Yes. You CAN eat 'normal' food! (my rant.)
Replies
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Great post! Count the calories, honestly count them, and allow room for treats and fav foods.
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Totally agree with you, OP. I have added more so called healthy stuff to my choices,. but I also still enjoy piazza and chocolate. I don't want to feel deprived, I want to feel healthier, and they are not the same thing.0
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Ok I was getting worried I was the only person not on a perfect diet. I have tried before and after a few weeks I would get terrible cravings and give in. Then I felt like a failure so I quit trying.
This time I decided to count calories and measure everything to make sure I get the correct portions. I have become more aware of portion size and am cutting down on some things.
I have been eating 2400 cal a day. I have lost 13 lbs in 5 wks. I rarely feel hungry. I have gone over a few times and the next day I try to eat a little less or do more exercise.
I think keeping track of my calories has made me more aware of what is better for me.
I know I will suceed this time as I have tried many times before and always felt deprived and unhappy from the get go. Now I feel content and happy.
I am so happy I found ths topic
Thanks0 -
The perfect diet is exactly as you have described... it's one that suits you and which you can sustainably follow in the long term.Ok I was getting worried I was the only person not on a perfect diet. I have tried before and after a few weeks I would get terrible cravings and give in. Then I felt like a failure so I quit trying.
This time I decided to count calories and measure everything to make sure I get the correct portions. I have become more aware of portion size and am cutting down on some things.
I have been eating 2400 cal a day. I have lost 13 lbs in 5 wks. I rarely feel hungry. I have gone over a few times and the next day I try to eat a little less or do more exercise.
I think keeping track of my calories has made me more aware of what is better for me.
I know I will suceed this time as I have tried many times before and always felt deprived and unhappy from the get go. Now I feel content and happy.
I am so happy I found ths topic
Thanks
You too have found the secret to successful weight loss - becoming calorie aware and exercising.
Good luck! :happy:0 -
I'm sittin' here (because I don't have anywhere else to eat) eating a big bowl of steamed veggies and a scoop of Greek yogurt with a huge glass of water and I say "well said. sir". You can't change a person's diet overnight and expect them to feel good about it. What people eat is very personal. Without going into the educated/opinionated boring stuff about all the bad news about the American diet of fast and processed food , I'll just say that you should do what works for you to lose the weight. Odds are your health will improve so much just from the weight loss that you'll find yourself craving something else...something vegetable-ish. I've eaten my share of junk over the decades of my life, but when I'm losing weight and I get a workout, I come home with an appetite for something like lentils and other disgustingly good things. It really doesn't change overnight - well it does for some people, but it isn't easy and I think forcing changes on yourself is an easy way to find yourself giving up.0
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I stand by what I said in my last post, but it doesn't reflect the reality of my relationship with food. Occurs to me that some, but not all of the people who become rigid about diet may have issues with control. I try to bring food into the house that makes my diet seem less spartan, but if I slip into a severe depression, I'm in danger of going on a mindless binge. I just don't trust myself with a lot of my favorite foods. I live alone and there's nobody else here to share the calories. I'm working on finding another outlet or a distraction (unfortunately, party drugs won't work) to help myself cope with life, but I just don't trust myself with treats in the house. It's a recipe for disaster. I'm also disabled and on food benefits so I can't afford to vary much from a healthy diet. It can be boring and I'm driven nuts sometimes over food cravings. Sometimes I just give up and give in and it's not pretty.0
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No, every meal must be bean sprouts and tofu, and if you feel like splurging, 3 licks of a lollipop.
:noway:0 -
"Normal" appears to be processed, calorie-dense food according to the examples listed here. If your goal is to simply lose weight with no regard to performance, overall health, and body composition then by all means, keep eating "normally"
If your goal is visible abs, athletic performance-related, or a fitness competition you'll need to abide by that annoying saying because good abs truly are made in the kitchen. Unless you're genetically gifted you won't get ripped eating pizza for dinner (and if you can do that, I'm jealous). You get out of your body what you put in to it.
I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade, but there are many different ways of eating and many reasons for doing so. if you honestly, truly can't live without this magical food in your diet I'd take a good look and figure out why. Food is nourishment, oftentimes delicious, and it shouldn't be a source of struggle.
While I dont agree with eating processed crap, mainly because my body doesn't like it and I feel like crap, you can lose weight by eating pizza and ice cream. I did, 102 lbs of it.
I ate homemade whole wheat crust pizza, with tons of veggies, and about half the cheese you'd find on a takeout pizza, and every single night I had a 1/2 cup of ice cream.
