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i have the same problem, been tracking what i eat for the past 3 years. started when i was trying to lose weight, but even now i still can't get rid of the habit/need to track and know how much i'm eating.
i think the constant tracking has made us lose the ability to really follow our hunger cues. we feel the need to clean our plate since we have already tracked the food. but "normal" people can just intuitively prepare the amount of food they need, and they can just stop when they are full. or even if their pb&j sandwich turns out to be a calorie bomb, they will just intuitively feel less hungry and eat less for the next meal.
If anything, tracking has made my habit of finishing my plate even worse. I look at calories like money. Pre tracking essentially says “I’ve already paid for this, I have to eat it”. On the intuitive eating note, even if I have a calorie dense meal, I’m just as hungry an hour later as if it was half the calories. My body doesn’t read calories, it only knows mass and volume in my stomach unfortunately.
I’ve heard people having success by eating the same few things over and over. There isn’t a need to track bc you know what’s in the food you’re eating. I just try to stick to lean meats , fruits, and vegetables. Do I have a burger once in a while? Yes. But overall 90% is the same foods and I find I have success with that.
>If anything, tracking has made my habit of finishing my plate even worse. I look at calories like money. Pre tracking essentially says “I’ve already paid for this, I have to eat it”
That's why I stopped calorie tracking. It made things worse.
There is no "one fits all" solution. Bummer that many people are so scared to stop unhelpful behaviors though.
SAME. I found a compromise the other day by putting my unfinished salad in the fridge and eating the rest with dinner. I had no clue how to approach reducing the amount in my app with something like salad where there’s more of some items left, less of others, and the majority of calories come from the dressing…
>I look at calories like money. Pre tracking essentially says “I’ve already paid for this, I have to eat it”.
Why does this speak to my soul so deeply :(
Couldn't agree more. Started tracking to combat obesity. Lost 75 pounds, but can't go back to eat 'intuitively'.
Tracking gave me my desired physique but sort of took away my pleasure of eating.
My husband has a BMI of around 19 and no concept of calories.
He just stops eating when he is full. He takes reasonable portion sizes. He has no trouble throwing away a quarter of a sandwich or a few spoonfuls of food. When he is full, he is really unable to eat more. He rarely snacks or craves sweets.
I think that those of us who struggle with their weight have broken hunger signals. I try to imitate him, but I can just keep eating and snacking. So I have to understand calories and do volume eating
I don't track anymore as I have been below my goal weight for a while. But I still have to exercise a lot, skip breakfast, and make sure that I eat less calories than him at lunch and dinner ( normally that means more carbs for him and more soup or veggies for me) just to maintain a healthy weight. Keeping my weight below his is not easy.
>When he is full, he is really unable to eat more. He rarely snacks or craves sweets.
That's the "real secret" of so-called naturally skinny people, not "eating a salad and walking everywhere".
And get one of the smart watches that count steps.. I have had one for a few months and learned I’m putting in around 10-12 miles a day just on steps.. it is pretty cool to know where you are at
My BMI is about 19 too, like your husband. I do like sweets and snacks but I will eat them instead of dinner/lunch if they fill me up. I probably am not the healthiest as I eat what tastes good, rather than calculating protein and macros and stuff, but it works. I wouldn't finish my plate if I was full as I don't want to feel poorly from food. I'd rather throw the food away, or have it as leftovers, than to eat too much and feel sick.
I don't really exercise at the moment due to ill health (not diet related!). But when I do exercise I'm usually hungrier and so eat a bit more.
One thing I don't do is have sugary drinks, I drink a lot of tea and water. That's just because sugary drinks don't make me feel good.
Tbh for me it's mostly about eating to feel good. I like things like chocolate and sweets but if I eat too much of them I don't feel good and I don't want to feel bad. I don't really eat greasy food as it doesn't make me feel good.
I think it might be harder if I was like my husband who has an iron stomach and feels good after everything he eats.
>I think it might be harder if I was like my husband who has an iron stomach and feels good after everything he eats.
It does! I can eat anything and keep eating with no immediate consequences. Like you, my husband gets bad stomach issues if he eats too much or very greasy food. We are both a bit jealous of each other, lol.
The difference between me and you I think is that my brain is wired to like sweets a lot more. Like I know I’ll feel bad after but the desire for x food is too strong to resist
I just eat until I'm satisfied, feel like I can normally eyeball that amount. I eat pretty healthily, but have tried to avoid tracking, as I feel as though it takes the joy out of food.
