Does it really matter what you eat?
Fitby32
Posts: 4 Member
I'm just beginning my journey. I was curious, does it really matter what kinds of foods you eat? Is weight lost sustained or easier when you eat certain types of food? I've heard it's only about calories in vs. Calories out. I've also heard eating clean (whatever that means) is best. Those that have reached success, can you share how you ate with me?
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Replies
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CICO works every time. The details are usually a person's personal preference.19
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Chef_Barbell wrote: »CICO works every time. The details are usually a person's personal preference.
^^This works! Lost over 160# and have kept if off for over 2-1/2 years, eating all foods in moderation and sticking with my calorie allotment.
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For weight loss you have to create a calorie deficit, your CI must be less than your CO. How you create that calorie deficit can be done a variety of different ways.
Here are common scenarios:
Set a calorie goal, eat the same foods they are previously, just in smaller portions. Depending what kind of foods you are previously, just eating less may not be very satiating. People either give up and say calorie counting is too hard, or they figure out ways to adjust the foods they eat to find more filling foods while still enjoying some of their old favorites.
Set a calorie goal but dramatically alter the types of foods they are eating, usually cutting out something they feel is "bad" or that they eat too much of. Common culprits are carbs and sugar. A subset of this is the focus on "clean eating" in which the foods that are cut out are whatever the user classified as "processed". (Both 'clean eating' and 'processed' are subjective classifications). Depending how heavily the person restricts they may find the approach unsustainable, or they may find they feel great and plan to continue forever.
My approach was to set a calorie goal, but rather than cutting things out, I worked to add things to my life. More vegetables, more lean protein, more whole grains, more exercise, more sleep. By doing this, and still leaving room for foods I loved, I found the process of losing weight quite simple and even enjoyable. I eat a variety of nutrient dense foods as well as things like pizza, fast good, wine and ice cream in moderation. I lost 30 lbs and am maintaining pretty easily.
Tl/Dr: figure out what works best for you. Play around with the foods you eat till you find a balance between nutrition, satiety, and enjoyment.34 -
I have been drinking iced coffee, eating donuts and sucking down every known bad food. BUT I keep it to 1300 to 1500 calories and have lost 110 pounds. It has been flying off actually after this recent plateau. It's all in the total calories. BUT for health? Eating better will net your body in other ways other then the benefits of weight loss. I could eat like a pig and be thin with high blood pressure and diabetes. But still be thin. Eating healthy will probably lessen the diabetes and blood pressure and be thin also.
You can be thin and unhealthy because of a crap diet or you can be thin and in better health with a good diet. Weight loss has a metricasston of benefits but that in itself isn't health. If you just want to look good and not care about health then surely the weight dropping will do that. Look at all the peoples photos who quit drinking soda and look at their complexion in a mirror. Weight loss isn't everything.
All this being said, I freaking love junk food. Just have to limit it. Don't stop eating it. Just do it with moderation.24 -
Your overall diet matters for nutrition & health of course. Individual items within your overall diet have minimal impact. Satiety, happiness, adherence are all big success factors that are impacted by the choices you make.
But those choices are very personal.
Exclusion or moderation of foods you have self-control problems with is also very personal but I believe moderation is a better long term approach for the majority. In the end weight loss or maintenance comes down to calories but the tools you use to control your calories are many and varied.
Eating clean seems to have a million and one definitions some of which are comical, scientifically or logically unsound and/or puritanical. I don't believe something that can't be defined can be best!
The "best" diets (i.e. healthiest populations) from around the world are incredibly varied.
My experience - I found an eating pattern (5:2 diet) that suited my high determination / low boredom threshold personality. I found it easy to adhere to and allowed me to eat the foods I like in the correct quantities over the course of a week. I also include a very high exercise routine as I enjoy both food and exercise, a marriage made in heaven. Overall it's probably not a method that would suit most people.
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Yes CICO works every time but eating the right kinds of food is still important. You can still lose all the weight in the world and be horribly malnourished because you are focusing 100% on calories and not on what you're eating.
CICO contributes to weightloss only....not other factors6 -
Went to the gym 2 years, lost no weight. Cut calories for 6 months, lost 36 pounds.15
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snowflake930 wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »CICO works every time. The details are usually a person's personal preference.
^^This works! Lost over 160# and have kept if off for over 2-1/2 years, eating all foods in moderation and sticking with my calorie allotment.
So you didn't restrict yourself from anything? Lost by only staying under goal? Congrats btw!!WinoGelato wrote: »For weight loss you have to create a calorie deficit, your CI must be less than your CO. How you create that calorie deficit can be done a variety of different ways.
Here are common scenarios:
Set a calorie goal, eat the same foods they are previously, just in smaller portions. Depending what kind of foods you are previously, just eating less may not be very satiating. People either give up and say calorie counting is too hard, or they figure out ways to adjust the foods they eat to find more filling foods while still enjoying some of their old favorites.
