If You Eat Cookies, Cakes, Ice Cream Daily Do You Consider Yourself Dieting?
Replies
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nutmegoreo wrote: »
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gailjankovski wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »gailjankovski wrote: »Thank you everyone for your help. Yes I went for the maximum weight loss because I have gained 40 lbs since I turned 50 three years ago and wanted to lose it as fast as possible. And I don't bother with "exercise" calories because walking the dogs and kayaking isn't really what I would consider a "work out".
But perhaps I will have to revisit that because I am finding it hard to stick to under 1200 calories even without the occasional treat or glass of wine.
kayaking and walking are great exercise. I burn in the neighborhood of 400 calories in an hour of kayaking. I walk my dog most mornings and that combined with walking around throughout in my day to day gets me around 10-12K steps which is about 5 miles...hardly sitting around doing nothing.
A workout or exercise doesn't have to be some stupid thing where you're practically puking when you're done...it doesn't have to be jumping around your living room to a DVD or droning away on some piece of equipment. Most people I know who exercise regularly and keep up with it are simply active...they cycle, they hike, they rock climb, they run, they kayak or SUP, etc.
I primarily cycle as my primary form of exercise...with cycling and my walking and general activity, I maintain on around 3000 calories per day...activity adds up...it doesn't have to be a sufferfest to be a workout.
Yeah I think I was confused when I set up my goals. I put that I had a sedentary job, and then below I put I think 4 workouts a week for 30 minutes to cover just my normal activities I do, and I thought that it calculated that level of activity into my calorie allotment of 1200 calories per day. But I guess I have to actually log activities into each day in order to get extra calories for the workouts/activity.
Glad I dropped by the forms.
Well, the kayaking I would log for sure. Paddling can be a pretty good workout. But if walking the dogs is a daily thing, I'd think about bumping up your activity level from "sedentary" to "lightly active" to save from having to log it separately every day. Maybe try tracking it for a few days and see how many calories it gives you.
Yeah, I'm not sure what the exercise goals on the setup page do. They don't get added into anything automatically, I think they just give you some goal numbers on a report somewhere. I just ignore them.
They're used to populate the daily/weekly exercise calorie and minutes goal numbers in web app's exercise diary, so you can compare your exercise intentions to your actual exercise, and that's about it. They definitely don't affect your calorie intake target.4 -
lantana411 wrote: »I'm surprised at how many people eat cookies, croissants, ice cream, cake, chips, etc. on a daily or near-daily basis BUT LOG THEIR FOOD! I want to know - is it because they consider themselves dieting or getting ready to diet? Is this why people who diet are considered 'eating cleanly'? What do you do and what do you consider it? If you stay within your calories but drink/snack them away instead of eating meals is it dieting?
I know there's a whole long thread but I'm going to answer this before reading it at the risk of repeating what other people have said.
There's a mindset that says that "dieting" means deprivation. I used to have that mindset. That mindset kept me in a pattern of yo-yoing up and down the scale for YEARS.
I realized when I decided that I was going to lose weight this time that it had to be for good because I have a medical condition and I knew I needed to ditch some preconceived notions. So I read a lot on these boards. And one of the things I learned was how insidiously nasty that idea of dieting = deprivation is.
A diet is simply the foods you eat. The foods you eat should supply the necessary nutrition for your health and well-being. Once you do that, any calories left in your "budget" can be spent at your discretion.
I will live the rest of my life "dieting", and by that I mean managing my weight, monitoring my calorie intake so that I balance activity and intake to maintain my 95 pound weight loss. I will not spend the rest of my life forever depriving myself of things that I love, nor will I gorge on them, but I'll have them every now and then. As treats. And log them. As part of an overall balanced diet.
I'll still be managing my weight.
Edit: I skimmed the whole thread now. Eeeek. Log everything, man. And don't food shame.
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rachelr1116 wrote: »I don't consider myself to be "dieting" no matter what I eat. I have a diet that consists of a variety of foods (including cookies, cake, ice cream, etc.) but I log and count calories so that I can eat at a caloric deficit in order to lose weight.
What I think of when I think of "dieting" is following "a diet" like keto or Atkins or gluten-free, etc etc. Maybe it's for health reasons/prescribed (eg Celiac disease) or it's a "fad diet" like Beyonce's app or some fitness trainer in a magazine. Maybe you have to do it to belong to a club, or you bought a book (Whole 30) and it told you there are Bad and Good foods.
