Info on flexible dieting
Lizzypb88
Posts: 367 Member
I am looking for info on flexible dieting- does it actually work, and if so how?? I've lost a lot over the past few years, but with increased exercise im so hungry and realized that's why I binge about once a week. I feel so hungry, especially beimg outside more during the summer etc
Anyways can someone tell me about it, or if it does/doesn't work?
Anyways can someone tell me about it, or if it does/doesn't work?
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Replies
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ETA: never mind, I just googled and that's not what you mean. Maybe next time I'll google first. Whatever works, I guess!0
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Is 'flexible dieting" the same thing as eat whatever you want as long as it fits in your calorie and nutrition goals?0
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Flexible dieting is just fitting foods you enjoy into your calories. You still have to have a calorie deficit to lose weight, it's just saying that if you want a cookie you can have a cookie if it fits your calories. Generally there is a focus on trying to get adequate protein and some vegetables (both help keep people full). There's really no magic to it beyond saying you don't have to eat "clean" to lose weight.1
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I guess it's the same as IIFYM: https://healthyeater.com/flexible-dieting. Seems legit.0
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"Flexible dieting" should be separate from how you select your calorie target. One deals with what you choose to eat, and the other deals with how much you eat.7 -
You'll always lose if you're at a deficit, it's just a question of how fast. There's a school of thought (which I agree with) that says it's healthier to lose gradually as you're more likely to learn habits that help you maintain over the long term.
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Why would it increase your calories? You can set your calories to whatever goal is right for you and still follow a flexible approach.2 -
If you're talking about IIFYM that method gives you more calories because you aren't adding exercise calories. Here is how MFP and IIFYM work:
MFP takes your BMR and your non-exercise activity to determine your body's energy needs. They subtract a number based on the rate of loss you want. If you exercise you have now increased the amount of energy your body needs for the day and you should eat the extra calories.
IIFYM takes your BMR, your non-exercise activity, and your exercise burns to determine your body's energy needs. They subtract a number based on the rate of loss you want.
The equation for your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE, the amount of calories you burn for absolutely everything within a 24 hour period) is:
TDEE= BMR + Non-exercise activity + exercise
MFP gives you lower calories than IIFM because the exercise part is added in after they subtract your deficit.3 -
I am a flexible dieter and it works IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. and it's not a ticket to eat donuts and pizza as your sole source of nutrition.
I have been a "clean eater" too - proper bodybuilding diet and all that stuff and Gods - insanely boring if you are a person who actually enjoys food and cooking.
Now I can eat pretty much what I like as long as it fits my goals.
However - let me tell you - when I tried to do it alone, it was not always effective.
My daily meals are at least 80% "good" foods, but I have the flexibility to eat a piece of cake or whatever if I want to. By "good" food I mean nutrient dense real foods, not overly processed foods.
IIFYM for me has been fantastic as I love cooking and food and now I can eat again. Because the food I make is NOT "unclean" or "unhealthy" but it didn't conform to the offing chicken breast and sweet potato and asparagus brigade's meal plans which made me utterly miserable.
I won't say anything else on here, but if you want any more details etc PM me. This is re the talk above of TDEE, 1900 cals, etc etc.
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MegaMooseEsq wrote: »
You'll always lose if you're at a deficit, it's just a question of how fast. There's a school of thought (which I agree with) that says it's healthier to lose gradually as you're more likely to learn habits that help you maintain over the long term.
That's my goal here!! I'm down 90 pounds, and it's clearly getting more difficult getting to my goal as I near closer, and my cravings are out of control with how much more activity I'm getting, so I guess I'm looking for a way to incorporate sweets and treats so I don't just go crazy and back to yo yo dieting like I have in the past. I need to keep losing even if it's slow, and I need to do something that I can stick with. Before adding exercise it wasn't much of an issue so now I'm trying to learn how to watch more of what I eat as I'm just more hungry0 -
OP, what do YOU mean by flexible dieting?0
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OP, what do YOU mean by flexible dieting?
I question myself now seeing these answwwrs... in trying to find a way to include sweets into my diet and just in general some more calories so that I don't binge, I'm trying to find a way to do this and lose weight because as of now my weight loss is stalled. I feel I want to reset my goals on the app again but also figure out how to indulge during the week so I don't get so deprived by the end of the week and eat too much
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MegaMooseEsq wrote: »
You'll always lose if you're at a deficit, it's just a question of how fast. There's a school of thought (which I agree with) that says it's healthier to lose gradually as you're more likely to learn habits that help you maintain over the long term.
That's my goal here!! I'm down 90 pounds, and it's clearly getting more difficult getting to my goal as I near closer, and my cravings are out of control with how much more activity I'm getting, so I guess I'm looking for a way to incorporate sweets and treats so I don't just go crazy and back to yo yo dieting like I have in the past. I need to keep losing even if it's slow, and I need to do something that I can stick with. Before adding exercise it wasn't much of an issue so now I'm trying to learn how to watch more of what I eat as I'm just more hungry
It sounds like you added exercise recently - are you eating back your exercise calories? Because you definitely need to fuel your body properly. You will not gain weight from eating your exercise calories unless you overestimate your calorie burns. If you exercise without eating more, you are creating a larger deficit which your body can't handle long-term, thus the binges.
