A different approach....

annamj2000
annamj2000 Posts: 9 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Hello

Since going MFP I’ve been tracking calories and following a lose CICO based diet which is ok but I don’t think is sustainble long term.

I’ve been reading books by Dr Jason Fung (The Obesity Code) and Dr Micheal Mosley (8 week blood sugar diet) and have to say this way of thinking about food is a breath of fresh air to me. I’m a short girl so shifting this last stone is proving v difficult. I’ve decided instead of CICO eating whatever I want or a particular diet I’m going to focus on more of a low carb, high fat (full fat cheese, cream etc) less processed food and ditching the snacking. Keeping my insulin levels as low as possible.

I think this is a much more sustainable and sensible way of eating not just for weight loss but also major health benefits. I guess it’s more along the lines of the Mediterranean way of eating.

Can anyone else comment on this that has done something similar and seen positive results? What are your views on these books and ways of thinking?
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Replies

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,055 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    So now Fung is fibbing about what the Mediterranean diet is? Or is that Moseley? Someone started another thread this week about eating low carb like the Mediterranean diet. :huh:

    The Mediterranean diet is based on whole grains, veggies, and fruit. It is in no way "low carb".


    Insulin does not cause you to gain weight or store fat unless you are in a calorie surplus. If you're up for more research, check out the Blue Zones.

    I was wondering this too.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited July 2018
    Others have already said it, LCHF diets are helpful to some for weight loss because it can lower appetite and cravings. It does seem to be especially helpful to those with IR and too much insulin.

    I have early IR. my body tends to release too much insulin in response to carbs which drops my BG rather rapidly leading to cold sweats, shakiness, moodiness and the hangries within 2 hours of eating. Once I switched to LCHF, within a week, my hangries were gone. Now I tend to just eat twice a day with about 4 hours between my meals. I can't do that with higher carbs - I needed to eat every 2 hours and it was hard for me to lose weight when I needed to eat so often.

    Try it out (not an 800 kcal diet though) and see if it agrees with you. Don't forget to increase your sodium to replace the electrolytes you'll lose from lowering carbs.

    Good luck.
  • annamj2000
    annamj2000 Posts: 9 Member
    Thank you for the replies. I just wanted a healthier approach to eating as opposed to the ‘track every calorie regardless of nutritional content’ approach. I want to eat food that won’t have my insulin shooting for the roof and keep me satisfied for longer. I want to lower my carbs but by no means cut them out, I would be miserable! I’m going to carry on tracking as skram01 suggested so as to not go way over my calories with the higher fat foods.
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 2,110 Member
    "Healthier choices" is by no means a way for most people to lose weight. I got fat while "eating healthy." My issue was a I went from working on a horse farm to a desk job, and didn't reduce the amount of healthy food I was eating.

    That being said, find what works for you. Ultimately, no matter what some book, research, or anyone here says, what works for you is what works for you.

    For me, I *generally* eat a fairly "healthy" and not high carb (although I don't avoid them, either). Calorie counting isn't sustainable for the majority of my life, meal prep has the same problem. My schedule and where I am varies far too often, so I had to find something that would work with my situation. I think I've finally found that plan for me, but I doubt it would work for plenty of other people!
  • RAinWA
    RAinWA Posts: 1,980 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    TeaBea wrote: »
    annamj2000 wrote: »
    Thank you for the replies. I just wanted a healthier approach to eating as opposed to the ‘track every calorie regardless of nutritional content’ approach. I want to eat food that won’t have my insulin shooting for the roof and keep me satisfied for longer. I want to lower my carbs but by no means cut them out, I would be miserable! I’m going to carry on tracking as skram01 suggested so as to not go way over my calories with the higher fat foods.

    I don't think most people track every calorie without any regard to nutrition. I will be tracking calories forever. I don't think that's unhealthy. I've just been overweight most of my life, so several months of tracking won't "fix" me.

    The bolded is important. For some reason, people think that because we don't eat by a specific diet and "just" count calories, this means we don't care about anything else. It's really weird to me! You can eat more than enough lean protein, healthy fat, fiber, and nutrition, and then have a weighed out bowl of ice cream after dinner since nothing is "banned". No one here advocates eating nothing but snack foods purchased at the gas station. Just that you could if for some reason you wanted to and still lose weight. You'd feel like *kitten*, but that's not what we're talking about when we talk about CICO.

