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What to call a diet that is just based on reduced calories?

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Replies

  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    I call it eating. Trying to lose weight, eating less.
  • 257_Lag
    257_Lag Posts: 1,249 Member
    I call it Calorie Awareness in it's simplest form. (3 years in)

    I am now aware of approximate calories in something and approximately how many I need to eat a day.
  • CraigontheCoast
    CraigontheCoast Posts: 21 Member
    Someone at work last week asked me what I was doing to lose weight, and I just said "I'm making sure I eat less than I burn in a day." Simple enough to answer the question, and if they want to know the gory details it's a good jumping off point.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    The way I've seen it misused is that many people mean calorie counting when they use the term CICO.
    And IIFYM's is not simply someone counting macros, that would more properly be called macro counting. IIFYM's has actual recommendations for macro rangers, not to mention, the guys on BB.com who coined the term, guys actually rather knowledgeable about nutrition for composition, have even more strict recommendations that go beyond the macros themselves.
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,339 Member
    newmeadow wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    newmeadow wrote: »
    Or one could just say I'm On A Diet. Easy enough since no one will ask in real life, because no one really wants to know about the boring details.

    True... What to call it at maintenance though? I was vLCHF while losing and now I am still vLCHF, just more of it.

    Say this: Get that poison out of my face! I don't eat it! How many times do I have to tell you? If you ask me again, I'll throw it on the carpet and stomp on it and let your dog eat it. That's why I look this good and feel like a million bucks, by not eating that carbage! You do eat it and wear a size 6? How wonderful for you! Enjoy it and enjoy yourself and get the eff away from me with your taco chips and chocolate frosted cream puffs. It's okay. I know you didn't mean to offend me or upset me. People like you just can't help being annoying. I understand. Okay. No offense taken. Enjoy the party. See you later.

    LOL...I talk that way to my hubby when he brings me home cakes and other nasty delights....but if you're saying that at a party, mon ami, may I suggest you might do well to eat some ice cream!!!! You sound HANGRY!!! LOL...jk...I hear you! TOTALLY!
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    I guess the point of this thread is not exactly to label or frame something, but to help avoid those discussion spirals where CICO term can be confusing when two people use it in different ways, which sprouts further derailment in the same vein as "a calorie is not a calorie - yes it is" and "CICO does not work for me - yes it does it's a scientific fact"....etc.

    In real life I simply say "I eat less", but then again in real life I don't often get a reply such as "I eat clean/low carb/vegan and I still eat less, that's not a valid definition". This thread sounds to me more like a "let's clear up some confusion and come up with a term that can't be easily confused with something else"
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    I call it "eating food I like that fits in my calorie goal". I eat the same foods as people not trying to lose weight. It isn't a diet food plan at all so calling it a plan is not true. The only plan is to stick to my calorie deficit. It really is just eating less.
    Calorie deficit eating style...CDES maybe? That is just another way to say CICO though. People know what CICO is so I would use that.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    I say "flexible dieting" if someone asks. If they want details, I say that I eat the foods I like in moderation and log/weigh so that I can stay near my calorie goal.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
    newmeadow wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    newmeadow wrote: »
    Or one could just say I'm On A Diet. Easy enough since no one will ask in real life, because no one really wants to know about the boring details.

    True... What to call it at maintenance though? I was vLCHF while losing and now I am still vLCHF, just more of it.

    Say this: Get that poison out of my face! I don't eat it! How many times do I have to tell you? If you ask me again, I'll throw it on the carpet and stomp on it and let your dog eat it. That's why I look this good and feel like a million bucks, by not eating that carbage! You do eat it and wear a size 6? How wonderful for you! Enjoy it and enjoy yourself and get the eff away from me with your taco chips and chocolate frosted cream puffs. It's okay. I know you didn't mean to offend me or upset me. People like you just can't help being annoying. I understand. Okay. No offense taken. Enjoy the party. See you later.

    b3zqm239wa1k.gif

    When someone asks what I'm doing to lose weight, I say "eating less". I didn't realize I needed a fancy-schmancy name for it.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited March 2016
    I guess the point of this thread is not exactly to label or frame something, but to help avoid those discussion spirals where CICO term can be confusing when two people use it in different ways, which sprouts further derailment in the same vein as "a calorie is not a calorie - yes it is" and "CICO does not work for me - yes it does it's a scientific fact"....etc.