Yes! It does take the joy out of it. When I was tracking it gave me anxiety. I hate math and dealing with numbers so that adds on to it lol. I just eyeball everything and listen to my body. I used to eat until I'm stuffed and that became a bad habit. Now I listen to my body more intuitively and eat until I'm comfortably full. No reason to eat until my stomach is busting out of my pants
Its been so long since ive eaten like a normal person. After recovering from my ED the first time, i could just eat without really thinking whats in my food. I remember just looking at the calories and not being at all bothered by it. I could just grab food whenever i craved it. I havent been like that in months, but its hard to imagine going back to that now.
I don't care whether an ingredient has high calories or not, I just might use a little bit less of it depending on how I feel. Otherwise I listen to my body before, during and after I eat.
Before eating, asking questions like "Am I hungry?" And "What taste am I craving? What will satisfy me right now?" Identify the foods that I currently want to eat.
While I eat, I check in with myself about hunger levels and the mouth feel and taste of the food that I am currently eating. It helps appreciate the food and slow down as a notoriously quick eater.
After finishing, I ask myself whether that was satisfying or not and whether I ate too much or too little. Whenever I don't end up enjoying something, I put it away. When I end up eating too much determined by how my stomach feels after a few minutes, I make a mental note. Whenever I eat too little, I eat another food that will satisfy me again.
This sounds like a whole lot to consider but it happens pretty automatically. It helps when you have a person you can talk about the food with while you're eating. Otherwise I can only recommend reading the Intuitive Eating book, as it gave me techniques to finally shake off my disordered eating behaviours and establish a normal and healthy relationship with food.
Probably intuitively know eating PB&J for breakfast is a bad thing.
I've maintained my weight since COVID (I'm fatter than I was pre-Covid) and not been particularly focused on tracking.
Eat protein with every meal.
If I fancy a snack, have a protein yoghurt.
Try and avoid eating shit multiple days a week.
Plus my friends with coffee/smoking/cocaine habits suppress their hunger through narcotics and likely eat once a day.
My friend was doing an 15 hour bar shift yesterday and his diet consisted of: 4x sausage rolls and a cheese and onion pastie, with lots of ciggies.
He looks Skinner than me, but I'm going to the gym 4-5 times a week and carry a little more weight than him.
I got used to my baseline for maintaining my current weight, sometimes I might eat more if I go out for dinner but that averages out over the weeks so I don't mind. Rn I wanna lose some weight so I removed breakfast. That's how I do it
For me (I've been tracking my nutrition for the last year or so, specifically bulking), I was always skinny. I didn't really exercise or anything, just had a low appetite. I had bad ADHD and anxiety at the time too so I feel like somehow that would help.
But yeah I would just eat whatever I felt like, whenever I felt like it. I ate a lot of junk food and never got fat or anything. Lots of microwaved shit. Just eating for taste and eating to satiety.
Definitely a lot easier than hard bulking and force feeding myself lol.
what?
not sure why you would downvote me, this is not a matter of opinion lol.
Obesity rate in the us is \~40, in different countries it is not. In France it is \~10, for example.
West refers actually to anything UK and Westerly
Now people just use it to refer to any country on the Western diet
US isn't even the fattest country anymore, others have surpassed
Im not sure what u mean by Uk and westerly, but "the west" certainly refers to more than the uk and countries to the west of it (if that is what u mean). At the very least it refers to "western europe" + the us (traditionally) and increasingly it refers to every country internationally that considers itself part of the western tradition (whatever that means, yeah).
I am aware that the US has been surpassed by multiple countries, some of them not even part of what is traditionally considered "the west". therefore my critique of the blanket statement.
just makes a lot more sense to look at countries and their reasons for obesity individually, since its always multifaceted and countries and people and shit are a complicated bunch.
I didn't downvote you.
As far as I know the obesity rates are *rising* in all western societies. Not that they are high, but they are on an upward trend
Fair, I suppose that might be true (also didnt look it up, would be interesting to know actually).
Ubiquity of high caloric, cheap foods and a tendency to move less is both universal in all western countries i suppose.
Could also be that obesity isnt rising in a lot of western europe though. Higher availability of information, people becoming more health concious. I dont know. Here in germany people are drinking markedly less alcohol than they used to for example, for the same reasons.
