Everything in moderation and reached goal?

tiverton104 · March 2016

Is there any truth to "eating in moderation" and reaching your goal weight? I need to lose about 70 lbs.

I'm sick of "dieting" and forcing myself to eat foods I don't like (because that's what dieters are supposed to do, right?). My plan is to eat about 1400 calories, exercise 30 mins 5-6x week and eat whatever I want (within reason - obviously not 1400 calories of chocolate).

Who's done it and can I follow you?

Thank you in advance. Any other advice would be appreciated.

rnewyn · March 2016

It works for me. I'm 26, 5'4", 245. If I eat 1500 daily, I don't even have to do daily "workouts" to drop weight. I lost a ton of weight before, but due to un related health complications I was hospitalized for quite a while and gained much of the weight back. I'm back with a vengeance now. I average out my calories Monday-Sunday, and the number has to be under 1500 net cals, but daily intake can be between 12-1800. This must be consumed in a minimum of three seperate meal times, but usually ends up being more like 4-5, which I think is better. I'm fairly active, walk around campus, to the local store, etc, but only log exercise if I purposely do something strenuous just to work my body out. I loose 3-5 lbs a week, average.

queenliz99 · March 2016

Yes, eat what normally eat but less of it. Read this

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

shadow2soul · March 2016

Yes. The main factor in weight loss is calories consumed being less than the calories burned. Some foods have a higher nutritional value for the calories and those should be eaten for health reasons (should....doesn't mean you have to). That said, you can still meet your nutritional needs and enjoy the yummy high calorie goodness. It's possible. I suck at balancing nutritional needs, so I mainly focus on calories and secondary on protein.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10257157/c-section-mom-of-2-my-progress-over-the-past-couple-years-lots-of-pics/p1

Ponkeen · March 2016

That has been my approach, for the most part, and I have lost just a smidge under 50 lbs in the last 9 months. I average about 1500-1600 calories a day, work in exercise most days, and I'm still losing pretty consistently. I hope to hit my goal by September. We shall see.
That said, I have started to gravitate toward eating more veggies and low calorie proteins, since you can eat more of them. Restricting too much for too long makes you crave big, filling meals. That is where lots of people fall off the track. They over-restrict, then boomerang back to their old eating habits because they can't sustain it. Ideally what you're doing is building up a foundation of healthy eating habits for the rest of your life- not just for the duration of your weight loss. It has to be something you can maintain without too much sacrifice in the long term.
I would recommend trying different things as you go along. 1400 sounds okay, but having a little leniency around that will keep you moving along and help you avoid the boomerang.

notnikkisixx · March 2016

Absolutely! Feel free to check out my food diary

My weightloss goal has always been to have a sustainable lifestyle, you can eat the foods you like and lose weight, you'll just have to get used to eating less of the "bad" foods and you'll need to be diligent about tracking your calories accurately.

zerojunk · March 2016

Eating 1400 cals and exercising 30 mins most days is going to cut fat, you can be sure of that.

ChristineE63 · March 2016

Yes that will work, but why eat foods you don't like, eat foods you love and stay within your allowed 1400 calories, if your go over, and you will, put in more time with your workouts. What I have found to be the key is accountability, fill out your profile and state your intent, find friends here who inspire you, or who you feel you can inspire, this journey is hard, it doesn't have to be lonely too. Send me a friend request and I'll be there for you.

Ninkyou · March 2016

Yes. I've lost 80 lbs of my own weight plus 25 from a pregnancy I had in between. Moderation and CICO all the way.

impromark · March 2016

Totally agreed. Caloric deficit is how I lost my 80 pounds, and managing my weight now while building muscle and staying lean. Eating right is most of the way to weight loss goals - exercise puts the polish on the bodywork, in my view.

Mark

forruths · March 2016

I started MFP last August and have lost 66lb so far. I try and eat healthily most of the time but have chocolate and pizza and all the other things I love in moderation. I exercise at the gym twice a week and try and fit in a walk of over an hour once a week. Having lost weight before by pretty much starving myself I was determined this time would be different. I wanted to make changes that I could live with for the rest of my life. I have another 40-50lb to lose and I don't mind how long it takes as long as the trend is downward!

Good luck with your weight loss. Add me as an MFP friend if you like.

