You hear people say eat all day and you will lose weight faster... but the people who dont eat get skinnier faster, maybe not in a healthy manner but... So whats your take?
People that dont eat much do get skinnier, but do they keep it off? I would say not for very long. You cant starve yourself forever. And if you cant do it forever, it will come back, unless you were stick thin from the beginning.
Find a compromise, where you can eat enough that you dont feel deprived, but yet, you are losing weight, so you can be healthy for life.
For me, that compromise is eating right saturday-thursday. On friday, i go off program, not terribly, but i will allow myself a real sweet tea, no splenda. A big mac and french fries. Whatever. that way, i dont feel deprived, but yet, i am on plan enough to lose a couple of pounds per week. You have to experient and find out what works for YOU.
It also depends on what you are eating. Its true that I "eat all day" - yesterday I had three meals and three snacks. But the things that I eat are high-volume for lower calories...for example, grilled chicken salads with fat free dressing and laughing cow wedges, chocolate protein shakes, oatmeal, 100 calorie popcorn bags, homemade frozen yogurt sweetened with splenda...
This not only provides my metabolic "furnace" with plenty of fuel to keep it burning all day, but means I stay more satisfied. Of course, if I wanted to eat higher calorie foods, i'd have to eat less frequently so my total calories for the day wouldn't be out of hand.
"More is more" never worked for me. "Less is more" definitely works for me. For me, right now, what works is eating a lot less (but healthy) food. It's not just to help me lose weight but it's teaching my body that I can live on a lot less food and with my level of activity, I don't need that much to begin with.
Will I maintain it once I reach goal? I dunno. I guess I'll find out when I do reach goal.
I think it depends on how much you eat from the beginning, before you diet. I mean if you are chowing down, obviously eating less with help you lose. If you aren't eating too much from the beginning eating more will make you lose.
Personally, I used to skip meals all the time causing my metabolism to slow down. So now I have to eat all day to lose weight. I'm eating more than I used to and losing weight.
I eat frequently. Every 2 hours or so in fact. But that doesn't mean I eat a lot of calories. Eating a lot of calories usually causes one to gain weight, I sure know that's what happened to me - big time. Now I am eating very sensible and low cal, healthy nutritious foods. I eat frequently and thoroughly enjoy everything that I am eating, which is key for me to stay on plan.
Not everybody can go off plan for an entire weekend and still lose weight. It really depends on your starting weight. And IMO, that kind of plan won't work for very long. But hey, we all have to figure out what works for ourselves. There is no one "right" way to lose weight.
Hmm... how confusing can I make this. I believe more is more and less is more. I eat through out the day (three meals two snacks), but I also have decreased my portion size for my meals. It used to be that I would over eat for breakfast and lunch because they had to last me such a long time until my next meal. Now a little breakfast and little lunch are all I need because I know I am going to be eating again just a few hours later. Also, the less hungry I am, the easier it is not to over eat at the next meal.
You hear people say eat all day and you will lose weight faster... but the people who dont eat get skinnier faster, maybe not in a healthy manner but... So whats your take?
Well, is your goal to be "skinny" and still flabby and gross, or is it to be thin and FIT? You can easily starve yourself and get skinny, but you could very well still be flabby and pretty gross-looking, whereas properly fueling your body with nutritious foods will enable you to do more exercise, which will make for a HEALTHIER, fitter, more toned body, which is sexier than just plain "skinny" in my book any day
I really don't know. Before, I would always count calories and I felt hungry all of the time, so I would binge. But if I upped my caloric intake, I couldn't lose. So, needless to say, I spent more time off the wagon than on. But this time, I am NOT counting calories. I look at them and take them into account when planning meals, but I don't hold myself to a certain number each day. I am working on planning meals and not eating when I am not actually hungry. This seems to be working much better for me. I don't eat 'whatever' I want, but I try to make good choices and still eat good tasting food. I could venture to guess that I probably hit about 1200 calories a day, but I really don't know. I have three complete meals and 2-3 snacks, drink a ton of water, and limit myself to one diet soda per day. All I know is that I have been satisfied food-wise each day, am not a slave to meals in a box, and am still eating food that I love- and that it's working! I am actually enjoying living this way. Tomorrow is my first weigh in since getting back on the wagon- so we'll see what it says!
See i am watchng what I eat and that website that shows how many calories and so on.. I am going to try it for a week or so and see if I can handle it.. Who knows I am just proud of myself for eating better and working out. The calorie intake thing is a bonus if I can swing it.
I eat three meals a day, five hours apart and I'm losing weight on that. (nearly 8kgs in 9 weeks) I've had people tell me its not healthy, but for ME its really the only thing that works. I've tried WW, and if I eat constantly (even healthy things) I put it on.
I do however, exercise for at least half an hour (high intensity) five days a week, with pilates and weights three times a week thrown in too. I don't want to get to my goal weight and be flabby. It might slow down the weight loss for me, but hey what's an extra couple of months when I'm already planning on this being a life long thing?
Eating lots of lower calorie things, but more frequently is what helps keep my blood sugar on an even keel. That prevents me from eating huge amounts of stuff I shouldn't (out of sheer hunger!). Make sure you eat lots of fruits, veggies & whole grains, since that fiber 1)fills you up; 2)keeps your blood sugar balanced; 3)keeps you from eating junk you shouldn't.
I tried eating smaller meals more often but I never felt satisfied and ended up having a large meal. So now I just eat 3 moderately sized meals a day with one or two small snacks... also, I am limiting my carbs, similar to phase 2 of the south beach diet, which has been working really well.
I think everyone just needs to find what works for them and stick to it, I'm not a believer of one size fits all for anything, especially when it comes to losing. Everyone needs to make adjustments to get the right fit for themselves.
I personally eat all day because otherwise I'm starving -- it's just that most of it is vegetable, so my calories are lower than a person who's maintaining.
And I totally agree, everyone's body is different. Different things work for different people. I personally believe that as long as I stay healthy and keep losing, I'll keep doing what I'm doing!
Do you think more is more or less is more?