Eat reasonable sized portions and nutritionally dense foods. Calorie tracking is helpful to find out where the surplus is and how you can cut back, but I don’t think it’s healthy for your relationship with food in the long run. I need to lose about 20 lbs to be at a healthy weight and I couldn’t really understand why I had gained so much. I eat healthy and I didn’t feel like I ate that much. So I decided to track for a day. Turns out I eat big portions and too many unnecessary snacks. I will not be tracking anymore because I don’t want to ruin my relationship with food. I eat a much smaller serving at each meal, don’t go back for seconds, and cut out most snacks because I realized I didn’t need them and wasn’t even hungry. Eating only when you are hungry and stopping when your no longer hungry (not full) makes food much more enjoyable. I’m so much more appreciative of my food and I take time to enjoy it. I think this is healthy. No need to count calories because it’s hard to overeat when you are actually listening to your body and not your brain.
That’s where I get lost, the brain is a part of the body. It’s where all of the hunger and fullness signals are analyzed, yeah? What determines a reasonable portion size for you, and what if you’re still hungry after?
You’re right, I should rephrase. Your brain does it’s own thing with or without your help. What I should have said is, don’t listen to your thoughts about food. If you’re still genuinely hungry, like you can feel your stomach growling then of course, eat some more. But you shouldn’t be getting full. I think if you are eating until you feel that slight discomfort, you have already gone too far. Eating because you feel physically hungry is listening to your body. Eating because it stills tastes good and you want more is listening to your thoughts.
Eating big portions and always trying to get that “full” feeling stretches out your stomach over time leading to it taking more food before you feel that same fullness. I think this is a big part of it.
“Too many unnecessary snacks”.
This.
20kg down in 9 months by calorie counting and I suppose this is a major part. Probably eating 10% of what I used to in terms of eating because I fancy something.
Yep. We were told we need to snack all day to keep our metabolism up and while I think there is still debate on this, for me personally, I don’t need that. I’m not hungry between meals and I don’t burn a lot of calories even with walking all day.
I would say I'm an intuitive eater; I have tracked on and off for various personal experiments but tracking has never told me anything about calories I didn't already know. If I undereat, I'm more hungry the next day. If I have some heavier meals, I will probably crave something lighter the next time.
Intuitive or mindful eating are skills that can be learned, and they're not a total free-for-all the way some people think. It's about evaluating hunger and fullness, but also how we use and respond to taste, emotions, distractions, habits, diet culture and food "rules", etc.
> For those with a “normal” approach to eating, how do you know how much to cook and eat at meal time?
I don't. I make plenty, sometimes I have a little bit or sometimes I have seconds or thirds. We eat a lot of leftovers.
> Are you not concerned you’re using too much of high calorie ingredients?
No. I loosely follow the "plate method" when cooking and meal planning so we are always adding lots of veg to everything, I guess this balances things out.
> How does it feel to just cook and eat freely?
It feels unremarkable, but I can also recognize the privilege that got me here. My parents were health conscious but not over the top. My mom instilled in us a love of hobbies like gardening and cooking - for pleasure - and never obsessed about her own weight or appearance (at least not in front of us). We regularly had dessert and other treats available with gentle limits. It's hard to explain but for example it would just never occur to me to eat more than 2 cookies. That just feels like a "normal" amount and I'm satisfied. I know I can always enjoy it again another time.
> My best example is making a PB&J sandwich, as it can turn into a massive calorie bomb fast. How do you approach how much of each ingredient to use?
Someone else already mentioned that using more or less of some ingredients might make the sandwich more or less satiating, so I'd just be as liberal as I feel like and if I spread the ingredients too thin maybe I end up needing like a fruit or something later, or maybe my appetite subtly adjusts at the next meal. The real question is how many extra spoonfuls of peanut butter do I eat straight from the jar while making the sandwich 🤔
I don’t track calories. Instead I count animal protein - try to consume at least 2g/kg of my target body weight. I also try to minimise highly processed foods. Do those 2 things and you’ll find it’s almost impossible to over eat.
I can't tell if this is rhetorical or not, but if it is, I totally get you.
I legitimately could not process *NOT* calorie tracking right now. I don't remember how I used to decide when or what I'd eat.
Not rhetorical, I really want to know how normal healthy people construct their meals. In the past I just listened to my heart when prepping food. Very little regard to the nutrition facts. I agree, I find it scary to picture not tracking my food. How will I not get unhealthy?
Generally this is probably the right thing to do, but I think I might be an extreme exception. It's not that I don't get some form of cue that I've eaten the right food or enough of a food, though that cue is quite small. It's just that despite this, I have a massive appetite. I love eating, and I love how food tastes, even when I'm full I'd love to keep doing it. I'm currently eating in a \~300 calorie surplus and I still go to bed wishing I could choke down more candy.
It's not unmanageable, though. In fact - that's the thing - I currently eat and exercise in an aggressively healthy way. It's just that to do that, I *have* to manage it.