Suhrah623 · March 2016

Yes. I eat whatever I want as long as it stays within my daily calorie goal. I have lost 60 lbs so far

Sabine_Stroehm · March 2016

And as important, and perhaps even more importantly: MAINTAINED once at goal while practicing moderation.

I'm sure it can be done. I wonder how many folks at goal and maintaining will see this thread, however.

snowflake930 · March 2016

I lost over 160# doing this, and have been on maintenance for 28 months.
Everything in moderation and I will be eating like this for the rest of my life.
It truly works for me.

coreyreichle · March 2016

tiverton104 wrote: »

Is there any truth to "eating in moderation" and reaching your goal weight? I need to lose about 70 lbs.

I'm sick of "dieting" and forcing myself to eat foods I don't like (because that's what dieters are supposed to do, right?). My plan is to eat about 1400 calories, exercise 30 mins 5-6x week and eat whatever I want (within reason - obviously not 1400 calories of chocolate).

Who's done it and can I follow you? Thank you in advance. Any other advice would be appreciated.

Yes. I'm about 1 lb from my goal weight, doing "everything in moderation".

rosebarnalice · March 2016

I've lost about 48 lbs and am maintaining while drinking alcohol, eating chocolate, fried food, burgers, and pizza-- but not all day every day.

Most weekdays I eat very high-fiber/ high veggie and low fat meals with some small treat almost every day-- a few chocolate kisses (but not the whole bag), a bag of popcorn (skip the butter and extra salt) or a couple of cookies (but not the whole box!). Then on weekends, I will enjoy reasonable quantities of foods I love--but generally in smaller portions than I did before.

I often have an ~800 calorie dinner--which is enough for a couple of pieces of pizza and a couple of beers--but not a whole pie and a six pack! If I have a burger, I will usually skip the fries; but sometimes I'll order JUST the fries without the burger. I can't remember when I went to a restaurant and had an entire entree-- I almost always split one with my spouse or take home leftovers.

For me it's about variety, portion control, and being mindful of a nutritional balance throughout the week

Sabine_Stroehm · March 2016

snowflake930 wrote: »

I lost over 160# doing this, and have been on maintenance for 28 months.
Everything in moderation and I will be eating like this for the rest of my life.
It truly works for me.

Well done!!!

Bizzarrini · March 2016

Yep - food diary is open for all to see. Hit my target of 40lbs (just over 6 months) on Friday so there is a 2 day Chinese food blip but the rest of the 6 months is representative of what I always have eaten. Have stuck to all the yummy foods I love to eat, have cut alcohol down by 3/4 and definitely eat much smaller portions. I love food and enjoy eating at least 10 times per day. Good luck

areallycoolstory · March 2016

tiverton104 wrote: »

Is there any truth to "eating in moderation" and reaching your goal weight? I need to lose about 70 lbs.

I'm sick of "dieting" and forcing myself to eat foods I don't like (because that's what dieters are supposed to do, right?). My plan is to eat about 1400 calories, exercise 30 mins 5-6x week and eat whatever I want (within reason - obviously not 1400 calories of chocolate).

Who's done it and can I follow you? Thank you in advance. Any other advice would be appreciated.

you got it

i've lost 103 pounds just as you describe. i only eat foods that i find delicious. part of the process is learning to eat them in moderation. just plan your diary carefully and consistently. best of luck on your journey:-)

CathReese33 · March 2016

Since Christmas I have been following a 'flexible diet' plan. This has worked really well for me. I make sure my macro percentages still add up at the end of each day and that I am within my 1500 calorie limit. Most of the choices I make are good, wholesome food. But if I fancy a donut or a glass of wine then I build it in. I am consistently losing 1lb a week without feeling deprived or starved.

Edited to add - I weigh everything except vegetables. It is so easy to estimate and end up eating 2000cal without even realising. an extra bite has sometimes worked out to be 100+ extra calories. Be really strict with your weighing and measuring, leaving no room for error.

My diary is open, happy to have some more friends :-)

Cat x

mamadon · March 2016

Absolutely, lots of us have done it with this philosophy. I have been in maintenance for a few years now, but lost well over 100 pounds simply counting calories. If I want something, I make it fit into my calorie count for the day. If its a high calorie item, I have a smaller portion. I tried restricting food types in the past and it never worked for me, I would get too frustrated. When I realized no food was forbidden, it was as though the sun came out from a cloud and angels were singing lol.

Everything in moderation and reached goal?

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