Why use a restrictive dieting plan...

245

Replies

  • castadiva
    castadiva Posts: 2,016 Member
    I COMPLETELY agree. When people begin cutting things out completely is when you see people fail on their diets. It is all about moderation and giving yourself a "cheat day" every now and then. I loooove food and I loooove to eat! If I go over here or there, big deal. My tummy is happy and so is my mind :)

    Just my opinion :D

    Its none of you business though. And most people don't fail when they restrict, especially when there are reasons they are restricting.

    Good for you that your body can so called "handle" everything in moderation, most others can't.

    Personally I think the whole "in moderation" is a bunch of excuses not to make permanent lifestyle changes. I am sorry, but eating the same things you were eating that made you fat in the first place and then switching to just eating less of those things is not a lifestyle change.

    So, it's not OK for someone to criticise the choices of people who do use restrictive plans, for reasons other than medical necessity, but it is OK to criticise those whose choice is to eat the things they like in smaller portions and with less frequency?

    Choosing to eat 90% healthy foods and 10% less-healthy, but enjoyable, things is certainly a lifestyle change if your previous levels were 50-50, or 90-10 in reverse. Everyone has to find the way that works for them. For me, a restrictive diet is not feasible long-term. I like food - some of my favourites are less-healthy than others, and feeling deprived, and consequently depressed, is the quickest way for me to end up bingeing, or eating compulsively. I travel a lot, so what is available to me to eat is not always entirely within my control. Many people do fail precisely because they are overly-restrictive, with no serious reason to be. A lifestyle change, unlike a diet, has to be something you can maintain long-term. Not everyone will fail with a restrictive plan, certainly, but there is a reason the diet industry is worth so many millions - the hundreds of thousands of people who choose diets, rather than lifestyles, that they cannot maintain.

    If you're cutting something out for a good reason - medical or emotional - then please go right ahead; do what you need to do for you. If you're cutting it out because a diet plan says you should, and you have no other reason to do so, a lot of the time, you are setting yourself up for falling off that wagon. Whether or not you can get back on will depend on your individual character and situation.
  • raiderrodney
    raiderrodney Posts: 617 Member
    I have to agree. If you try to totally eliminate some of your favorite foods you are just setting yourself up for disaster! I love pizza and beer and I"ll save that cheat day or calories just for them ;)

    I realize some of us have a tough time eating 1 piece of chocolate...but you just have to be patient and train yourself to do so. Then you can enjoy all your favorites....in moderation ;)
  • 123fizz
    123fizz Posts: 14
    I agree. I have pizza, burger on a bun, fish in batter etc BUT I make it part of my main meal and team with salad, beans, or veg.
    I always try and go for the less fattening, healthier versions though. For example, the pizza I buy is thin crust and only 380 cals per half so as part of a main meal with lots of salad it really isn't that bad a choice. I buy Tillmans pork burgers which are extremely low fat and low cal (161 per burger) and I have a bun with lots of salad and beans to fill my plate.

    If I did it any other way I would give up, this way I don't feel deprived, have a healthy breakfast every day, more fresh fruit than I ever ate before and low cal / low fat treats in the evening.

    To date I have lost 2 stone on this :) It suits me just fine and I'm going to stick with it til I reach my goal.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    Some people do have foods that can trigger binges. It isn't as easy as saying I will only have one piece of pizza or one cookie, or one _____________. In this case, at least for some time, cutting out certain foods can help a person stay on track. Some people feel like the only way they can be 'dieting' and losing weight is to punish themselves and must remove what they enjoy.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    I'm guessing some people hard to restrict portions.
    i.e. I can't eat just one small block of chocolate without eating the whole lot, so for me it's been easier to stop all together and now I don't crave it as much.

    This is what I'm like. Particularly with crisps (or potato chips for my American friends....). It's better for me not to open a big bag of crisps, because even now, I find it hard to stop. Ditto cheese and biscuits.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    I'm guessing some people hard to restrict portions.
    i.e. I can't eat just one small block of chocolate without eating the whole lot, so for me it's been easier to stop all together and now I don't crave it as much.