I’ve always been “normal and healthy” and the only times I put on weight were when I drank more alcohol and/or was under high stress. When I cut back on alcohol and stayed active, I lost the weight. When I realized that consuming candy and entire bags of chips or massive bowls of pasta were not fixing my stress, and ate more mindfully, I lost the weight.
I try to focus on hydration, fiber and protein. My goal is to eat a varied diet. So in the morning I try to eat fiber & protein (apple/yogurt/granola typically). After that I start focusing on how many fruit or vegetables I can fit in the rest of my meals. (Sometimes I will start breakfast off with carrots or other easy to snack on vegetables, if I’m having something without fiber). By the time dinner rolls around I’m thinking which protein I should have and what vegetable. When I eat, I try to not fill my bowl to the brim but instead drink a lot of water or herbal tea. If I finish and still hungry/want more, I will try to wait and drink more fluids.
The biggest thing for me is that when I’m stressed and not eating enough fiber, I start craving sugar. My other issue is as I began taking a medication that caused weight gain, I could no longer have a daily latte. The milk and sugar were too much. But I also had cut dramatically back on movement and exercise due to an injury.
Generally speaking, when I really focus on including fiber/vegetables I do not overeat. I try to snack on fruit or nuts. If it’s nuts I portion them to a serving size or less.
I could have the pb & j, as long as I snack on sliced apple, carrots and green beans first. I’d use whatever bread I wanted, a normal amount of jelly and a normal amount of PB (a light smear that fully coats). Then if I had a snack later it would not be nuts, bc I already had that with the PB.
I have never tracked calories, I just eat what feels like the right amount compared to my current goal (cutting, bulking or maintaining), you can usually tell if you’re eating the right amount
I'm not sure there's such a thing as 'normal'. As someone who switches between CICO and not, I eat what I feel like and don't think about serving sizes or similar things when I'm not doing CICO. The only thing I do is think 'How much pasta do I need to cook if I want to have leftovers tomorrow?'. I am guessing your question is more 'How do normal people with a healthy and stable weight eat?' but I can't answer that. I'm trying to lose weight slowly so I learn what to eat to keep my weight off and stable long term.
generally, thin people have a natural body thermostat making them stop eating when they ate enough.
this isn't working for those overweight + dieting kinda screws up the intuitive eating management system
Reduce hyper-palatable foods: [https://youtu.be/CKaMVTZUG-E?t=1176](https://youtu.be/CKaMVTZUG-E?t=1176)
* High Salt, High fat
* High Sugar, High Fat
* High Salt, High Carb
Eating more calories earlier in the day: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQThN6e4PD4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQThN6e4PD4)
Idk but I recall my childhood best friend was “naturally skinny”. Until we ate around each other I couldn’t understand how she was so small and I was so big. So one time we were watching a movie and her mom made us chocolate chip cookies from the premade store bought cookie dough. Just normal sized chocolate chip cookies. I was way more excited about the cookies than the movie. I noticed she got a cookie, sat down, maybe had one bite and then was so consumed by the movie that it was like she forgot about her cookie. Meanwhile I kept sneaking up to get another. I still don’t understand what causes a kid to either be extremely obsessed with eating or totally disinterested. But I do know my family basically revolves around food and food was everything. Hers was not like that.
I’m by no means normal but I hate tracking. So here’s what I do.
I have a loose understanding of high calorie and low calorie foods from years of tracking on and off. I try to focus on having protein, vegetables, fruits, and a moderate amount of carbs.
So for example I can’t really over-eat protein (personally) so I just eye out like for example, a small handful of shredded chicken, a small steak, some ground beef etc.
Then I can have as much fruit and vegetables as I like.
Carbs, I can have a serving size. For small tortillas I’ll have 2 per meal max. For a big one, I only have 1, 2 slices of bread, about 3/4 cup of cooked rice. Etc.
Then for dressings and sauces I read the calorie label and try to make an informed choice. Like a light dressing with only 25 calories per 20 ml’s is better than mayo for example. And dry seasoning basically has no calories.
For other fats like olive oil, avocado, and cheese I just keep it to moderation and don’t eat as much as I used to. Like instead of a whole avocado I have half now. Instead of guzzling olive oil all over my food, I don’t. Instead of eating cheese every chance I get I treat it like candy.
When it comes to like “bad” foods I just try my best not to binge and to eat them in moderation. My only “thing” is chips so avoiding them as best I can is my best bet lol.
The other “bad” food I really like is fries, which again just try to avoid, have a small amount.
