Everything in moderation? Really?
Replies
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I completely get what you're saying.0
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Am I the only person on MFP who *doesn't* believe in "everything in moderation"?
sadly, no. but I wish you were.
Yeah, I guess these points of view that differ from yours annoy you, don't they?
:indifferent:0 -
I eat EVERYTHING I want and I have been for my whole entire weight loss journey. How? Moderation.
Cleaner eating, yes, but I'm still not going to deny myself of things I enjoy.
I've hit a loss of 25lbs.
GO MODERATION!0 -
I'm confused as to why this is a controversial subject. "Everything in moderation" is followed by the unstated but understood "that you want to eat". It doesn't mean you literally have to eat everything, force yourself to eat pop tarts if you don't want them. I eat everything I want to eat in moderation -- and I don't want to eat those things I have trouble eating in moderation.0
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I eat whatever I want to eat. As long as I meet my weekly calorie and macro goals it's no big deal. It's been working for me. To each his own. Personally I won't be a slave to some dietary ideology.0
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Am I the only person on MFP who *doesn't* believe in "everything in moderation"?
sadly, no. but I wish you were.
Yeah, I guess these points of view that differ from yours annoy you, don't they?
:indifferent:
no. not really. just seems that there is a group of people on here that insist on one extreme or the other. but often, living in an extreme can be an unpleasant living. and life is meant to be enjoyed. so why not achieve your goals while enjoying life at the same time?
(I packed a dinner today. grilled chicken and potatoes, cottage cheese, carrots and some greek yogurt. would have been great. but my boss brought in pizza for the night crew. I like pizza. I ate four slices. and I've still got a bit of room left for some ice cream tonight when I get home. and I'll still wake up tomorrow.)0 -
I'm confused as to why this is a controversial subject. "Everything in moderation" is followed by the unstated but understood "that you want to eat". It doesn't mean you literally have to eat everything, force yourself to eat pop tarts if you don't want them. I eat everything I want to eat in moderation -- and I don't want to eat those things I have trouble eating in moderation.
Finally... somebody who's as confused as I am! LOL
I can eat anything that I'm willing to give up some of my allotted calories and macros for. Period.
Over the last 35 lbs, my tastes have changed as I learned that some things can be substituted for other things that I enjoy just as much. I've learned to order only what I really want and enjoy, so I don't need french fries with my burger or chicken nuggets anymore. I used to love vending machine cappuccino, but since I've reduced the amount of sweets that I eat (though I still eat plenty), the junk I used to love is too sweet, so I don't enjoy it anymore.
It's not that I CAN'T have those things (that aren't really good for me anyways). I just don't want them anymore!
Now ice cream, on the other hand, is one of the major food groups, in my book, so I regularly indulge and don't even blink about making room in my daily calories for it. I don't eat as much as I used to, but the smaller bowl is totally worth it.
It's everything in moderation that I think is worth the calories. Sounds like a reasonable compromise to me!0 -
Am I the only person on MFP who *doesn't* believe in "everything in moderation"?
sadly, no. but I wish you were.
Yeah, I guess these points of view that differ from yours annoy you, don't they?
:indifferent:
no. not really. just seems that there is a group of people on here that insist on one extreme or the other. but often, living in an extreme can be an unpleasant living. and life is meant to be enjoyed. so why not achieve your goals while enjoying life at the same time?
(I packed a dinner today. grilled chicken and potatoes, cottage cheese, carrots and some greek yogurt. would have been great. but my boss brought in pizza for the night crew. I like pizza. I ate four slices. and I've still got a bit of room left for some ice cream tonight when I get home. and I'll still wake up tomorrow.)
Why do people keep insisting that my life is unpleasant and that I don't enjoy life just because I eliminated certain foods from my diet? Neither of these is true. And while life a year ago or ten years ago wasn't bad either, I can say that I enjoy life at least as much now as I did then.
The most "extreme" thing about this to me is that peoples' assumptions about the quality of my life are *extremely* wrong.
