Does everyone need a personal/specific diet?
SisepuedeLinda
Posts: 132 Member
Hi I'm new to the app and might start rambling but I'll try to get to the point 
I'm 5'5 and 229. I've lost 6 pounds so far within 2 weeks so I'm not complaining but I've been through this many times I'm no stranger to dieting lol but I haven't tried to diet since I was 12 years old and the last time I lost weight was not healthy so I want to make sure it stays off for good. Weight has always yo-yo'd throughout my teen/adulthood so I've been trying to educate myself more about how to lose weight and be healthy but there are a lot of contradictions and I'm not sure what's true. Right now I'm not doing anything specific just eating less portions and less calories and low sugar low carbs. I don't have a workout routine as I walk on campus and walk a lot at work and most days I'm very close to 10,000 steps but should I be doing more? I keep reading about Keto and paleo and read that my body type should do paleo but fat loss is better with Keto?? My dr was not specific about a plan except to stay away from anything from a cow? That was about all the advice he gave me. Any advice would help as again I'm a beginner and would love to hear from anyone who recommends what they did or point me in a clearer path would be great.
I'm 5'5 and 229. I've lost 6 pounds so far within 2 weeks so I'm not complaining but I've been through this many times I'm no stranger to dieting lol but I haven't tried to diet since I was 12 years old and the last time I lost weight was not healthy so I want to make sure it stays off for good. Weight has always yo-yo'd throughout my teen/adulthood so I've been trying to educate myself more about how to lose weight and be healthy but there are a lot of contradictions and I'm not sure what's true. Right now I'm not doing anything specific just eating less portions and less calories and low sugar low carbs. I don't have a workout routine as I walk on campus and walk a lot at work and most days I'm very close to 10,000 steps but should I be doing more? I keep reading about Keto and paleo and read that my body type should do paleo but fat loss is better with Keto?? My dr was not specific about a plan except to stay away from anything from a cow? That was about all the advice he gave me. Any advice would help as again I'm a beginner and would love to hear from anyone who recommends what they did or point me in a clearer path would be great. 0
Replies
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Eat the foods you like at a calorie deficit. You don't need any special foods or fancy plans. Don't over complicate it.21
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What does your doctor have against cows?!13
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lsanchez910 wrote: »Right now I'm not doing anything specific just eating less portions and less calories
Good. That's all you need to do. Simply eat fewer calories than what you burn.
You don't need to follow a particular diet.
You don't need to avoid particular foods.
You may want to avoid certain things in order to help you eat fewer calories than you burn, but that's all part of the experimentation you might go through during your first few weeks.lsanchez910 wrote: »I don't have a workout routine as I walk on campus and walk a lot at work and most days I'm very close to 10,000 steps but should I be doing more?
That's fine, you don't need to much in the way of exercise, but if you want to, check out your university gym and see what kind of facility they have and what kind of classes they offer.
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Losing weight and keeping it off is simple, but not necessarily easy. I think your confusion comes from not separating the process from the methods; the necessary from the effective; the universal from the individual; the mandatory from the optional. Losing weight is all about consistently eating less than you burn. There are so many ways to do that, and no method is "best", it's all about what you prefer and what works for you, and a lot of different approaches can work, so you can surely find one way that suits you - thus the apparantly contradictions.
Either disregard your doctor's weight loss tips, or go back and ask what the hell he meant.
Set up MFP with your stats, plot in your goals, and use your food diary. That's all you have to do. But you have to use it correctly, weigh your food, pick correct entries, and log everything. Do that, and do it every day, and do it for a long time, and you lose weight.5 -
All this idea of 'diets' and 'plans' just overcomplicates things. All you need to do is stick to your calorie goal. The different eating habits of different people are personal preference or just different ways to manage hunger - what satisfies one person won't satisfy another.
Just log your food, stick to your calorie goal, and experiment to find out what keeps you satisfied. And ignore your doctor. Barring allergies, there is nothing wrong with cow products. They certainly won't stop you losing weight.2 -
The best diet is one you can stick with. Logging your food helps with this. If you can make notes re this was an easy day, or I was really hungry, or irritable etc you can then look back to see what went well if you start having problems7
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Eat the foods you enjoy most, just less quantity. Everyone is different. Log your food consistently over time, stay in a slight (not huge) calorie deficit, and realize that every once in a while, your eating may not go as planned some days, and that's okay. It's not a reason to give up. 3
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Staying away from carbs is leaning towards a specific diet.. it's call low carb.
