"Dieting" with normal food

Since I don't really have a problem with fat in my diet, the only benefit I see to reduced-fat and fat-free foods is that they generally have less calories. Fat-free Miracle Whip has been a godsend. Other than that, if it tastes like crap, it's not worth the tradeoff.

Get in your essentials, exercise, get enough rest and stay within calorie limits and you can maintain your weight for years on in. Personally I've stayed within 10lbs-15lbs of my current weight (it's at the high end right now) for over 28 years eating practically anything I want.

A.C.E. Certified Personal & Group FitnessTrainer
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Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I eat whatever I want also.

after reading a lot of threads like this one, i'm really confused about what i should do. i pretty consistently consume about half, or less than half, of my allowance for fat. for example, what i have preemptively logged in my tracker for today comes to 15g of fat with the ability to eat 29g more. none of the foods on my tracker for today are "diet" foods. i've got oatmeal, lots of fruits and veggies, this spanish rice-thing i make for dinner, and i'm actually going to taco bell for lunch. i'm a vegan, so my diet doesn't/won't contain any cholesterol.
sometimes i feel like i should eat more fat, because of all the people like OMG UR DOIN IT RONG EAT MORE FAT. but the days when i do eat more fat, it's because i got into the potato chips when i was visiting my mom, or went out to eat with friends and had french fries, or ate a lot of soy ice cream. in other words, i'm lost about how to get my fat into my diet without eating JUNK.

I agree, you should eat more fat. It is good for your skin and hair. Try adding avocado or nuts or nut butters or nut oils or tahini or olive oil to your foods. Honestly, I find some food tastes a lot better with a teaspoon or 2 of oil. And the fat helps you absorb the vitamins (especially for carrots, tomatoes and leafy greens.

Add 2 tablespoons of chopped nuts to your oatmeal to start. Eat guacamole on your tacos and add some olive oil to your veggies.

mrsmangomum, sorry if i made you worry that you'd offended me, that was not the case! i was just feeling a little frustrated from not knowing how to get more fat into my diet after seeing -- and agreeing with! -- several fat-is-good-for-you! threads. this thread that you've made has helped me get a lot of great suggestions for how to improve my diet, so i thank you for that very much!

and thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions! i will be hitting the grocery store and stocking up on avocados, nuts, hummus, and the other things people mentioned!

Personally, I get low- to non-fat dairy because I like to eat a lot and actually like the taste lol that said, I don't ban full fat items either.

I do sweeten my teas and yogurt and that stuff with artificial sweeteners because again, more calories for other food :bigsmile: , but if I make sweets for the family I use regular sugar and I will allow myself to have some of what I am making.

Its just a mix I guess, the only foods I really don't eat on a daily basis are white bread and white rice. Not that they're evil, but I just find it really easy to overeat them because they don't fill me up as quickly as brown rice and whole grain bread

Hear hear! Great post! Thanks for saying the things I'm thinking :flowerforyou: It particularly irks me when people insist on low-fat or fat-free dairy, but then advocate the use of protein powders. Where do they think that whey protein is derived from? The dairy companies are laughing all the way to the bank, with profits from selling the blue-white water AND the expensive protein powder to the same person, again and again and again.

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I know you are not trying to be mean (I don't guess you are anyway), but just so you have another point of view...even when I was 30 lbs overweight and didn't know what protein powder was...I drank skim milk. I don't like the way 2% milk tastes...it's a texture thing...and whole milk?? It feels like I'm drinking pudding...probably just me, but some people drink skim milk cause it tastes good :happy:

Oh, I absolutely don't have a problem with people choosing low-fat dairy because of taste or texture (though please make sure you're getting enough Essential Fatty Acids - significantly reduced in low-fat dairy and very VERY important for brain function, among other things - from eggs, meats, some nuts, seafood, fish etc) or because of digestive issues as another poster mentioned. What bothers me is the people who insist on low-fat or fat-free dairy as the only 'healthy' option, but also insist on adding protein powders etc. to their diets, many of which are made from exactly the dairy fat that has been removed from low/no-fat dairy products in the first place. Daft (and a very expensive failure of logic!), if you ask me!

There's a lot of misinformation about fats around that is commonly held to be gospel truth, and dairy is one of the areas in which many people, especially women, for whom it is particularly important, are nutritionally deficient because of inaccurate and uneccessary 'fat fear'. Not trying to be mean at all, though I will say that I have always lost weight when I've switched back to full-fat dairy after a period on semi-skimmed (adopted because of circumstance, not choice - I travel a lot, and semi-skimmed/low-fat dairy has become the default in a LOT of places:grumble: .).

I agree. I'd rather eat the full versions of foods. It's about portion control. The few areas that are exceptions are due to my personal tastes and not perceived health benefits.

I don't like whole milk because it tastes like coffee creamer to me. I have 2% and skim milk in my fridge and I use them for different things. I drink 2% milk and use it when I make oatmeal, but I can't stand it in cold cereal and use skim for that. I also drink Organic Valley chocolate milk post workout, but it's very thick despite being made with 2% milk and I use the skim to dilute it a little. As for texture, milk is one of the few products where I can tell the difference between regular and organic and I buy organic. The skim milk of the brands that I buy (Organic Valley, Archer Farms, or Simple Truth) are not thin, watery, or blue at all. They have a creamy texture and taste fresh. Other than milk, I eat the "real" version of other dairy products.

