I only count calories, but restricting my calories forces me to eat a very low fat diet (fat is very high in calories, higher than sugar). If it comes in a low fat or non-fat variety, that's the variety I buy...skim milk, non-fat or low fat cheese, non-fat yogurt, non-fat cream cheese, fat free salad dressing, etc. I use very little olive oil when cooking and I can't remember the last time I ate butter or margerine on anything.
As a result, I don't need to count fat grams. Most days, my fat intake is too low and lately I've been looking for ways to add some healthy fat to my diet.
I count calories. I like to get a lot of volume for my allotment, so high fat stuff just wouldn't work for me. I eat mostly low fat proteins, which consist of white meat chicken, fish, non fat yogurt, skim milk and some occasional soy products. I use olive oil extremely sparingly. I do have avocado once every other week or so. I rarely, rarely eat red meat. Same thing with peanut butter. It's been months now in fact. No butter, margarine or mayonaise either. So, no I don't actually COUNT the fat grams. But if I did, I wouldn't have to count very high.
I have a lot of aspects of healthy eating to track:
Daily calories - within 1700-2000 (I am maintaining my weight loss, my goal was 1400-1600 when I was losing)
Healthy fats - I eat so little processed food/cheese/junk that it is actually difficult to eat ENOUGH healthy fat a day. My goal is 20-25% of my daily calories should come from healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, nuts/nut butters, salmon, etc)
Protein - 100 grams a day
Super Foods - based on the book Super Foods Rx: 14 Foods That Will Change Your Life - at least 10 different super foods/related food a day (spinach/leafy greens, oranges/citrus, tomatoes/watermelon, oats/whole grains, salmon/albacore tuna, beans, nuts, soy, yogurt, tea, berries, broccoli, pumpkin/sweet potato/carrots/orange pepper, turkey/chicken breast
I don't like being hungry, so I eat about every 2-3 hours. I eat mostly whole foods (limited processed foods) and it's mainly a "plant-based diet." I eat a lot of volume - vegetables, fruit, lean protein, low fat dairy, whole grains, healthy fat and I am rarely hungry. I do choose lower fat versions of cheese (normally) and lower fat salad dressings (unless I make my own). I do cook with olive oil and eat natural peanut butter every day. I also like to sprinkle walnuts or cashews or almonds on my salads.
I don't go out of my way to avoid sugar, but it's rarely in the foods that I eat. I do avoid HFCS and trans fat!
It's really hard to explain - but the whole foods diet really helps me avoid cravings. I used to be so...munchy all the time, I was always..searching for something. I wonder if my body was just restlessly looking for necessary nutrition. Now that I eat so many fruits, vegetables, whole grains, I think my body is finally satisfied. That's just my latest crazy theory
And when you eat so little fat, arent you hungry all the time. Do you eat sugar at all?
No, not at all. I am never hungry. A little munched every now and then, but not real true hunger. I eat every 2 -2 1/2 hours. Protein and fiber is VERY, VERY filling, which is the main staples of my "diet". And stays with you for quite a while. I load up on veggies. I eat very little added sugar. Just those found in vegetables and the fruits that I eat.
I get extremely ravenously crazy hungry if I dont eat enough fat so I dont eat super low fat. BUT I do try to get healthy fat most of the time. so I do reduced fat dairy, but eat nuts, olive oil, avocado etc.
As for sugar...I dont eat much sugar or artificial sweeteners either. If I do eat something sweet though, it is more likely to be real sugar than fake. I would (personally) rather have less of the real thing than a lot of the fake stuff
I think you have to experiment with what works for you. In general high-fiber, lean protein, whole grains, fruits and veggies will keep you more satisfied than the same number of refined junky calories. But some people are more sensitive to low fat, some people are more sensitive to refined carbs, some people are more satiated by protein than others. Protein does better for me than carbs, but not better than healthy fat. But that is just ME.
This is why there is not ONE diet that works for everyone. The important thing is not to throw in the towel and say "oh this doesnt work, on to the next diet book published by a so-called-expert". Figure out what works for you from each attempt. Even a bad day can be a learning opportunity.
I lost 30lbs on my low fat diet (without counting any fat grams, however), so I'd say it worked for me. For the most part, I was not hungry. The times that I was hungry had more to do with either too much exercise or not eating enough in general for the level of exercise I was doing. For most of the time that I was losing weight, I kept my calories at 1200 to 1300 per day. You just cannot eat much fat at that calorie level. I do focus on eating healthy, unprocessed foods and eating foods that are high in volume but comparatively low in calories. I also eat every 2 to 3 hours.
It's pretty hard to avoid sugar, it's in almost everything and it occurs naturally in all veggies and fruit. I eat a lot of veggies and fruit. For example, sometimes it seems like I put onions in just about everything; onions are pretty high in sugar.
I also have not given up carbs. I eat bread, rice, pasta, etc. Many of these things have sugar in them. I eat cereal that has a small amount of added sugar. I do use artificial sweeteners as well. But I definitely eat a lot fewer carbs than I did before and sugary desserts are a rare treat. My standard desserts are a sugar-free, low fat, pudding cup; a few chocolate covered espresso beans; or a few mini-meringue cookies.
Just as my calorie restrictions force me to eat low fat foods, they also force me to look for low sugar foods, although sugar is lower in calories than fat, so I probably do eat more sugar than fat.
Do you count calories only
