Proper way to diet??

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daisyfmurillo214
daisyfmurillo214 Posts: 3 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi my name is Daisy I'm new to this dieting fitness stuff but after having 2 kids and them already being 3 & 2 I'm like OK girl you gotta get rid of the pregnancy weight and I know doing this will make me happier and more confident. Now here's my question, if I'm on a low calorie diet , is it ok to get a fast food item once in a while even if I am watching the calories and excersising or am I just ruining my chances of seeing any change, hope this isn't a dumb question ...

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  • daisyfmurillo214
    daisyfmurillo214 Posts: 3 Member
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    Thank you guys! y'all made me feel better I just had a chicken sandwich and was like oh crap! Lol I was doing better the beginning of the week but I'm glad its OK I guess like you said I should focus on more nutritious foods as well
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    I eat fast food at least once a week still. The only difference is that I make a few changes...Whopper Jr without cheese or mayo instead of a big Whopper...and no more fries, as they aren't satisfying (except for Arby's curly fries).
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    If you are eating in a deficit, you will lose weight regardless of what food you eat.
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
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    Welcome aboard! The only thing that matters for weight loss is eating at the correct calorie deficit for your weight loss goals. I ate out several times a week during my weight loss phase and continue to eat out several times a week now that I'm in maintenance (had Pizza Hut for supper tonight) :)
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
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    I like Wendy's chili, and will occasionally stop and get a small bowl with one of their grilled chicken sandwiches. The important thing is to be honest with yourself -- if you want (say) a McDonald's Big Mac and fries, look them up and log them. Best approach is to look them up before you order, so you can decide if the calories are really worth it to you.

    If I have something that blows my daily calorie budget, I'll cut down the next day or two. The important thing is that you average out to your calorie goals on a weekly basis; so for example two 1200 calorie days plus one 1800 calorie day average out to 1400 calories per day for the three days. The other thing to keep in mind is: you have to go 3500 calories over your budget to gain a pound. Over a week, that's an extra 500 calories every day. One day isn't going to blow things for you -- as long as you don't get discouraged and get right back on your program the next day.
  • daisyfmurillo214
    daisyfmurillo214 Posts: 3 Member
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    Awesome thanks, all that matters is we keep calories under control and we keep trying (:
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
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    daisyfmurillo214 wrote: »
    Awesome thanks, all that matters is we keep calories under control and we keep trying (:

    Yes! You can eat what you love as long as it is in your calories. It can be difficult sometimes because sometime one burger can be over 1000calories and most of your daily needs on a diet...but it is possible! If you add in exercise it can make it even more possible. I have 3 kids and I know it can be difficult to be active at home. I am using Xbox Kinect to dance Zumba Core at home so I can exercise and be a mommy. :) Good luck!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Fuel your body with calories and nutrient dense foods.
    Have snacks. Have snacks that don't derail you.
    cheers!
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,757 Member
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    yup, this site is all about counting calories, and making them fit into your daily allowance. Some foods (like fries and burgers) pack a real punch so somewhere else during the day, something will have to give. BUT you can eat anything so long as you stay under that daily allowance.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Don't go low calorie, and don't go on a diet. Just eat the number of calories that MFP gave you at setup, and eat anything you like. You have to manage your own food intake yourself. Doing that will make you more aware of what makes you satisfied, happy and energetic, and what makes you hungry, grumpy and lethargic. You don't have to exercise to lose weight, but it burns calories and it's good for your overall health.
  • NomaElephant
    NomaElephant Posts: 16 Member
    edited December 2016
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    Know one thing, you WILL 'fail yourself' countless times. You will have an extra helping and exceed your recommended intake or even maintenance calories. But you NEED to learn to forgive yourself and move on. Have strong will power don't convince yourself you've gained weight anyway & that you'll never reach your goals. Eat clean, and enjoy nourishing your body. I promise you it's the best feeling to sit amongst people stuffing their faces with crap and feeding your body alongside them with nutritious food that does more good for your body than harm ( if any). IT GETS EASIER. I PROMISE. Soon you won't even miss the fast food.
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
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    NomaElephant wrote: »
    Know one thing, you WILL 'fail yourself' countless times. You will have an extra helping and exceed your recommended intake or even maintenance calories. But you NEED to learn to forgive yourself and move on. Have strong will power don't convince yourself you've gained weight anyway & that you'll never reach your goals. Eat clean, and enjoy nourishing your body. I promise you it's the best feeling to sit amongst people stuffing their faces with crap and feeding your body alongside them with nutritious food that does more good for your body than harm ( if any). IT GETS EASIER. I PROMISE. Soon you won't even miss the fast food.

    Or the OP can enjoy fast food, because there's nothing wrong with it in moderation. If she makes choices that fit in with her goals, then there's no reason for her not to eat what she wants. That will go a long way in making this whole thing sustainable for her, for the long term :) Making drastic changes and arbitrarily cutting out foods that someone likes just leads to a vicious cycle of frustration and failure.
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    edited December 2016
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    Jakep2323 wrote: »
    The Cico works and staying under your allowance will work. I avoid the fast food chains as this isn't a diet in my eyes, it is a lifestyle change. Sitting in McDonalds eating a high calorie burger doesn't make me feel like I am achieving whereas gym and a bit of fish and kale does. That is just me - if you can handle the temptation then good for you. Sure every once in a while I have a nice pizza or curry but I try to amend my lifestyle to keep me going in the right direction. Best of luck mate

    I see this said a lot on the forums and I'm the opposite, I love my life/lifestyle and went into this whole thing with a goal to change as little as possible :D Sure I needed to lose weight, but I didn't feel compelled to make drastic, life altering changes- I just needed to learn how CICO actually worked. Figured that out and lost the extra weight. The whole weight thing is a pretty small part of my life, and I still have a similar lifestyle as to before, now almost 4 years into maintenance. I get that some people do use their weight as a starting point for making bigger changes that they want to do, but I'm very happy doing 'same old, same old' lol. I agree with you-there is no 'proper way' - there is only your way :)
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
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    I fell in love with taking my old fast food go to and making them myself in a lower calorie fashion to fit may expeenditure.. I love cooking now and food prep
  • Pocket__Cthulhu
    Pocket__Cthulhu Posts: 134 Member
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    I know I'm echoing a lot of the same sentiment here, but you can eat that burger.

