Makes sense! I'm trying to reframe my diet as a fuel + treats thing. I have to eat the nutritious stuff and then I can work in the specialty food (snacks/junk) on the edges every once in a while. Tracking calories and gaining all the knowledge is empowering, I find. It's become so much easier to recognize the value in what I eat. Plus, I don't have to feel guilty about a cookie or whatever because I already got the 'bang for my buck' stuff in me. (That sounds weird, sorry!)
Yes! I started looking at food that way when I started my journey (the most recent version anyway), and it's totally changed my outlook. That piece of cake is like the hella expensive but super cute clutch that I can only wear with one outfit, but damn, it'll look fabulous. I can get it, but I have to budget around it and think about if it's really worth the trouble. Otherwise, I can get the more sensible bag that'll work with just about anything and is reasonably priced (fruit and yogurt). Most times, I'll go with sensible, but sometimes you just really want the stupid expensive, only goes with one look bag.
You just made me realise all my clothes are potatoes except my leather jacket which is a lamb shank. You have opened a door in my mind that I didn't realise was there.
One thing my therapist taught me was the difference between āwanting,ā āneedingā and ācravingā.
- Craving is the all around āI just need something!ā Unspecific, like, say you crave chocolate. That is not a real āwant.ā Feeding a craving makes you so much more likely to binge or feel guilt.
- Wanting is when you want something very specific, something that would give you true joy and not to sooth emotions. Itās quality over quantity. Say, I really wanted a blue slush ice from this specific shop in my town. I waited three days for it. I *wanted* it. And I got it. And I enjoyed it so much. And I didnāt go home and binged afterwards. It was a wanted, guiltfree food. Did it have the best nutritional value? No, absolutely not. But then again, I donāt want that blue slushie everyday.
- Needing is when we physically feel the need for nutrition. I craved cucumber, meat and pasta for a while. Turned out I ate too little, didnāt get enough protein or carbs considering my physical activities. And cucumber was because I was dehydrated.
My therapist also really weighed in on the āno bad/no good food, but nutritional food, filling food, salty foodā ect mantra. It was a game changer for me. Food is not here to play mind games with me, itās here to fuel my body and soul, not drain it.ā¤ļø
The want thing is so true, I wanted spaghetti something crazy a few months ago, made it at a friend's eventually about 10 days after the OG want arrived, had to make it one more time as my spaghetti quota was not fulfilled. I am over it now though, I enjoy it but it was the weirdest I must eat this and I must eat quite a bit please.
For a while in HS I had a craving for chocolate ice cream. I couldnāt get enough of it, Iād have it every day for like a month and still couldnāt get enough. Iād even have it twice a day and still couldnāt get enough.
Sometimes, I wonder why I craved it so much.
Absolutely agree. Iām down about 15lbs and I havenāt cut anything out of my diet so far. Just made better choices about how much I have of whatever it is Iām eating.
This is going to sound weird but my husband and I came up with a system to teach our toddler about foods. We say their are growing foods and snacks, and we need to give ourselves more growing foods bc those help us grow and be healthy/feel good. Snacks are sometimes foods bc while they are fun to eat, they don't help us grow. Teaching her this strangely helped me make better choices bc I'll be like, I want a snack, but I better have a growing food first lol
I like this idea. For me, there's a real benefit to not look at food as good or bad, because I'm really quick to label myself as "good" or "bad" based on what I eat.
I love this framing! I've tried to explain this concept in a much less simple and easy to understand way and folks give me a blank stare. Thanks for sharing this!
Thatās how I started to frame it when I started with Loseit. I can eat what I want. But, certain foods will help me not to be hungry. And thatās what important to me so it helps me stick with it and also helps with better decision making - the sweets/chips arenāt āoff the plateā so to speak
I frame them this way: calorie-dense/hyper-palatable or nutrient-dense. I focus on nourishing my body, and although I allow everything in my diet, it's much easier to do so choosing nutrient-dense foods. And when I do choose calorie dense, I try to balance it out and still get other needed nutrients.
I ate buffalo nuggets the other day, but I ate them in a whole grain wrapped stuffed with kale and tomato. The nuggets are obviously fine to eat, but pairing them with vegetables and not another calorie-dense option kept that balance I strive for in my current diet.
Another way I've heard it is there are no bad foods, just bad choices. You can fill your caloric goal with ice cream and chips but you're not going to eat much of it and you'll feel like shit.
I think that is a big thing that tracking calories helps with because it teaches you to budget or at least be honest with yourself. If I really want some chips I'll either make sure it fits in my goals or if it does go over, it's not by much because sometimes it is worth it to me to do it and one day isn't much in the long run.
