YAYpril - B-Plus
I hate counting calories so I don't do it. I'm veggie so I don't eat meat (including chicken and fish. It amazes me that I tell someone I don't eat meat and they ask, but what about chicken or fish. Um, it's all meat. Anyway.)
I eat lots of produce. I also eat crap - I love pizza - but I figure I run enough that it's ok. If I gave up baked goods I would lose a few pounds but I love baking and I love eating what I bake.
There's a good book called Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. It's a very interesting read. I need to re-read it myself.
Former Bad Ass
I used WW and noticed the same, Misty. I was losing until they switched to the new system and for the new system, I had to eat all my activity points, all the weekly points and all the WW points in order to lose at all.
I count calories. Not because I need to eat less but to make sure I eat enough. I tend to gain weight when I eat less than 1700 net of exercise and most busy days I don't even get that many. I use dailyplate.com.
Damaris
Grilled chicken, tofu, fresh fruit, raw and steamed green vegetables, nuts (almonds and cashews) and skim milk. That's like 95% of my diet.
When I started eating like this 2 and half years ago, I began to lose weight but not at all in a dramatic way. I was losing about 1 pound a week in the beginning and that tapered off as time went on. But I lost weight very gradually for about 10 months. And now by eating like that I maintain my weight.
Many people swear by weight watchers. Personally i couldn't do it, but it does have a much higher than typical success rate for sustained weight loss.
My mother did weight watchers in her late 30's, went from chubby to healthy/slender and maintained that into her old age. I think though that what she really did was let weight watchers teach her to make healthy choices. I know she had a scale and knew all the calories and points, but i don' think she actually counted calories or points after her initial experience.
I have never counted calories but I have a very good understanding of the calorie content of food and meals in general. I can guess what I have consumed during a meal or over a day then check it and be relatively close to that number.
I do not eat junk food, sweets, or fried foods so for me it's somewhat easy to maintain my weight whether I am active or not.
I actually eat more than the average person in terms of frequency, but it is all mostly clean stuff so the effect on my waistline is negligible.
Oh, and I do not drink pop (not even diet), which is easily the reason most American's have issues with weight. Everywhere you go now refills are free, where when I was growing up you had to pay for each glass of pop you got. Which meant you got one and stretched that bad boy through the end of dinner!
I lost all of my weight (over 100 pounds) on the new WW plan, and the points work well for me. I agree that most kinds of nuts aren't a good deal on the program (and there's research that shows that we don't get all the calories out of them anyway), but overall I think it works well. Marshmallows are low because they're mostly air.
For me, I try to stick to unprocessed foods as much as possible, and eat lots of veggies. I don't worry as much about the protein/fat/fiber as much as I track all that I eat, and try to eat real food.
I wonder to what extent people that have been overweight and successfully made changes actually eat better than folks that haven't had weight struggles?
I think we have to. I've heard that people who have been significantly overweight and then lost it have to eat 10% less than somebody at the same BMI who has never been overweight. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy a good slice of cake now and then, though!
Oh, and I do not drink pop (not even diet), which is easily the reason most American's have issues with weight.
I don't drink soda either. The only beverages I consume regularly are water and coffee, and the occasional beer.
Squidward Bike Rider
Too many of the wrong things.
From the Internet.
Maybe not the most helpful input since I've never actually been overweight, but I did lose 15 pounds last summer by counting calories and have kept it off through exercise and being somewhat smart about what I eat. Counting calories kinda reset my view of portion size and helped me figure out when I needed to eat more food (BREAKFAST. 450-500 calorie minimum for my brain to wake up and function) and when I should eat less (picking at everything in the kitchen while making dinner). I don't care for fast food and cook 95% of my own meals so it's pretty easy to control what goes into my body.
I will add a disclaimer that I already had a reasonably healthy diet going into the spring/summer last year - I was a vegan for almost 5 years so I eat a lot more vegetables and fruits than the stereotypical American and I almost never drink soda because I can't burp and it's just uncomfortable.
I could probably still drop a few pounds of fat if I really wanted to, but I love cheese and baked goods and pizza and beer. I'm not at a level of performance where 5 pounds is going to make a difference so it's definitely not worth giving up all my favorite things.
Jess runs for bacon
I gained a lot from quitting smoking last month, so I had to go back on a "diet." I switched to a five meal a day schedule since I was snacking. I am slowly trying to add more fruits & veggies into my diet. I don't drink soda ever, but I do drink too much alcohol. I also tend to go out to dinner too much for entertainment, and I make very poor decisions then. I never regret it though...
I hate counting calories so I don't do it. I'm veggie so I don't eat meat (including chicken and fish. It amazes me that I tell someone I don't eat meat and they ask, but what about chicken or fish. Um, it's all meat. Anyway.) I eat lots of produce. I also eat crap - I love pizza - but I figure I run enough that it's ok. If I gave up baked goods I would lose a few pounds but I love baking and I love eating what I bake. There's a good book called Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. It's a very interesting read. I need to re-read it myself.
Pizza was my weak spot, until I ralphed it all up over the winter. I haven't had a greasy pizza since.
When I was 14, my friend and I made a German chocolate cake and literally ate the whole thing in a day. I couldn't even look at a slice for 10 years afterward without feeling nauseous. It's a good tactic.
Lol! I know I actually read that somewhere, if there is something you have a hard time quitting a food they say to stuff your face with it for a week.
I should do that with your cake balls
I had a similar experience with peach Schnapps as a yute, I think I was drunk for a week! To this day I cannot even look at it on the shelf without the room spinning, blech.
I can't touch beer for the same reason. Barf.
i could use some friends on my fitness pal, anyone feel free to add me, same username as here.