I don't do that. I don't follow a diet plan. My food is not a prescription. I eat my food, I take recommendations and suggestions, but ultimately all of it is my choice. I don't give away that power to other people. Maybe I should, maybe it would reduce some stress idk. But I'm super skeptical of diet mentality, where you have this super duper complicated plan, or packaged meals etc.3 -
I see my "diet" as Im going to have to watch what I eat the rest of my life due to health issues that for me are genetic, I will have to also watch my weight and try and maintain a healthier weight. but for me I believe you only live once and if you can incorporate things you love while losing or maintaining then why not? hell george burns smoked and drank and lived to be in his 90s,betty white eats a hot dog a day and is still kicking. I only have one life and Im going to live it how I want as long as Im not hurting anyone whats the harm? I dont want to live it miserably by cutting everything I love out of it. there are NO guarantees in life and you could get hit by a bus tomorrow."healthy" diet or not. Im not saying overdo it of course.4
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gailjankovski wrote: »Note to self: Don't send friend request to OP because if she could see my diary she would be SO confused as to my goals
OP, if you aren't currently like 4'11 and 95 lbs, I hope you are eating treats and not logging them, or not using a food scale and actually eating more than you think. Otherwise you are aren't eating enough, and I don't understand why you would bother logging if you are going to be unhealthy and under-eat like that.
Can you explain this comment to me (I am new). Or is it sarcasm? Because my log is similar to hers as I am only supposed to eat 1200 calories a day (based on the automatic calculation when I joined). I am 5' 10" and 198 lbs and looking to lose 50+ lbs.
Based on what I am seeing in the forums most people are eating way more calories than me and still losing weight?
Most people are eating according to the amount of weight they want to lose and the rate at which they want to lose it. They have different lifestyles and exercise regimes, different stresses, health issues, etc. As long as they're eating at a calorie deficit (eg 1900 calories a day instead of 2500), they will lose weight.2 -
lantana411 wrote: »I used the term 'diet' to identify the goal of losing weight. I spend my calories on mostly lean protein and produce but have no issue with eating whatever I want on occasion. I've lost and gained a lot of weight in my life - currently I'm enjoying an 80 pound weight loss (I started 'this time' on 1/2/16). I became curious about how people view MFP and the point of tracking their daily food when I started reading 'meals' of ice cream sundaes - which I did today, it was someone's 600+ calorie lunch - no food just the sundae. I wondered what the point was in tracking the food - was it with the goal of losing weight or just keeping track of food intake.
Everyone picks their food plan and food they enjoy. But some people seem to eat dessert every day. They may not have any produce but they are certain to eat refined sugar/carbs. Some of them seem defensive of their food choices, almost like they want to lose weight but not if they have to back away from sweets. To me, it's a balance. I don't want dessert daily but I would eat it every once in a while IF I believe I can have it once and be done with it. NOT if I think it'll start me in a spiral of binge eating. That's why I was so curious about the mindset of others on MFP. And I'm glad for your answers - truly!
A lifestyle change is a safer option than a "diet". Therefore the point of tracking food is to sustain the new lifestyle, whether or not you've reached your weight loss or weight gain goal. A 600 calorie ice cream lunch will have the same effect as a 600 calorie meat or vegetable lunch. Poor nutritional choice I agree, but the numbers are the same.
I only eat dessert on Sundays, but it is still possible for me to occasionally have a Sunday with a low total calorie intake, or another non-dessert day to finish quite high. Same goes for alcoholic beverages. Usually one day per week (in moderate quantities), but its included in the food tracking to determine total calories for the day.3 -
lantana411 wrote: »I'm surprised at how many people eat cookies, croissants, ice cream, cake, chips, etc. on a daily or near-daily basis BUT LOG THEIR FOOD! I want to know - is it because they consider themselves dieting or getting ready to diet? Is this why people who diet are considered 'eating cleanly'? What do you do and what do you consider it? If you stay within your calories but drink/snack them away instead of eating meals is it dieting?
Why should someone 'diet' eating food they don't really enjoy, could taste bland, or foods they don't plan on sticking with once they hit their desired goals? Sure it's fine to try to eat a bit more healthier while losing weight especially if their original diet wasn't nutritional to begin with & didn't include at least a few vegetables here & there or some kind of balance, but the point should be to eat food in a sustainable way to make maintenance a lifetime rather than a band-aid.
A lot of people once they hit maintenance revert right back to their old habits without having properly learned how to incorporate their 'forbidden' foods while dieting into their overall daily calories.7 -
I have made a lifestyle change, I didn't go on a diet. Right now, I am not eating cake, pie, ice cream, etc because that is my choice. But if I wanted to eat those things I would and record it.6
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lantana411 wrote: »I'm surprised at how many people eat cookies, croissants, ice cream, cake, chips, etc. on a daily or near-daily basis BUT LOG THEIR FOOD! I want to know - is it because they consider themselves dieting or getting ready to diet? Is this why people who diet are considered 'eating cleanly'? What do you do and what do you consider it? If you stay within your calories but drink/snack them away instead of eating meals is it dieting?