Not everyone got here by eating bad foods, I didn't. I eat very clean ,and hardly buy boxed foods, mainly because it's cheaper to cook from scratch, but there's a balance to be had, a middle ground, and not everyone is at the perfect middle. But making small changes every so often is the way to go.0 -
Said could be the same of eating healthy. If eating healthy was all it took, we wouldn't need the pharmaceutical industry nor medical field to help rid us of disease and other illnesses.While I agree with your main concept, just because you are eating less doesn't mean you're any healthier.
I could be fat and happy eating lots of healthy clean foods.0 -
for a while, I was seeing an abundance of "what's gonna happen to my boobs" threads. new batches daily, it seemed. but, lately, I'm seeing new folks coming in and asking if they can eat so-called 'normal' food. and, of course, soon thereafter they are informed by various members that, no, all of that food is terrible and they must stock their fridge with organic lettuce grown under the sunshine reflected off a tropical rainbow.
that really bothers me. people join this site, often, after years of failed attempts. many are frustrated ... discouraged. so much so that it probably wouldn't take much for them to just throw it in and give up. and you know what just might be that push? the organic rainbow lettuce brigade.
you know what, that food is certainly nutritious. no one is really going to argue that point. and is nutritious food better for your body than not-so-nutritious food? well, yeah. but here's the thing, ORLBs. that's an extreme change many -- if not most -- people can't make. and, yes, I said can't -- not won't. it isn't always as simple as just throwing away all the food you've got and restocking with fresh produce and tofu burgers. the first obstacle is cost. the second is ease/feasibility. and that's not even figuring in the fact that many -- if not most, again -- don't like to eat that food!
I get the concept that food is fuel. sometimes you have to eat things you may not like. but I'm not going to make it long by making that kind of food my only kind of food. that's no way to live, dreading your next meal. and most people won't. that's why diets fail. and that's why MFP works. because a calorie is a calorie.
Yes. You CAN eat 'normal' food. I'll eat pizza. I'll eat chocolate. I eat pasta and bread and even, now and then, a cookie or some candy. I lost 3.5 pounds this past week. I've lost more than 17 pounds in less than two months. and it's because I'm learning to keep my food portions under control. I keep under my calorie limit. I plan ahead if I know I'm going to have a larger meal or a higher-calorie treat that day. and if it just happens without planning and I decide to take that treat? that means a longer stint at the gym to burn those extra calories off.
the ORLBs will now start sputtering, 'but that's not healthy!' and to that, I'd like to ask if being obese is healthy. I think ... no. so. let's move to basic food math:
eating less of most the food I like, keeping calories under my limit = weight loss;
weight loss = a healthier me;
therefore, eating less of most the food I like, keeping calories under my limit = a healthier me.
shedding that extra weight automatically makes you healthier, no matter what it is you are eating. there's simply no way around that fact. now, that isn't to say that you shouldn't make smart decisions. that isn't to say that you shouldn't work to find 'healthy' foods that you like, working them into your daily life. but, like weight loss, that's a process. it doesn't need to happen overnight.
focus on what works. turn yourself into a better you. and do it in a way that will allow it to be a life change. and if, for you, that means 'normal' food? do it, and do it without any of the guilt you've been programmed or pressured to feel.
Thank you, Thank you Thank you!! I could not agree more!0 -
Amen to that!
Thank you for writing this and putting this whole eating healthy thing into perspective. Eating is a lifestyle change, you have to do it slowly or you're not going to make it, just like excercise. You don't go all gung-ho at the beginning, you ease yourself into it, because, it's a lifestyle change! Why would eating be any different??0 -
for a while, I was seeing an abundance of "what's gonna happen to my boobs" threads. new batches daily, it seemed. but, lately, I'm seeing new folks coming in and asking if they can eat so-called 'normal' food. and, of course, soon thereafter they are informed by various members that, no, all of that food is terrible and they must stock their fridge with organic lettuce grown under the sunshine reflected off a tropical rainbow.
that really bothers me. people join this site, often, after years of failed attempts. many are frustrated ... discouraged. so much so that it probably wouldn't take much for them to just throw it in and give up. and you know what just might be that push? the organic rainbow lettuce brigade.
you know what, that food is certainly nutritious. no one is really going to argue that point. and is nutritious food better for your body than not-so-nutritious food? well, yeah. but here's the thing, ORLBs. that's an extreme change many -- if not most -- people can't make. and, yes, I said can't -- not won't. it isn't always as simple as just throwing away all the food you've got and restocking with fresh produce and tofu burgers. the first obstacle is cost. the second is ease/feasibility. and that's not even figuring in the fact that many -- if not most, again -- don't like to eat that food!
I get the concept that food is fuel. sometimes you have to eat things you may not like. but I'm not going to make it long by making that kind of food my only kind of food. that's no way to live, dreading your next meal. and most people won't. that's why diets fail. and that's why MFP works. because a calorie is a calorie.