    If the posts here are any indication, virtually every long-term user who isn't on an official "plan" is still making choices that consider meeting macro- and micro-nutrient needs, what meal timing works best for them, what foods promote satiety, and what works with their lifestyle. Nobody is just pulling up to the Taco Bell drive-through on the regular, ordering 1,800 calories of cinnamon twists, nacho fries, and steak burritos, and calling it a day.

    Now I know what I want for dinner. Thanks!

    I haven't been to Taco Bell for years but I am suddenly craving cheap burritos.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    RAinWA wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    TeaBea wrote: »
    annamj2000 wrote: »
    Thank you for the replies. I just wanted a healthier approach to eating as opposed to the ‘track every calorie regardless of nutritional content’ approach. I want to eat food that won’t have my insulin shooting for the roof and keep me satisfied for longer. I want to lower my carbs but by no means cut them out, I would be miserable! I’m going to carry on tracking as skram01 suggested so as to not go way over my calories with the higher fat foods.

    I don't think most people track every calorie without any regard to nutrition. I will be tracking calories forever. I don't think that's unhealthy. I've just been overweight most of my life, so several months of tracking won't "fix" me.

    The bolded is important. For some reason, people think that because we don't eat by a specific diet and "just" count calories, this means we don't care about anything else. It's really weird to me! You can eat more than enough lean protein, healthy fat, fiber, and nutrition, and then have a weighed out bowl of ice cream after dinner since nothing is "banned". No one here advocates eating nothing but snack foods purchased at the gas station. Just that you could if for some reason you wanted to and still lose weight. You'd feel like *kitten*, but that's not what we're talking about when we talk about CICO.

    If the posts here are any indication, virtually every long-term user who isn't on an official "plan" is still making choices that consider meeting macro- and micro-nutrient needs, what meal timing works best for them, what foods promote satiety, and what works with their lifestyle. Nobody is just pulling up to the Taco Bell drive-through on the regular, ordering 1,800 calories of cinnamon twists, nacho fries, and steak burritos, and calling it a day.

    Now I know what I want for dinner. Thanks!

    I haven't been to Taco Bell for years but I am suddenly craving cheap burritos.

    Honestly, you can't beat their cheap burrito game. If it's grocery shopping night and I know I'm too tired to make dinner afterwards, that's usually my go-to.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    TeaBea wrote: »
    annamj2000 wrote: »
    Thank you for the replies. I just wanted a healthier approach to eating as opposed to the ‘track every calorie regardless of nutritional content’ approach. I want to eat food that won’t have my insulin shooting for the roof and keep me satisfied for longer. I want to lower my carbs but by no means cut them out, I would be miserable! I’m going to carry on tracking as skram01 suggested so as to not go way over my calories with the higher fat foods.

    I don't think most people track every calorie without any regard to nutrition. I will be tracking calories forever. I don't think that's unhealthy. I've just been overweight most of my life, so several months of tracking won't "fix" me.

    The bolded is important. For some reason, people think that because we don't eat by a specific diet and "just" count calories, this means we don't care about anything else. It's really weird to me! You can eat more than enough lean protein, healthy fat, fiber, and nutrition, and then have a weighed out bowl of ice cream after dinner since nothing is "banned". No one here advocates eating nothing but snack foods purchased at the gas station. Just that you could if for some reason you wanted to and still lose weight. You'd feel like *kitten*, but that's not what we're talking about when we talk about CICO.

    If the posts here are any indication, virtually every long-term user who isn't on an official "plan" is still making choices that consider meeting macro- and micro-nutrient needs, what meal timing works best for them, what foods promote satiety, and what works with their lifestyle. Nobody is just pulling up to the Taco Bell drive-through on the regular, ordering 1,800 calories of cinnamon twists, nacho fries, and steak burritos, and calling it a day.

    This is the second time today someone has referenced Taco Bell as it pertains to a (misconstrued) dietary staple for those following CICO (which is everyone in the world). I haven't eaten at Taco Bell in probably 5+ years but I feel the Gods are trying to tell me something. Tomorrow, I will likely recall why I haven't eaten at Taco Bell in half a decade or more...

    We all have to make decisions we live to regret once in a while. Discomfort is a thorough teacher. :laugh:
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    TeaBea wrote: »
    annamj2000 wrote: »
    Thank you for the replies. I just wanted a healthier approach to eating as opposed to the ‘track every calorie regardless of nutritional content’ approach. I want to eat food that won’t have my insulin shooting for the roof and keep me satisfied for longer. I want to lower my carbs but by no means cut them out, I would be miserable! I’m going to carry on tracking as skram01 suggested so as to not go way over my calories with the higher fat foods.

