eat what you want within calories or do you restrict?

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  • mattness09
    mattness09 Posts: 18 Member
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    Moderation is the best lifestyle choice to make when it comes to food. Don't deprive yourself, but indulge once in a while. You don't have to cut out calories if you don't splurge if you exercise that day and burn it off.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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    Right now, I'm doing an elimination diet to figure out what food allergies I have (they run in the family). That means no junk food AT ALL (no chocolate, dairy, sugars, anything processed, no table salt, must eat all organic, etc etc etc). It's working out well so far. Not even allowed frozen or canned foods! My diet consists of about 80-90% fresh fruit, veggies and nuts. I just started, so I'm putting together a collection of recipes, so I'll actually get to cook something and eat something a bit yummier. :P
  • wally1uk
    wally1uk Posts: 120
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    If your limited to 1500 cals per day, you have to be sensible...you can't go eating all the crap you used to otherwise your gonna be over in a meal or two. So you're forced to eat a little more healthily just to make sure you get enough to eat all day to make sure your satisfied...otherwise, your just gonna fail and end up snacking all the time.

    I treat myself regularly to 'bad' foods, but save it for my two weekly blowout cheat days.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    I went primarily with portion control. As anyone that has seen my diary can attest, I'm a cheeseburger guy. But I did cut out the fries. I swapped my beloved Chicago deep dish pizza for thin crust and saved almost 300 calories on my weekend pizza. The cheese on my tacos got swapped for pico de gallo.

    I did have to drop a few things that I loved because there was just no way to make them work. Pancakes and waffles had to go. There was one other thing, but I can't even remember it now so that's kinda awesome.

    This has worked great for me, but as I get closer to my goal I'll probably have to tighten it up a bit.
  • Naytahlee
    Naytahlee Posts: 53 Member
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    I try to eat as clean as possible. Occasionally Im in a situation that I'll end up deviating and eat something less than healthy. I try to pick the less evil options, or just eat a small portion (eating at a friends house or eating out). Other times I'm craving something (chocolate!) so I fit it into my calories. Also I try not to stray more than one meal and not for days in a row. I worked way to hard to break those habits!
  • zaithyr
    zaithyr Posts: 482 Member
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    I eat healthy for the most part but I do still eat some less healthy stuff to. I just try to stay within my cals and make sure I'm getting enough nutrition overall. I've never been a fan of extremes or "diet paranoia" where x,y, and z is bad for you and will cause your body to shut down blah blah blah (half of the time it's based on pseudo science and internet conspiracy theories anyway). If you have food sensitivities or you're a diabetic, yes you have to be more careful. Otherwise, a little balance and common sense is the rule I go by.
  • robinkelly25
    robinkelly25 Posts: 88 Member
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    I have tried many many diets over the years. When I restrict myself to ONLY eating clean food and having a cheat day once a week or once a month I tend to have cheat DAYS. So, for the past month and a half I have eaten what I've wanted (with moderation) and my weight loss goal was constantly on my mind. I do try to eat healthy the majority of the time and I recently began to get excited when I am able to create a recipe that is both healthy and taste wonderful.
    Although every person who diets does not lose weight the same way I believe that as long as you eat in moderation and don't splurge every chance you get then it's okay. I'm sure that the closer I get to having a healthy BMI that I will not crave the unhealthy fatty foods and be completely content with only eating clean. Good Luck with your journey!
  • sensationallysassyt
    sensationallysassyt Posts: 52
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    I eat whatever I want in Moderation~ The more I say I can't have something the more I want it~ Moderation is working for me as I am dropping more inches than weight which is more noticable~ Loving this Feeling~
  • unlocke
    unlocke Posts: 149
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    I eat pretty clean and healthy most of the time, but I adjust my day around an occasional indulgence. I just know myself and how I can mindlessly go into a binge (what brought me here in the first place), so I have to be careful and decide beforehand that I will keep my portions under control and not go overboard.
    Also, my tastes have drastically changed since I started my journey. I can't stand fried, greasy foods that coat my mouth in grease, and overly-sweet foods make me sick and light-headed. This stuff used to be my diet staples and I didn't go a day without them. Now I can't stand them and I'd much rather have a piece of fruit or a plate of veggies than something unhealthy.
    Having said that, if I want something like ice cream, I'll choose lowfat frozen yogurt and stick with the small portion. If I want a cookie or cake, I'll make them as "clean" as possible and again, keep the portions under control.
    This is not a diet, it's a lifestyle that I don't plan on ever going back on. So, it's all about what works best for me. You'll need to figure out what will work best for you, and do that. ;)
  • MrsButler82
    MrsButler82 Posts: 6 Member
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    Days when I eat crap I am constantly hungry! You can't eat enough to get full when it is high calories. The other night I ate 3 veggie stuffed peppers and I ate 3 of them for under 300 calories! I like to feel full so I go for eating clean!!!!
  • fiveohmike
    fiveohmike Posts: 1,297 Member
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    Anything I want, if it fits in my goals, but I try at minimum to stick to the 80/20 rule. 80% good stuff, 20% bad (including alcohol)
  • sdurrahMpls
    sdurrahMpls Posts: 75 Member
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    I eat whatever I want as long as I can fit it into my calorie count, BUT I make healthier choices than I did before. I've cut back so much on processed food, mostly because I've learned how horrible they are for our bodies, but also, because I can eat more and feel satisfied if I eat simple fresh, whole foods.
  • Joanne_8595
    Joanne_8595 Posts: 64 Member
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    I tend to try to stick to healthy options, but when I want a treat I have one. It's that moderation thing, which I can control most times. If I sit down with a bag of chips vs take a bowl and weigh an ounce portion, I will eat what is in front of me, since I have no will power for certain things. I really don't crave ice cream or cake, my downfall is usually pizza. I know that I can't order a pizza or make pizza and not eat at least 3 pieces, so I eat salad's the rest of the day and low cal meals and plan it out. That way I can enjoy my true love, especially if I have a lot of exercise that day! Btw, several days a week if you looked at my food diary, you will find I have a couple mini snicker bars or things like that, there are so many things that come in mini sizes these days!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I restrict many foods, but I do it for my health, not for weight loss. I gained weight eating healthy and I lost weight eating healthy.

