If you love food and find comfort In eating, how did you lose weight?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's funny that people here think 1200 calorie is a very low calorie diet. Whereas by definition it's 800 or less.

and that is a big deficit. Sure at 1200 calories you aren't starving yourself and can eat healthy, but for most people, especially those who don't have a goal weight of 120 lbs and who exercise, it is low and creates a large deficit. Nothing wrong with that if you can stick to it, but most people find 1200 too low and difficult to stick with 7 days/week which often leads to overeating some days and not losing weight. Personally, I did better eating more. Yes, the deficit wasn't as big and I didn't lose as quickly, but it was more sustainable and something that I could stick with and still live my life and include foods I love.

[Anonymous]

I started doing 20:4 IF and basically only eating a mid-afternoon snack and dinner. It’s amazingly cheaper and easier not to worry about breakfast and lunch, and my stomach has shrunk so I get full faster. I still can eat big meals for dinner, but as a means of calorie restriction you seriously can’t beat it.

[Anonymous]

You need to substitute something else to give you comfort. This might be sitting by the pool with a book, or watching a movie, or hanging with a friend or other loved one, sewing, writing, etc. If you need something to do with your mouth, chew gum or sip a low calorie drink. Try not to think about food or the denial of it, and if that isn’t possible, eat a small portion of whatever you are craving. I feel like fasting or tracking food makes you think about food too much. Just eat what you want, but stop when you are sated before you are full, even if it is still tasting good.

[Anonymous]

Intermittent Fasting. Don’t eat all day, eat whatever I want after 4 or 5.

[Anonymous]

OP here, these are all really helpful suggestions. Thank you. As for the tracking, I do it well for a few days or even weeks but then I have a string of days where I am busy, or forget, or have something that is difficult to log (recipe or food at a restaurant) and then I give up. I tend to have an all or nothing approach which I realize isn't helping... I need to reframe and not think of these slip ups as complete failure.. and just hop back on the wagon when I fall off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, these are all really helpful suggestions. Thank you. As for the tracking, I do it well for a few days or even weeks but then I have a string of days where I am busy, or forget, or have something that is difficult to log (recipe or food at a restaurant) and then I give up. I tend to have an all or nothing approach which I realize isn't helping... I need to reframe and not think of these slip ups as complete failure.. and just hop back on the wagon when I fall off.

I’m the 20:4 IF poster and I honestly don’t track, but I was already in keto when I started IF. I just try to keep it generally low carb, but I also live my life. I find with fasting most of the day, I think about food a lot LESS. I refused the idea for a good long while thinking it was stupid and I could never give up meals but after reading the Jason Fung books I am a total convert.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's funny that people here think 1200 calorie is a very low calorie diet. Whereas by definition it's 800 or less.

I am 9:20. I lost eating 1550. 800 would literally leave me starving. Bodies and activity levels differ, you can’t generalize like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t want to give up gluten or any food group but am willing to cut back. I have tried logging calories on MFP and find it unsustainable over time. Any suggestions? I’ve started weight training and can do a 12-14 hour fast pretty easily. Has anyone tried Noom? I have about 10-15 pounds to lose.

Cutting back will make you always hungry. The trick is that when you cut gluten and grains you can eat as much as you want and you don't need to excursive or fast and you are still loosing weight or easily maintain it. The problem is that if you will tie your body and make it dependent on the weight training and fasting, the moment you will stop those or lower them the weight will come back.

It is supply and demand. Imagine that you can eat ten gigantic cucumbers and you will be filled like elephant and yet if you think of it you just ate 150 calories. The same with tomatoes.. or cauliflower or broccoli... those things just don't have calories .. almost.

The meat is great to keep you not hungry for a very long time. A small pork chop or a chicken breast that you can easily pan fry to make it delicious will set you back only little calories and yet you eat well and deliciously.

For gluten if you need you could binge on the weekend, pick a day, have a ball, then don't touch the rest of the week. Still the gluten will make you stick the food to your bones hahahha but overall you will still be better off then shoving it daily.

Potatoes are your friend, grains are your enemy for the weight loss.. also stay away from dairy except for little here and there, like milk in coffee.

Don't drink too much water, just follow your thirst.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's funny that people here think 1200 calorie is a very low calorie diet. Whereas by definition it's 800 or less.

I am 9:20. I lost eating 1550. 800 would literally leave me starving. Bodies and activity levels differ, you can’t generalize like that.

Seriousuly? 800 calories?

One chicken breast 231 calories, five cucumbers 75 calories, = 300 calories
One potato 135

So far 435.. HUGE Dinner.

Whole cauliflower - 146 calories who can even ate that much of food! still you are now at 590 roughly..

Still 200 to go!

So as you see there is TONS of food that is feeling and does not have that many calories, just mix them with those that do have calories.

Whatever has calories usually make you not hungry - things like meat or potatoes

whatever does not - fills you like crazy but does not keep for long so you mixt the two groups wisely and you are good.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's funny that people here think 1200 calorie is a very low calorie diet. Whereas by definition it's 800 or less.

I am 9:20. I lost eating 1550. 800 would literally leave me starving. Bodies and activity levels differ, you can’t generalize like that.

Seriousuly? 800 calories?

One chicken breast 231 calories, five cucumbers 75 calories, = 300 calories
One potato 135

So far 435.. HUGE Dinner.

Whole cauliflower - 146 calories who can even ate that much of food! still you are now at 590 roughly..

Still 200 to go!

So as you see there is TONS of food that is feeling and does not have that many calories, just mix them with those that do have calories.

Whatever has calories usually make you not hungry - things like meat or potatoes

whatever does not - fills you like crazy but does not keep for long so you mixt the two groups wisely and you are good.

This is crazy town and not even close to being advisable nutritionally. You may be skinny now or someday, but what you are doing to your body...holy hell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
- infinite amounts of fruits and vegetables

Fruits? No. That's #1 reason that keeps me from losing weight right now when so many delicious fruit and berries are in season. I ate 6 apricots and 300 g of sweet cherries and that's 290 calories - calories that don't keep me full. And I would have eaten more if I lost my willpower completely. Where do you think these calories would go? They are just like any other calories.

[Anonymous]

I'm this way and I have a massive sweet tooth. Only way I can eat better is to do keto and kick myself out of my sugar addiction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's funny that people here think 1200 calorie is a very low calorie diet. Whereas by definition it's 800 or less.

Depends on the person. When I ate 1000 calories at 19, I had disordered eating and health issues as a result. My elderly mother, wouldn't be a problem. My active spouse, that would put them in the hospital after a few weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
- infinite amounts of fruits and vegetables

Fruits? No. That's #1 reason that keeps me from losing weight right now when so many delicious fruit and berries are in season. I ate 6 apricots and 300 g of sweet cherries and that's 290 calories - calories that don't keep me full. And I would have eaten more if I lost my willpower completely. Where do you think these calories would go? They are just like any other calories.

No. They are not. Eating 500 cals of sweettarts is different than eating 500 calories of cherries. Cherries have fiber and vitamins and minerals that nourish your body. Just nourish your body people. People DO NOT GET FAT FROM EATING FRUIT.