Need some inspiration from non dieters

honeybee739 · November 2016

I need some inspiration from people who ditched the diets and prescribed eating styles and lost weight just by only counting calories. Aka ate what they wanted within their calorie allottment. Also, did calorie counting naturally help you to start choosing healthier options as you continued with tracking? Did you slowly start eating more fruits and veggies without the forceful diet mentality? I don't want to go on a diet anymore. I simply can't stick to them.

laur357 · November 2016

I've lost 40 pounds this way after losing 25 on Weight Watchers. I eat what I want, but did start to change some things so it fits in my daily calorie allotment. It didn't bother me because I wasn't taking out the things I really wanted.
If I want pizza, I might eat a lighter lunch and have salad or roasted vegetables on the side.
If I go out for brunch, I might have a lower calorie soup for dinner.
If I know I'm going to have a big eating day or weekend, I eat a fewer calories on days throughout the week.
If I want to eat a basket of fried cheese sticks, I eat it with a salad or vegetable soup - not as an appetizer before a platter of chicken wings.

I think this is how people who are at a healthy weight maintain it. They have things they want, but not constantly or in huge amounts. I do really like vegetables when they're well-prepared, so I'm pretty happy when I have a huge pile of Parmesan roasted broccoli to round out my steak and small baked potato dinner.
At no time did I eat plain chicken breast with steamed broccoli or salmon and salad every day for a week or stop eating potatoes, rice, and pasta or drink shakes for half the day.

I also think planning and have a general idea of my schedule is helpful. If I know I'm eating out on Saturday and getting pizza on Wednesday, I can plan lower calorie meals at other times. I'm not saying that there's no work involved in this, but for me, it's been very tolerable and I have no problems doing it for very, very extended periods of time.
And, if there's a food I have a hard time moderating (chips, all the chips), I don't keep them in my house or only buy a very small bag. Because any entire bag of chips is a single serving to me.

Best wishes!

honeybee739 · November 2016

I don't eat grilled chicken, steamed broccoli, salmon and salad. LoVe.

Sounds very sustainable with sanity!! Thank you for your response!

kksmom1789 · November 2016

I just started Calorie Counting on November 1st because I was so sick of diets also I wanted to eat cookies still haha I have lost 6.4lbs since the 1st I should also mention I don't exercise at all! I lost 22lbs total since Oct 2015

NJCJF · November 2016

laur357 wrote: »

I've lost 40 pounds this way after losing 25 on Weight Watchers. I eat what I want, but did start to change some things so it fits in my daily calorie allotment. It didn't bother me because I wasn't taking out the things I really wanted.
If I want pizza, I might eat a lighter lunch and have salad or roasted vegetables on the side.
If I go out for brunch, I might have a lower calorie soup for dinner.
If I know I'm going to have a big eating day or weekend, I eat a fewer calories on days throughout the week.
If I want to eat a basket of fried cheese sticks, I eat it with a salad or vegetable soup - not as an appetizer before a platter of chicken wings.

I think this is how people who are at a healthy weight maintain it. They have things they want, but not constantly or in huge amounts. I do really like vegetables when they're well-prepared, so I'm pretty happy when I have a huge pile of Parmesan roasted broccoli to round out my steak and small baked potato dinner.
At no time did I eat plain chicken breast with steamed broccoli or salmon and salad every day for a week or stop eating potatoes, rice, and pasta or drink shakes for half the day.

I also think planning and have a general idea of my schedule is helpful. If I know I'm eating out on Saturday and getting pizza on Wednesday, I can plan lower calorie meals at other times. I'm not saying that there's no work involved in this, but for me, it's been very tolerable and I have no problems doing it for very, very extended periods of time.
And, if there's a food I have a hard time moderating (chips, all the chips), I don't keep them in my house or only buy a very small bag. Because any entire bag of chips is a single serving to me.

Best wishes!

Thank you for this. Great advice!

murph155 · November 2016

I think one of the reasons this works so well for so many people is that YOU are in charge of what you eat. YOU know what you like and what you don't, so it's easier to choose foods that you'll eat, instead of some random person arbitrarily decided what's 'good' and 'bad'. And as laura357 said, you do start making different choices when you see what foods satiate you and which don't. When you're working within a limited budget, be it money or calories, you learn to make wiser choices to make the budget stretch further; if that makes sense.

Just follow the plan, do you're best, and be patient. You can do this!

amusedmonkey · November 2016

I have lost a lot of weight by controlling my calories and eating the things I like. I have always liked veggies, so that's one thing I can't vouch for, but I've noticed that I've become picky. I do eat higher calorie items sometimes, but there is always this question "is it worth it". Sometimes the answer is a resounding guilt-free yes, other times it's a no, and there are times when the answer is "later". As a result, I naturally gravitate towards more nutritious lower calorie choices because they fit neatly into my budget and allow me to have the option for something higher in calories if I choose to.

