reducing portion vs changing what you eat

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lovex5
lovex5 Posts: 11
in Health and Weight Loss
Good morning everyone! I was wondering if people who are losing weight with MFP simply cut portions of "regular foods" (and stay within calorie goal) or if you completely change what you're eating to healthy food 100% of the time. This is just for my own curiousity. I have heard from some that you can still eat what you want and just reduce portions but some swear that you have to start eating healthy all of the time. Thanks!
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  • maddymama
    maddymama Posts: 1,183 Member
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    I think many people started out simply eating less food, and then changed to "cleaner" eating over time.....

    I started eating smaller portions, and then my body needed more nutrients to keep me going. I ended up eating a bit healthier, but it was done over time (with many slip ups). It was gradual over the course of a year.
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    I do believe you can lose by just cutting. As long as you don't have a tremendous amount of weight to lose. Get a food scale. It is one of the best tools for weight loss. You'll be shocked to see what a true protion size is. Good luck.
  • Nutrio
    Nutrio Posts: 2
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    Both! I find though that I eat more fruits and veggies now. I change my portion sizes as well. For example, I buy the 100-cal cadbury thins if I want a treat. The important thing for me is to not be deprived.
  • Krushchev
    Krushchev Posts: 180 Member
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    I lost like 80 pounds that way. Instead of a giant $6 from carls jr with a large fry, I would eat half the burger, half the fries, extra (diet) soda.
  • MzMiller1215
    MzMiller1215 Posts: 633 Member
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    I too started out eating less but, found that I felt hungry all the time because I ate a lot of processed foods. I gradually began to eat more non-processed, lower sodium foods and noticed a drastic difference. For instance, I ate 4 cups of fresh vegetables for lunch yesterday (I didn't intend to but, it just happened), and felt stuffed all afternoon! Also, when I began to learn what one serving of my old food looked like, I felt deprived. It is definitely better to eat as clean as possible because in essence, you are eating more this way.
  • seph_house
    seph_house Posts: 101 Member
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    it pretty much comes down to what your starting point diet is like.

    for me, i discovered (through logging here etc) that i had key food stuffs that were pushing me upward. if i cut out the cake/sweets at work and moderated the cheese/bread/pasta intake at home, my diet was coming in pretty good looking & i had no problem dropping 20odd lb into the top of my target range. My diet is by no means 'clean' but it's full of protein and veg and all that other good stuff so i was happy.

    if your starting point is not so great and you depend on a lot of fast/procesed foods, then maybe a bigger overhaul would be needed.
    if your staring point is great but large, portion size is the issue.
    in reality, for most people it will be a combination of all of these with the emphasis on what your own particular weaknesses are.
  • Classic65Mustang
    Classic65Mustang Posts: 12 Member
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    Depends on the day :wink:

    Unfortunately this is not my first time at this :sad:

    I usually start by trying to control portion size and still eat what I would like but over time as I get used to tracking I try to lessen the "crap" food and eat healthier.

    Every week I try to make one little change - Decrease butter and oils, healthier choice of meats, decrease carbs. etc....

    I try to remember that this is about lifestyle change and not about a diet. I didn't get here overnight and I won't lose it overnight. If I try to make too many changes at once I will NOT stick with it.

    Good Luck to everyone!
  • eswelker1
    eswelker1 Posts: 8
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    I started out by simply telling myself "all foods are permissable, but not all foods are beneficial". It totally took the power away from the food and gave it back to me. Knowing I can eat whatever I want has really helped me choose better quality fuel for my body because I just want to!! I have an occassional treat without any guilt. :D
  • thejackswild79
    thejackswild79 Posts: 102
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    I started out by reducing portions of foods I like and changing out some items for lower calorie versions. It cut the calories, but I was hungry and frustrated. When I started focusing on eating cleaner my portion sizes actually increased, calories went down and I was very satisfied and happy. I'm not perfect and still have rough days but over time I have greatly enjoy the results.
  • just2liveagain
    just2liveagain Posts: 121
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    Hi! I can say from experience that a few years back before I had my second child I was at 280 lbs, I started drinking diet soda instead of soda, and ate more yogurt and granola as a snack instead of the little debbie snacks I had eaten my whole life, and I started working out for 45-55 min 4-5 nights a week and got down to 211 in a matter of 5-6 months! Ya I cut out the bad snacks and soda, but I didn't change anything else, I didn't start eating veggies or lots and lots of fruit, for my lunch break at work I would go to Jack in the box right next door, sometimes I'd get a salad, sometimes I'd get a jumbo jack and fries or tacos, and then for dinner I'd eat whatever foods I had been eating all along, mainly mexican style foods, which tends to have high calories! So I didn't eat clean, I just changed the soda and snack thing and kept working out and the weight dropped off me like that!