If you have certain foods you binge on, definitely find a way to incorporate reasonable portions before you get past the point of no return. Try buying only what you will eat at one sitting, or portioning them out and putting the rest somewhere not easy to get at.0 -
one last 2c from me - I started calorie cycling where 3 days I eat less (but not starving) and 4 days I eat normal people amount. that way there is only discomfort 3x per week. I lose consistently every week when I stick to it.3
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I think a lot of people on MFP are doing flexible dieting. It's more a lower calorie lifestyle than dieting which is traditionaly a specific type of food ( clean, raw, vegan, paleo...). How many calories are you currently eating? The cycle thing is also a great idea for you but as she said...it takes lots of control.
I personally eat about 1600 calories a day and eat 50% of my exercise calories but withing my week and allowed calories i will have a desert every night along with a pizza dinner and maybe a drink on the weekend and some chips. Are your calories too low to allow any of those foods regularly?1 -
OP, how many lbs have you been losing per week on average? And how much do you have left to go?
MFP expects you to log your exercise and eat back at least some of those cals on top of your calorie goal, have you been doing that?
Most other sites factor in your exercise in your daily goal, so your cal goal will be higher most other places.0 -
I think a lot of people on MFP are doing flexible dieting. It's more a lower calorie lifestyle than dieting which is traditionaly a specific type of food ( clean, raw, vegan, paleo...). How many calories are you currently eating? The cycle thing is also a great idea for you but as she said...it takes lots of control.
I personally eat about 1600 calories a day and eat 50% of my exercise calories but withing my week and allowed calories i will have a desert every night along with a pizza dinner and maybe a drink on the weekend and some chips. Are your calories too low to allow any of those foods regularly?
gah I said I wasn't going to comment anymore but I'm bored at home and need to be online for work purposes so... here I go again:
it's not necessarily a lower calorie lifestyle. my low days are 1600 my normal days are 2000. it is different for everyone based on a whole bunch of variables from height and weight to activity levels to how our body responds to different macros etc etc - that part of it is individual and not cookie cutter at all.
as for eating less calories than "diets" no. a "diet" is when you eat less calories than you expend period. you can still get fat eating "clean" or "paleo" or whatever. thing is tho those other "diets" usually tell you how much to eat per meal hence making it still be a deficit.
I don't eat back any of my exercise. I set that to 1. I never ever go below 1600 because if I do I can't sustain it I get too starving. that is me personally tho. i eat a lot of carbs - more than many other people do - BUT - my body can take the carbs. not everyone can.
so - flexible dieting if you are going to get into the nitty gritty of it is actually an art form and you need a macros wizard to help you get best result possible. I know - I've had traditional diet coaches and two flexible coaches. the 2 flexible ones were completely different. the current one is amazing, the previous one was good but didn't "play" with the macros based on how my body responded weekly.
so - if you just want to eat a cookie a day or whatever - eat it. the more you deprive yourself the more you will be setting yourself up for bingeing.
adjust your calories/macros and work out your diary so that you CAN eat a treat every day.
on my low days my "treat" is usually fruit. on my high days I eat whatever I want in terms of treats - I make it fit. if someone is having a birthday - I will eat a piece of cake.
Good luck OP!1 -
OP, what do YOU mean by flexible dieting?
I question myself now seeing these answwwrs... in trying to find a way to include sweets into my diet and just in general some more calories so that I don't binge, I'm trying to find a way to do this and lose weight because as of now my weight loss is stalled. I feel I want to reset my goals on the app again but also figure out how to indulge during the week so I don't get so deprived by the end of the week and eat too much
I'm not at that point yet, but from what I've been learning on the boards that the closer you are to your goal the more pinpoint precise you have to be with your logging. You said up post that you're always really hungry after increased exercise, are you not eating any of your exercise calories back? Also if this is a new exercise regimen for you or you've been having a lot of sodium lately it could be water weight.
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I read it like that at first too, but then I figured out that noirelb probably meant "just eat less" as opposed to a prescribed diet. Most prescribed diets are lower calorie "by default", by making you feel too full to eat enough to maintain weight, or tasteless so you don't even want to eat, or just so difficult that you can't get enough to eat.Cahgetsfit wrote: »I think a lot of people on MFP are doing flexible dieting. It's more a lower calorie lifestyle than dieting which is traditionaly a specific type of food ( clean, raw, vegan, paleo...).
it's not necessarily a lower calorie lifestyle. my low days are 1600 my normal days are 2000. it is different for everyone based on a whole bunch of variables from height and weight to activity levels to how our body responds to different macros etc etc - that part of it is individual and not cookie cutter at all.
as for eating less calories than "diets" no. a "diet" is when you eat less calories than you expend period. you can still get fat eating "clean" or "paleo" or whatever. thing is tho those other "diets" usually tell you how much to eat per meal hence making it still be a deficit.
In my mind, "dieting" is just "willfully and consciously eating less calories with the purpose of losing weight", while "a diet" is both "what you eat" AND "a prescription of food choices, meal timing etc to lose weight and/or manage a health problem", and "going on a diet" is "following a set of principles set by someone else, with the purpose of losing weight".0
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