    This is what I'm like. Particularly with crisps (or potato chips for my American friends....). It's better for me not to open a big bag of crisps, because even now, I find it hard to stop. Ditto cheese and biscuits.

    But broadly, yes, understanding what you can include, eating foods in moderation - these are obviously laudable aims for people who want to remain fit and healthy for life.
  • PoeRaven
    PoeRaven Posts: 433 Member
    I agree!
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    Can I also point out that there's a clear difference between 'addicted' and 'habituated'. There's a lazy usage that involves assigning all habits (however engrained) the term 'addiction' - and they're not in fact addictions at all.
  • jennilovesryan
    jennilovesryan Posts: 124
    pizza to me is like good beer, i can't stop at one slice. especially ny style pizza which is terrible for you. i'm like a pizza junkie.
  • natika33
    natika33 Posts: 154 Member
    Different strokes for different folks, not just with eating, but anything else. You can't understand it because you're standing at the north pole while they're standing at the south, so there's no direct line of sight.

    Congrats on trying to change your perspective by inquiring though! Here's some thoughts:

    Some people started from such a bad place they have no choice but to have a no-no list.

    Some people are on doctor's orders.

    Some people have "trigger" foods that it's best if they avoid if they don't want to fall back into bad habits.

    Some people might even say they are restricting certain foods, but it isn't really 100% of the time. It's "under normal circumstances," but on special occasions the rules are relaxed. Some people like the idea of "cheating" so they create restrictions, just so they can "cheat!"

    Some people also exaggerate their resolutions online, not because they want to lie to their fellow mfpers, but because making a public declaration helps them stay on the wagon (even if they have a few lapses here and there).

    There are probably truckloads of reasons that either haven't come up yet or I haven't thought of.

    Hope that helps! (^_^)
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
    I COMPLETELY agree. When people begin cutting things out completely is when you see people fail on their diets. It is all about moderation and giving yourself a "cheat day" every now and then. I loooove food and I loooove to eat! If I go over here or there, big deal. My tummy is happy and so is my mind :)

    Just my opinion :D

    Its none of you business though. And most people don't fail when they restrict, especially when there are reasons they are restricting.

    Good for you that your body can so called "handle" everything in moderation, most others can't.

    Personally I think the whole "in moderation" is a bunch of excuses not to make permanent lifestyle changes. I am sorry, but eating the same things you were eating that made you fat in the first place and then switching to just eating less of those things is not a lifestyle change.

    So, it's not OK for someone to criticise the choices of people who do use restrictive plans, for reasons other than medical necessity, but it is OK to criticise those whose choice is to eat the things they like in smaller portions and with less frequency?

    Choosing to eat 90% healthy foods and 10% less-healthy, but enjoyable, things is certainly a lifestyle change if your previous levels were 50-50, or 90-10 in reverse. Everyone has to find the way that works for them. For me, a restrictive diet is not feasible long-term. I like food - some of my favourites are less-healthy than others, and feeling deprived, and consequently depressed, is the quickest way for me to end up bingeing, or eating compulsively. I travel a lot, so what is available to me to eat is not always entirely within my control. Many people do fail precisely because they are overly-restrictive, with no serious reason to be. A lifestyle change, unlike a diet, has to be something you can maintain long-term. Not everyone will fail with a restrictive plan, certainly, but there is a reason the diet industry is worth so many millions - the hundreds of thousands of people who choose diets, rather than lifestyles, that they cannot maintain.

    If you're cutting something out for a good reason - medical or emotional - then please go right ahead; do what you need to do for you. If you're cutting it out because a diet plan says you should, and you have no other reason to do so, a lot of the time, you are setting yourself up for falling off that wagon. Whether or not you can get back on will depend on your individual character and situation.

