s/o on weight loss-> what is more important, food combination or calories?

[Ruthie]

I am so confused! I need to lose about 15lbs. I've gained it slowly over 5 yrs and now, I don't fit into my clothes. Due to the economy, I figured it best to lose the weight...save money on clothes and food :D.

 

Anyway, I've been reading all the threads and I don't know which way to go...low carb, raw, WW, sparkspeople and on and on!!!

 

So, what I'm asking, does it matter what you choose to eat if you restrict calories? If I eat a candybar at 300 calories for lunch and eat 400 calories at breakfast and dinner, that still puts me at 1100 calories for the day. does that work? or do I have to eat totally healthy?

 

Now I know about healthy choices and all, and the food being nutrient dense, but sometimes, I just really NEED chocolate!!!!!

Ruthie

[DarlaS]

You want to eat a candy bar for lunch each day? 27% total calories each day from junk food is not good for anyone. Would you let your kids do that? Once or twice a week might not be terrible, but I personally could not eat just a candy bar for lunch. I'd be hungry, and that would make me cranky. :tongue_smilie:

 

There's a better way to get a little chocolate. A little piece of two of good quality dark chocolate after lunch would be ok. If you eat dairy, you could add chocolate syrup to your milk at lunch. If not, try a little chocolate soy milk (some of them are really good). Aim for about 150 calorie treat each day and make the rest healthy.

[Pamela H in Texas]

The "diet" I'm using now simply has you add in what foods are good for you. You don't have to take foods out. Your body will naturally crave the less helpful foods less and less as well as less food in time.

 

I LOVE the idea of not dieting, but instead, just feeding my body well. And it just makes so much more sense than causing more issues with deprivation.

 

The same is true of exercise. You start off small and you crave more and more in time as you get healthier.

 

Basically, the whole idea is to make things snowball in the right direction, rather than the wrong one as it does for most obese people.

 

But I also have LOTS of weight to lose and have yo-yo'd for years. I'm sick of that lifestyle so just want a healthier one rather than to "lose weight."

 

I would imagine things are a bit different when you're 15 pounds heavier. It's not like you were necessarily snowballing in the wrong direction anyway.

[JudoMom]

It's the calories.

 

The only problem is that 300 calories from a good meal will keep you feeling better and fuller longer than the 300 calorie candy bar. It's really not fair :glare:.

[tinag]

In Jillian's book Master Your Metabolism she says that there are power foods (and I think food combinations) that help your metabolism out, but you have to watch calories too.

[ConnieB]

Having lost over 100 pounds and now kept it off for over a year, I can tell you that the diet that works best is......well, the "diet" that works best for YOU.

 

It's not really about the precise food that you eat....it's about what YOU can stick too. Obviously the small amount (ok, maybe not small to you, but compared to some of us 15 pounds is small, lol) you have gained came from somewhere. Is it just because you did have a candy bar (or it's equivalent) almost every day and didn't up your activity? Could it simply be you are getting older and most times that means less active, and therefore the same amount of food in doesn't equal the same amount burned off?

 

I know you were probably talking hypothetically or jokingly....but, honestly, if you could survive, i.e. not cheat, and eat one candy bar for each meal and a snack (a total of 4 candy bars x 300 calories = 1200 calories a day).....then yeah, you'll likely lose weight (assuming of course that pre-diet you took in more than 1200). Since my pre-change calorie intake was 3 times that (hanging head in shame) I could probably have eaten 6 candy bars and still lost weight (though I never could have ONLY had that small amount of food, so I'd have cheated and failed). It's about equal amounts in and out. Balance. And it's not even a daily thing.....a person's weight naturally fluctuates during the day, up and down, so it's not like you can eat a candy bar and suddenly jump on the scale and see that pound. I know it feels like that, lol.

 

Having tried probably every diet fad out there (low cal, low fat, high fat/protein ie low carb, grapefruit, Somersize which is basically food combos, and more I can't even remember and some I won't admit to!).....I can tell you that the simple equation for the numerous people that I have met and befriended that have lost significant amounts of weight......less in than you burn off. It's that simple.

