier to lose weight when you don't like food, but it's not hard to do it when you do like food.
    1) Portion control.
    2) As someone else said, snob eat. Don't settle for mediocre chocolate--only the best! That way you won't eat what people bring into work. And savor each bite slowly.
    3) If you love cooking you're probably willing to put time/effort into a meal that is healthy but perhaps trickier to make.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
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    Portion control!
  • kportwood85
    kportwood85 Posts: 151 Member
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    I love to cook! I love to eat. If you look at my food diary, a huge portion of it is recipes I've tried out. My husband complains that we never eat the same thing twice, so he never gets something he loves again. When I went to eating (mostly) paleo I was unhappy about all the things I couldn't have anymore. How was I going to enjoy cooking when all the meals were supposed to be grilled chicken and a side of lettuce. I learned more and found that wasn't all there was, and I've begun to enjoy the creativity that comes with limiting my ingredients. Previously, far too many of my "new recipes" were pasta with cream sauce. Now? Recently we had roasted brussel sprouts with bacon, chicken thighs and an apple au jus. It was amazing, and I didn't even know I liked brussle sprouts! I'm down about 50 pounds total, and 10 since Christmas! Don't let your coach discourage you. You can enjoy food and still lose weight.
  • jasmineruth
    jasmineruth Posts: 88 Member
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    Since I have lost weight I have become MORE of a foodie. I've learned so much more about food, and instead of eating quick foods, I have fallen in love with cooking and baking from scratch. Food is definitely one of my hobbies and I'm 49 lb down and maintaining.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,910 Member
    edited January 2016
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    mooreks81 wrote: »
    Maybe it's easier to lose weight when you don't like food, but it's not hard to do it when you do like food.
    1) Portion control.
    2) As someone else said, snob eat. Don't settle for mediocre chocolate--only the best! That way you won't eat what people bring into work. And savor each bite slowly.
    3) If you love cooking you're probably willing to put time/effort into a meal that is healthy but perhaps trickier to make.

    Great first post :)

    Portion control and eating slowly have been key for me.
  • KnitSewSpin
    KnitSewSpin Posts: 147 Member
    edited January 2016
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    toe1226 wrote: »
    Yes Yes Yes!!! I also love being a part of the process of food and have baked breads and made yogurt- but two things that I've done that have allowed me to stay a part of the processing of my food while reducing my intake: pickling things.

    Pickled vegetables (and pickled hard boiled eggs!) are lighter than bread baking but still allow you to follow a process.

    Also, I make my own nut butters, I know that they are calorically dense but high fat/protein works well with me, plus they keep forever so I don't feel that pressure to eat them right away the way I would feel about bread.

    Also, when thinking about making something really decadent, I'll focus on scallops or a light fish instead of something really dense.

    Finally, I realized that I had these roadblocks in my mind of what I perceived others expected from my foodie cooking- and they weren't true! I've been shocked to go on dates or dinner parties with friends who end up making really nice, light meals. There was a period of time where I felt like everything had to be a bacon wrapped date stuffed with cheese (so good!) but there are a lot of creative ways to lighten up the foodie process.

    I make my own fermented pickles and sauerkraut. I Garden and "put by" a lot of food for the winter. Nothing like opening a jar of pickled beets from your garden to enjoy on a snowy Minnesota winter day :)

    One thing I need to get better at is lightening up some of my cooking. I tend to use a lot of full fat dairy, stuff like that. While that is perfectly fine and can fit into my calories for the day, I can get better at cooking lighter so I can eat bigger portions.

    I thoroughly agree on being a food snob. I don't like putting mediocre food in my mouth. I drive my husband crazy because I'm very selective where I'll go out to eat!
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    Step 1: Fire weight loss coach
    Step 2: Use money saved from weight loss coach fees toward work out clothes and/or gym membership
    Step 3: Read the stickied Most Helpful forum posts in the Getting Started section
    Step 4: Set up MFP using accurate stats and a reasonable weight loss goal
    Step 5: Cook the foods you enjoy, experimenting with sites like SkinnyTaste, Cooking Light, etc to help you modify the recipes you already love into ones that will better fit within your calorie alotment.
    Step 6: Track everything you eat, ideally using a food scale to weigh your foods.
    Step 7: Workout if you enjoy it, eating back at least a portion of your exercise calories.
    Step 8: Continue to bake and enjoy treats as you can fit it into your day, exercising portion control and moderation.
    Step 9: Be patient.
    Step 10: Post any great recipes and food pics you have here in the forums!

  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    Actually being a foodie and a good cook will help you lose weight. Why? Because you have enough knowledge to create lower calorie meals that are amazing and have enough "foodie-ness" to be satisfied by a meal that tastes fantastic, regardless of calories. I'm not a foodie per se nor a good cook, but I'm someone who doesn't mind experimenting. I discovered dulce de leche flavored "oatmeal brulee" lately and it feels like a 1000 calorie delicacy when it's actually sub 300.
  • Cobourg
    Cobourg Posts: 54 Member
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    I would think that enjoying to cook food would make it easier to lose weight. I have the opposite issue, I don't like cooking or preparing food and must do it anyway. Just one of those things like exercise and brushing your teeth. Wish to did enjoy it more.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
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    I enjoy my food more now that I'm paying attention.

    Before I would shovel down anything that I could get my hands on. Now I need to be picky about what I eat. Because I only have x calories to spend on food, I'm only eating things that I find delicious.
  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
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    KnitSewSpin wrote: »
    I would describe myself as a foodie. I love cooking shows, collect cookbooks, and get very excited about planning our weekly menu. I cook our bread products from scratch. I cook most of what we eat from scratch even yogurt and sour cream. Have not tried cheese yet.

    I was told by a weight loss coach last summer that I'll never be able to lose weight and keep it off being a foodie. Especially a foodie with children.

    I know intellectually this is not true but it was a bit demoralizing and since I am a very slow loser sometimes I think I should not focus so much on the pleasure of food. It lets doubts creep in. Like I'm doing smthg wrong.

    I wouldn't say it's an obsession. But it's a hobby for me like the knitting, sewing, and gardening I do.

    So can you be a food lover, lose weight, and keep it off, while keeping your love of all things food and cooking and baking?

    Biggest load of balls I've ever heard! ! I'm obsessed, OBSESSED with food. I made a recipe book for Xmas, I post on a food blog, I cook beautiful meals nearly every night and I go to restaurants about twice a month (as I'm broke right now!) And I've lost. .. then maintained since then! ! You will find you become heavily involved in making amazing food that doesn't bust the calories but believe me, you can very much be a foodie and lose weight! Feel free to add/message me :)
  • QueenofHearts023
    QueenofHearts023 Posts: 421 Member
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    I'm a foodie too and I lost 28lb. I think restraint is necessary, but that's a good thing. When you savour your cooking, focus on every sensation you get from eating it.

    I think practicing moderation has turned me into even more of a foodie, I'm much more picky and
    I try to focus on it when I eat, the smell, the taste, the texture. It just makes it better.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    LHWhite903 wrote: »
    IMG_7641.jpg

    I like this but 'one bite' of the best creme brulee ever? Not happening. Are those people for real?

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