Set a calorie goal but dramatically alter the types of foods they are eating, usually cutting out something they feel is "bad" or that they eat too much of. Common culprits are carbs and sugar. A subset of this is the focus on "clean eating" in which the foods that are cut out are whatever the user classified as "processed". (Both 'clean eating' and 'processed' are subjective classifications). Depending how heavily the person restricts they may find the approach unsustainable, or they may find they feel great and plan to continue forever.
My approach was to set a calorie goal, but rather than cutting things out, I worked to add things to my life. More vegetables, more lean protein, more whole grains, more exercise, more sleep. By doing this, and still leaving room for foods I loved, I found the process of losing weight quite simple and even enjoyable. I eat a variety of nutrient dense foods as well as things like pizza, fast good, wine and ice cream in moderation. I lost 30 lbs and am maintaining pretty easily.
Tl/Dr: figure out what works best for you. Play around with the foods you eat till you find a balance between nutrition, satiety, and enjoyment.
So foods you have the hardest time with do you remove those completely or treat yourself to it every once in a while?-1 -
snowflake930 wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »CICO works every time. The details are usually a person's personal preference.
^^This works! Lost over 160# and have kept if off for over 2-1/2 years, eating all foods in moderation and sticking with my calorie allotment.
So you didn't restrict yourself from anything? Lost by only staying under goal? Congrats btw!!WinoGelato wrote: »For weight loss you have to create a calorie deficit, your CI must be less than your CO. How you create that calorie deficit can be done a variety of different ways.
Here are common scenarios:
Set a calorie goal, eat the same foods they are previously, just in smaller portions. Depending what kind of foods you are previously, just eating less may not be very satiating. People either give up and say calorie counting is too hard, or they figure out ways to adjust the foods they eat to find more filling foods while still enjoying some of their old favorites.
Set a calorie goal but dramatically alter the types of foods they are eating, usually cutting out something they feel is "bad" or that they eat too much of. Common culprits are carbs and sugar. A subset of this is the focus on "clean eating" in which the foods that are cut out are whatever the user classified as "processed". (Both 'clean eating' and 'processed' are subjective classifications). Depending how heavily the person restricts they may find the approach unsustainable, or they may find they feel great and plan to continue forever.
My approach was to set a calorie goal, but rather than cutting things out, I worked to add things to my life. More vegetables, more lean protein, more whole grains, more exercise, more sleep. By doing this, and still leaving room for foods I loved, I found the process of losing weight quite simple and even enjoyable. I eat a variety of nutrient dense foods as well as things like pizza, fast good, wine and ice cream in moderation. I lost 30 lbs and am maintaining pretty easily.
Tl/Dr: figure out what works best for you. Play around with the foods you eat till you find a balance between nutrition, satiety, and enjoyment.
So foods you have the hardest time with do you remove those completely or treat yourself to it every once in a while?
My situation may be different but I don't have foods that I have a hard time moderating per se. I'm not a binge eater, a volume eater, or an emotional eater and I don't really have trigger foods. I gained weight because I liked eating a little bit of a lot of different kinds of foods, and I had become way less active. For me moderation is an obvious choice because here aren't foods that I feel compelled to over eat. I'm perfectly satisfied with a single serving of ice cream, 2 Oreos, etc
What I do though is that I often bank calories during the week for a more indulgent weekend. It's not a cheat meal or a treat, it's just that weekends tend to be when we are running around or when we have activities planned so I usually save up 100-200 cals/day during the week and then I have 500 or so extra to use if we go out to dinner, have friends over for a BBQ, things like that.6 -
snowflake930 wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »CICO works every time. The details are usually a person's personal preference.
^^This works! Lost over 160# and have kept if off for over 2-1/2 years, eating all foods in moderation and sticking with my calorie allotment.
So you didn't restrict yourself from anything? Lost by only staying under goal? Congrats btw!!
I limit overly processed foods and restaurants, otherwise, if I want something I have it. Just way less than what I used to do. For me, it is all about moderation and portion control. Sustainability for life hopefully.
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For weight loss, burning more calories than you consume will cause weight loss. For optimal health, most people would suggest a diet that provides the essentials.3
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It's all about the cico but for me I could spend my entire days calories on one fast food meal so not much fun there. Junk food is full of chemicals and not much nutrition so to get the vitamins and minerals you need fresh fruits and vegetables etc are going to fill you up with more nutrition and less calories.2
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Well yes and no.
For weight loss , calories in must be less than calories out. You can loose weight eating 100% junk food.
For health it does matter, eating more whole foods , emphasizing veggies, fruits and whole grains is beneficial to your health buy ensuring you are getting the most nutrition from your fuel.3 -
Have a hander at my diary some weekend. I'm down almost 8 pounds in about two months and still eat the occasional full size candy bar and fast food always before work.
You make smarter choices for fast food/restaurant food, and limit your portions all around and you'll lose weight without having to give up all of your old diet.
I stay under calories unless I've had a remarkable exercise day. Or I'm starving and hangry. My hardest is giving up french fries, so I save those for the days when I've theoretically burned more calories than I take in daily (1900 vs 1380, but it was a good day!) Because they are so high in calories, but sooooo good. I save them for when I've already paid the sacrifice in.