    In real life I simply say "I eat less", but then again in real life I don't often get a reply such as "I eat clean/low carb/vegan and I still eat less, that's not a valid definition". This thread sounds to me more like a "let's clear up some confusion and come up with a term that can't be easily confused with something else"

    Yes. Exactly.

    Calorie counting or cutting calories in general did not work for me. It just doesn't. To successfully have my CO greater than CI, I do best on a LCHF diet, but I am still dealing in CICO.

    A year ago on MFP I might have said CICO doesn't work for me, but what I would have really meant is that cutting calories without changing my diet composition doesn't work for me... Bad fit.

    I agree that when people say CICO they often mean counting calories without changing the overall diet composition. That's why CICO is often refered to as a diet (woe), IMO.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    zyxst wrote: »
    newmeadow wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    newmeadow wrote: »
    Or one could just say I'm On A Diet. Easy enough since no one will ask in real life, because no one really wants to know about the boring details.

    True... What to call it at maintenance though? I was vLCHF while losing and now I am still vLCHF, just more of it.

    Say this: Get that poison out of my face! I don't eat it! How many times do I have to tell you? If you ask me again, I'll throw it on the carpet and stomp on it and let your dog eat it. That's why I look this good and feel like a million bucks, by not eating that carbage! You do eat it and wear a size 6? How wonderful for you! Enjoy it and enjoy yourself and get the eff away from me with your taco chips and chocolate frosted cream puffs. It's okay. I know you didn't mean to offend me or upset me. People like you just can't help being annoying. I understand. Okay. No offense taken. Enjoy the party. See you later.

    b3zqm239wa1k.gif

    When someone asks what I'm doing to lose weight, I say "eating less". I didn't realize I needed a fancy-schmancy name for it.
    LOL
    And dip is often the best part for a low carber... Broccoli or celery is just the delivery vehicle. Spoons are better.
    ;)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited March 2016
    I really don't understand the need to call the way you eat anything special. I was doing a paleo diet for a while (usual disclaimer: I was curious whether cutting out grains and the rest would make me feel better or differently, it did not, and I decided I thought most of the foods I was cutting out like legumes and dairy and whole grains were healthy for me), and didn't actually tell anyone I was. Even after I stopped I continued to not eat rice or most bread, because I'm not really into those foods so thought they were a waste of calories. I'd go to work lunches and if they were sandwich-based (not uncommon), I'd try to remove the bread in a subtle way. I've been not eating meat or dairy again for a while to try that out (with some deviations, since I consider myself in a learning process and knew I'd be eating lamb on Easter anyway, and certainly dairy too) and haven't mentioned it (if people notice they think it's a Lent thing anyway).

    I suspect a bit that this need to explain how you eat comes from a desire to evangelize, which is why I guess I don't get it.

    And thank the Lord no one I know uses the term "carbage" or for that matter pushes any foods on people. I have friends who will offer me some of their fries or ask if I want to share (I normally don't get fries since with good fries I tend to be tempted to overeat -- although I'd blame the salt and fat as much as the carbs), and I say no, and if they think it's because they were assumed to just be offering to be polite they will say "no, go ahead, have some," but I don't take that as them pushing them on me (and I typically don't get into the dieting thing either although when I was actively losing weight people had to suspect that was a reason).