    Even if you go over, the trick is to not go over every day. You didn't gain the weight in one meal, and you wont ruin progress in one meal either. Let yourself eat like a pig once in a while. I go out to breakfast with my friends once a month before our shift, and they're always shocked at just how much I can pack in while still being as relatively small as I am. They don't know that I usually just eat chicken breast and vegetables every day, and pay attention to my TDEE.

    I used to get really frustrated with a very low calorie diet. I'd get hungry, and on my way home from work decided the discomfort wasn't worth it and eat a massive plate of nachos. It took me a very long time to reach a balance of getting my calories and not going over, but not so hungry at 9pm that I wanted to rip apart my fridge. If you "Fail" just log it and promise yourself that you can do better tomorrow. Don't guilt yourself or shame what you're eating. I'd recommend setting a modest goal at first, 1lb/week. A lot of people seem to jump in for the fastest loss and get very hangry with themselves. I had to switch my goals around a lot before I started seeing tangible results without feeling miserable.

    Read the sticky posts that are on these forums, and don't think of things in terms of 'bad foods' 'slipping up' or 'failure.' I've been lurking for the past year and learned a LOT from the folks here.
  • Pocket__Cthulhu
    Pocket__Cthulhu Posts: 134 Member
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    P.S. Buy a food scale. They're cheap.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    NomaElephant wrote: »
    Know one thing, you WILL 'fail yourself' countless times. You will have an extra helping and exceed your recommended intake or even maintenance calories. But you NEED to learn to forgive yourself and move on. Have strong will power don't convince yourself you've gained weight anyway & that you'll never reach your goals. Eat clean, and enjoy nourishing your body. I promise you it's the best feeling to sit amongst people stuffing their faces with crap and feeding your body alongside them with nutritious food that does more good for your body than harm ( if any). IT GETS EASIER. I PROMISE. Soon you won't even miss the fast food.
    This sounds (to me) a little disordered and quite distressed. Eating more than planned now and then isn't failing, and eating is not a sin that needs forgiveness. If you eat what you like, you don't need to spend any willpower on eating. Eating clean can mean anything, and so it means nothing. Feeling superior to your friends/family/collegues based on dietary choices, fearing food... I just don't think this is a sound mindset.
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    edited December 2016
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    Jakep2323 wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    NomaElephant wrote: »
    Know one thing, you WILL 'fail yourself' countless times. You will have an extra helping and exceed your recommended intake or even maintenance calories. But you NEED to learn to forgive yourself and move on. Have strong will power don't convince yourself you've gained weight anyway & that you'll never reach your goals. Eat clean, and enjoy nourishing your body. I promise you it's the best feeling to sit amongst people stuffing their faces with crap and feeding your body alongside them with nutritious food that does more good for your body than harm ( if any). IT GETS EASIER. I PROMISE. Soon you won't even miss the fast food.
    This sounds (to me) a little disordered and quite distressed. Eating more than planned now and then isn't failing, and eating is not a sin that needs forgiveness. If you eat what you like, you don't need to spend any willpower on eating. Eating clean can mean anything, and so it means nothing. Feeling superior to your friends/family/collegues based on dietary choices, fearing food... I just don't think this is a sound mindset.

    It is not about feeling superior - the only people who see what I eat are people on here. You are correct it is a different mentality entirely for different people. If I gave someone $100 to last the week, I can't see the logic in spending $50 on the first day. I avoid high calorie foods as they are more likely to impact my calorie allowance

    I think they were responding to this, from another poster-'Eat clean, and enjoy nourishing your body. I promise you it's the best feeling to sit amongst people stuffing their faces with crap and feeding your body alongside them with nutritious food that does more good for your body than harm ( if any). IT GETS EASIER. I PROMISE. Soon you won't even miss the fast food. '
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Jakep2323 wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    NomaElephant wrote: »
    Know one thing, you WILL 'fail yourself' countless times. You will have an extra helping and exceed your recommended intake or even maintenance calories. But you NEED to learn to forgive yourself and move on. Have strong will power don't convince yourself you've gained weight anyway & that you'll never reach your goals. Eat clean, and enjoy nourishing your body. I promise you it's the best feeling to sit amongst people stuffing their faces with crap and feeding your body alongside them with nutritious food that does more good for your body than harm ( if any). IT GETS EASIER. I PROMISE. Soon you won't even miss the fast food.
    This sounds (to me) a little disordered and quite distressed. Eating more than planned now and then isn't failing, and eating is not a sin that needs forgiveness. If you eat what you like, you don't need to spend any willpower on eating. Eating clean can mean anything, and so it means nothing. Feeling superior to your friends/family/collegues based on dietary choices, fearing food... I just don't think this is a sound mindset.

    It is not about feeling superior - the only people who see what I eat are people on here. You are correct it is a different mentality entirely for different people. If I gave someone $100 to last the week, I can't see the logic in spending $50 on the first day. I avoid high calorie foods as they are more likely to impact my calorie allowance
    Spending your calories wisely is one thing (a good thing), but all these implications and attributing moral to food is another thing (not a good thing).

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