It's a freeing feeling when you say "no" because you don't feel something is worth it and not because it's "not allowed". Having forbidden foods makes me feel like I'm desperate and stressed while simply calling everything "food" is relaxing and sustainable to me. I like that when I want chips, it's because I simply want chips, just like how I sometimes want mushrooms. Not a craving driven by wanting what I can't have. I also like that I don't feel bad about the types of food I eat no matter what they are. What I like most is that this is how I eat now. It's not some temporary phase. It feels natural to me and sustainable.

tracypreiss · November 2016

I've lost 25 pounds using mfp and it works for me. I have days where I eat all healthy and days where i have a piece of pizza or ice cream cake. As long as you keep track of what you eat it will work. I've been on this since August and I just recently started exercising.

WinoGelato · November 2016

Before finding MFP about 3.5 yeas ago, I had never "dieted". I was small as a child and teen and my weight slowly crept up for about 15 years after college, through marriage and two pregnancies. I wrote it off as that's just what happens when you get older, but in actuality I was afraid to try dieting because I thought I would never stick with it and I hate failing.

When I stumbled on this site and was ready to try to lose about 25 lbs in Feb of 2013, I realized pretty quickly through using the database and what I learned in the forums that all I needed was a calorie deficit, and that calorie deficit could be achieved a number of different ways (I'm a numbers person so the simple mathematical equation CI<CO was so comforting to me).

I decided then that rather than cutting out foods or going on a restrictive "diet" that I was going to add things to my life to help me be healthier in body and mind. More vegetables, more lean protein, more whole grains, more exercise, more sleep. I found that by focusing on what I was adding, and not restricting anything ( other than excess calories). It was pretty easy to stay within my goals, not feel deprived, and actually enjoy the process. I hit my goal about a year later through a moderate calorie deficit and have officially been in maintenance for 18 months or so, having lost >30 lbs and am more active than ever in my life. I ate pizza, ice cream, Oreos and drank wine on a regular basis, and still do.

chocolate_owl · November 2016

I lost weight eating "whatever I wanted" - it turns out that what I wanted in a prolonged calorie deficit was nutrient-dense, satiating foods, so I gravitated toward lean meats, veggies, and a small serving of starch for most meals, and I rounded out my extra calories with chocolate and wine. I also was content to lose weight very slowly, so while I never took a formal diet break, I had weeks where I was much closer to maintenance than my deficit goal. Life's too short to not eat an amazing homemade cookie...But I do second the "Is it worth it" notion. I'll happily eat the cookie, but I'll pass on the cold donuts.

mattdhall · November 2016

A few years ago I lost 60 pounds just counting calories, not even really exercising. Maybe a 3 mile walk once a week. I just budgeted foods I really liked. I'm a big fast food fan, which makes it a lot easier, I think. All of the major chains have extensive nutritional information posted on their web sites. And their food is very consistent, so no real surprises, calorie-wise. Looking at a restaurant's nutritional chart makes it easy to see where you can cut several hundred calories off of a meal.
Frozen dinners worked really well for me, too. I've found a lot of them I like that are between 200 and 400 calories. They take care of the portion control for you, which is nice.

canadianlbs · November 2016

honeybee739 wrote: »

Also, did calorie counting naturally help you to start choosing healthier options as you continued with tracking? Did you slowly start eating more fruits and veggies without the forceful diet mentality?

background: i lost around 10-15 pounds on my own before i heard of mfp. no dieting, nothing very organized aside from 'no cookies!'. with mfp logging, i bumped myself off a plateau and lost another 10 or 12 or around that. then i quit logging and just lifted and ate, and regained about 20 pounds over about a year. i've been very slowly reversing that trend for most of this year but i don't log any more. it works, or at least it worked really well for me. but i'm just over it, temperamentally.

to your question: what happened with me and logging is it bores me to purple tears once i've gotten over the first interest. and once 'my' food list starts to get all clogged up with things i ate once and that keep coming back.

so yes, it did change and clarify a lot of my eating habits while i was doing it. but to be honest, mostly it 'fixed' me by having such an annoying (to me) user interface. i'd found a cluster of things that had already worked, so i'd do stuff like 'i'll just eat [this] because here it is on the first page and i'm just fecked if i'm goign to go looking through 900 disorganized entries for what i actually feel like eating.' or, literally: 'i'm not eating these gummy bears because it's going to take me 17 mouse-clicks and three scrolls just to freaking find them. can't be arsed, i'll just forget about them.'

now i'm back to 'NO COOKIES!' and frequent scale checks to keep an eye on the general trend. which is inching downwards, but i'm honestly not in a hurry at all. if i were, i would probably use mfp and find it just as restrictive and unsustainable for the long term as any diet could be.

i will reiterate that it works though. this is just me being ornery and having no patience for certain things.

TavistockToad · November 2016

Calorie counting didn't make me conscious of what I was eating, IIFYM did though.