Enjoy your pizza and ice cream. As I've said many times before, I'm not trying to take these things away from you. (For what it's worth, I took a similar approach to my eating when I was in my early 30s without any noticeable consequences at the time too.) I'm just throwing out a different approach for discussion for those for whom your approach is no longer working.0 -
In my opinion, everyone finds something different to work for them. I know I couldn't have even gotten a foot in the door if I thought I was going to have to completely deprive myself of things I love. Because to be honest, if I cut out all of the unhealthy things I ate, I would literally starve. I am VERRRRY picky and my love is with bread, meat, fruit, and dairy. HATE veggies [more than any five year old you could imagine.] So instead I just kept eating like I wanted to, but in smaller portions. Because if I wanted the weight loss to be permanent, it needs to be something I can do for the rest of my life. I can't force myself to like things because they're healthier and I really don't want to. I've lost and kept off 50 pounds with my method and it works for me, my habits, and my personality. I just track everything and keep an eye on my scales, clothes, and how I feel and that's all that matters to me
However I do respect those who follow a stricter, healthier diet and I do envy you somewhat. But I just felt the need to share my own opinion on the everything [you want] in moderation thing. 0 -
For me, it's not necessarily what I eat when it's "bad" food - it's how I feel while I'm eating it. I made a "controlled and consious" decision to eat fettuccine alfredo and I didn't feel like my healthy eating plan went off track.0
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This is another one of those "in my experience" things. For example, I used to love...*LOVE* frosted brown sugar cinnamon poptarts. De-frickin'-licious. After having cut the flours and added sugars and artificial flavorings from my diet for a while, I took a bite of one of these incredibly awesome foods and...ugh. So overpoweringly sugary and the flavor was so...(unnatural? chemical?)...just not good. Similar thing with other foods. Foods that I once thought were delicious, once I stopped eating them (and others like them) for a long period of time, were no longer tasty to me.
I completely understand this. I once used to drink 2 64oz pepsi or mt. dew every day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon at work. I went through a divorce and stayed with a friend for a few weeks. She only had diet pepsi on hand. After staying there and drinking the diet pop, regular pop was suddenly too sweet for me. I am currently working on not drinking diet soda and only having water all day with an occasional glass of wine. Water was never something I enjoyed, but have found that I really do like it if it is ice cold. I have had 66 oz of it today and am on my 4th sports bottle of it. I am down to only a few diet cokes a week, usually on the weekends. So I do get the understanding here. However, I think if I went a year without ice cream or cheesecake they would still taste incredibly delicious. I only have cheesecake a few times a year and I still love it just as much!! LOL.0 -
I agree! You gotta have mind over matter! You have to dig deep and find that emotional connection with your WHY. As in, WHY am I choosing to live a healthy life? You have to be passionate about your reason for living healthy, and you have to learn new habits by eating healthy foods! If we let our taste buds run rampant than, well, we'll become a country that is 2/3's obese like we have become.
Granted, cold turkey over night is difficult, we gotta make steps to eat healthier and healthier. Last year I started eating healthy but still had a lot of processed foods, and my sodium was up over 3500/4000mgs a day! Now it's more whole food sources and it's like 1500-2000 a day and I feel so much better!0 -
haven`t hit a wall yet with eatting what I want in moderation and I`m very close to being down 50pounds now. (this is the only time I`ve ever in my life attempted to loose weight). Its working for me so why mess with a good thing I enjoy my food and I`m enjoying my body changing for the better
do I read lables and watch portion size YES
do I make better choices YES
do I have the energy and strength to do my daily activities YES and some0 -
To each their own. I know that the "EIM" doesn't work for you and that's a fine, probably better way to go in the long run. But most people that get obese end up having an addiction to food. I know that I'm addicted to it. If I cut something out of my diet cold turkey, I will eventually end up binging and completely undoing all of my work. Basically, I began to make concious efforts in my daily life to eat healthier, and cleaner. Thankfully now, it has become second nature to eat that way a majority of the time. But if I'm out with friends, or just feel like I need some Mighty Taco late night, I'm going to have it. Because it wasn't that one burrito I ate that one time that made me fat. It was the burrito and taco combo, with nachos, repeated 2 times a week I owe for that...0
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Everything in moderation is better than everything all the time as much as you want, for people like us =]0
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Its easier for myself to eat really clean 90% of the time. Less calories, more food for lunch, etc etc. I like having a lot to eat, so eating very clean makes more sense for someone who likes to have a huge lunch xD
Cant gain weight from eating a huge bowl of veggies and greens!0 -
As far as progress is concerned there is really no reason that a food should ever be totally off limits.
Professional bodybuilders even have cheat days and will down cheeseburgers and ice cream.
If eating something you really want helps keep you on track, then do it.