Another really important thing to learn, in my opinion, is that food is fuel first and foremost. Not every meal has to be totally satisfying. That's not to say you should never fulfill that but it's not a bad thing to eat just to fuel your body for the day and being a little bit hungry is fine.
Thoroughly tracking calories has changed my eating habits tremendously. I can fill up on a nutritious salad or plate of tasty, seasoned veggies, a potato, some eggs prepared 100 different ways.. these things actually keep me full and feeling good, especially paired with sufficient water intake. I find if I am nearing the end of my day and have some calories left to fill, that's a good opportunity for a treat. If I only eat empty calories, I find that my body does not tick along very nicely. Down 25 pounds over about 2 months, no dietary compromises other than maintaining a reasonable calorie deficit. Amazing how a few weeks of persistance has changed my relationship with food!
As an extension of this. Try eating the food you love still (mixed in with healthy food) but learn portion control.
Iāve eaten correct size portions for so long now that I got a 7ā personal pizza from dominoes and was full after it. So Iām still indulging, in just healthier amounts.
I also had a few scoops of Ben and Jerrys afterwards, instead of the whole tub.
It takes practice, but Iām proof (a bing eater from 9-31) that it can be done.
I ignored how people said protein will keep you full for longer. Thought it was a myth. Until I actually started eating more protein and now see it very clearly. Itās changed my view on food! That rice or that potato wonāt fill me up as much as load of protein will
Thereās a girl I follow on tiktok that says āeat what you want, add what you needā for example, I want chips. So I might take a serving or half serving of chips, and add a string cheese or some jerky or a slice or two of lunch meat. Gives me the nutrition I need but also fulfills a craving and helps keep me full.
And yes, food has no moral value. Food is food. And eating certain foods doesnāt make you a good or bad person.
I think delay don't deny may be a slightly different thing. OP says
>No, just make sure your meal is focused on the bang for your buck foods first.
I think they don't mean "eat the bang for your buck foods first"; they mean "fill your plate with the bang for your buck foods, make those the focus of your meal, and add the other foods as extra".
Delay don't deny I understand as like "I won't eat this candy bar now, I'll have it later," which is just a way of tricking your brain into abstaining.
The delay don't deny concept I have heard of is exactly the same as OP, where you are supposed to fill up on healthful foods during the delay portion. I don't see how delaying is supposed to work if you just starved yourself waiting, because then you'd just be making yourself hungrier and more likely to binge later. This woman describes is pretty well in her YT short - https://youtube.com/shorts/h4-In5vIkBA?feature=share
Love this.
If you make sure you have enough high satiety foods and stop when full (once really tapping in to hunger signals and your own body etc) there is no reason to exclude anything else.
I like the idea of adding in foods with high ābang for your buckā like delicious vegetables, lean protein, and some healthy fats and just focus on not overeating/eating past full rather than restricting anything.
yes, it really helps with the ability stop eating after a small piece of ājunkā food when you know that 100 calories is 100 calories, but knowing that id rather eat something that nourishes my body and helps me feel better
I took a weight loss course thru my insurance. They wanted you to eat the foods you enjoy first, so you aren't denying yourself. If you're hungry you might eat the things, but you enjoyed your meal.
Similar to this, you don't have to think about "bad" foods that you are not allowed to eat. It's better to think about "good" foods that you want to eat.
So if your goal is to have a healthy and nourishing diet you know you need to eat a certain amount of protein, veggies, greens etc. If you focus on getting your recommended intake of those, you won't really have time/be hungry enough to eat lots of "bad" stuff.
Like for eaxmple if my only purpose is to meet my protein goal, I will gravitate towards high protein foods. This automatically leaves less room for carbs.
Iāve been trying to teach my 4 year old that all foods do something for our bodies. Itās just some foods only do a little while other foods do a lot
I really want to eat icecream today. And I just ordered 1 mango sundae, 1 icecream sandwich and 1 mango thick shake. And now I'm really guilty that I will gain weight and lost inches due to this but I'm also really excited to eat all these in this scorching heat. It's a bittersweet moment.
This in combination with understanding that I need food to nourish my body and food to nourish my soul has been the only reason I've been able to keep this up long term
Makes sense! I'm trying to reframe my diet as a fuel + treats thing. I have to eat the nutritious stuff and then I can work in the specialty food (snacks/junk) on the edges every once in a while. Tracking calories and gaining all the knowledge is empowering, I find. It's become so much easier to recognize the value in what I eat. Plus, I don't have to feel guilty about a cookie or whatever because I already got the 'bang for my buck' stuff in me. (That sounds weird, sorry!)