What is better for fat loss? Any diet that you can adhere to. There is no special diet. You can low carb, high carb, paleo, vegan, etc... if you can maintain a deficit, you are good.7 -
Why not eat stuff from cows? I get a lot of my protein from dairy. It's easy and inexpensive and delicious.
I also eat beef once or twice a week.
Anyway, eat what you like within your calorie goal - like everyone else probably already said.3 -
I've been vegetarian for 25 years. I've kept kosher all my life. I'm not adding more restrictions on my eating beyond "If I have X number of calories to use each day, then maybe Y food just isn't worth it anymore."
(As in, I'm on 1380. A piece of bakery cheesecake might range from 600-1000 calories. Am I adding a restriction by telling myself I shouldn't have it? I guess, technically, yeah. In practice, though, if I want it I could have it, but it would mean either going over my 'budget' or taking a smaller serving, or eating less of other foods that would probably be more satiating, or exercising more. So it's not that I can't have cheesecake; it's that I've chosen not to. Even though I would really love a piece, under most circumstances, it's just not worth it to me. As opposed to: I am vegetarian and kosher. I absolutely cannot have that pork chop.)3 -
kommodevaran wrote: »
Set up MFP with your stats, plot in your goals, and use your food diary. That's all you have to do. But you have to use it correctly, weigh your food, pick correct entries, and log everything. Do that, and do it every day, and do it for a long time, and you lose weight.
This 0 -
Everyone should view their "diet" as a choose your own adventure that allows for the most satisfying and sustainable plan. You won't know exactly what it is when you start, but you figure it out as you go.
Start with tracking and understanding where you are. Reduce portions of what you currently eat to hit a calorie goal. Don't demonize any foods, but be aware of those that are calorie dense that you can easily over eat. Find ways to not over eat them.(moderation, substitution, elimination) Look at your liquid calories. Many find that reducing these helps immensely. Add and try new vegetables. If you have legit food sensitivities, weed those out. If you can tolerate everything, there's no need to arbitrarily cut something (gluten, dairy, etc) Eventually you'll find the "diet" that most suits your individuality.6 -
This is why people have problems losing weight, myself included from time to time! I want to say to just cut back on the foods you like but that's not realistic in the long run and I'll tell you why. You can eat a 425 calorie snack combo like a fudge round and a small ice cream sandwich and you're going to have a sugar rush, you're going to get hungry again in an hour because that doesn't satisfy. You can also have a 250 - 300 calorie Lean Cuisine, an 80 calorie Greek yogurt, a ten calorie bowl of baby spinach, and a tablespoon (or two) of lite dressing with at least one full glass of water. 400 - 450 calories and you're going to be comfortably satisfied. You'll also have more of the energy you need to get through your day. I am using this as an example (this is actually my standard lunch during the workweek). Your choices DO matter. I think the most difficult thing is that you actually have to sit down and do your research. One key part of changing your lifestyle (because diets fail, real lifestyle changes don't) is being open trying new foods and new food combinations, learning to cook if you don't know how, learning new cooking methods if you do know how.3
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Actually research how much of something you should be having... particularly being female. I have always thought my portion sizes were perfectly normal.
I decided to test myself with steak and vege (I was a meat and veg kid). The steak portion was double the recommended amount. My vege was half the size it should be. Try it, once eating you get the amazing feeling of being satisfied.. not so full that you feel it but full enough without needing more food!1 -
Everyone should view their "diet" as a choose your own adventure that allows for the most satisfying and sustainable plan. You won't know exactly what it is when you start, but you figure it out as you go.
Start with tracking and understanding where you are. Reduce portions of what you currently eat to hit a calorie goal. Don't demonize any foods, but be aware of those that are calorie dense that you can easily over eat. Find ways to not over eat them.(moderation, substitution, elimination) Look at your liquid calories. Many find that reducing these helps immensely. Add and try new vegetables. If you have legit food sensitivities, weed those out. If you can tolerate everything, there's no need to arbitrarily cut something (gluten, dairy, etc) Eventually you'll find the "diet" that most suits your individuality.
