Eating previously "bad" things in a controlled manner?
tashytales
Posts: 16 Member
As I mentioned in my last post I'm moving from Slimming World to mfp. I want to do a couple of days basically eating stuff that was majorly frowned upon in SW. As long as it all fits into my calories will I still be losing? I don't plan on doing this forever, just want to be rid of the feelings of deprivation
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Replies
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Yes as long as your calories that you eat are less than the calories that you use you will lose weight.0
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You could eat your calorie goal in mars bars and still lose weight.
From a health perspective though you'll want adequate protein and some fruit and veg as well as foods you like.10 -
Absolutely - it's a silly thing but I bought a Boots Shapers BBQ Chicken Wrap for lunch on the go the other day. Perfectly sensible (as far as convenience foods go) in terms of calories and nutrients but on SW it would have cost me more than my syns for a day. On SW that would have sent me down the 'bad day' route and thrown me off course. Now I just see it as a lunch that fits in my calories and isn't the end of the world to eat.13
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Great, thanks. It will only be for a few days and still putting healthy choices in too, lettuce in my sandwich, broccoli and chicken breast with my curly fries. It's crazy now looking at syns vs calories, I'm finding it pretty eye opening4
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For some people there is something called "trigger food". There was a very good write - up on MFP and that's how I realized my main problem as far as food is concerned: BREAD! BREAD! One loaf, two loaves in one sitting - no problem. And of course what goes on top and inside the bread: Anything from butter, mayonnaise, cheeses, meats, fish - and on top one lettuce leave of course, just to make it look "healthy". I am very, very careful with bread nowadays but eat just about anything else. As long as it fits within the MFP calculations, I am all right for the long, long journey to a better health.3
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tashytales wrote: »Great, thanks. It will only be for a few days and still putting healthy choices in too, lettuce in my sandwich, broccoli and chicken breast with my curly fries. It's crazy now looking at syns vs calories, I'm finding it pretty eye opening
Most diet plans that don't involve any type of calorie awareness use multiple methods to restrict calories without actually telling you that the underlying calorie restriction is the principle behind the weight loss. That's why Slimming World and Weight Watchers and similar programs have so many restrictions around the types of food recommended/allowed. Once you get down to the basic science of energy in food (measured in kilocalories), those restrictions can all be thrown away because weight loss is all about energy in versus energy out. As you said, it's VERY eye-opening, and also very freeing!5 -
tashytales wrote: »Great, thanks. It will only be for a few days and still putting healthy choices in too, lettuce in my sandwich, broccoli and chicken breast with my curly fries. It's crazy now looking at syns vs calories, I'm finding it pretty eye opening
There is no reason why you can't include the foods you enjoy into your diet on a regular basis. It makes your diet more sustainable long term for most people that choose to do this unless you are the type of person that is triggered by certain foods and can't stop with a bit. Many dietitians recommend the 80/20 rule. That is that 80% of your diet is wholesome, nutritious food, with the remaining 20% being reserved for treats. This way you do not feel deprived and are also making sure adequate nutrition is being met.8 -
I’m currently eating ketchup chips and a Rice Krispie Square. I’m 70lbs down. Just sayin’, lol.
If it fits your calories you’ll be just fine.5 -
Last night I had a McDonald's Clubhouse Burger with Fries. I'm still down in weight today.
As others have mentioned, it really is all about the calories. There is no reason why you can't eat what you want as long as it fits within your goal and doesn't trigger overeating. Some of us find that we have "treat" food that we can't eat in moderation. It's either all or nothing. So those foods are good to avoid. But if you have foods that you like that you can regularly fit within your goal, there's no need to restrict them.5 -
Susieq_1994 wrote: »tashytales wrote: »Great, thanks. It will only be for a few days and still putting healthy choices in too, lettuce in my sandwich, broccoli and chicken breast with my curly fries. It's crazy now looking at syns vs calories, I'm finding it pretty eye opening
Most diet plans that don't involve any type of calorie awareness use multiple methods to restrict calories without actually telling you that the underlying calorie restriction is the principle behind the weight loss. That's why Slimming World and Weight Watchers and similar programs have so many restrictions around the types of food recommended/allowed. Once you get down to the basic science of energy in food (measured in kilocalories), those restrictions can all be thrown away because weight loss is all about energy in versus energy out. As you said, it's VERY eye-opening, and also very freeing!
I also find the reason why they have so many restrictions is to give them more cover when it doesn't work for you. "Oh, you didn't lose weight? Well it's your fault that you missed Step 72 in your 145 step plan. Really try harder and then you'll lose." This allows them to claim that it works for more people than it really does.7 -
Lillymoo01 wrote: »tashytales wrote: »Great, thanks. It will only be for a few days and still putting healthy choices in too, lettuce in my sandwich, broccoli and chicken breast with my curly fries. It's crazy now looking at syns vs calories, I'm finding it pretty eye opening
There is no reason why you can't include the foods you enjoy into your diet on a regular basis. It makes your diet more sustainable long term for most people that choose to do this unless you are the type of person that is triggered by certain foods and can't stop with a bit. Many dietitians recommend the 80/20 rule. That is that 80% of your diet is wholesome, nutritious food, with the remaining 20% being reserved for treats. This way you do not feel deprived and are also making sure adequate nutrition is being met.
THIS!
You are still very much in the "raising personal awareness" stage ... maybe sit down some afternoon or evening, and try things out in your log (without eat them) and just see what kinds of combinations still work with your target numbers.
Are there things that might only work on special occasions, but can STILL be included from time to time when they are pre-planned for?
Are there things just not worth the calorie or macro price?
Could you find a substitute for the latter, either in pre-packaged single-portion size or as an alternate? (eg. plain air-popped popcorn instead of Lay's ripple potato chips, if eating just one little lunch bag sized portion of chips turns out to be a trigger-type item for you).
And speaking of pre-packaged single-portion sizes .... have you got a digital food scale yet? This plus zip-lock style sandwich or snack-sized bags means you can divvy up bulk things (like chips) into grab-and-go measured single serving portions rather than pay a premium for the extra packaging.
At the end of each "possible meal combo" experiment, just click on the little red 'minus sign" at the end of the entry to erase it. Your MFP food log won't "remember it" unless and until you press the "done for the day" button at the bottom of that day's food log page.
Respect your triggers if you have any .... but in general, try not to think of any food and "bad" or "forbidden". Food is just food. The real question is ... Is this "too expensive for your day-to-day calorie budget"? If yes, then reserve it for the occasional indulgence. You don't need to eliminate anything totally forever.
Life Happens ... as do special events. So when you occasionally go into the red for a special occasion or even just because of a "didn't realize the cost until after the fact" entry .... That was a "20% of the time" day, whether planned or not.
Today is going to be an "80% of the time" day. Just keep having mostly "80% of the time days" and the body can cope. Progress will happen.4
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