Yes. You CAN eat 'normal' food. I'll eat pizza. I'll eat chocolate. I eat pasta and bread and even, now and then, a cookie or some candy. I lost 3.5 pounds this past week. I've lost more than 17 pounds in less than two months. and it's because I'm learning to keep my food portions under control. I keep under my calorie limit. I plan ahead if I know I'm going to have a larger meal or a higher-calorie treat that day. and if it just happens without planning and I decide to take that treat? that means a longer stint at the gym to burn those extra calories off.
the ORLBs will now start sputtering, 'but that's not healthy!' and to that, I'd like to ask if being obese is healthy. I think ... no. so. let's move to basic food math:
eating less of most the food I like, keeping calories under my limit = weight loss;
weight loss = a healthier me;
therefore, eating less of most the food I like, keeping calories under my limit = a healthier me.
shedding that extra weight automatically makes you healthier, no matter what it is you are eating. there's simply no way around that fact. now, that isn't to say that you shouldn't make smart decisions. that isn't to say that you shouldn't work to find 'healthy' foods that you like, working them into your daily life. but, like weight loss, that's a process. it doesn't need to happen overnight.
focus on what works. turn yourself into a better you. and do it in a way that will allow it to be a life change. and if, for you, that means 'normal' food? do it, and do it without any of the guilt you've been programmed or pressured to feel.
I think I love you! That was the best post I have ever seen on here!0 -
it's been a month, so .... bump. 0
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nicely said I could not agree more I eat what I want as long as it is my calories for the day and I have lost 31lbs.0
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Great post, this whole concept is actually called "If It Fits Your Macros" (IIFYM) aka "flexible dieting".
Why I can manage to drink a glass of wine each day and still lose weight. It's all about numbers0 -
Great post, this whole concept is actually called "If It Fits Your Macros" (IIFYM) aka "flexible dieting".
Why I can manage to drink a glass of wine each day and still lose weight. It's all about numbers
Yup yup!0 -
Bump0
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for a while, I was seeing an abundance of "what's gonna happen to my boobs" threads. new batches daily, it seemed. but, lately, I'm seeing new folks coming in and asking if they can eat so-called 'normal' food. and, of course, soon thereafter they are informed by various members that, no, all of that food is terrible and they must stock their fridge with organic lettuce grown under the sunshine reflected off a tropical rainbow.
that really bothers me. people join this site, often, after years of failed attempts. many are frustrated ... discouraged. so much so that it probably wouldn't take much for them to just throw it in and give up. and you know what just might be that push? the organic rainbow lettuce brigade.
you know what, that food is certainly nutritious. no one is really going to argue that point. and is nutritious food better for your body than not-so-nutritious food? well, yeah. but here's the thing, ORLBs. that's an extreme change many -- if not most -- people can't make. and, yes, I said can't -- not won't. it isn't always as simple as just throwing away all the food you've got and restocking with fresh produce and tofu burgers. the first obstacle is cost. the second is ease/feasibility. and that's not even figuring in the fact that many -- if not most, again -- don't like to eat that food!
I get the concept that food is fuel. sometimes you have to eat things you may not like. but I'm not going to make it long by making that kind of food my only kind of food. that's no way to live, dreading your next meal. and most people won't. that's why diets fail. and that's why MFP works. because a calorie is a calorie.
Yes. You CAN eat 'normal' food. I'll eat pizza. I'll eat chocolate. I eat pasta and bread and even, now and then, a cookie or some candy. I lost 3.5 pounds this past week. I've lost more than 17 pounds in less than two months. and it's because I'm learning to keep my food portions under control. I keep under my calorie limit. I plan ahead if I know I'm going to have a larger meal or a higher-calorie treat that day. and if it just happens without planning and I decide to take that treat? that means a longer stint at the gym to burn those extra calories off.
the ORLBs will now start sputtering, 'but that's not healthy!' and to that, I'd like to ask if being obese is healthy. I think ... no. so. let's move to basic food math:
eating less of most the food I like, keeping calories under my limit = weight loss;
weight loss = a healthier me;
therefore, eating less of most the food I like, keeping calories under my limit = a healthier me.
shedding that extra weight automatically makes you healthier, no matter what it is you are eating. there's simply no way around that fact. now, that isn't to say that you shouldn't make smart decisions. that isn't to say that you shouldn't work to find 'healthy' foods that you like, working them into your daily life. but, like weight loss, that's a process. it doesn't need to happen overnight.
focus on what works. turn yourself into a better you. and do it in a way that will allow it to be a life change. and if, for you, that means 'normal' food? do it, and do it without any of the guilt you've been programmed or pressured to feel.
