Do you follow a certain diet or do you just track calories?

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  • stephyy4632
    stephyy4632 Posts: 947 Member
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    mostly just track calories :) but I do like to have my Protein higher than MFP sets me at and I like to keep my sodium below where MFP set me at and its working well for me so far :)
  • Erica27511
    Erica27511 Posts: 490 Member
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    Just track calories and sodium.
  • HUNGRYHIPPO68
    HUNGRYHIPPO68 Posts: 22 Member
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    I use SW but also yrack my calories on here :)
  • ruthycarol
    ruthycarol Posts: 3
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    I'm tracking calories, but I'm also trying to follow the Sonoma Diet. It makes more sense than anything I've seen yet.
  • fit4lyfeLisa
    fit4lyfeLisa Posts: 529 Member
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    I just track calories and keep it movin. :-)
  • michelleesther
    michelleesther Posts: 72 Member
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    I just track calories but I try to make those calories as nutritious as possible! (Not too much sugar, salt, etc)
  • pdj1220
    pdj1220 Posts: 175
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    Just track calories and sodium.
    ^^ This, that way I don't feel the urges to binge. It still happens sometimes, but I find it easier to control. Another thing I have noticed since I have reduced sodium, sometimes a salty treat is what I crave. Tortilla chips seem to help at those times, and a single serving is usually about 150 calories and 120 mg sodium.
  • Masterdo
    Masterdo Posts: 331 Member
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    Since I started my weightloss journey I have followed two different "diets"

    1. Low Carb/High Protein
    2. Ashy Bines Clean Eating Plan: Basically low carb, no diary, no processed food, no sweetners etc.

    BTW, are you going to do low carb/high protein or Ashy Bines plan for the rest of your life? I'd hope not. Just track your calories.

    I thought I could.

    I don't know.. I wish I didnt care what I ate and just followed a strict pla but I need to get out of this äll or nothing mentality.

    So If I know one night I am going out with friends, I should just try and eat low calorie foods throughout the day so I have more calories at night?

    Is that right?

    You can apply the all or nothing mentality to your weight loss as a whole though, but there is no need to demonize carbs, for now. When you get to your healthy weight and want to get ripped, you might need to start tweaking your diet that way, but it's really not necessary at this point.

    For eating out, if you don't do it daily, be reasonable throughout the day, and really enjoy the meal out too. Sounds easy, but it's probably not. People have a tendency to feel guilty about those things to the point that they don't even enjoy the meal or the evening. Remember that gaining fat is not any faster than losing it, it won't happen overnight. So enjoy the meal, be reasonable with it, or not, doesn't really matter. Log it, then the next morning is a new day, and if done right, you'll be pretty happy and motivated from the fun you had the night before :)
  • emisu2
    emisu2 Posts: 53 Member
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    I'm doing a ketogenic diet where I eat as much fat as I want but restrict carbs to just about under 30 or 40 grams per day. I eat a lot of coconut ice cream (no sugar added). I keep protein moderate (as much as I can), meaning around 50 - 75 grams per day if I can manage to eat that little, but I don't fret too much if I go over (hopefully under 100 grams for sure). I have been eating a large number of calories, well over maintenance, every day, and have barely exercised. According to my numbers, I have actually lost weight. I also recently had the best biometrics screening of my life. My HDL cholesterol and triglyceride numbers are phenomenal.

    I am no longer of the belief that a calorie is a calorie. Hormones (especially insulin) drive everything. I tried and failed the calorie approach when I was still eating over 60 grams of carbohydrate per day, and my metabolism slowed down BIG TIME. I was obsessed with food and sweets and had ZERO energy. Now I just eat when I'm hungry but make sure to track macronutrients (not calories). It is working well for me so far.

    Read Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes.
  • sarahjanemoorhouse
    sarahjanemoorhouse Posts: 1
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    I used to follow very strictly the Dukan Diet, which I have to say is hard. However I did learn some valuable things from it and I generally follow a low carb and fat diet and have a lot of protein in my diet. It is hard but generally don't eat things with more than 10 -12grams of carbs and generally the lower the fat content the better! Obviously there will be times when you slip- Otherwise you find your self becoming a little crazy!
  • reggie2run
    reggie2run Posts: 477 Member
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    Just track calories.I find that if i stay under the recommended #'s across the board,I don't have cravings.I think if you just Give your body what it needs,it all balances out.No gimmick's, just eat healthy:)

    This!
  • ChrisJ2626
    ChrisJ2626 Posts: 28 Member
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    Although "Fad Diets" are out there in abundance, don't get sucked into it. What I do, and what I recommend for most people (I manage a health food store and went to school for this topic) is cycling different nutrient ratios. For example, for a month, follow a 40-30-30 ratio of your total calories (protein, fat, and carbs) and then the next month 45-25-30 and so on. I would just never go above the 30% mark on fats. You can still enjoy the foods you like, and keep them in that ratio and calories. Moderation, moderation, moderation..

    If you can't imagine yourself doing a "diet" for the rest of your life, than don't do it. The whole point is to make a lifestyle change that you can handle forever, this way you don't yo-yo in weight. Any "diet" that tells you that you can't eat a certain type of nutrient is unrealistic. At some point, you will go nuts and binge on that food, whatever it is, because your body will crave it uncontrollably. So in conclusion, just switch your nutrient ratios on Myfitnesspal, and stick by it, and eat the foods you like. (but try and stay away from fast food!)
  • raverhayley
    raverhayley Posts: 112 Member
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    i just try to eat the healthiest i can- i try not to eat carbs after 3pm. Also i try to stay away from hard cheese, pasta and bread when i can as they are to moorish to me and i start to crave them!
  • Rockmyskinnyjeans
    Rockmyskinnyjeans Posts: 431 Member
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    I just track my calories and stay within the recommended calories that it tells me on MFP. I've found that I'm not getting hungry doing it that way and this strategy seems to be working for me :)
  • skinnnyfat123
    skinnnyfat123 Posts: 21
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    I am trying to keep carbs to 50 or 60 per day and stay in ketosis for as long as possible. Its hard work at the moment but after 3 weeks I plan on introducing carb up days every ten days. This carb up day can be very useful for regaining glycogen stores in the muscle and is vital for people that weight train. I have tried other methods of dieting and to be honest I found all of them rubbish as I kept losing more muscle than fat.
  • brojas10
    brojas10 Posts: 7
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    I was having the same problem. I started following a Paleo diet and would stick with it Monday-Saturday, come Sunday, I ate anything and everything I wanted in no type of moderation. So I would back track any progress I'd made during the week. Like you I was feeling deprived and had an "all or nothing" mentality which is why if I had already eaten something "bad" one day, I would keep it going for that day. Now I think a good solution is to still count calories no matter what diet you follow. Currently I'm still following a paleo diet, but I am keeping track of calories to make sure I don't go over on nuts. If you want to indulge in sweets or some of your favorite foods sometimes I would suggest doing so as long as you remain withing your allotted calories for the day. Hope this helps! Good luck!

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