nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

MyFitnessPal Community

Do any of you eat whatever you want to get the weight off, and will worry about nutrition later?

KM0692

I have been going back and forth between calorie counting and Weight Watchers since the first of the year. I just don't think WW is going to work for me, as I find it to be really restrictive (a 150 calorie protein bar is 1/4 of my daily WW points??). I have only ever been 10-12 lbs over my ideal weight, so it's not as if I have a long way to go. But the problem (I think) is that I am focusing too much on nutrition, eating the way I think I should be eating, and leaving little room for the things I really want to be eating.

So my question is: do you think it is a bad idea to eat whatever you want/desire as long as you stay within your calorie goal for the day? Get the weight off first and focus on nutrition later?

Replies

laur357

I think the recent iterations of Weight Watchers try to guide your nutrition through their points, but their idea of what is nutritionally sound is inflexible. They still seem to be going heavy on fats being unhealthy, and try to get members to eat very lean meat, non-fat dairy, etc. A 150-cal bar eating up a quarter of your points doesn't sound like the best system for how you like to eat. . . if your dietary needs and food preferences don't follow their ideal macro/nutrition breakdown, calorie counting or IIFYM might be a better option.

Duchy82

The best way to make this sustainable is to eat what you want/desire within a calorie goal. If you want to maintain the loss you have to eat what you enjoy eating.

I do exactly that, it does help that I do actually like eating what people would consider nutrient dense/healthy/'clean' food. I love fruit, enjoy vegetables, 'whole foods', etc. and enjoy cooking from scratch. I don't actually like a lot of ready meals but will eat convenience foods I do like. I fit in sweets, cake, chocolate and ice cream when I want it.

bagge72

It's ok to eat what you want while also keeping track of your nutrition. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

jessicalynch817

I'm sure it's been said but weight loss is all about calories in/calories out. I'm alloted 1330 calories a day. So basically I could eat 1330 calories of salad or 1330 calories of French fries and still be at a deficit and lose weight. Obviously one will make you fuller than the other.

I have lost about 20 pounds and have 80 more to go but I honesty eat what I want most days and just stay within my calorie allotment. It works!

newheavensearth

I used to do WW also but found myself struggling with the new plan too. I understand the "encouragement" toward healthy eating with the Points penalty, but it is very restrictive and can lead to frustration. I've also had that all or nothing feeling, which ironically they say their program helps prevent.

I find that to stay within calories and eat a decent amount I need to focus on nutrtionally dense foods. Is it possible for you to take whatever healthy eating habits (fruits, veggies, protein, etc) you have built from WW, and use them to guide your food choices? Try to plan your treats into your day by preplanning the healthier meals, then if there's room for a treat, enjoy it.

PAV8888

Weight watchers could choose to set caloric and macro range goals for their users. They choose, instead, to use a proprietary points system. This allows them to merchandise products that include a points value. And allows WW to "guide" user choices by 'rigging' their points system.

I like the freedom of setting my own goals and being of being accountable to myself as to how many calories and what macros I consume.

This does require one to figure out what one's goals should be. And an appropriate caloric and macro goal is a prominent part of this figuring out!

Not everyone needs to eat the minimum 1200 Cal to lose weight.
2lbs a week is not an appropriate goal for everyone.
And 1/4 of your points for a 150 Cal of ANYTHING, much less a protein bar, sounds... irresponsible to be honest.

As to the question of eating to calories or nutritional goals or preference....

Well, first of all your caloric intake in conjunction with your energy expenditure will determine whether you will gain, lose, or stay put in terms of weight.

There are many macro balances that tend to work for people and many ways of eating.

MFP's default goals are a consensus base of macros that most people can start from and tweak as their knowledge and goals change.

Now whether you would rather eat a Snickers bar as opposed to 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit, well, that is up to you to resolve... my own solution is to do both

cwolfman13

rybo wrote: »

KM0692 wrote: »

I have been going back and forth between calorie counting and Weight Watchers since the first of the year. I just don't think WW is going to work for me, as I find it to be really restrictive (a 150 calorie protein bar is 1/4 of my daily WW points??). I have only ever been 10-12 lbs over my ideal weight, so it's not as if I have a long way to go. But the problem (I think) is that I am focusing too much on nutrition, eating the way I think I should be eating, and leaving little room for the things I really want to be eating.

So my question is: do you think it is a bad idea to eat whatever you want/desire as long as you stay within your calorie goal for the day? Get the weight off first and focus on nutrition later?

I guess I don't understand the either/or premise. I also don't understand not putting nutrition first? Maybe you need to reconsider what you think eating healthy means? There's a lot of great tasting, nutrient dense foods that are filling and satisfying.

My friend is correct...

Eating healthy doesn't mean bland and boring...for lunch today I had an awesome shrimp vindaloo over quinoa...I made an awesome Tuscan white fish in a chunky tomato sauce with onions and garlic and Italian herbs last night with dinner and paired it with asparagus that was also cooked in the tomato sauce...

People need to stop thinking that healthy means just eating dry salads, boiled and unseasoned chicken breast, steamed broccoli, and rice. There is so much out there that is delicious and nutritious.

loulouowens

I eat what I want. I've tried before watching macros but for me I find it too stressful. I do have a heathy home cooked fresh meal every evening and usually a healthy breakfast )porridge) but other than that I don't worry.

Losing weight is hard enough. And I have to lose it in a way that i Can maintain for ever, for the first time in my life I'm being successful.

I've had a healthy dinner tonight, then just eaten chocolate biscuit, plain digestive, and chocolate truffle!

Lost 80lbs in 11 month so something is working

dfwesq

glassofroses wrote: »

If you're cutting foods you like completely out of your diet because you believe you shouldn't eat them then of course you're going to struggle. That's where the whole 80/20, 90/10 philosophy comes from.