 

For me, I finally accepted that I like food.....I like cooking it for myself and especially for others, I like trying new foods, I like trying new recipes, and I like eating rich and fattening foods more often than I should. To cut that down significantly or, worse, out, would be very difficult for me to maintain. So what finally worked for me was to up my physical activity.....having some limits there though because of things beyond my control or ability to change, means that I also have to cut out some of what goes in, since I can't compensate with more physical activity. But I still eat probably double the above candy bar example. I still eat all the great foods that I want....whatever I want....but I eat less of it. I use a luncheon plate instead of a dinner plate, so I don't take as much the first time around......and usually that is more than enough to satisfy me. If not, then I'll have seconds, because if I don't it will haunt me the rest of the evening. BUT....seriously, I've found 90% of the time that smaller plate of food is more than enough. Many people, perhaps even the majority of people, eat too much. Not too much sweets, too much fat, to much this or that....just too much. We fill those huge dinner plates (which by the way have grown almost 2 inches larger in diameter in the past decade!!!) and then eat it all because it's there. Another "trick" is NOT to put the food platters on the dining table, which is a typical family style of eating. Leave the serving platters in the kitchen, dish up each person's plate in the kitchen and bring it to the table. Just like a restaurant. You're less tempted to grab another serving because it's not sitting in front of you calling your name. Ever been to one of those fancy restaurants where the portions are small, but you still push away from the table full? Because your mind accepted that this was the amount of food you were going to eat....and adjusted your appetite accordingly. This works, for me and those in my support group, almost every time! So long as you have a minimum to sustain, the extra is just extra. The hard part is figuring out your minimum, so that you aren't ravenous an hour later and pulling out the chocolate stash!

 

Also up your activity. I know, most people say they can't find the time to exercise......but it does NOT have to be 30 minutes of stop everything else and exercise. Up your ACTIVITY. Some things I do....I now park the car at the far end of the parking lot, whereas I used to circle around waiting for someone to leave a closer spot, now I just head for the back of the lot and always find a spot right away...saves a few ounces of gas each time too. That adds quite a few steps to my errand day, but isn't so much that even when I was huge would tire me out, because it was little bits at a time. Take the stairs to the second or third floor instead of the escalator or elevator (much higher than that and I'm winded still because of other health problems, but if you can walk further, do it). It will add only a couple minutes to your time to get to that appointment or whatever, but it will be a boost in your activity that might absorb the extra calories that added that 5 pounds a year. (Think about that 5 pounds a year is about 1 and 1/2 OUNCES you gained each week....no way can you possibly notice that until the year has gone by! Yet it takes 3,500 extra calories to gain a pound....so that 1 1/2 ounces is only that candy bar ONE day a week!) Stand instead of sit.....I now stand and pace from child to child instead of sitting at the school table and having them come to me. Just standing also burns more calories, believe it or not....so next time you're at a meeting, stand in the back instead of sitting in the chairs. No time investment, but calories burned. If you really want to ramp it up, shift from foot to foot in place....again, no extra time over sitting, but the calories burned shoots up, and most people won't even notice your fidgeting (unless you start jogging in place, lol).

 

Movement. For me, it's all about moving and burning a calorie here and a calorie there, because my other health issues will never allow me to work out at a gym or do equivalent type of exercise, even if I made the time. After dinner DH and I used to sit around and talk about our days....or listen to the children tell Daddy about our day.....now we still have the together time, but weather permitting, we walk around the block or two. Again, no extra time needed. Just a change in how you use that time to get activity added. It's too hot right now, even in the evenings, to walk, so we simply stand or wander around the house (a great way to do the pick up cleaning!) and talk about our day instead of sitting on the couch.

 

Eating more veggies and fruit will certainly go a long way toward helping you lose weight....and stay healthy from the nutrients in them vs in some of the other foods out there. But.....that didn't work well for me at first because that wasn't the food my body craved...so I'd dutifully eat my veggies, but then I'd ALSO have whatever it was my body wanted....which meant more calories. But as I lost significant amounts of weight however I found that I was craving healthy foods....I wanted my veggies steamed with a touch of garlic instead of drowning in some thick sauce. I wanted a wonderful fruit cocktail (not that nasty canned stuff, but delicious fresh fruit) for dessert....maybe with a small scoop of ice cream too. Instead of the huge bowl of ice cream with the only thing laughingly approaching fruit was the Strawberry topping and marachino cherry! I started shopping at a local farmer's market because the quality and taste of the fruit and veggies was soooo much better, so I wanted it more often. The added benefit.....my kids who did NOT have a weight issue (at least not yet) started eating the fruit too instead of asking for popsicles or whatever.....and while we do homemade popsicles to avoid the massive amounts of sugar it still was not nutritious like a peach or grapes or whatever. My kids also now eat a salad with loads of veggies, not just lettuce and carrots like before....because they taste better!