    My doctors agree with me on the whole everything is moderation is an excuse to keep eating junk food. My doctors have also told me if they had more patients that they would have to write a lot less prescriptions, but people don't want to give up the junk and fast food so therefore they have to keep writing prescriptions in ridiculous numbers.
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
    Generally if it fits in my macros I could really give a flying f*** less if someone else considers it junk or unclean food.

    Since adopting this attitude, I'm far closer to goal weight and far healthier than I was being a clean foods/low carb Nazi all the time.
  • Carley3624
    Carley3624 Posts: 6 Member
    For those who don't have a restrictive diet, set by doctors......When I was very thin and fit, I ate what I wanted but the portions of "fun" foods like chocolate, ice cream ,etc. I just had a few small tastes or half a portion and shared...find someone to share with when you go out .....Look in the mirror.....or.......do you want to have a heart attack or go blind from too much of something
    I want to look good and feel supercharged , in the energy department....though I still have pretty much energy still.
    Right now on my diet I have been good, but I had 2 pieces of pizza..lowest cal etc I could choose at a restaurant and it was good, but not as dreamy as I remembered it......so I made one taking into consideration the least fat-carb. options to make it...well I ate 2 pieces of that....yuck....taste like cardboard...think, I will skip pizza now or go out and get 1 piece next time with what I want on it..just need to share with even more people...so I can just get 1 piece....
    When I lose then ...I will eat teeny portions of fun food, but still be more aware of what is truly good for my body and eat 95% of that...I was a work=stress eater...my job is not my life anymore....don't need to be perfect.
    Last night i was hankering for hot chocolate...it passed today, but boy do I make some great chocolate chip cookies.......now that I won't stop at one....so no way Jose'.
    It will be hard for some of us "Chocolate" as Valentines Day rolls around, chicks ask for earings...... chocolate goes away..earings will be a reward to keep forever....girls give your guys gadjets, they seem to be enthralled with them.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member

    My doctors agree with me on the whole everything is moderation is an excuse to keep eating junk food. My doctors have also told me if they had more patients that they would have to write a lot less prescriptions, but people don't want to give up the junk and fast food so therefore they have to keep writing prescriptions in ridiculous numbers.

    You're aware though, that unless you're dealing with someone very specialist, most doctors (particularly GPs) have next to no training in nutrition... ?
  • PepeGreggerton
    PepeGreggerton Posts: 986 Member
    I don't restrict either. A lot of people were amazed at my diary last week when I had donuts and pizza and still lost weight. Not that I make a habit out of eating like that, my typical day is very well balanced. But what's the point if you can't enjoy a little junk food once in a while? I will never give up pizza.
  • Faeriegirl74
    Faeriegirl74 Posts: 187 Member
    I worked out with a trainer this morning for Boot Camp Fitness...she looks great but she even said "don't restrict, everything in moderation" - she even included prime examples of those "bad foods" like ice cream are actually beneficial sometimes...full fat ice cream contains much needed vitamin D and calcium...don't eat the whole bucket...everything in moderation!!!
  • carolafye
    carolafye Posts: 8
    I don't restrict myself for the point you made. When I say "no pizza" (my favorite food - ever), I easily jump off the weight loss wagon and don't come back for a while. I have one life and I don't feel I need to deprive myself of good food once in a while.
  • newarkco05
    newarkco05 Posts: 240
    Are you talking about restrictive diet plans like Special K, Slim Fast etc or are you talking about those who are making lifestyle changes? It would not be fair to lump those who actually made changes and are satisfied with their life style changes... a life style change is not a diet.
  • getfitdiva
    getfitdiva Posts: 1,148 Member
    Sometimes you need to restrict yourself (for a certain period of time) to break the bad eating/drinking habits. I had to cut out sugary drinks like Starbucks and juice for a while because it was an addicting habit. When you learn how to control it then you can work it back in. If I want to see results I have to restrict myself. Change up or stay where you are.
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member

    My doctors agree with me on the whole everything is moderation is an excuse to keep eating junk food. My doctors have also told me if they had more patients that they would have to write a lot less prescriptions, but people don't want to give up the junk and fast food so therefore they have to keep writing prescriptions in ridiculous numbers.

