Count or Eat less?

I had recently lost about 20 pounds by eating slower and less. I had bad heartburn and that caused me to be afraid of over eating. I now have been sliding back these last 2 weeks and I am thinking if I should log everything on this app or try to eat less and slower again?

Thank you in advance for any advice.

Replies

  • Dogmom1978
    Dogmom1978 Posts: 1,580 Member
    Weigh and measure your foods. Otherwise, you don’t know if you’re eating in a deficit, as evidenced by the fact that you say you are “sliding back” (I take that to mean gaining weight).
  • Fflpnari
    Fflpnari Posts: 975 Member
    weigh and track everything 100%

  • Butterfly_Ninja3
    Butterfly_Ninja3 Posts: 32 Member
    I agree with above. Weigh everything. When you *guesstimate* you end up most of the time doing more than you should. Track everything you eat... down to a piece of gum! Believe me, it is worth it to know how much is going into your mouth. I also eat slower and grab a smaller plate for smaller portions. I also drink a glass of water BEFORE my meal so that way I'm not overeating. I chew my food very well too. Of course these are just things I do and am just giving you some things I do just as an example. For me these things have worked. Feel free to add me and we can work on it together! :smiley:
  • sporangia
    sporangia Posts: 50 Member
    Instead of eating less, check out the calorie density of the foods that you're eating. To feel full, you need to be able to max out the stretch receptors in your stomach with bulk. Here is a nice video that demonstrates the calorie density concept. I've lost over 45 lbs in the last year without counting calories, eating three meals a day plus snacks if I want, and no exercise, by following a plant-based diet that focuses eating a lot of non-processed veggies, whole grains, and fruits.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I personally use counting as a way to ensure that I eat less (AKA, either eat at a deficit to lose weight or eat what I need to maintain my weight). I don't see it as an either/or. I have personally found that "less" can be very subjective and I have trouble consistently doing it unless I track somehow.
  • Slower and less combined with calorie counting works for me. At this point if I try to eat a full portion I get sick, but I've been eating half portions for a year and my body has adapted. It also has the merit that it's very hard to binge once you've gotten used to eating like this. I cannot volume eat due to my IBS, so my food is necessarily calorie dense, and smaller portions.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Mikect1980 wrote: »
    I had recently lost about 20 pounds by eating slower and less. I had bad heartburn and that caused me to be afraid of over eating. I now have been sliding back these last 2 weeks and I am thinking if I should log everything on this app or try to eat less and slower again?

    Thank you in advance for any advice.

    If you have not already, see a doctor. Chronic heartburn is serious. I do have an eating strategy that keeps mine under control but I have only ever experienced it at night and I am under a doctor's care. I can take an OTC for when I need or want to eat in a way that might cause me problems.
  • Mikect1980
    Mikect1980 Posts: 6 Member
    I just had an endoscopy in October and found some minor inflammation in my esophagus and stomach. My doctor has me on 40MG Omeprazole for 6 weeks and then as needed. It has been much better and I only take the meds a couple days a week.
  • charmmeth
    charmmeth Posts: 936 Member
    edited November 2020
    Mikect1980 wrote: »
    IMy doctor has me on 40MG Omeprazole for 6 weeks and then as needed. It has been much better and I only take the meds a couple days a week.

    I hope you are feeling better. It might not happen to you (I hope it doesn't), but I gained 2kg within weeks of starting Omeprazole. It was what tipped me out of maintenance and into gaining back all the weight I had lost. :(
  • charmmeth
    charmmeth Posts: 936 Member
    I should say that I then spent a year out of my normal routines, which certainly didn't help the process!