I for one still eat the foods that I enjoy as I am trying to make this as easy as I can on myself. Being overweight is torture and losing weight is rough enough. I follow CICO and it works.
And, it’s not nice to judge. You do you. If you don’t want to eat like that, that’s fine. Don’t worry about what others do.
Eating clean is bogus. It doesn’t guarantee weight loss. A calorie deficit does though. All food has calories, calories are a unit of measure of energy.
Edited, because typing on the dreadmill is hard.18 -
I eat ice cream 2-3 times a week if it fits my calories and we bought some in the weekly shop. For me this has to be sustainable forever (literally). So I'd rather eat a little less of everything than cut out entire food groups.
Plus life is for enjoying and if you can't eat ice cream as part of a balanced diet then what's the point?10 -
I hate the phrase 'on a diet'. It has so many negative connotations for me. When I was 'on a diet' in the past before I found out about CICO I used to restrict myself foods I enjoyed such as chocolate, crisps etc and thought that I couldn't eat those foods because it would ruin my progress.
After restricting myself I would crave those foods and subsequently binge on them and this was a viscious circle I couldn't break until...I discovered yes I could eat ANYTHING I desired and I still lose weight. I have lost 65 pounds and happily maintaining my weight eating big, nutritious, filling meals and BOOM....room left for chocolate and crisps.
I am happy, healthy and most importantly not deprived of what I enjoy.
Life's too short IMO
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I can't do that, I have a certain cheat day once a week. Consuming that food on a daily basis won't be good.18
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lantana411 wrote: »I'm surprised at how many people eat cookies, croissants, ice cream, cake, chips, etc. on a daily or near-daily basis BUT LOG THEIR FOOD! I want to know - is it because they consider themselves dieting or getting ready to diet? Is this why people who diet are considered 'eating cleanly'? What do you do and what do you consider it? If you stay within your calories but drink/snack them away instead of eating meals is it dieting?
Can only answer for myself. But I lost weight over 10 month period in 2013 and been on maitenance ever since
I LOG MY FOOD ( capitals are such a nice touch
) because it keeps me accountable and when I eat to around my calorie goal, my weight does what I want it to.
I don't consider myself dieting - I consider this a way of eating and tracking my calories. But I guess that is just semantics
Semantics of 'dieting' word aside - I certainly never considered myself clean eating by any stretch of the imagination.
Not sure whether snacking or drinking some calories is ' dieting' - but I certainly do both.
However I am with those who don't think your motivation was really 'wanting to know'
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lantana411 wrote: »
Some of them seem defensive of their food choices, almost like they want to lose weight but not if they have to back away from sweets. To me, it's a balance. I don't want dessert daily but I would eat it every once in a while IF I believe I can have it once and be done with it. NOT if I think it'll start me in a spiral of binge eating. That's why I was so curious about the mindset of others on MFP. And I'm glad for your answers - truly!
But they don't have to back away from sweets. They can eat sweets in appropriate frequency/ portion size and lose weight.
Maybe it starts binge eating for you and you are best to avoid them.
But surely you don't think that therefore applies to everyone??
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I eat all of those, not all of them every day, but at least one of them - I follow the 80/20 rule, 80% great nutrition and 20% whatever I fancy - and that's usually chocolate or cake!
. Nothing wrong with these foods in moderation and certainly they didn't stop me from losing the weight I needed to and keeping it off long term. 5 -
lantana411 wrote: »I'm surprised at how many people eat cookies, croissants, ice cream, cake, chips, etc. on a daily or near-daily basis BUT LOG THEIR FOOD! I want to know - is it because they consider themselves dieting or getting ready to diet? Is this why people who diet are considered 'eating cleanly'? What do you do and what do you consider it? If you stay within your calories but drink/snack them away instead of eating meals is it dieting?
Why do you think it's odd to eat dessert every day, or have a croissant every day, or any other food on a daily basis? Healthy people who eat intuitively and have no need to count their calories in order to maintain their weight eat these things regularly. I watch one of them (my daughter) do it every single day. She seems to have an internal monitor that allows her to balance her nutrition without thought and calculation. But she eats cookies, croissants, cake, chips, etc with regularity (right alongside her daily veggies, fruits, lean meats and whole grains) so I guess I'M curious about why YOU think this is abnormal.
Or is it the logging of food that you think is abnormal? Because with the obesity problem in the USA alone, I would say there are just as many people lacking that internal monitor as there are those who have it, and logging food replaces that missing internal ticker. Clearly, logging calories works - but you can see that for yourself in a 10 minute romp around the forum.