 

But, if you aren't in a mind-set yet to replace your sauce with garlic, then find ways that you CAN take small steps. Because the only way a "diet" is ever going to work is if you have the committment to stick with it. The minute you go back to your old ways, you'll go back to your old weight (or more). Permanent life changes will make permanent weight and health changes. Making them gradually will make them easier to keep. If you want this to be the last time you take off those 15 pounds, then you need to make the changes that will last....and that may mean it will take a little longer than the latest fad diet, but it will be the last time. \

 

Good luck!

[KingM]

I've been having luck with the No S Diet that someone on the board recommended. It's the first time I've found something that I could imagine myself doing for the rest of my life, where I didn't feel like I would be permanently depriving myself of the enjoyment of good food.

[Laurie4b]

I would encourage you to think about getting healthier--and make that your goal.

 

Losing weight is not good for you; losing fat is. Losing weight typically results in a rebound in which you'll end up heavier than you are now. Making lifestyle changes that are healthy continue to pay dividends.

 

Technically, if humans were machines, then all you need to do is count calories. But we aren't machines. Our bodies need certain nutrients and phytochemicals and excrete enzymes in reaction to what we eat that may cause us to feel satisfied or hungry or to have cravings in response to what we just ate, even if it all had the same calories.

 

My advice is to

 

1) begin to exercise and include strength training. Exercise 6 days a week. If you're way out of shape, start with 10-15 min per day and increase it to 45 minutes a day. If part of that exercise is strength training, you should be gaining some muscle (but losing inches.) If you can afford it, Curves is an easy way to start exercising and combines strength training, aerobics, and stretching.

 

2) Start adding healthy stuff to what you eat. Don't worry about subtracting stuff . Add 2-3 servings of nonfat or low fat dairy. The calcium and other substances in milk help your body release fat from storage.

 

3) Add fruits and vegetables, shooting for 7-9 servings per day.

 

4) Add whole grains (read labels carefully). They not only give you fiber, but there are many beneficial phytochemicals in the whole grains.

 

5) If you eat a lot of red or processed meat, try substituting chicken, fish, turkey (ground turkey is a great substitute for ground beef and is under $2 pound at our local Walmart), egg whites (though an occasional whole egg is fine.)

 

6) Add olive oil, nuts, & avocados for "good fat." This is a huge key to your body feeling really good and satisfied.

 

7) Increase your meals per day. You may want to eat 4 meals or 3 meals plus a couple snacks. If your meals are centered around vegetables and fruits (keep fruit juice to one serving, but drink as much vege juice as you want), with some good fat and protein, you won't gain weight by eating more frequently, but you will keep your metabolism up and your body feeling good.

 

As you add in all the good things 1) you won't be hungry and 2)you will start to lose your taste for empty foods. You will be able to eat candy bars (I'd go for dark chocolate bars because there are some health benefits to dark chocolate. You will gradually want less than a whole bar)

 

This way of eating will reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. as well as make you feel fabulous. The weight will come off as a side-effect.

 

There are gadgets (they have one at our local Curves, but you can buy them too) that measure your body fat by sending a bit of electrical current (can't feel it) through your body. Some scales do that as well. It's important that you lose fat pounds and gain muscle pounds. You do not want to stress your body by losing muscle. It will lower your metabolism, which is why the rebound happens.

[Ottakee]

WOW Connie, that is great. 100 pounds is a HUGE weight loss. I have lost about 70 and still have some to go.

 

Like you, it was upping the exercise (leaving in a few minutes to walk 2 miles with a friend) and cutting back on my food. I have NOT given up my pop, sweet tea, sweets, etc.--just cut back and try to add in more veggies.

 

I needed a lifestyle change, not a diet.

[Garga]

The NoS diet is working for me as well. It's free. Look for the website. (Google No S diet.)

 

I also did the Fat Loss for Idiots diet, and what I learned from that goes naturally with the No S diet (only the Fat Loss diet costs money.) Here's what I learned:

 

1. Eat a lot more fruit, veggies and protein. (I used to eat a LOT of things like rice and pasta and candy. Lots of candy.)

 

2. Watch your portions. Carefully.

 

I also walk on the treadmill for about 30 minutes a day. I walk pretty slowly and watch movies while I walk.

 

The premise of the No S diet is just to stop eating so much and to also stop eating so much junk food. You can eat junk food on days that begin with S (Saturday, Sunday and Special days--like a birthday or Christmas.) Start there.

 

I was 17 pounds overweight and now I'm only 9.5 pounds overweight and it's still going down.

[chickenpatty]

That is exactly what works for me. Every now & then I want a milky way bar, so I just make that my meal. I try not to do it very often, though, but it helps me keep going.