First, does (or did) your diet basically amount to a set of rules about what you could eat; how much; and when?
For example, I know from other threads that Crafter_Man has a strict rule that he will not eat pancakes.
As another example, I gather that Weight Watchers basically consists of a rule that you should not eat more than X points per day, with different meals getting a number of points based on the kind of food and the amount.
Second, if the answer is “yes,” would you be willing to share what those rules are or were? If the answer is “no,” then what was your basic approach to dieting?
Just focused on eating lean proteins (turkey, chicken, tuna, protein shakes), avoided all sweets entirely, ate lots of vegetables (fresh, canned, frozen), took a fiber supplement. Cut out pretty much all bread, grains, crackers, etc. Ate a bit of fresh fruit here and there as well.
Lost about 20-25 lbs in 4-5 months.
I also exercised like a mad man several times a week.
I went for a lifestyle change. Lost 30 but didn’t stick to changes, so I gained it back. The changes are relatively simple, I was just lazy.
3 squares a day, no snacking in between. No booze. No soda. Basically just cut out empty stupid calories. Take dogs for walk every night. It didn’t matter what I had for dinner, just that dinner was the last food of the night. By doing that, I was saving thousands of calories a week, therefore I lost weight pretty easy.
But booze is tasty and fun. Snacks are yummy. So I fell back to my old ways and gained back. My suggestion, just start really thinking about what you eat in a week and analyze what are your empty calories and just quit them. Give your body what it needs, not what your mind craves. Easy for me to say, I gave into my brain. Don’t think of it as a diet, think of it as a lifestyle change.
Thank you for the responses so far. By the way, I am not asking what worked or didn’t work; or what works or doesn’t work. I’m not asking for advice either.
I’m just asking dieters and former dieters if their diet consisted of a set of rules and if so, what those rules were.
I changed my diet, but don’t consider myself “on a diet” per se. 2 years ago I stopped eating wheat and sugar. I can eat basically anything else in any quantity I want without getting fat, and as long as I stay away from those two things, my skin is clear, I have great energy, and never get sick.
Yeah, cutting out refined wheat and sugar products alone are going to do wonders for the vast majority of people. Of course this includes cutting out alcohol and soda pop. Hard to maintain for most people (I didn’t keep it up that’s for sure).
I don’t really think of myself as a dieter, but I do have a rule:
Make sure all the meals I plan are really healthy so that I will never have to say no when I really want something. Because I know that I can’t say no anyway, and that I will never think it’s worth it to say no and that I will only feel guilty afterwards. So I plan on saying yes to all the naughty things that happen on my path, but I’ve planned ahead by having really healthy food all the rest of the time.
For a while I tracked calories and it actually worked out fine on balance.
So my rule is: “it’s ok, you can eat that”. If that makes sense.
Counting anything, be it calories or points, makes me paranoid and that makes me quit. I do much better with programs that limit what foods I can eat, but let me eat as much as I need to be comfortable. Weight Watchers’ Simply Filling is good, as is Slimming World. Right now I’m going freestyle with the following lists–
Eat In Limited Amounts: whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, nuts, canola oil, low fat processed meat like turkey bacon and chicken sausage, other things in extremely small amounts
Every time I eat I try to have a fruit or vegetable (preferably half the bulk of what I’m eating), and some protein. No all-carb snacks.
I dropped three pounds in bloat in two days and have lost another pound in the week since then. You do have to get in tune with hunger, and know when you’re really hungry and when you’re not. Once you’ve done that, it’s always caused a nice slow loss for me.
I pack my lunch and plan what I pack fairly carefully. Same for snacks.
I eat dinner early, with my kids around 6:30 instead of eating after they’re in bed (around 8:30 or 9), and the kitchen is closed afterwards. Surprisingly, this has been one of my most effective tools for weight loss or management. I never realized how much I snacked before dinner until I started eating it earlier and lost 5 pounds in two weeks where that was my only change.
When I really need to drop weight, I’m very strict about including at least one fruit and one veggie every meal. Doing that replaces a LOT of higher calorie food I might’ve eaten in its place and I don’t even think about it (only pain is slightly longer prep time). And it sets a good example for my kids.
I’m starting to run again, but had a setback - I sprained my ankle a couple of years ago and it has hurt ever since. So I had a week where intense pain was radiating up from my ankle into my knee and back and running simply wasn’t an option.
What I’m doing does effectively sum up to calorie counting, but I like that it’s calorie counting I don’t have to think about at all.
Some people can successfully lose weight (and keep it off) by limiting the quantity of food they eat. In other words, they do not abstain from any food they love, but simply reduce their caloric intake.
I tried that approach a long time ago, and discovered I couldn’t do it. For whatever reason, I have found it easier to completely abstain from certain foods. The biggie is fried foods - I do not touch anything that has been fried. I also don’t eat ice cream, cake, mayo, cheese, greasy foods, sugary drinks, sour cream, sausage, pizza, fat-laden creams, butter, oil, hot dogs, bacon, pie, donuts, cookies, candy bars, or anything that is high in fat. It’s not a temporary thing… I don’t eat this stuff, period. Haven’t for 20 years.
Do you ever eat low or non-fat versions of fatty foods? For example the potato chips with olestra or fat-free ice cream?
Also, do you eat foods which are fried but not deep fried? For example, stir-fried Chinese food or hamburgers? Or do those fall into the “greasy” category?
I mean, for the people who are trying to lose weight. Cutting out as much refined sugar, wheat and alcohol as you can (if you regularly consume these products) will typically allow you to lose weight without having to do much of anything else.
Of course, this doesn’t apply to people who don’t eat much of that in the first place, or who eat it but are still a healthy weight.
So I just mean that, I think most people who are overweight probably are eating too much refined sugar/wheat/alcohol and cutting that out will allow them to lose a vast amount of weight without really having to think about much else.
OK, I agree with that. I still think a glass of wine a night is not going to significantly decrease weight loss, though. Six pack of beer, yes.
Also, once you’re completely off sugar and wheat for a while, 2 months or so, those things start to not taste good to you. I now find bread (which I used to LOVE) bland and kind of gross, and sugar-added things too sweet and icky. It’s no longer difficult at all, although it was for the first few months.
My rules are to eat: vegetables (but not starches like potatoes), meats, eggs, healthy oils, with small amounts of dairy, nuts, and incidental amounts of fruits (I will include apple in a salad, for example, but not eat a whole one), and some dark chocolate.
On the times when I can’t stick to the above (special events, or when I have just had enough), then my other rule is to still avoid sugar as much as possible. I’m more likely to “cheat” by having some good homemade pizza than a piece of sugar laden birthday cake.
Yes, I do not have a problem eating non-fat versions of fatty foods. Though I don’t eat that stuff regularly.
Deep fried – never. And that’s what I was referring to in my post. I very rarely eat “surface fried” foods or whatever you want to call it. I don’t think I have eaten a hamburger in about five years, for example.
Cutting out as much refined sugar, wheat and alcohol as you can (if you regularly consume these products) will typically allow you to lose weight without having to do much of anything else.
I still think a glass of wine a night is not going to significantly decrease weight loss, though. Six pack of beer, yes.