This posts stems from an email conversation that I had with "T" Anyway, I mentioned that I needed help with my eating and when she asked me what I was having trouble with...portion size, control..etc. I told her my theory on nutrion as it relates to weight loss.
Now I know that eating is 90-95% of the weight loss journey. However, as I have mentioned too many times to count, I am not a fan of cutting any particular food group out of my diet. (I "wants" what I want lol ;) All of the low carb, no carb, low-fat, high protein diets are not for me (although I probably would fare the best on a high protein diet because I am not about to cut meat out ..no way, no how, NOT EVA). I mentioned that from everything that I've read concerning weight loss, it all boils down to two things....Calories In Vs. Calories out. If that is the case, then I should be able to eat whatever it is that I want to eat as long as I'm burning more calories than I'm taking in. Sounds good right?
"T" mentioned that she too, thought this way for years and then gave me a swift dose of reality when I told her that I usually ( 95 % of the time) eat a somewhat "healthy" breakfast and lunch, but I usually eat whatever for dinner. I don't do 100% of the cooking and if we're having fried chicken and mac and cheese, I'm having fried chicken and mac and cheese. Now keep in mind I do not go overboard, meaning I'm not loading up my plate with heaping helpings of food or 3 or 4 pieces or meat, nor am I running back for seconds, thirds, and fourths but I am eating what is cooked.
This is where my reality check came in. "T" mentioned that and I quote
"By exercising, making good choices for breakfast and lunch but then eating fast food, fried food, etc you could be cancelling out all your hard work. And if you cook with a lot of oil, that could be adding 100's of calories that you may not even realize. The amount of calories you burn during your work out could just be making up for the food you ate for dinner therefore not burning any excess calories which would cause you to lose weight."
Truth is, it's extremely hard to know exactly how many calories we are consuming without tracking every bite, morsel, crumb, and drop that hits our lips. Personally I find it to be extrememly tedious and time consuming. I have some of the best food tracking devices there are from Diet Power (which is awesome) to Fit Day to just about every app there is and I still cannot manage to track my food for longer than a day or two. I have a digital food scale as well as numerous measuring cups and spoons and the like but unless you are able to run to the food scale and weigh every little thing before you eat it, then how feasible is it...really?
I guess that is where planning comes into play. I hear about people batch cooking meals, measuring them out in perfectly sized portions and storing them and that is great in theory but I am so not a planner. I know what some of you are probably thinking and it couldn't be further from the truth! I do want this but there has got to be an easier way!
Getting it right,
6 comments:
I too believe it's calories in vs calories out... for me:-) Everyone has a way that works for them and for me, I just can't be too restrictive otherwise I want to rebel. I allow myself to eat real foods but I make better choices 90% of the time which is way better than the bad choices I was making 100% of the time so in the long run I'm losing:-) Sure there are some slower weeks cause I may have eaten a burger or pizza or snacked to much but the difference is that it was 1 burger or 1 day of pizza or healthier snacks than usual and I'm still working towards my goal, not throwing it all away cause I feel like I failed so I may as well just give in and go back to eating bad 100% of the time. It's all about moderation and choices, you've gotta make the right ones for you... the ones you can stick to for life so that you don't end up back to where you were:-)
I have learn about calorie in vs calorie out, and i think that make sense. I just hate to count calorie every time I put something in my mouth. I just watch my portion and plan to exercise more. Have a great weeks.
p/s- i am ur first follower. pls keep posting. Your blog is very nice look, anyway.
Regards,
Honeybee from www.healthybeautifulblog.blogspot.com
I just love the Flat Belly Diet meals. There's no cutting of anything. It's a way to eat that's doable long term. They show you how to eat healthy 400 calorie meals and include a MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acid - the healthy fat) at every meal. Nuts and dark chocolate are MUFAs so for me, that's VERY doable. ;-) Anyway, that was the point where I lost weight consistently without ever feeling deprived! My body doesn't react well to fried foods anymore. Keep making healthy choices!
I'm glad my advice was helpful to you :)
As for a high protein diet - I'd avoid that. Too much protein is not always a good thing and can lead to kidney problems and a whole slew of other issues.
The best thing is to consume a healthy balance of vegetables/fruits, protein & carbs (50%/25%/25%).
Some diets may make one of those components out to be the devil, but (unless you have any medical issues) in moderation, they're all play a part in making the body function properly.
@upinthecosmos. You have hit the nail on the head, The key is devising a plan that you can stick to for life(I'm working on that one ;)
@Honeybee I know what you mean about calorie counting. I am going to do so more research on portion sizes. I know the whole palm of hand deck of cards, size of die in theory. it's putting it into practice that I haven't mastered.
@ Mama Bear June. I have to look into this flat belly diet. that is where I need to lose the most and if I can master this Buddha belly, I would actually be semi okay with the way that I look.
@ T Yes, your advice was very helpful.. I wouldn't really consider a high protein diet. I love my spinach and pasta too much but when I was doing my research on muscle building, a higher protein diet was often mentioned.
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