    You're aware though, that unless you're dealing with someone very specialist, most doctors (particularly GPs) have next to no training in nutrition... ?

    I am dealing with my General Practioner who is Paleo, my metabolic Endocringologist and a Naturopathic M.D. who is also Paleo.

    So, only one specialist and 2 regular doctors and everyone of them are clean eaters that abandoned any form of junk foods.
  • kimberly702
    kimberly702 Posts: 369 Member
    Noodles and rice... whether they're in cassaroles, side dishes whatever I CANNOT seem to control my portions when it comes to those so really it makes it easier for me to just not EAT these. Now last night my mother in law made this taco rice cassarole and I ate waaaaaay too much of it. It would of helped if she had a salad or something with it, but that was all she had. I ended up having seconds AND finishing my kids plates. :(
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
    I COMPLETELY agree. When people begin cutting things out completely is when you see people fail on their diets. It is all about moderation and giving yourself a "cheat day" every now and then. I loooove food and I loooove to eat! If I go over here or there, big deal. My tummy is happy and so is my mind :)

    Just my opinion :D

    Its none of you business though. And most people don't fail when they restrict, especially when there are reasons they are restricting.

    Good for you that your body can so called "handle" everything in moderation, most others can't.

    Personally I think the whole "in moderation" is a bunch of excuses not to make permanent lifestyle changes. I am sorry, but eating the same things you were eating that made you fat in the first place and then switching to just eating less of those things is not a lifestyle change.

    So, it's not OK for someone to criticise the choices of people who do use restrictive plans, for reasons other than medical necessity, but it is OK to criticise those whose choice is to eat the things they like in smaller portions and with less frequency?

    Choosing to eat 90% healthy foods and 10% less-healthy, but enjoyable, things is certainly a lifestyle change if your previous levels were 50-50, or 90-10 in reverse. Everyone has to find the way that works for them. For me, a restrictive diet is not feasible long-term. I like food - some of my favourites are less-healthy than others, and feeling deprived, and consequently depressed, is the quickest way for me to end up bingeing, or eating compulsively. I travel a lot, so what is available to me to eat is not always entirely within my control. Many people do fail precisely because they are overly-restrictive, with no serious reason to be. A lifestyle change, unlike a diet, has to be something you can maintain long-term. Not everyone will fail with a restrictive plan, certainly, but there is a reason the diet industry is worth so many millions - the hundreds of thousands of people who choose diets, rather than lifestyles, that they cannot maintain.

    If you're cutting something out for a good reason - medical or emotional - then please go right ahead; do what you need to do for you. If you're cutting it out because a diet plan says you should, and you have no other reason to do so, a lot of the time, you are setting yourself up for falling off that wagon. Whether or not you can get back on will depend on your individual character and situation.

    Also, it is not criticizing. Just speaking the truth.

    Every single person would be much healthier without junk food and fake processed foods. As I previously mentioned, my Doctors agree with me and the state of the U.S. shows how much people really care..................if people cared there wouldn't be a 60% obesity rate in this country.
  • akninsas
    akninsas Posts: 49 Member
    It's all about moderataion. You can eat whatever you want as long as you have the calories available. It helps me a lot. Its easier to know I can have something and just eat the portion size serving and know that if I want it tomorrow I can have it again. This is a lifestyle change and if you deprive yourself of your favorites, your lifestyle change isnt going to last.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    I COMPLETELY agree. When people begin cutting things out completely is when you see people fail on their diets. It is all about moderation and giving yourself a "cheat day" every now and then. I loooove food and I loooove to eat! If I go over here or there, big deal. My tummy is happy and so is my mind :)

    Just my opinion :D

    Its none of you business though. And most people don't fail when they restrict, especially when there are reasons they are restricting.

    Good for you that your body can so called "handle" everything in moderation, most others can't.

    Personally I think the whole "in moderation" is a bunch of excuses not to make permanent lifestyle changes. I am sorry, but eating the same things you were eating that made you fat in the first place and then switching to just eating less of those things is not a lifestyle change.