    I haven't really cut anything that I like out of my diet completely, but many unhealthy foods are saved for occasional eating only. I do try to eat a variety of fresh natural foods, but I don't eat 100% clean. There are several processed healthy foods that I eat on a regular basis.
  • rumpusparable
    rumpusparable Posts: 160
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    I don't allow myself any sweets or such. I see no benefit to my body in having a piece of cake.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    As long as you are eating fewer calories than you are taking in, you will lose weight.

    However, I think you'll very rapidly find that eating at a deficit is an extremely uncomfortable and hunger-inducing thing to do unless you spend your calories fairly wisely. That doesn't mean cutting out ALL sweets, but it will probably mean cutting back on them and increasing your intake of fulfilling, nutritious food.


    reductio ad absurdum: CAN you eat 1200 calories of just table sugar and a multivitamin if you have a metabolic index of 1700 calories, and lose 1 pound a week? Absolutely. But you'll probably get through the first day or two at most and start feeling really awful.

    I started my diet using pretty healthy components (fruits, veggies, lean meats, whole grains, a pretty typical American
    healthy diet'), and still found that I had to fiddle with proportions and re-balance my diet (increasing protein and fat, reducing carbs) to get through an average day with a deficit without feeling hungry all the time. Now that I'm eating more in balance, I find life to be so much more enjoyable, and wholesome foods make me FEEL good, so now they taste good because they are what my body wants.

    This is not to say I don't indulge in sweets. But a teeny tiny portion and I can say "that's enough - I have extracted optimal enjoyment out of this, I will stop eating it now."
  • breeanreyes
    breeanreyes Posts: 228 Member
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    I do a little of both, i try to fuel my body as cleanly as I can, but you gotta live a little! I am in need of cleaning up my diet again,, I notice a huge difference in my energy levels when I eat better (aka, workouts are MUCH easier to get in)

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