And some people actual need some of the "bad" food. not everyone has the goal of being skinny, and actually want to look like they've spent a day in a gym. Typically, for the weight gain portion of that, it's going to require some "dirty" foods. I'd still be 150 pounds if it wasn't for pizza, Breyer's Ice Cream, and Wendy's double stacks.0 -
For me, previous attempts at diets that forced me to give things up were always failures. Eating whatever I wanted as long as it fit my calorie allowance and "earning" more food through exercise has led to me weighing less than I have in my adult life. I'm 17 pounds below my initial goal and still losing.0
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I actually think i needed to hear this OP. I make excuses for my taste buds way too often. I literally start going nuts if i have a craving for chocolate or french fries and i start eating a bunch of stuff trying to feel that need. But its just like any bad relationship sometimes you just have to say goodbye if its unhealthy. hmmmmm food for thought. THanks0
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i'm a food junky so yes moderation is important to me so that i dont see 300lbs on the scale ever again. its taken the last 2 1/2 yrs to really get it with food that really isnt healthy. i do however miss ice cream and other things i use to gorge in.. i find myself wanting it so i have some ..not all like the old days. it shuts my body up and i can get on with myself ..most the time after eating it i realize its not as tasty as i remember. ....well except the ice cream lol that i havent quite gotten over and probably never will. ive lost 80lbs all together in the last 2 1/2 yrs so im doing well and doing whats working for me0
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I'm always very confused why people worry so much about what other people do. If restricting foods works for you, do it. If everything in moderation works better, do it. Who the heck cares what works for the next person? I personally don't care what others do to lose weight - I'm focused on me and my goals.
That all being said, restricting foods doesn't work for me. It isn't long term sustainable. I've lost all my weight and kept it off for nearly 2 years by following an "everything in moderation" mindset and lifestyle. It works for me, so ... I do it. If you don't like the idea, don't do it. But don't be critical of someone who has found it works best for them.0 -
If I really like something, I'm not gonna deprive myself completely of it even if it is "unhealthy". It will just be reserved for special occasions.
this is the most common argument for eating something that isnt "healthy".
Feeing "deprived" is a choice and mindset that you have taught yourself.
Your body is not being "deprived" by not having that unhealthy food. it is being punished.
What is being deprived is your taste buds that have become adjusted to whatever it is that you now feel you will be "deprived" of if you dont have some.
If you get off some unhealthy food choice for awhile, you will be amazed at most of them when you taste it again and wonder why you ever felt you just had to have it.0 -
For me, the idea of 'everything in moderation' means that I'm not denying myself anything. It's a mindset more than it is about eating whatever I want whenever I want in moderation. Long years have taught me that denial of things will just end in failure.
It's not like I'm stupid and don't know what foods are healthy and what foods aren't. I do. I know that non processed foods are more healthy than processed. But I also know that I have to work within my own stress and thought process limitations.
When I restarted, while I stayed within calories mostly, I made poor choices in the health area. With every week I'm working at eating better. Downsizing portions of the bad stuff, up sizing portions of the good stuff, while staying in my calories.
Will I ever eat 100 percent clean and healthy. No,I'm not going to deny myself the indulgence when the cravings get too big, because if I try to, I'll binge, and comparatively a small portion of an unhealthy food on rare occasions is a heck of a lot better than binging on unhealthy foods on a more regular basis.
And if you're thinking I need more self control, you're right. I'm working on that as well.0 -
If I really like something, I'm not gonna deprive myself completely of it even if it is "unhealthy". It will just be reserved for special occasions.
this is the most common argument for eating something that isnt "healthy".
Feeing "deprived" is a choice and mindset that you have taught yourself.
Your body is not being "deprived" by not having that unhealthy food. it is being punished.
What is being deprived is your taste buds that have become adjusted to whatever it is that you now feel you will be "deprived" of if you dont have some.
If you get off some unhealthy food choice for awhile, you will be amazed at most of them when you taste it again and wonder why you ever felt you just had to have it.
I agree with you in part. I agree that once you stop eating something for a long time and eat much healthier, you lose your "taste" for certain things.
Prime example: I gave up breads/pasta/rice a long time ago. Once in awhile, I'll smell a fresh donut or something baked and really want some. I figure, why not?
And every single time, I'm disappointed that I wasted the calories because it doesn't taste as good as it once did.