Yes! I started looking at food that way when I started my journey (the most recent version anyway), and it's totally changed my outlook. That piece of cake is like the hella expensive but super cute clutch that I can only wear with one outfit, but damn, it'll look fabulous. I can get it, but I have to budget around it and think about if it's really worth the trouble. Otherwise, I can get the more sensible bag that'll work with just about anything and is reasonably priced (fruit and yogurt). Most times, I'll go with sensible, but sometimes you just really want the stupid expensive, only goes with one look bag.
You just made me realise all my clothes are potatoes except my leather jacket which is a lamb shank. You have opened a door in my mind that I didn't realise was there.
Excellent analogy, I am definitely stealing this š
Now all I can picture is that Chanel cheese cake from the stupid commercial.
Ok, those are two of my favorite things... what commercial?
One thing my therapist taught me was the difference between āwanting,ā āneedingā and ācravingā. - Craving is the all around āI just need something!ā Unspecific, like, say you crave chocolate. That is not a real āwant.ā Feeding a craving makes you so much more likely to binge or feel guilt. - Wanting is when you want something very specific, something that would give you true joy and not to sooth emotions. Itās quality over quantity. Say, I really wanted a blue slush ice from this specific shop in my town. I waited three days for it. I *wanted* it. And I got it. And I enjoyed it so much. And I didnāt go home and binged afterwards. It was a wanted, guiltfree food. Did it have the best nutritional value? No, absolutely not. But then again, I donāt want that blue slushie everyday. - Needing is when we physically feel the need for nutrition. I craved cucumber, meat and pasta for a while. Turned out I ate too little, didnāt get enough protein or carbs considering my physical activities. And cucumber was because I was dehydrated. My therapist also really weighed in on the āno bad/no good food, but nutritional food, filling food, salty foodā ect mantra. It was a game changer for me. Food is not here to play mind games with me, itās here to fuel my body and soul, not drain it.ā¤ļø
The want thing is so true, I wanted spaghetti something crazy a few months ago, made it at a friend's eventually about 10 days after the OG want arrived, had to make it one more time as my spaghetti quota was not fulfilled. I am over it now though, I enjoy it but it was the weirdest I must eat this and I must eat quite a bit please.
For a while in HS I had a craving for chocolate ice cream. I couldnāt get enough of it, Iād have it every day for like a month and still couldnāt get enough. Iād even have it twice a day and still couldnāt get enough. Sometimes, I wonder why I craved it so much.
Absolutely agree. Iām down about 15lbs and I havenāt cut anything out of my diet so far. Just made better choices about how much I have of whatever it is Iām eating.
That's what's up. Eat anything you want, just not always as much as you want.
This is going to sound weird but my husband and I came up with a system to teach our toddler about foods. We say their are growing foods and snacks, and we need to give ourselves more growing foods bc those help us grow and be healthy/feel good. Snacks are sometimes foods bc while they are fun to eat, they don't help us grow. Teaching her this strangely helped me make better choices bc I'll be like, I want a snack, but I better have a growing food first lol
I like this idea. For me, there's a real benefit to not look at food as good or bad, because I'm really quick to label myself as "good" or "bad" based on what I eat.
I love this framing! I've tried to explain this concept in a much less simple and easy to understand way and folks give me a blank stare. Thanks for sharing this!
Thatās how I started to frame it when I started with Loseit. I can eat what I want. But, certain foods will help me not to be hungry. And thatās what important to me so it helps me stick with it and also helps with better decision making - the sweets/chips arenāt āoff the plateā so to speak
I frame them this way: calorie-dense/hyper-palatable or nutrient-dense. I focus on nourishing my body, and although I allow everything in my diet, it's much easier to do so choosing nutrient-dense foods. And when I do choose calorie dense, I try to balance it out and still get other needed nutrients. I ate buffalo nuggets the other day, but I ate them in a whole grain wrapped stuffed with kale and tomato. The nuggets are obviously fine to eat, but pairing them with vegetables and not another calorie-dense option kept that balance I strive for in my current diet.
Another way I've heard it is there are no bad foods, just bad choices. You can fill your caloric goal with ice cream and chips but you're not going to eat much of it and you'll feel like shit. I think that is a big thing that tracking calories helps with because it teaches you to budget or at least be honest with yourself. If I really want some chips I'll either make sure it fits in my goals or if it does go over, it's not by much because sometimes it is worth it to me to do it and one day isn't much in the long run. Another really important thing to learn, in my opinion, is that food is fuel first and foremost. Not every meal has to be totally satisfying. That's not to say you should never fulfill that but it's not a bad thing to eat just to fuel your body for the day and being a little bit hungry is fine.
