I do realize that it is indeed a process. At the end of the day though doesn't it just come down to the number of calories? For example, I know it's not healthy to never eat vegetables (which I do, I'm just saying hypothetically) but if a person is still eating the right number of calories shouldn't the weight loss still occur?
PhotoChick - for me it helps me to eat while doing other things. otherwise all i can think about is my food and i eat it too quickly, and then i want more. if i eat while doing other things i am distracted and it takes me longer to eat. for example, i am a gamer and i like to eat while gaming. usually i'll eat so slowly that i don't finish cause i am concentrating on the other stuff i am doing.
for example this was yesterday's food:
290c bagel
250c pita sandwich
154c hard boiled egg (2)
1174c steak and shake (chicken salad, small fry, junior frozen yogurt shake)
granted this was a special event and that's not how i eat every day, but it ended up being 1868c - 200+ calories less than what daily plate has been telling me to eat.
but even when i eat less, like 1500c per day, is a big meal really going to be a big deal? i guess what i really want to know is if eating a few small meals and then one big one is really such a problem if i don't feel hungry. i don't feel starved, and i am still losing weight.
megdula, you are not eating enough. Best not to go below 1200, as a general rule. Hoover on over to the Calorie Counters forum and read the Frequently Asked Questions sticky post at the top of the forum page. It should give you an idea of what you ought to be eating.
beautybooty, if it's working and you're losing, then don't change it. When and if you stop losing, you'll know some adjustment is needed.
At the end of the day though doesn't it just come down to the number of calories?
You'd think!
There are so many other things. Yes, number of calories is important, but it's possible to eat a low calorie diet and consume GOBS of fat and carbs. If you do that, you're not going to lose weight. A meal may contain tons of salt (the one you posted above, for example) which will cause you to retain water and bloat.
Is one big meal really going to make a huge difference? The answer there is that it might or it might not. The biggest problem with one huge meal is that the rest of the day you're practically going w/out nutrition. It will affect your insulin levels and your blood sugar badly. Some people do ok with that and some people don't. I do think it's healthier to space your eating out over the day rather than eat the majority of your calories in one meal. Doing it once in a while is fine, but doing it all the time will screw with your metabolism in the long run.
I look at the question a little differently. Yes, I believe it really does come down to calories in versus calories burned. If a person eats 1200 cals a day in fat, and 1200 cals a day in vegetables, it's still 1200 cals. But! 1200 cals of fat is a lot less food, in sheer bulk, than 1200 cals of vegetables. Think about it--one Tablespoon of butter is 100 cals, roughly. So, 12 Tablespoons of butter and you'd be done for the day.
Clearly, that won't work well. But, if you could stick to it, you wouldn't gain.
The other issue here is NUTRITION, which is separate from weight loss OR weight gain. People can be gaining weight and be malnourished. The idea for healthy weight loss is to make sure the body is getting enough nutrients while restricting calories, so that the body has to burn reserves (mostly, but not all, fat).
If you eat 1200 cals of junk (or butter, for that matter) you are not going to be getting good nutrition--which is a mix of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and minerals and vitamins.
I take extra vitamins and minerals because when restricting calories, it can be hard to get enough nutrients also. Eating enough vegetables helps with this, but I just feel that I need more.
I am a big meal eater also, but I come down on the nutrition side. What do I want for my calories. (I am going to use the term "high calorie" rather than big portion, because I can do huge portion and still be <400 cal)
I think every once in awhile having a high calorie meal for dinner and eating lightly the rest of the day is fine. Some times it is a good strategy. I do think that in the long term you are not giving yourself great nutrition eating the examples you have provided if that is how you eat the majority of days. Most of your light meals early in the day are pretty nutritionally light and the dinners are heavy...and nutritionally light.
Pick and choose what and where to have the big meal and make sure it is really worth it. And work to see if you can find ways to improve over time.
Examples:
- instead of eating the whole 900 calorie chinese meal split it in half and add egg drop soup or hotnsour soup or extra veggies or have a salad before you go etc. Then you still have the flavor you love with more nutrition
- if you are getting the chinese to go, at home you can lighten it a bit by either draining the sauce (if it is fairly liquid) or if the meal has a thick clingy sauce, put half the meal in a strainer and rinse the sauce off, then stir it back in to the full meal. (start with 1/4 rinsed and eventually you may be happy with very little of the sauce)
- ask for a large side order of steamed veggies most chinese restaurants can do this. Mix it in to the meal to make 2 meals. I do this with my favorite shrimp dish because the sauce is heavenly over steamed broccoli.