    So to answer your question, no , from my own experience, you don't have to change to just eating "clean" to lose weight, but it might depend on your body weight, type, and all that. But I also think to keep the weight off it would be good to incorporate some sort of veggies and fruits into our daily meals for the nutrients they give This time around I'm finding it much harder to lose weight, I think because I don't have a job like I did before, so I find myself wanting to snack all day, and don't have the healthiest things for snacks. Maybe I should buy yogurt and granola again and eat that anytime I want a snack! So if you don't want to eat clean you don't have to, you can still lose weight as long you're exercising on a regular basis and making sure you're not over eating on the calories. Eating clean or just cutting portions is a personal choice, do what works for you and makes you happy!
  • sweet110
    sweet110 Posts: 332 Member
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    I think it depends on your goals and where you're starting from. We have all heard the stories of the man who is 800 pounds and who eats a package of bacon and a dozen eggs and 6 pastries for breakfast, etc. Then starts eating 2/3 a package of bacon, half a dozen eggs, and 4 pastries etc, to lose his first 200 pounds. Cutting back works!

    But, as someone who maintained her weight on 1300 calories of *pure* junk food (bad idea, but I was depressed), but lost weight on 1800 calories of [insert healthy food], I think what you eat does matter. Even if its just that it makes you feel more energetic and more likely to take a flight of stairs when you don't have too. Especially if you have 20 pounds versus 100 pounds to lose. Calories *do* matter, but they aren't all that matters.

    I think we're all saying that either will work, but a mixture of both is better than either alone.
  • lovex5
    lovex5 Posts: 11
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    Thank you all for the replies!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    Good morning everyone! I was wondering if people who are losing weight with MFP simply cut portions of "regular foods" (and stay within calorie goal) or if you completely change what you're eating to healthy food 100% of the time. This is just for my own curiousity. I have heard from some that you can still eat what you want and just reduce portions but some swear that you have to start eating healthy all of the time. Thanks!

    I have revamped how I eat, but I don't eat healthy 100% of the time. Probably 90% to 95% of the time. I just feel better.
  • nehtaeh
    nehtaeh Posts: 2,977 Member
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    I think many people started out simply eating less food, and then changed to "cleaner" eating over time.....

    I started eating smaller portions, and then my body needed more nutrients to keep me going. I ended up eating a bit healthier, but it was done over time (with many slip ups). It was gradual over the course of a year.

    This! I started by controlling portions then when I figured I can eat more of better things.
  • PercivalHackworth
    PercivalHackworth Posts: 1,437 Member
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    Hi In fact, eating health food ends to come naturally when you start to pay attention of what you eat.
    The day you understand how bad junk food is, it's kinda hard to go back. Slowly you start by replacing a burger by a complete meal, sodas by water, etc....
    So I think it's a process you can't really avoid if you see your diet as something important and serious (and not a one-month bet you made while you were drunk hehe )
  • DixieDarlin1987
    DixieDarlin1987 Posts: 553 Member
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    That's how I lost my pregnancy weight...still eat the same stuff, I just don't pig out all the time. But I didn't have a terrible diet anyways....
  • floweringcurrant
    floweringcurrant Posts: 112 Member
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    For me it was a diet change to clean, whole foods eating and the occasional indulgence in something I would have eaten before I changed. I simply don't have the self control to eat highly processed foods all the time and stop after a little bit because I think they are genuinely addictive. My body is also very sensitive to them now since it has adjusted to eating better.
  • Michelle9939
    Michelle9939 Posts: 291
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    Portion control. Not eating as much unhealthy foods. Exercise. Drinking water instead of sodas.
  • erika010
    erika010 Posts: 28 Member
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    For me, I completely revamped my diet. The days I go back to eating badly, even if I eat normal portions, I still feel gross. Eating clean makes me feel fantastic.
  • OceansForever
    OceansForever Posts: 221 Member
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    I've done both. I changed what I ate and made sure I would eat healthy serving sizes.

    I precook on weekends and freeze the perfect serving sizes, so there is no way I can eat too much of a dinner or lunch.

    Also, for snacks, I pack them ahead of time (i.e. nuts) and take every day my little bag with nuts to work. If I take the entire bag, I may be tempted to snack on more than I should.

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