I drink Crystal Light fruit punch daily because I like to have a flavored drink with dinner and I hate soda. I also take a packet of CL pomegranate lemonade with me when I eat out for the same reason. The aspartame doesn't bother me. In my 35 years, I've heard so many "it's going to kill you!" assertions about so many things that I'm unimpressed anymore.

I don't like things like regular chips and Cheetos anymore because of the grease, but the low fat versions are just flavored cardboard. Thankfully I found a happy medium. Frito Lay has a Simply Natural line that's awesome. The Ruffles and the Lays taste better than the "real" ones to me and miles better than the low fat versions. And the White Cheddar Cheetos are to die for. They are my salty/crunchy snack go tos.

And add me to the list of "What the heck?!" when the guy got chewed out on The Biggest Loser for using a tablespoon of real mayo. In a recipe that served three! That kind of scorched earth policy on food is what turns a lot of people off from even trying to lose weight.

And add me to the list of "What the heck?!" when the guy got chewed out on The Biggest Loser for using a tablespoon of real mayo. In a recipe that served three! That kind of scorched earth policy on food is what turns a lot of people off from even trying to lose weight.

Wow, no kidding? Jesus.

No wonder people are convinced that they can't lose weight if they're told that's what it takes to lose weight.

I have a person in my office who is always rattling on about how she needs to lose weight and then has two big macs just about every day for lunch because she says she just can't eat the way she needs to eat to lose weight. With thinking like this, I guess I understand.

I agree. I'd rather eat the full versions of foods. It's about portion control. The few areas that are exceptions are due to my personal tastes and not perceived health benefits.

I don't like whole milk because it tastes like coffee creamer to me. I have 2% and skim milk in my fridge and I use them for different things. I drink 2% milk and use it when I make oatmeal, but I can't stand it in cold cereal and use skim for that. I also drink Organic Valley chocolate milk post workout, but it's very thick despite being made with 2% milk and I use the skim to dilute it a little. As for texture, milk is one of the few products where I can tell the difference between regular and organic and I buy organic. The skim milk of the brands that I buy (Organic Valley, Archer Farms, or Simple Truth) are not thin, watery, or blue at all. They have a creamy texture and taste fresh. Other than milk, I eat the "real" version of other dairy products.

I drink Crystal Light fruit punch daily because I like to have a flavored drink with dinner and I hate soda. I also take a packet of CL pomegranate lemonade with me when I eat out for the same reason. The aspartame doesn't bother me. In my 35 years, I've heard so many "it's going to kill you!" assertions about so many things that I'm unimpressed anymore.

I don't like things like regular chips and Cheetos anymore because of the grease, but the low fat versions are just flavored cardboard. Thankfully I found a happy medium. Frito Lay has a Simply Natural line that's awesome. The Ruffles and the Lays taste better than the "real" ones to me and miles better than the low fat versions. And the White Cheddar Cheetos are to die for. They are my salty/crunchy snack go tos.

And add me to the list of "What the heck?!" when the guy got chewed out on The Biggest Loser for using a tablespoon of real mayo. In a recipe that served three! That kind of scorched earth policy on food is what turns a lot of people off from even trying to lose weight.

Yeah... that one tablespoon of mayonnaise (if its Hellmanns)

30 calories (per each person in that recipe of 3)
3.3g of fat
.5g saturated fat
2mg cholesterol
30mg sodium

Pardon me while I scream out "BIG FREAKIN' DEAL"... The guy who got chewed out on BL should have chewed the dude off... 1/3 TB isnt hurting anyone! OY VEY!

It was a challenge where the contestants were tasked to make a meal from scratch for a panel of three judges who were former contestants. The guy made a chicken salad and when he told the panel that he'd used a tablespoon of mayo in the entire recipe, I thought they would have an apoplexy. After their collective fit ended, one said with his sternest voice and look, "REAL mayonaisse?". It was like he'd told them he added a dose of arsenic and strychnine.

I appreciate that the Biggest Loser has helped many obese people lose weight, but I'm wondering if a lot of them don't leave the show with even more food issues. In a different challenge, another contestant ate a slice of pepperoni pizza and was literally shaking as she finished it. Like she was terrified to eat one slice.

it feels like back in the days, no one was so obsessed with food and things like that.. now people want low fat this, low sodium that... sugarless this, non transfat that... you get what i mean! i think sometimes we are overly concerned and it's an obsession... but it's hard not to pay attention to these things, because it's always in advertisement and people talk about them!!

Love this topic...This is what I am trying to do....Eat in moderation b/c if I just eat stuff I am not used to &/or don't like I will not stick with it...Moderation is key!!

I have to admit that I did start out with "diet food", and I still do eat some of it. I think that stuff is pretty good, bu very expensive. I just started eating "regular food", and kept to my calorie goal for the day, and I'm losing weight this way too.

