does the "eating anything you want in moderation" really wor

Yes it does work. I don't have any banned foods but I do eat to lose weight, so I have a daily calorie limit that I aim to stay within regardless of what I eat.

I have found that what I want to eat has changed since I decided to lose weight though. That pizza looks a lot less appetising when you work out that you'll need to exercise for over an hour to be able to eat it and stay within your calorie limit.

I'm really not the type of person who does well with absolutes when it comes to food. "Eat that, don't eat that" doesn't work for me. As soon as something is forbidden I want it! Eating what I want in moderation works for me.

Doesn't work for me. Personally I had to switch my mindset to food being fuel for whatever it is I'm doing. If it tastes good then that's a bonus.

^^^ me too.

i ENJOY eating to live, rather than living to eat. of course, this doesn't count my "whatever" day or special occasions.

I don't belive this in the least. Sure you can eat anything you want in moderation and it could possibly help with weight loss - short term...but isn't weight loss pointless if you don't have your health to go with it?
Eating nutritionally deficient foods and food products (aka "franken-foods"; pretty much about 90% of what you find in a grocery store) in moderation probably wouldn't do much for long term health and longevity.

The only thing in my diet I moderate is carbohydrates. Protein and fat are "free reign" and I take advantage of that. Especially fat. Veggies just taste sooo good sauteed in butter and/or bacon fat or coconut oil.

My appetite changes with my activity.

I lost all of my weight eating in moderation. There are no taboo foods or food groups in my world. I eat 2 slices of pizza for dinner, not 4. I weigh out one ounce of aged cheddar for a snack, not mindlessly slicing off of a hunk of cheese. I split desserts or other fatty foods with other people so I can still have *some* just not a ton.

It works for me!

Definitely this! I still get my breakfast tacos (I LOVE barbacoa tacos!!!) at least a couple times a week but I make sure they fit in my daily calories and try to eat very healthy options the rest of the day and/or exercise enough to make up for it.

Yes and No.

Yes, cutting calories works to kick off your weight loss.

No, filling your daily calories with sugar and fat isn't going to help you.

I still eat most of what I want, but I'm mentally changing my attitude about what it is exactly that I want! Do I want a donut for breakfast? EFF NO, I don't! They taste great, but I'm getting zero nutrition there and I'm going to set myself up for eating junk the rest of the day to get my sugar fix (because once the sugar high dissipates, I need more). Do I want 1/4 of a donut that someone cut into pieces? ...well, maybe, but only if I've eaten something else and I'm planning on some physical exercise later in the day. Do I want pizza for dinner? Not really... I used to eat 3-4 pieces in a sitting and would be pretty happy about the general idea of ordering pizza, but now I barely eat 2 and I don't feel too good afterward. Do I want a cookie? Not unless it's my favorite cookie. Do I want potato chips? Not really, no - I'll have almonds or fruit instead. Do I want mac and cheese? Heck yes I do, it's yummy! Do I want a beer? Well, yes, provided it's a good beer. etc.

The point is, don't feel like you have to give up "bad food" completely - but be sensible about what you're eating and what sort of value it has for you. If the reward you get is a sugar high followed by a crash, it may not be worth it. If the reward is a full feeling with energy to spare, then go for it. I also realized once I started working out that I didn't miss the extra sugars as much and I can't bring myself to eat too many sweets anymore.

I think it depends on the person. Of course you need to stick within your cals/carb/fat/sodium levels so it's just down to whether the individual can stick to that. I've always been bad, trying to avoid "bad" foods but this year I've switched to weighing my food, sticking within my goals and not only am I finding it easy but I don't feel restricted.

Absolutely it works. Every time I tried cutting things out of my diet in the past, I failed, because I missed those things, and would binge and go back to my old eating habits. Think of it as when you tell a child he can't play with a certain toy. The child might not have even been thinking about that toy, but as soon as you say "no that is off limits" well of course, they want to play with it more.

Once I told myself that eating what I like to eat is OK but just to make sure I stay within my calorie limits and balance my meals, then I stopped worrying about it...and I've lost about 11 lbs since changing that mentality.

That. In the last 16 years, every time I've tried to lose weight, I put all junk food off limits. Never lost more than 15-20 lbs before id have a bad day, feel like a failure and quit. This is the first time I ever tried losing weight without cutting anything out. If I know I CAN have it if I really want it, its easier to say no. I can keep a lindt chocolate bar in the house and make it last a couple weeks. Or cookies. Or ice cream. I have ice cream bars that have been sitting in my freezer for a few months. I do have trigger foods and I know what they are so if I really want those, I only get them in single servings.

I'm in the yes and no group as well...

When I started out, I was all about eating everything I wanted in moderation because I knew that deprivation was the root of failure in my past attempts (I'm a foodie). As I've progressed, I'm leaning more towards having the things I want that matter, more like quality instead of quantity. Sure I could have a muffin for breakfast but those carbs are going to be burned up in a couple hours and I'm going to have to eat a couple hundred more calories to get through my mid-morning workout. Better to use the same 500 calories on good fuel like a breakfast sandwich and a protein bar.

But there are still things I can't have in my house because I have no control. For instance, hubs bought me one of those small heart boxes of chocolates for Valentine's Day. I managed to make it last but only 2 days. Chocolate and me are sooooo best friends. :laugh:

Ive heard a lot of people say that you can eat whatever you want as long as its in moderation and still lose weight, is this true? If so what is "moderation"?

In my limited research, there seems to be two schools of thought here. 1) a calorie is a calorie. Once inside your body, your body will do/convert to whatever it needs, and 2) a calorie is not a calorie. Two people, eating the same number of calories a day for a year... one all fats, carbs, etc., the other more "healthy" foods- will they look the same at the end of the year given similar, or no, exercise?

One thing that is fact, is 1 pound of fat = approximately 3500 kcal. So, if your weekly kcal deficit is -3500 net, you will/should? lose a pound for that week.

So, is a cal just a cal - or will your body burn/process/convert THAT cal better/faster/etc vs. THAT OTHER cal?

Thus far, I have changed my diet some but not gone uber healthy and do have my bad foods. But I am sticking at or below my suggested cal limits- and still dropping weight. Also exercising more than before.

Bottom line: eat less, move more.

*Ok, maybe not quite as good as Take 5 bar, because those suckers are incredible and should be sold next to the Midol.

*snort* Exactly.