I was writing a post but this ^^^ said it much better than I would have.
Yes, everyone needs a personal specific diet, but you don't have to have it when you start out. Live your life, read, do research, research yourself, and you'll be writing your own plan through your successes. Trying to adopt somebody else's rules without thought is a recipe for failure. You absolutely can do this.5 -
Everyone has a unique energy requirement daily (based on things like age, height, weight, activity etc) but as far as diet goes, barring any medical conditions that require you to omit a specific food, eat what you wish... just in quantities appropriate to your goals.
I tried quite a few "diets" when I didn't know any better and the end result was the same; regain and shame. It really takes a toll not only on your body but on your psyche too. "Failing" your goals is hard on the soul. Do yourself a favor and learn what all the "diets" don't teach you; your unique energy requirement and how to eat based on your goals. I started around exactly your weight 5 years ago and I'm still here after many, many, failed 'diets'
Trust thermodynamics. If you want to have a good read about it click my favourite link for my noobie friends:
http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/how-to-lose-fat/4 -
Yeah, pretty much everyone has said it already: you do you, just with fewer calories in than out. I've found it really helpful to read about the habits of people who successfully maintain their weight after losing. They exercise, count calories, weigh themselves regularly. They make the "diet" their everyday life. I'm sure there are a few people who manage to white-knuckle their way through maintaining weight-loss, but I bet that the majority of people stay where they are because they're happy with the changes they've made.
I've got a ways to go to my goal, but I've found over the past year and 18-ish lbs lost that I haven't made any changes that I can't imagine being happy with for the rest of my life. I like packing my lunches every day instead of standing in line for a grilled cheese sandwich that's under-cooked a third of the time anyhow. I like having a variety of foods around the house to snack on. I like cherry tomatoes and snow peas! I like not getting that sick feeling from eating a box of mac and cheese or a three-serving bag of chips in one serving, even if it means that I don't eat either of those things very much anymore. I may only be losing 2-3 lbs a month after that initial jolt, but 2-3 lbs a month will get me where I'm going eventually.2 -
I always found named diets too restrictive and annoying. What helped me was to figure out what foods fill me up the most and focus on them.
Understanding satiety: feeling full after a meal
...Tips on how to feel fuller
So how can we best try to enhance these feelings of fullness to help us control how much we eat? Here are some top tips for helping you feel fuller:- Foods high in protein seem to make us feel fuller than foods high in fat or carbohydrate, so including some protein at every meal should help keep you satisfied. Foods high in protein include meats such as chicken, ham or beef, fish, eggs, beans and pulses.
- If you are watching your weight, opt for lower fat versions, using leaner cuts of meat, cutting off visible fat and avoiding the skin on poultry as this will help reduce the energy density of the diet, which can help to enhance satiety (see below).
- Foods that are high in fibre may also enhance feelings of fullness so try to include plenty of high-fibre foods in the diet such as wholegrain bread and cereals, beans and pulses and fruit and vegetables.
- Alcohol seems to stimulate appetite in the short-term and therefore drinking alcohol is likely to encourage us to eat more. Alcoholic beverages can make you forget about your intentions to eat healthily by making you lose your inhibitions. Alcoholic drinks are also calorific, so you should cut down on alcohol consumption if you are trying to control your weight.
- The ‘energy density’ of food has a strong influence on feelings of fullness or satiety. Energy density is the amount of energy (or calories) per gram of food. Lower energy density foods provide less energy per gram of food so you can eat more of them without consuming too many calories. Low energy density foods include fruit and vegetables, foods with lots of water added when cooking such as soups and stews, and lower fat foods. Click here for more information on energy density.
Read more: http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
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Ready2Rock206 wrote: »Eat the foods you like at a calorie deficit. You don't need any special foods or fancy plans. Don't over complicate it.
This^
Learn how to eat for life. Diets just teach you how to eat when you are dieting.4 -
TavistockToad wrote: »What does your doctor have against cows?!