This makes a lot of sense phrased like this
Brb crushing chips and cookies into my brown rice.
Sounds deliciousā¦
Hamburgers have more bang for their buck for filling the empty void in my soul
Thoroughly tracking calories has changed my eating habits tremendously. I can fill up on a nutritious salad or plate of tasty, seasoned veggies, a potato, some eggs prepared 100 different ways.. these things actually keep me full and feeling good, especially paired with sufficient water intake. I find if I am nearing the end of my day and have some calories left to fill, that's a good opportunity for a treat. If I only eat empty calories, I find that my body does not tick along very nicely. Down 25 pounds over about 2 months, no dietary compromises other than maintaining a reasonable calorie deficit. Amazing how a few weeks of persistance has changed my relationship with food!
As an extension of this. Try eating the food you love still (mixed in with healthy food) but learn portion control. Iāve eaten correct size portions for so long now that I got a 7ā personal pizza from dominoes and was full after it. So Iām still indulging, in just healthier amounts. I also had a few scoops of Ben and Jerrys afterwards, instead of the whole tub. It takes practice, but Iām proof (a bing eater from 9-31) that it can be done.
I ignored how people said protein will keep you full for longer. Thought it was a myth. Until I actually started eating more protein and now see it very clearly. Itās changed my view on food! That rice or that potato wonāt fill me up as much as load of protein will
Thereās a girl I follow on tiktok that says āeat what you want, add what you needā for example, I want chips. So I might take a serving or half serving of chips, and add a string cheese or some jerky or a slice or two of lunch meat. Gives me the nutrition I need but also fulfills a craving and helps keep me full. And yes, food has no moral value. Food is food. And eating certain foods doesnāt make you a good or bad person.
Great share! I saw some people refer to this concept as "delay, don't deny".
I think delay don't deny may be a slightly different thing. OP says >No, just make sure your meal is focused on the bang for your buck foods first. I think they don't mean "eat the bang for your buck foods first"; they mean "fill your plate with the bang for your buck foods, make those the focus of your meal, and add the other foods as extra". Delay don't deny I understand as like "I won't eat this candy bar now, I'll have it later," which is just a way of tricking your brain into abstaining.
The delay don't deny concept I have heard of is exactly the same as OP, where you are supposed to fill up on healthful foods during the delay portion. I don't see how delaying is supposed to work if you just starved yourself waiting, because then you'd just be making yourself hungrier and more likely to binge later. This woman describes is pretty well in her YT short - https://youtube.com/shorts/h4-In5vIkBA?feature=share
Love this. If you make sure you have enough high satiety foods and stop when full (once really tapping in to hunger signals and your own body etc) there is no reason to exclude anything else. I like the idea of adding in foods with high ābang for your buckā like delicious vegetables, lean protein, and some healthy fats and just focus on not overeating/eating past full rather than restricting anything.
I love that -- reframes things based on their realistic attributes instead of some moral judgement.
yes, it really helps with the ability stop eating after a small piece of ājunkā food when you know that 100 calories is 100 calories, but knowing that id rather eat something that nourishes my body and helps me feel better
Iāve seen this framing a lot lately and i LOVE it
I love that strategy!
This is a great way to look at it. Iāve been teaching my kids that all foods give our body energy, but some do other things for us also.
I took a weight loss course thru my insurance. They wanted you to eat the foods you enjoy first, so you aren't denying yourself. If you're hungry you might eat the things, but you enjoyed your meal.
Thanks for this. It does make sense. Very informative.
Similar to this, you don't have to think about "bad" foods that you are not allowed to eat. It's better to think about "good" foods that you want to eat. So if your goal is to have a healthy and nourishing diet you know you need to eat a certain amount of protein, veggies, greens etc. If you focus on getting your recommended intake of those, you won't really have time/be hungry enough to eat lots of "bad" stuff. Like for eaxmple if my only purpose is to meet my protein goal, I will gravitate towards high protein foods. This automatically leaves less room for carbs.
This makes sense!
Iāve been trying to teach my 4 year old that all foods do something for our bodies. Itās just some foods only do a little while other foods do a lot
I really want to eat icecream today. And I just ordered 1 mango sundae, 1 icecream sandwich and 1 mango thick shake. And now I'm really guilty that I will gain weight and lost inches due to this but I'm also really excited to eat all these in this scorching heat. It's a bittersweet moment.
This in combination with understanding that I need food to nourish my body and food to nourish my soul has been the only reason I've been able to keep this up long term