But 12 T of butter has 140 g of fat. And I don't care how few calories you eat, if you consume 140 g of fat per day, you're not going to lose weight. .
Ugh. I don't know whether or not that's true--it might be the most effective, miracle weight loss plan ever--but I'm not going to try it.
Look. Your body needs to be looked after. It needs fuel and it needs love. If you expect it to endure the traumatic process of shedding excess fat then you need to be kind to it. It wants vegetables and protein and good fats and vitamins and iron and all kinds of stuff. When you feed your body properly you FEEL better.
There are a million ways to have food treats periodically or to eat nice big meals without torturing your body or depriving it of the essentials it needs to work properly.
If you treat your body nicely, it just might treat you nicely in return.
Megdula: you can eat more calories than that and still lose weight and be healthy. Come over to calorie counters and absorb some of the collective wisdom.
Last edited by baffled111; 02-15-2008 at 06:42 PM.
PhotoChick, I say yes, you say no. I wonder how we could prove it...
No, I'm not going to be the one to eat butter all day and see whether I lose! It sounds tempting in a way, but I'd want the butter ON something, and therein lies total disaster.
PhotoChick, I say yes, you say no. I wonder how we could prove it...
Well, I dont' think I want to eat butter all day either.
But there are studies that I remember (dont' remember where, but I"m willing to go looking) that say you can reduce calories all you want but if you don't reduce them in a healthy way, you won't lose weight. It goes the same for fat and carbs. Any diet that concentrates on lowering ONE element and doesn't balance out the rest might have a temporary effect, but won't last long.
I remember one study about Atkins that showed people were eliminating carbs and losing 10 or 15 lbs right off the bat, but then gaining them all back and more as their bodies adapted to being w/out carbs - because they were scarfing down as much as 250 grams of fat per day, eating cheese and bacon and red meat, etc.
Whatever it is you decide to count, you still have to make healthy choices within that range.
(BTW, just so it's clear - I hope this doesn't come across as argumentative - I'm enjoying the discussion and the different points of view here.)
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Last edited by PhotoChick; 02-15-2008 at 07:06 PM.
Well it's the kind of thing for me too, where, I know that I need more veggies and fruits but I feel like it's a process for me... I can't go from my old lifestyle of eating macaroni and cheese/pizza only, to less food AND veggies AND fruits AND exercising. I feel like I have gotten the fewer calories part down and it's going to take me some time to get through all of them. People always say it's a little at a time, but even at the end of the day when I do eat the smaller meals (regardless of what they are made of) I always end up eating more, because I am never full.
beautybooty, you are up against the challenge of weight loss. These sorts of things are what make it hard. Yes, you can expect to feel hungry sometimes. That's what it's like. Good for you for taking small steps in the right direction! Now you hang in there!
It's alright BB. You're at the beginning of a long and exciting journey: you're going to learn and experiment and improve as you go. You don't need to be perfect right off the bat (thank goodness!). On the other hand, it's important, I think, to spend time pondering a healthy diet that you can live with forever and forever and to make the small changes where you can. But it is a process and you don't have to have it all figured out in advance.
Beautybooty, I used have what I called a "bottomless pit" of an appetite and believe it or not that has changed for me. BIGTIME!!! I couldn't consume anywhere near the amount of calories I used to consume at one meal, even if I wanted to. The stomach really is like a balloon and it DOES shrink. It won't happen right away, but it will happen. Hang tough.
You say you never get full, I was the same way, that's why I needed to choose foods with HIGH volume and LOW calories. That's where the veggies come into play. Along with a protein. You really will be surprised at just how much more filling these foods are. These type foods are much more satisfying and have lasting power. You don't eat them and then an hour later feel hungry again. And then there's the fact that I eat very OFTEN. Every 2 hours or so. I spread my calories throughout the day, so I can eat frequently, totally AVOIDING that hungry feeling, which I despise. And in doing so, I am able to STICK with my plan.
But yes, this is indeed a process and you need to go about it in a way that will set yourself up for success. STICKING to it is the most important thing. Because if you don't find something that you can stick with, well then, you certainly can't expect to have any longterm success. You'll get there, you'll get there.
One thing I have always noticed is that when I eat fruit for breakfast or something it does NOTHING to keep me full. I always kind of thought veggies were that way too. Like, they are good for you, but you'll just end up hungry again.
I do believe I'll get there. I really do. I just don't want to think I am doing a great job if I am not.
But, if you could stick to it, you wouldn't gain.
It sounds tempting in a way, but I'd want the butter ON something, and therein lies total disaster. 