NanP135 · November 2016

I have done it this way 24 pounds down

griffinca2 · November 2016

Agree w/folks who basically quit "dieting" and made up an eating plan that fit their lifestyle. I did the same two years ago; only log now to keep track of how much I'm eating. I feel that it's a lifestyle not a project or diet w/an end date. I eat cake, cookies, pizza, etc., but not every day--eat veggies (usually frozen w/no additives), lean proteins, etc. If I do over indulge I don't stress, just pick back up and start over. Original plan was to lose abt seven or eight lbs; ended up losing 11. Design a plan w/foods you enjoy and you're more likely to stick with it; good luck!

olsalt · November 2016

I counted calories sticking close to 1500 calories a day eating the normal foods I always ate. Only difference was not eating nearly as much (portion control) and also walked 10 miles plus a day 7 days a week. Went from 265lbs to 150lbs in a little over a year.

vanmep · November 2016

I have lost 20 pounds this way. I eat whatever I want as long as it fits my calories. I found it motivates me to move more if I know that will make the difference to allow me to have a chocolate or homemade baking or whatever. I also chose to do a long term change of losing 50 pounds over two years. I'm almost half way there and it is so very doable.

leanjogreen18 · November 2016

The best thing I have ever done for myself is to stop dieting! I can't say this enough. I am eating the way I want to while still enjoying the foods I love. This is how I'm going to eat the rest of my life.

I started eating what I want within my calorie goal. After a few months I started learning what kept me satisfied and what was worth eating only once in awhile.

IremiaRe · November 2016

Dieting never worked for me... I can't live life without tacos and peanut M&M's. It's just that now, I eat tacos a bit more sparingly and I eat a 1.5 oz serving of M&M's instead of a 12 oz bag. It's working... 36 pounds since March.

Good Luck!

b3achy · November 2016

I have to agree with @laur357 that counting calories also helped me to make some better decisions when I knew there were high calorie days ahead. Counting calories helps me determine how much to eat and really affected my portion sizes. In some cases, there were easy swaps for lower calorie items, but it didn't necessarily mean the swaps were any healthier. I still have things that would be considered less healthy choices, like alcohol and some candy. If it fits my calories and macros, I actually don't sweat it. Could I make better choices sometimes to have fruit, veggies, or other carbs? Sure...but I don't like depriving myself if I have the extra calories.

However, I think tracking my macros (protein, carbs, fats) helps me the most to make better decisions in what to eat and usually leads me to typically healthier choices. I researched macro ratios since the default here is way too high in carbs for me, and way too low in proteins, so I adjusted for my needs - YMMV. My biggest goal when I'm properly tracking my macros (haven't been doing as well lately, just been focused on calorie counting mostly) is to try to meet my protein goal first, and then balance with the carbs and fats. I've also been trying harder to get enough fiber in my diet, so that is an additional macro that I watch now.

It can sometimes require a little futzing with the macro ratios to find the best one for you to sustain. But I'm also getting close to starting maintenance mode, so there will be other changes in calories and macros for that season of this journey.

But start with one thing first...and that should be counting calories if you are attempting to lose. As you feel you have a good handle on the calories, add looking at your macros and trying to fit your choices into the best ratio for your personal needs. When you do both, you'll probably have a calorie deficit and a better balance in your food choices.

Brittanypomales · December 2016

After a period of continuous tracking you can guess how many calories things have without putting them in. It makes it easier to determine the "worth" of what I am eating. "Do I really want to spring for that class of wine today?" It's easy to overeat when you are unaware. I call them "calorie dangers" things that don't make the meal taste better and total up the calories. A standard meal out can easily run you 1000+ calories with all the cheeses, sauces, etc. for some of us that is a good portion of our entire day for just one meal. Tracking is about changing your mind set about the food versus just changing your food.

Good luck!

RocheBeukes · December 2016

I make healthier choices when I know the calories of the foods, and you get to treat yourself from time to time without feeling terribly guilty about it. Previously I lost 6kg with calorie counting and exercise, so for me it works.....

canadianlbs · December 2016

i can't even follow a knitting pattern without tweaking it, so yeah. diets belong to my teenage years.

honeybee739 wrote: »

Also, did calorie counting naturally help you to start choosing healthier options as you continued with tracking? Did you slowly start eating more fruits and veggies without the forceful diet mentality? I don't want to go on a diet anymore. I simply can't stick to them.

it did, though i got so sick of logging that i quit doing it after about six months because i couldn't stand it. just couldn't picture the rest of my life yoked to it.

with that said, the time spent doing it was kind of what let me quit doing it. in the logging period, i found that knowing actual calorie values was like having a budget. psychologically i noticed that it turned deficits into something neat that i'd earned so once i had earned mine for the day i was much less reluctant to blow it on short-term anything. the counting is fun in itself for a while, like a game almost.

long-term, just the awareness of calorie amounts was something i'd never had. calories weren't ever really a big part of my life or consciousness, so it was kind of like a lifeskill i had never picked up and i've kept that. admittedly in a vague sort of way, but yeah :tongue.

Need some inspiration from non dieters

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