My favorite part is where arrogant douche biscuits tell you that they're a better and healthier person then you. Because we all know organic rainbow sunshine lettuce is the only way to be healthy, and that every one of us must live the exact same way.0 -
totally agreefor a while, I was seeing an abundance of "what's gonna happen to my boobs" threads. new batches daily, it seemed. but, lately, I'm seeing new folks coming in and asking if they can eat so-called 'normal' food. and, of course, soon thereafter they are informed by various members that, no, all of that food is terrible and they must stock their fridge with organic lettuce grown under the sunshine reflected off a tropical rainbow.
that really bothers me. people join this site, often, after years of failed attempts. many are frustrated ... discouraged. so much so that it probably wouldn't take much for them to just throw it in and give up. and you know what just might be that push? the organic rainbow lettuce brigade.
you know what, that food is certainly nutritious. no one is really going to argue that point. and is nutritious food better for your body than not-so-nutritious food? well, yeah. but here's the thing, ORLBs. that's an extreme change many -- if not most -- people can't make. and, yes, I said can't -- not won't. it isn't always as simple as just throwing away all the food you've got and restocking with fresh produce and tofu burgers. the first obstacle is cost. the second is ease/feasibility. and that's not even figuring in the fact that many -- if not most, again -- don't like to eat that food!
I get the concept that food is fuel. sometimes you have to eat things you may not like. but I'm not going to make it long by making that kind of food my only kind of food. that's no way to live, dreading your next meal. and most people won't. that's why diets fail. and that's why MFP works. because a calorie is a calorie.
Yes. You CAN eat 'normal' food. I'll eat pizza. I'll eat chocolate. I eat pasta and bread and even, now and then, a cookie or some candy. I lost 3.5 pounds this past week. I've lost more than 17 pounds in less than two months. and it's because I'm learning to keep my food portions under control. I keep under my calorie limit. I plan ahead if I know I'm going to have a larger meal or a higher-calorie treat that day. and if it just happens without planning and I decide to take that treat? that means a longer stint at the gym to burn those extra calories off.
the ORLBs will now start sputtering, 'but that's not healthy!' and to that, I'd like to ask if being obese is healthy. I think ... no. so. let's move to basic food math:
eating less of most the food I like, keeping calories under my limit = weight loss;
weight loss = a healthier me;
therefore, eating less of most the food I like, keeping calories under my limit = a healthier me.
shedding that extra weight automatically makes you healthier, no matter what it is you are eating. there's simply no way around that fact. now, that isn't to say that you shouldn't make smart decisions. that isn't to say that you shouldn't work to find 'healthy' foods that you like, working them into your daily life. but, like weight loss, that's a process. it doesn't need to happen overnight.
focus on what works. turn yourself into a better you. and do it in a way that will allow it to be a life change. and if, for you, that means 'normal' food? do it, and do it without any of the guilt you've been programmed or pressured to feel.0 -
Kudos. To that I would add, stop eating all the processed foods that are supposed to be healthy for you because they are low ____.
Eat things that come from the ground, or things that eat things that come from the ground. It really simplifies things and gives you food your body might even actually recognize and not treat in a hostile fashion.
That, and exercise a half hour a day. That may actually be more important than losing weight.0 -
Dear OP,
I love you.
That is all.0 -
I totally agree - it's all about balance and being aware of what you're putting in vs. what you're working off. The key is to enjoy yourself and enjoy life. I LOVE food and there's no way I can live on plain salads and veges my whole life. I do eat organic, but that's just my choice for many a reason.
Today, I knew I was going out with friends after work where I will likely over-indulge. But, I'm trying to plan it out a bit - first, I've kept my calories to a minimum today. Second, I've taken a look at the menu and decided a turkey patty salad with balsamic vinaigrette will be what I order rather than a cheese burger BECAUSE I also want sweet potato fries AND (here's where I will go over my daily caloric intake) a beer. That's right - totally empty calories. And, I'm okay with that because I enjoy having a beer with friends. I will log it and move on and continue to be healthy in other areas.
Balance equals happiness.0 -
it's been a month. so ... another shameless bump.0
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thankyou! i love this post - i have tried and failed so many times i couldnt count (binge eater here!) to lose weight, i finally think i can sustain it this time, because i allow myself 'normal food' and am learning to not feel guilty about it - so i can sustain it! i have finally got my head around that fact and feel alot more free - ive only been doing this for a little over 3 weeks this time, but find i dont even crave takeaways anymore (sweets are another issue) but give me a healthy chicken meal with veges and pasta and il be all over it! 0
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it's been a while. so zombie thread is alive.0
This discussion has been closed.
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