Slightly off-topic, I saw a Deadpool gym shirt that says "I work out so I can eat tacos!" I fell in love and it's now on my list.4 -
For me personally - I found the weight just 'fell away' when I stopped drinking wine each night - ate a mostly vegetarian diet. In fact I've lost so much my doctor is wanting me to gain.
Eating small portions throughout the day - swapping 'this' for 'that (yogurt instead of whip cream etc.,) mentality and moving. If you fuel your body you will have the energy to burn all those nasty calories lol!
soups and lots of water13 -
Yeah, of course it matters what you eat. Sure you will lose fat based on calories, but how easily you can stick to the lowered calorie amount is influenced by what you eat. Your mood is influenced by what you eat and weight loss has a strong psychological component. Water weight is influenced by what you eat.
Diet content matters.4 -
CICO is fine for weight loss but your body will need specific things (protein, namely) if you also want to be toned and strong. Muscle does develop without feeding it the right stuff and exercising in a certain way (running, for instance, will give you endurance but not necessarily strength). So, if you want to lose weight, you can count calories. If you want to lose weight, be strong, and look toned, you need to eat lots a protein, less fat, and carbs in moderation.3
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I'm just beginning my journey. I was curious, does it really matter what kinds of foods you eat? Is weight lost sustained or easier when you eat certain types of food? I've heard it's only about calories in vs. Calories out. I've also heard eating clean (whatever that means) is best. Those that have reached success, can you share how you ate with me?
It only matters for me in that if I eat more protein and less fast burning carbs I'm not as hungry on fewer calories. I also like quantity, so eating a huge plate of vegetables is more satisfying than 7 doritos for the same calories. In the end its all about less calories in a way that I can sustain and makes me feel good.7 -
I lost weight with CICO, but I focused a lot on veggies and protein in my diet. First, I love them and second, this combination makes me feel more satiated so, less cheating. While maintaining I have a very varied diet, but I clearly see that eating a lot of carbs makes me way, way hungrier. The only thing I completely cut is Nutella, because I can't control myself around it, and at 100 calories a tbsp its an expensive food.4
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CICO definitely works, but what I eat also matters to me, outside of weight loss. I literally "feel" cleaner and healthier when I eat mainly veggies, lean meats, and fruits (very few grains in my diet). My mood is better, my activity levels are higher, and I sleep better. Re weight loss, I found that without exercise, CICO was nearly impossible to achieve "for me". I've lost just over 80 lbs to date
(I agree with the above poster too, Nutella is dangerous around my house!) 2 -
omg did you have to say nutella?
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I can eat the whole jar, by myself, in under a week. Using just a spoon.
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Depends on what your goal is. If its only to loose weight you can eat Mc Donalds everyday at a deficit, if its to get healthy along with losing weight then you are better off with fruits and veggies.0
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Yes and no. To lose weight you need to eat at a calorie deficit. But you also need to make sure you get the nutrients you need to be healthy. And some foods are more satiating than others. I can eat a donut for breakfast and stay at my calorie goal, or I can eat eggs and fruit and yogurt and stay at my goal and stay full until lunchtime. Usually I chose the eggs, but if I really want the donut then I have it. I don't worry about eating clean, whatever that means. I often eat out and I eat processed foods because they are convenient. I stay at my calorie goal and I have lost weight and I'm 6 pounds from my goal. So for the most part it doesn't matter what you eat. But I do find that some foods help me to stay satisfied better than others and that makes it easier to stick to my goal.4
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Thanks for the feedback everyone! This information is helpful.1
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There are other issues than CICO to consider. If you eat a lot of refined carbs and find yourself with hunger and/or cravings at various points during the day, you might want to cut down on the refined carbs and exchange them with complex carbs or protein. If you're not getting enough fiber, you're going to get constipated (and low fiber diets aren't great from a cancer perspective). If you're eating 4-5 donuts a day and that's it, you're not getting the protein you need (as well as asking for a serious case of constipation, and not getting the vitamins you need from your food).1
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some calories are more packed with nutrition than others. so some cals are healthier cals....my body always reflects the diff. if I eat junk my skin Is dull and I bloat etc etc.1
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Yes and no. You could lose weight eating nothing but donuts and fritos, so long as you ate fewer total calories. You would ultimately get skinnier. However, you'd feel like crap and the damage you would do to your body with a terrible diet would counter many, if not all, of the benefits of weight loss.
I don't 'eat clean,' but I eat healthy most of the time. And a side bonus of eating more fruits and veggies is that you can eat more food, period. Once you make a habit of it, it's not difficult to sustain. It is a little spendier in the short term, but you'll thank yourself in the long term.3 -
CICO is the governing law, and enjoyment of your diet is going to be the key to adherence. There's no need to eliminate your favorite treats if you're going to be really sad not eating them and you can fit them in your calorie goals. There's also no need to be ravenous because you're not eating enough nutrient-dense, satiating food. Find a balance that works for you.3
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