Have you looked at what they have to do to skim milk to make it look like milk so people will drink it? That's another Bad Idea.

Do tell?! I am trying hard to get out of the mindset of low fat that got drummed into me on my old 'diet' plan. I'm doing ok but skimmed milk is one thing I do still have & a lot!

Great post btw!!

Scaremongering goes both ways:

Excerpt from website regarding the nutrition of milk and it says about skimmed milk:

SKIMMED COW'S MILK
Calories per pint: 195. Fat per pint: 0.5 grams.
Skimmed milk contains 0.1 per cent fat and about half the calories of the full-fat version. However, even though fat is removed, it still retains most of its nutrients.
In fact, skimmed cow's milk contains slightly more calcium than full-fat milk because calcium is found in the watery part, not the creamy part.
For this reason, women who are post menopausal or who have a family history of osteoporosis should choose skimmed milk in preference to whole. It also contains more water- soluble B vitamins.
But while skimmed milk is a perfect health drink for adults and is excellent as part of a fatcontrolled diet, it should not be given to children under five because of its low calorie, fat and vitamin content.
It is also an excellent alternative to full-cream milk for those who suffer irritable bowel syndrome, since fat-rich foods are thought to aggravate the condition.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-329013/All-need-know-milk.html#ixzz1rCzpUe6a

Skim milk is chalky and bluish; to make it look and taste like milk, producers add powdered milk to it (they don't have to list it, just like they don't have to list pink slime, because it's still milk):

"To turn skim milk white, "some companies fortify their product with powdered skim," says Bob Roberts, a dairy scientist at Penn State. Powdered skim (which is also added to organic low-fat milks) is produced by spraying the liquid under heat and high pressure, a process that oxidizes the cholesterol. In animal studies, oxidized cholesterol triggers a host of biological changes, leading to plaque formation in the arteries and heart disease, Spanish researchers reported in 1996. "OCs are mutagenic and carcinogenic," they wrote. In 1998, Australian researchers studied rabbits fed OC and found that the animals "had a 64% increase in total aortic cholesterol" despite having less cholesterol in their blood than rabbits fed natural sources of the substance. (A 2008 Chinese study with hamsters confirmed these findings.) Roberts says the amount of OC created by adding powdered skim is "not very much," but until the effects on humans are known, it's impossible to say what's a safe level.

Read More http://www.details.com/style-advice/the-body/201105/skim-milk-non-fat-milk-diet-foods#ixzz1rDoE0hhX

Have you looked at what they have to do to skim milk to make it look like milk so people will drink it? That's another Bad Idea.

Do tell?! I am trying hard to get out of the mindset of low fat that got drummed into me on my old 'diet' plan. I'm doing ok but skimmed milk is one thing I do still have & a lot!

Great post btw!!

Scaremongering goes both ways:

Excerpt from website regarding the nutrition of milk and it says about skimmed milk:

SKIMMED COW'S MILK
Calories per pint: 195. Fat per pint: 0.5 grams.
Skimmed milk contains 0.1 per cent fat and about half the calories of the full-fat version. However, even though fat is removed, it still retains most of its nutrients.
In fact, skimmed cow's milk contains slightly more calcium than full-fat milk because calcium is found in the watery part, not the creamy part.
For this reason, women who are post menopausal or who have a family history of osteoporosis should choose skimmed milk in preference to whole. It also contains more water- soluble B vitamins.
But while skimmed milk is a perfect health drink for adults and is excellent as part of a fatcontrolled diet, it should not be given to children under five because of its low calorie, fat and vitamin content.
It is also an excellent alternative to full-cream milk for those who suffer irritable bowel syndrome, since fat-rich foods are thought to aggravate the condition.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-329013/All-need-know-milk.html#ixzz1rCzpUe6a

Skim milk is chalky and bluish; to make it look and taste like milk, producers add powdered milk to it (they don't have to list it, just like they don't have to list pink slime, because it's still milk):

"To turn skim milk white, "some companies fortify their product with powdered skim," says Bob Roberts, a dairy scientist at Penn State. Powdered skim (which is also added to organic low-fat milks) is produced by spraying the liquid under heat and high pressure, a process that oxidizes the cholesterol. In animal studies, oxidized cholesterol triggers a host of biological changes, leading to plaque formation in the arteries and heart disease, Spanish researchers reported in 1996. "OCs are mutagenic and carcinogenic," they wrote. In 1998, Australian researchers studied rabbits fed OC and found that the animals "had a 64% increase in total aortic cholesterol" despite having less cholesterol in their blood than rabbits fed natural sources of the substance. (A 2008 Chinese study with hamsters confirmed these findings.) Roberts says the amount of OC created by adding powdered skim is "not very much," but until the effects on humans are known, it's impossible to say what's a safe level.

Read More http://www.details.com/style-advice/the-body/201105/skim-milk-non-fat-milk-diet-foods#ixzz1rDoE0hhX

Will have a read up thanks for links, I have always gone for skimmed milk as I knew it had more calcium but may be I need to make a more informed choice.

You had me until Whole milk. FYI skim milk isnt processed its just whats underneath the cream :-)