Papa John's used to be my favorite. Now, if my husband orders it and I even take a pinch of greasy cheese off his pizza, it's gross. Not the cheese, but all the grease. I can't eat it.0 -
Studies have shown that if you deprive yourself of something you want you're more likely to binge on it. That being said, there are certain foods that I haven't really ate since starting on here... McDonalds and various other fast food restaurants being one of them, but that doesn't mean if I'm really craving it I don't go get it, because lets face it, for me personally, not giving my body what its craving means I eat everything else until I give it what its craving and thats just a caloric disaster.
With that being said, I agree with the above poster, I think its strange that people on here are so worried about what other people do. I've seen people lose 100+ pounds with the everything in moderation approach and keep it off better than people who restricted, I've also seen people who have started eating completely clean and never gone back or thought about "bad" food a day in their lives since that point, but then again I've also seen people try to take this approach, drop a bunch of weight quickly, and fail miserably, so I say whatever works for each person, and unless people ask for the advice, or whatever, they really shouldn't be criticized on what works for them.0 -
For me, the idea of 'everything in moderation' means that I'm not denying myself anything. It's a mindset more than it is about eating whatever I want whenever I want in moderation. Long years have taught me that denial of things will just end in failure.
It's not like I'm stupid and don't know what foods are healthy and what foods aren't. I do. I know that non processed foods are more healthy than processed. But I also know that I have to work within my own stress and thought process limitations.
When I restarted, while I stayed within calories mostly, I made poor choices in the health area. With every week I'm working at eating better. Downsizing portions of the bad stuff, up sizing portions of the good stuff, while staying in my calories.
Will I ever eat 100 percent clean and healthy. No,I'm not going to deny myself the indulgence when the cravings get too big, because if I try to, I'll binge, and comparatively a small portion of an unhealthy food on rare occasions is a heck of a lot better than binging on unhealthy foods on a more regular basis.
And if you're thinking I need more self control, you're right. I'm working on that as well.
for a lot of people, having that small portion of a trigger food just sets off the binge. Feeling that you are denying yourself is a choice. You dont have to feel denied. Your bosy certainly isnt "denied". It's only a few seconds of your taste buds that arent getting that fix. That wilkl go away when you retrain your taste buds.0 -
If I really like something, I'm not gonna deprive myself completely of it even if it is "unhealthy". It will just be reserved for special occasions.
this is the most common argument for eating something that isnt "healthy".
Feeing "deprived" is a choice and mindset that you have taught yourself.
Your body is not being "deprived" by not having that unhealthy food. it is being punished.
What is being deprived is your taste buds that have become adjusted to whatever it is that you now feel you will be "deprived" of if you dont have some.
If you get off some unhealthy food choice for awhile, you will be amazed at most of them when you taste it again and wonder why you ever felt you just had to have it.
I'm curious, what makes a food unhealthy? Don't you have to take into consideration how much you're eating and how it fits into the context of your total caloric intake or some foods are unhealthy in any amount (I'll give you synthetic trans fats should prob be avoided)0 -
If you get off some unhealthy food choice for awhile, you will be amazed at most of them when you taste it again and wonder why you ever felt you just had to have it.
Lies, cheesefries with bacon and ranch dressing still taste amazing and Bojangles, still tastes amazing, and I only eat Bojangles probably once every 3-5 months if even, cheese fries even less frequently0 -
If you get off some unhealthy food choice for awhile, you will be amazed at most of them when you taste it again and wonder why you ever felt you just had to have it.
Lies, cheesefries with bacon and ranch dressing still taste amazing and Bojangles, still tastes amazing, and I only eat Bojangles probably once every 3-5 months if even, cheese fries even less frequently
thats why I said "most" of them. Not all of them.0 -
If I really like something, I'm not gonna deprive myself completely of it even if it is "unhealthy". It will just be reserved for special occasions.
this is the most common argument for eating something that isnt "healthy".
Feeing "deprived" is a choice and mindset that you have taught yourself.
Your body is not being "deprived" by not having that unhealthy food. it is being punished.
What is being deprived is your taste buds that have become adjusted to whatever it is that you now feel you will be "deprived" of if you dont have some.
If you get off some unhealthy food choice for awhile, you will be amazed at most of them when you taste it again and wonder why you ever felt you just had to have it.
I'm curious, what makes a food unhealthy? Don't you have to take into consideration how much you're eating and how it fits into the context of your total caloric intake or some foods are unhealthy in any amount (I'll give you synthetic trans fats should prob be avoided)
come on dude...we have been here before. give it a rest.0
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