    So basically, going from eating junk three times a day, every day to only eating it once a while is not a life style change? Cause to me, thats what it sounds like.

    When I was in college, I ate junk everyday.. whole boxes of mac and cheese in one sitting.. whole packages of crescent rolls in one sitting.

    Now I eat fruit, lean meats, a serving size of mac and cheese, 1 roll instead of a package... and you're trying to tell me thats not a lifestyle to change? Cause to me it is..

    Get off you're clean eating high horse and realize that not everyone is like you.. and that it's none of you're business to tell us what a lifestyle change is and isn't.
  • Pollyfleming
    Pollyfleming Posts: 147 Member
    A friend of mine is diabetic. He is under Dr.'s orders to not eat any refined carbs. He chooses not to tell people about his diabetes. That's his business. I can't tell you how many people are food pushers. And when he resists their pushing, some people are mean about it. He's been called 'health freak' and 'anal'. He absolutely couldn't eat pizza.

    There are all sorts of health reasons people restrict their diets. Sometimes you can't know.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I can't stop at one slice of pizza... so I don't. I eat about four slices at a time, but I make sure it fits in my calories, and I'll exercise to make sure it fits. To me, that's a double bonus: I'm more fit and athletic than ever before in my life, AND I get to eat foods I really enjoy! :smile:

    For the most part, my dinners are in the range of 800-1000 calories, or about half of my daily calories. Half of a DiGiorno Rising Crust fits right in that range. The buffalo chicken pizza is 850cal for half a pie. As long as I eat well for my other meals, I'm good on my macros, except the sodium. Since I don't have high blood pressure, don't care if I retain fluid for a day or so and gain a pound or two, and sweat like a hog when I exercise, extra sodium doesn't concern me.
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
    Me personally, i dont eat pizza or macdonals or burger king...ever. Maybe a rare occasion when im totally drunk. Thats not becasue i dont like it or im restricting it i just dont see anything good about it...apart from the nice feeling you get whilst eating which lasts all of 1 minute then you feel guilty. There is no nutrition in it, and as for the person that said its protein becasue of the cheese...its all so over process you arent getting any nutrients out of it at all!

    Why put something in your body thats giving you nothing back?

    I agree with this. I don't eat most processed foods, I just don't. They provide nothing to me so I just eat more nutritious things instead. Some might call it "restrictive" I call it real food.

    I also don't eat dairy because it gives me bad headaches, even small amounts. If I have the smallest idea that something being offered to me might contain dairy like a cookie or chocolate, I politely turn it down. I'm ok being called a health freak, I prefer being healthy.
  • Yasmine91
    Yasmine91 Posts: 599 Member
    I have an all or nothing complex and a very had relationship with food. If I even have a decent portion of chocolate, I feel guilty still. I can't limit myself usually to certain foods which is why I avoid them completely. Since I'm vegan now I have to restrict myself anyway lol. It's just a case to what people feel that they are comfortable with and feel that they have at least some sort of control over food instead of the food controlling them.
  • formersec
    formersec Posts: 233 Member
    When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, a number of people who know nothing about the diseasee necame my diet police. They would carry on every time I ate a slice of bread. I was once loudly condemned by one woman for eating watermelon. Her husband, also a diabetic, had been advised to give up fruit high in sugar. Well, maybe his diabetes is more severe than mine because I can eat any fruit. It had not affected my glucose levels at all. I don't follow the glycemic index per se, but I do know that if I eat a certain amount of some foods, this will raise my blood sugar. One slice of pizza will have no effect. A whole pie will. Moderation and portion control. That's what it's all about.
  • Dtho5159
    Dtho5159 Posts: 1,054 Member
    I learned when I joined this site that I can't restrict my food, I just eat a lot less of it. The last several times I tried losing weight, I failed because Id cut out say chocolate.. After a bit, I was craving it so bad I went to the store and bought a whole bag of candy and ate it in one sitting. If I allow myself a piece or 2 at one time, Im better.
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