It seems he doesn't have anything against cows but rather for cows... you know, staying alive and such...1 -
gebeziseva wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »What does your doctor have against cows?!
It seems he doesn't have anything against cows but rather for cows... you know, staying alive and such...
Good thing all dairy products come from alive cows.
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Wow everyone is so knowledgeable and helpful! I'm going to try my best and just count calories and stay away from obvious empty calories like sweets. I'm also starting a cardio class at school at the end of August so I'll be adding that into my diet as well! I'm just so anxious to see it all come off but I'm well aware of how long it took to put on so it'll be even harder to lose it all. But I know I can do it I'm doing it in my pace and a healthy way rather than the fiascos I did when I was younger. Wish me luck everyone and I know you'll all succeed with your goals as well 4
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lsanchez910 wrote: »Wow everyone is so knowledgeable and helpful! I'm going to try my best and just count calories and stay away from obvious empty calories like sweets. I'm also starting a cardio class at school at the end of August so I'll be adding that into my diet as well! I'm just so anxious to see it all come off but I'm well aware of how long it took to put on so it'll be even harder to lose it all. But I know I can do it I'm doing it in my pace and a healthy way rather than the fiascos I did when I was younger. Wish me luck everyone and I know you'll all succeed with your goals as well
You might want to consider some resistance training. This way you work both your cardiovascular and muscular/skeletal systems.1 -
lsanchez910 wrote: »Wow everyone is so knowledgeable and helpful! I'm going to try my best and just count calories and stay away from obvious empty calories like sweets. I'm also starting a cardio class at school at the end of August so I'll be adding that into my diet as well! I'm just so anxious to see it all come off but I'm well aware of how long it took to put on so it'll be even harder to lose it all. But I know I can do it I'm doing it in my pace and a healthy way rather than the fiascos I did when I was younger. Wish me luck everyone and I know you'll all succeed with your goals as well
You might want to consider some resistance training. This way you work both your cardiovascular and muscular/skeletal systems.
This. When you lose weight you will be losing both fat and muscle. Muscle takes a very long time to build, especially for women. So you want to protect what you already have, and resistance training will help you do that, otherwise you will find yourself weaker on the otherside of your weight loss. If that doesn't bother you then carry on, no need to worry about it. You don't even have to lift weights if that doesn't appeal to you. Yoga, rock climbing or something similar will suffice. The university I attended had free non curriculum yoga classes for students several times a week. There are also usually clubs and such. I second a previous poster who suggested checking out your university's gym so see what your options are.1 -
Ready2Rock206 wrote: »Eat the foods you like at a calorie deficit. You don't need any special foods or fancy plans. Don't over complicate it.
This really needs to be pinned and auto replied to just about every post that gets made here. People make all this far too complicated. Today I'll have eaten tacos, a burger and even ice cream later tonight. All in proper measured out portions. You should have meals every day that you're excited about.2 -
jaymijones wrote: »lsanchez910 wrote: »Wow everyone is so knowledgeable and helpful! I'm going to try my best and just count calories and stay away from obvious empty calories like sweets. I'm also starting a cardio class at school at the end of August so I'll be adding that into my diet as well! I'm just so anxious to see it all come off but I'm well aware of how long it took to put on so it'll be even harder to lose it all. But I know I can do it I'm doing it in my pace and a healthy way rather than the fiascos I did when I was younger. Wish me luck everyone and I know you'll all succeed with your goals as well
You might want to consider some resistance training. This way you work both your cardiovascular and muscular/skeletal systems.
This. When you lose weight you will be losing both fat and muscle. Muscle takes a very long time to build, especially for women. So you want to protect what you already have, and resistance training will help you do that, otherwise you will find yourself weaker on the otherside of your weight loss. If that doesn't bother you then carry on, no need to worry about it. You don't even have to lift weights if that doesn't appeal to you. Yoga, rock climbing or something similar will suffice. The university I attended had free non curriculum yoga classes for students several times a week. There are also usually clubs and such. I second a previous poster who suggested checking out your university's gym so see what your options are.
Yeah I'm definitely going to add yoga into my schedule. Thanks for the advice
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