    I don't think most people track every calorie without any regard to nutrition. I will be tracking calories forever. I don't think that's unhealthy. I've just been overweight most of my life, so several months of tracking won't "fix" me.

    The bolded is important. For some reason, people think that because we don't eat by a specific diet and "just" count calories, this means we don't care about anything else. It's really weird to me! You can eat more than enough lean protein, healthy fat, fiber, and nutrition, and then have a weighed out bowl of ice cream after dinner since nothing is "banned". No one here advocates eating nothing but snack foods purchased at the gas station. Just that you could if for some reason you wanted to and still lose weight. You'd feel like *kitten*, but that's not what we're talking about when we talk about CICO.

    If the posts here are any indication, virtually every long-term user who isn't on an official "plan" is still making choices that consider meeting macro- and micro-nutrient needs, what meal timing works best for them, what foods promote satiety, and what works with their lifestyle. Nobody is just pulling up to the Taco Bell drive-through on the regular, ordering 1,800 calories of cinnamon twists, nacho fries, and steak burritos, and calling it a day.

    This is the second time today someone has referenced Taco Bell as it pertains to a (misconstrued) dietary staple for those following CICO (which is everyone in the world). I haven't eaten at Taco Bell in probably 5+ years but I feel the Gods are trying to tell me something. Tomorrow, I will likely recall why I haven't eaten at Taco Bell in half a decade or more...
    Taco Bell is one of my go-to restaurants when I'm wanting to eat out. The Steak Power Bowl is quite tasty and fairly new so you might not have tried that yet.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    TeaBea wrote: »
    annamj2000 wrote: »
    Thank you for the replies. I just wanted a healthier approach to eating as opposed to the ‘track every calorie regardless of nutritional content’ approach. I want to eat food that won’t have my insulin shooting for the roof and keep me satisfied for longer. I want to lower my carbs but by no means cut them out, I would be miserable! I’m going to carry on tracking as skram01 suggested so as to not go way over my calories with the higher fat foods.

    I don't think most people track every calorie without any regard to nutrition. I will be tracking calories forever. I don't think that's unhealthy. I've just been overweight most of my life, so several months of tracking won't "fix" me.

    The bolded is important. For some reason, people think that because we don't eat by a specific diet and "just" count calories, this means we don't care about anything else. It's really weird to me! You can eat more than enough lean protein, healthy fat, fiber, and nutrition, and then have a weighed out bowl of ice cream after dinner since nothing is "banned". No one here advocates eating nothing but snack foods purchased at the gas station. Just that you could if for some reason you wanted to and still lose weight. You'd feel like *kitten*, but that's not what we're talking about when we talk about CICO.

    If the posts here are any indication, virtually every long-term user who isn't on an official "plan" is still making choices that consider meeting macro- and micro-nutrient needs, what meal timing works best for them, what foods promote satiety, and what works with their lifestyle. Nobody is just pulling up to the Taco Bell drive-through on the regular, ordering 1,800 calories of cinnamon twists, nacho fries, and steak burritos, and calling it a day.

    This is the second time today someone has referenced Taco Bell as it pertains to a (misconstrued) dietary staple for those following CICO (which is everyone in the world). I haven't eaten at Taco Bell in probably 5+ years but I feel the Gods are trying to tell me something. Tomorrow, I will likely recall why I haven't eaten at Taco Bell in half a decade or more...

    Seriously!!
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
    I've tried not counting and I've never been successful losing weight. I think that if you want to lose weight you should adopt that style of eating, whole foods, but still do CICO. Whenever I want to lose weight that is how I do it.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    seska422 wrote: »
    skram01 wrote: »
    I'm not laughing at the original poster, but it makes me giggle to think about someone logging but giving zero *kittens* about nutrition. I think anyone who cares enough to log regularly also cares about their overall health. Obviously there are people who are further along in their journey and some who are still working to eliminate the "unhealthy" foods or trying balance they're ratio of nutrient dense and fun foods, but the forethought is still there.
    To be honest, I see a fair few people who eat to their calories but with little to no fruit and veg. It's not as unheard of as your think.
    I agree that some pay attention to calories and nothing else. They don't understand nutrition and don't care to understand nutrition. Losing weight, in and of itself, can accomplish a lot health-wise no matter how you get there.

    People who count calories can cover the whole spectrum from IDGAF about nutrition to hyper-aware of nutrition, macros, and which foods are satiating.
    To be fair, these people probably were not understanding nutrition before they began counting calories. So they're still potentially better off not caring about nutrition and losing weight than they are not caring about nutrition and being overweight.
    I agree.
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