Do you eat whatever you want?

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  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    I eat whatever I want, but I aim for a minimum on protein and fats.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    Within my health needs (celiac with insulin resistance) I eat mostly what I want. I now try to keep an eye on health needs more than I did in the past. I find my health affects my weight a fair bit.
  • jillstreett
    jillstreett Posts: 69 Member
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    I definitely eat what I want. But in moderation, and planned out. If I know work is treating us to bagels for breakfast, the rest of my day is lean and light. If I want pizza on a Friday night, then Thursday and Friday day time are light and lean. I watch carbs so that I don't waste calories and feel full and retain water (personal preference for how it makes me feel the next morning) BUT if I enjoy something carb heavy spur of the moment, and meet my caloric goal for the day, then I usually will do a 16 hour fast overnight. This helps me big time. Takes away the bloat, let's my body process the sugars and there is absolutely no starving myself because my calorie goal was still met.

    Example, of carb heavy then 16 hour fast. I had been hovering around 155 (had dropped to 152.7 but was retaining water from a vacation/ diet break) ate a bagel that work treated us to (430 calorie bagel from Panera +300 calories of cream cheese) ate light for the rest of the day. 1/2 hour of cardio and then 16 hour fast from 4pm to 8am and weighed in the next day at 153.2. The bagel totally didn't matter.

    I see a benefit to combining eating what and want and when I eat it. That's just my preference. :)
  • iamjoyce1
    iamjoyce1 Posts: 20 Member
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    I eat what ever I am in the mood for. I eat a variety of foods and try to keep things balanced. The only macro I pay attention to is protein because I always tend to be a little low. I lean toward eating more veggies and fruit. I also have at least one dessert/treat per day...and occasionally it is fruit. I am trying to make this a permanent way of eating so it's not too restrictive. So far since January 2018 I've slowly lost 30 pounds. My base is 1200 calories and I always earn exercise calories and eat some of those too. I would still like to lose about 40-50 more pounds and my average weight loss at this point is about 2 pounds per month. I do body weight exercise as well as hiking and I can definitely feel a difference in my body tone and energy level. Healthy feels good. Good luck to you!
  • Kim_S_G
    Kim_S_G Posts: 120 Member
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    I pretty much eat whatever I want to, staying within my calorie limit. I do not pay attention to carbs, but do try to watch my protein because I know that helps in reducing muscle loss. My other food choices are based on my personal health concerns (hypothyroidism for one) and what tastes good (ice cream).
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I eat whatever I like, while ensuring I get sufficient protein and fat.

  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    prettyhappyrunning wrote: »
    Just getting started and wondered if people eat what they want as long as they stay within calories? Or do you really watch your carbs?

    I look at calories first then I try to get to my protein. If I am doing those two things I am generally under my carb goal without any effort. I do not eat a very low carb diet because that would not be sustainable for me.

    I mostly eat the same foods I always did just in appropriate portion sizes for my goal.
    I prelog my food for the day and adjust portion sizes to fit my goals. I try to eat several servings of vegetables or fruits a day. I generally have 100-300 calories for snacks.
    I pair higher calorie foods with more lower calorie vegetables. I reduce calories in foods by using less cheese, less oil, lower fat milk, thinner crust for pizza. I might skip rice or bread if it doesn't fit well that day. I don't try to have doughnuts, stuffed crust pizza, fried chicken, bacon cheeseburger and a peanut butter shake all in one day. Just common sense.
  • DomesticKat
    DomesticKat Posts: 565 Member
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    I eat what I want. The only macro I track closely is protein to make sure I get enough of it. I've never had issues with getting enough carbs and fats and will just glance at them from time to time to see how I'm doing. How you choose to arrange your macros for satiety and nutrition will be entirely subjective and will likely evolve over time as you figure out what works for you.
  • DoubleUbea
    DoubleUbea Posts: 1,115 Member
    edited July 2018
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    I watch what I eat and carefully select my food. If I ate what I wanted to eat I would eat all my calories for the day at breakfast.

    I enjoy what I eat, but I am more careful about it.
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
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    I don't eat whatever I want in the sense that right now I fancy fish n chips but if I have them I'll go over my calories and eating a smaller portion to fit into my calories just wouldn't fill me. But I do enjoy what I eat. Just don't be persuaded into eating what others eat or feel like you can eat certain things because everyone else does.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    I eat foods that I like in portion sizes that fit my goals. Sometimes if I'm really craving something that's calorie dense I have to choose between finding a way to make it fit or skipping it in favor of something else. So in that sense I'm not exactly eating everything I want. But I can make quite a lot of the foods I like fit into my calorie and nutrition needs for the day, so it mostly works out.

    I don't focus on carbs at all. I do focus on making sure I hit my protein and fat minimums, which tends to keep my carbs a little lower. I just personally prefer to focus on the good things I want to get into my diet (veggies, fiber, protein, etc) instead of focusing on things I feel I should take out.
  • JetJaguar
    JetJaguar Posts: 801 Member
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    I pretty much eat whatever I want as long as it fits in my calories. Like others, the only macro I really pay attention to is protein. Personally I find a higher protein diet to be more satiating, and making sure I hit my target helps keep hunger away. Everyone's different though, so YMMV.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    I don't watch my carbs at all, but I do watch my protein because I would severely undereat it if I didn't. Other than that, pretty much yes, whatever I want. There are times when I need to postpone what I want if I don't have the calories for it, and there are times when I decide to have what I want from a smaller pool of foods if I'm hungry because I know some things are more filling for me than others. There are also times when what I think I want is not worth the calories and I end up wanting something else. So basically, it's more of an informed and aware "what I want", not a purely impulse driven one.
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
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    prettyhappyrunning wrote: »
    Just getting started and wondered if people eat what they want as long as they stay within calories? Or do you really watch your carbs?

    I stay under a certain amount for calories, sugar and carbs, but meet or go above for protein.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    I focus on calories first, then I make sure I eat enough protein. If I'm in deficit I don't care about anything else, but I generally eat a lot of carbs. If I'm in surplus and muscle building I make sure I get enough carbs to support this.

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