    Just different approaches, I guess.
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I guess the point of this thread is not exactly to label or frame something, but to help avoid those discussion spirals where CICO term can be confusing when two people use it in different ways, which sprouts further derailment in the same vein as "a calorie is not a calorie - yes it is" and "CICO does not work for me - yes it does it's a scientific fact"....etc.

    In real life I simply say "I eat less", but then again in real life I don't often get a reply such as "I eat clean/low carb/vegan and I still eat less, that's not a valid definition". This thread sounds to me more like a "let's clear up some confusion and come up with a term that can't be easily confused with something else"

    Yes. Exactly.

    Calorie counting or cutting calories in general did not work for me. It just doesn't. To successfully have my CO greater than CI, I do best on a LCHF diet, but I am still dealing in CICO.

    A year ago on MFP I might have said CICO doesn't work for me, but what I would have really meant is that cutting calories without changing my diet composition doesn't work for me... Bad fit.

    I agree that when people say CICO they often mean counting calories without changing the overall diet composition. That's why CICO is often refered to as a diet (woe), IMO.

    Confused-Jacksonville-Jaguars-fan-in-stands.gif
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    eric_sg61 wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I guess the point of this thread is not exactly to label or frame something, but to help avoid those discussion spirals where CICO term can be confusing when two people use it in different ways, which sprouts further derailment in the same vein as "a calorie is not a calorie - yes it is" and "CICO does not work for me - yes it does it's a scientific fact"....etc.

    In real life I simply say "I eat less", but then again in real life I don't often get a reply such as "I eat clean/low carb/vegan and I still eat less, that's not a valid definition". This thread sounds to me more like a "let's clear up some confusion and come up with a term that can't be easily confused with something else"

    Yes. Exactly.

    Calorie counting or cutting calories in general did not work for me. It just doesn't. To successfully have my CO greater than CI, I do best on a LCHF diet, but I am still dealing in CICO.

    A year ago on MFP I might have said CICO doesn't work for me, but what I would have really meant is that cutting calories without changing my diet composition doesn't work for me... Bad fit.

    I agree that when people say CICO they often mean counting calories without changing the overall diet composition. That's why CICO is often refered to as a diet (woe), IMO.

    Confused-Jacksonville-Jaguars-fan-in-stands.gif

    I think she means she followed IIFYM.
  • ziggy2006
    ziggy2006 Posts: 255 Member
    nvmomketo, I think many of us have had the experience of trying to lose weight and failing. It doesn't necessarily follow that the fault lies with the strategies that we used unsuccessfully.

    Sometimes, the fault lies with us. We aren't prepared to do the necessary work for some reason. Perhaps we lack necessary knowledge or we are looking for a quick fix. The truth is that any eating plan that results in a calorie deficit is sufficient to cause weight loss. Yet very few dieters achieve long term success. Perhaps that is because success depends on more than just making the right food choices.

    Personally, I had to finally acknowledge that my perfectionism was leading me to some cognitive distortions that made maintaining a weight loss nearly impossible. Once I became aware of my faulty thinking and actively worked at replacing those thoughts, I was finally able to maintain an 80 pound weight loss.

    There is nothing about calorie counting that stipulates that you should eat whatever you want. I imagine very few people would be successful taking that approach. Finding foods that are tasty, satisfying, and provide your body with necessary nutrients is essential to making it work.

    I am glad that you found success with LCHF. I found success with a very different approach, and others have used strategies different to either of us. I believe I found success not because I found The Magical Correct Formula. I was successful because I committed myself to becoming healthy and found ways to overcome any obstacles. I suspect that is true of most people who achieve long term success with weight loss.

    As to what anyone calls their plan or anyone else's plan, I don't think it matters. I tend to just call it calorie counting, but I can see how that could be misleading to some people because there is more than just calories to consider.
  • rdkstar
    rdkstar Posts: 260 Member
    The ELF Diet - Eat Less Food
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    rdkstar wrote: »
    The ELF Diet - Eat Less Food

    Boom!
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    I call it making better choices.