Or is it that you feel that people who are missing this internal macro/calorie monitor shouldn't be allowed to indulge in treats? Or if they DO indulge in treats, that they shouldn't log it (and if this is so, why not log it? Are we ashamed of our snickers ice cream bars?) Please understand, I'm not accusing you of any particular thought pattern here, I'm trying in vain to understand why you seem to be so befuddled by the fact that humans of all sizes eat treats, and that they aren't ashamed of it.
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Your "diet" is the food you eat so every single person alive on this earth is on a diet. Some are in a deficit, some are maintaining and some are in a surplus. What foods make up their intake is irrelevant in this context.
The more I'm restricting my intake the looser I log. Having an extra 100g of broccoli isn't going to make a big difference.
Conversely, when I'm maintaining and more lax with my food choices the more OCD I log because an extra 32g of peanut butter and an extra cookie can make all the difference.6 -
Newcomers to the thread should read the whole thing, it’s enlightening...22
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I budget 50 calories per day out of 1200 for chocolate (roughly two squares of a Cadbury bar, or a fun size Hershey’s Milk Chocolate). I look forward to it all day, and it’s just enough to melt in my mouth and savor but not enough to spark a binge. It’s part of my bedtime ritual.
For the record, I have lost 124 lbs tracking my caloric intake and output with MFP over the last 333 days, and I don’t frankly care who thinks I’m “not really dieting” or not eating “cleanly enough.”19 -
WinoGelato wrote: »Newcomers to the thread should read the whole thing, it’s enlightening...
Quite! It took an interesting turn around the end of page 3.7 -
TavistockToad wrote: »People are eating in a calorie deficit... you can do that and still eat whatever you want...
totally agree0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »Newcomers to the thread should read the whole thing, it’s enlightening...
Quite! It took an interesting turn around the end of page 3.
Heh, yep! Glad I took this advice. That little 'gotcha' was quite something, along with OP's indignant passive aggressiveness. Otherwise, the question makes zero sense to me.
Sometimes for breakfast, nothing will quite do it for me like a chocolate croissant or a slice of chocolate cake. I've been known to have pie, too. It's not something I do every single day, but if I'm hitting my macros for the day, I wouldn't be opposed to it. OP would probably have a heart attack at my diary. I've maintained most of my 80 pound weight loss for about 3-4 years now, so I think the whole calorie counting and logging thing still works for me.
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DIET shouldn’t be = Depriving Individuals of Everything Tasty. It’s more like Do It! Eat Tasty (while losing/gaining/maintaining weight.)19
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cerise_noir wrote: »DIET shouldn’t be = Depriving Individuals of Everything Tasty. It’s more like Do It! Eat Tasty (while losing/gaining/maintaining weight.)
Love that lol2 -
WinoGelato wrote: »Newcomers to the thread should read the whole thing, it’s enlightening...
huh. I was wondering how this thread got to page 9. Guess I'll go back and find out...
ETA -
Ah, it was the tone of judgement.3 -
I don't know if OP is still reading, but...
Personally, if I don't log, I'm probably overeating (and hence, gaining weight). So I log to manage my intake. That could be to maintain my weight, it could be lose weight. In either case, I'm restricting my intake from what I would otherwise want it to be, and thus I consider myself dieting. Diet/dieting is one of those words that can mean different things to different people and trigger a variety of responses. But to me and for me, a diet is an intentional change/control to my desired eating patterns. In some cases, that can/does include ice cream, cookies, etc. In some cases it doesn't. But the controlled intake is what defines my diet (again, I'm speaking for myself here)... not what I am or am not eating as part of that control.6 -
WinoGelato wrote: »Is this going to be one of those threads where OP makes a provocative statement/inquiry, then everyone chimes in to refute it or provide clarity and the OP never returns but we all still go on agreeing with each other?
Ok just checking. Carry on with all these examples of being able to eat delicious foods AND achieve our goals.
Is it a day that ends in y?
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ITUSGirl51 wrote: »My dinner was Cheez ITs and Peanut M&Ms because I’m stuck at work and so hungry for dinner with only a vending machine for options. I still have 218 more calories I can enjoy and be in a deficit. I’m not even hungry for them. No reason to blow off my entire day because I had to eat junk for dinner. I can still lose weight if I account for what I eat.
I pushed a lot of carts yesterday to help when the stockman called off. I burned around 4,400 calories for the whole day & only ate 1,800 calories yesterday. To account for the calories yesterday I ate a whole jar of cookie butter & it fit into my overall maintenance calories!8 -
cerise_noir wrote: »DIET shouldn’t be = Depriving Individuals of Everything Tasty. It’s more like Do It! Eat Tasty (while losing/gaining/maintaining weight.)
I would say, Dine Intentionally, Eat Thoughtfully, but that's just me.15
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