I'm not sure if this is what you mean, but there are foods I like that I don't really eat. If I did, I couldn't lose weight. But I do like the foods I am eating, and it's not a struggle.

On a separate note, I think giving nutrition low priority is a bad idea in the long term. Poor nutrition may not have any obvious effects immediately, but that doesn't mean it's not setting you up for problems later. It could also be a problem if after losing the weight they want to, someone tries to shift to a radically different way of eating.

cbihatt

I don't worry about macros or how many servings of each food group I am eating. After seeing your post, though, I went back over my macro ratios and my eating lines up pretty closely with the preset ratios of MFP. So, I guess I am doing ok without even really trying.

For me, the priority is sticking to my calorie limit, but that doesn't mean that I am eating anything and everything I want. I am consciously making decisions at each meal about how to spend my calories. I think you can focus on nutrition while still eating what you like. You just may have to redefine your idea of what that means. I am not even close to being perfect in the area of nutrition, but I am also not completely abandoning it in my quest to lose weight. I think you'll find this is true for most people on MFP.

AnnPT77

For me, it's about balancing nutrition, satiation and tastiness within my calorie goal.

Food logging was a great tool for this, and not just on the calorie front: When I first started logging, I'd go through my diary regularly, looking for things that "cost" too many calories for the amount of satiation, nutrition and tastiness they brought me.

If something wasn't worthwhile, I'd reduce or eliminate it, and instead eat something I like that better met my goals. Over time - not a lot of time, either - I was eating a combination of things that were nutritious (met my macronutrient goals and had lots of varied micronutrients), kept me feeling full and satisfied, and that I found delicious. This included some less nutrient-dense treat foods, in reasonable portions/frequency.

This "nutritious vs. low-calorie" dichotomy seems to presume that one must suffer in order to be healthy, like we're talking about some kind of sin and expiation scenario. "I am fat so I must suffer in order to be absolved". Nah.

Life is too short to be unhealthy (which can make it even shorter), but it's also too short to eat things that aren't tasty.

KM0692

loulouowens wrote: »

I eat what I want. I've tried before watching macros but for me I find it too stressful. I do have a heathy home cooked fresh meal every evening and usually a healthy breakfast )porridge) but other than that I don't worry.

Losing weight is hard enough. And I have to lose it in a way that i Can maintain for ever, for the first time in my life I'm being successful.

I've had a healthy dinner tonight, then just eaten chocolate biscuit, plain digestive, and chocolate truffle!

Lost 80lbs in 11 month so something is working

Congrats on the loss, that is fantastic!!

Yes, I so agree with what you said about weight loss being hard enough without worrying about everything else. I think those were my exact thoughts as I wrote this post.

KM0692

Thank you everyone, I really appreciate you all taking the time to reply to my post. I do enjoy many healthy foods. I think I am just feeling rebellious right now, coming off of WW. lol I do think that it's all about balance/everything in moderation. My eating really is pretty healthy (although I can certainly up my vegetable intake). I'll keep plugging along, trying my very best to eat a balanced diet while still making room for those cookies.

RavenLibra

paying attention to nutrition is vital for clear thinking and healthy body functions... it also helps someone with a reduced calorie intake to avoid binge eating and cravings...MY bone to pick with OP is about target weight... be more concerned with body composition.. percent body fat v. percent lean mass ( muscle) that is a better metric with respect to gauging your personal health and need to manage your nutrition. you can be at a "healthy weight and have far less muscle mass than you should... healthy body composition will lead to far better things than being at a "target weight"

ndj1979

If your goal is straight weight loss then sure; however if you care about overall health and body composition get proper nutrition and hit macros.....

tapwaters

I want to be healthy and fit, not thin, so I try to get the most bang for my caloric buck.

SiegfriedXXL

I've lost over a 100 pounds eating whatever type of food I want at any given time. What's changed is the portion size and how I make my choices. If I eat pizza for lunch, it's a light dinner. If I have an event to go to, I bank calories for it. I don't limit my food choices ever. I'd go nuts if all I ate were chicken, rice, veg, and water.

dawnna76

I eat whatever I want within my calorie goal. I am losing at a rate of .5-1 pound a week and I have 3 slices of pizza every Friday night for dinner with a salad. I also usually have a dairy queen chocolate dipped cone once a week as well. I just plan my days accordingly to make sure that these items can fit in or that I exercise a bit extra to make room for more calories.

ent3rsandman

For the first 50 lbs I did. Somewhere down the line I started focusing on macros and micros, but for the most part I ate nothing but Taco Bell, Chick-Fil-A, and frozen meals, which is what I had been eating but in a greater quantity.

estherdragonbat

I eat what I want within my calorie goal, not really sweating the macros, so long as I'm within 20% either way of where I should be. However, at my last checkup, my hemoglobin was 115, which is borderline-to-below average for a woman. I checked my micros and noticed that I'm generally not hitting my RDA of iron. So, last week, I switched sugar for iron on my diary page. And now that I'm mindful, it doesn't take much to get my RDA in. A serving or two of dry cereal for a snack (Quaker Corn Squares gives me 30% in 30 grams). I'm snacking on more veggie dogs than string cheese. I'm hitting it. We'll see if it helps my bloodwork next checkup.

But for the rest? I eat a balanced diet. I'm mostly where I ought to be. And if some days I overdo the carbs, other days I go over protein. It works out.

Niki_Fitz

I am very careful with the types of food I eat to lose weight! But I am sensitive to sugar so I have to avoid sugars, grains, and processed foods during the day to avoid energy dips and food cravings. I have double the energy if I cut grains, sugar and alcohol for a few days too, which helps me be more active and exercise more.