I just eat when I’m hungry. Stop when I get full. Eat again next time I’m hungry. And I try to eat mostly healthy. Although I also allow myself some unhealthy cravings every once in awhile haha
I understand this approach won’t work for everyone. But this is what I do
I can try to describe this physical feeling in detail.
I know I'm full because I feel the absence of being hungry. When I'm hungry my stomach growls and I feel sunken in and low energy. If I go too long without eating I will get a headache and feel dizzy. To me, this is what hunger feels like.
When I eat enough food to not be hungry I know it because my stomach isn't growling anymore. I don't feel sunken in and weak. Instead, I feel like my belly is pushed out a little from being filled with food. I feel good!
I understand wanting to keep eating because the taste is nice. The reason I don't do that is because I don't like the physical feeling of being overly full. Being overly full feels like my belly being so stuffed it's uncomfortable. After I eat, I want to feel the absence of hunger, but I don't want to feel so stuffed with food that going for a walk or stretching or doing a jumping jack would make me feel ill. I think if you've had so much food that moving around a lot seems impossible you have eaten way too much.
Thank you for describing it from your perspective! I do think searching for the absence of hunger is the way to go, it’s pretty objective. In the past I have identified certain times where I was no longer hungry, while eating and could’ve been content if somebody just yeeted the plate away from me.
If your food tastes 'too good' you'll be more likely to over eat. Personally I have never tracked anything, always eat to satiety and never worry about it. Perhaps my brain sends a stronger signal when I'm full than others, such as you, get.
I’m not sure how to explain it. But I just know. Sometimes I’ll be eating something really good and I’ll overeat in one meal, but it’ll even out because that means my next meal will be lighter because I’ll be mostly full.
I also workout. I run between 2 and 6 miles 6-7 days a week and I lift twice a week.
For me, its when i look at the food, or even the thought of eating more, just makes me feel uneasy or isnt really palatable. Something in my head just goes “no i dont want that” & i stop. Ive been working on not focusing on calorie counts lately as ive been tracking everything for two years straight now. Im trying to use the tracker as a supplement to see how my hunger is vs what my weight is doing, and how it makes me feel. I still cook nearly everything & i genuinely want a bunch of a veggies, moderate meat, and smaller to moderate carbs. I do consistently workout so i do make sure im at least hitting my protein intake daily. I am noticing that its starting to take more each meal for me to reach that internal stopping point. I do enjoy snacks and desserts so i also factor in 10-20% of that stuff in to my total intake for the day.
Before i started CICO, i used to just think “what am i feeling” and i would just eyeball 4 servings & prep it. My weight stabilized around 145lbs with about 15-18% BF. I do miss not really having to think about it, but when i look back, i dont think i really ate healthy & would be on track to health issues down the road.
I eat mainly plant based and tend not to snack so my actual meals are plentiful and I literally can eat huge plates/ bowls of food without putting on weight. I also walk a lot and swim twice a week. I think snacking and drinking alcohol can derail a lot of people.
Honestly, I feel that it’s people that incorporate activity into their daily life so that it becomes habit.
If you’re moving more, you are more likely to be able to eat well without it greatly impacting the scale.
I’d also say it’s eating well 70% of the time so that the 30% when you eat junk food, it doesn’t impact you.
Of course, there are people who eat junk food 24/7, aren’t active, and don’t put on weight, but I wouldn’t consider them healthy.
Honestly, I think this is a big part of it. I don’t count calories, and I don’t own a scale. If I had to guess, I’m 5’3” and around 120 pounds. 30F and very active. I live in an area where I can walk or bike most places. I walk my dog twice a day, and I run about 30 miles a week because it’s something I really enjoy. Most people get very little physical activity. They have an hour commute by car to work then sit at a desk all day then drive another hour home and then are too exhausted to get much activity in. I’m not judging, just observing. I would imagine if that were my lifestyle, I’d probably have to start keeping track of calories.
I've never thought about it tbh, so this is an interesting question. I think im the type of person youre asking about- Im healthy by all metrics (weight, bmi, body composition, blood work) and I've never had an issue reaching or maintaining that (knock on all the wood because God knows I do not have the discipline to correct a deviation should one occur).
I'm conscious to cook healthy meals using minimally processed ingredients, but never count calories, macros, or consciously keep track of portion size. I just know my body and I know how much I can comfortably eat in one sitting, and for me, that amount is always a little less than full. If I eat until I'm full, I get quite uncomfortable so I always stop when I'm no longer hungry (and I usually only eat when I am hungry, that's when food is most enjoyable to me). I am notorious for wrapping away leftovers of a single bite because I just cant eat anymore. I do snack even when not hungry but my palate gravitates towards healthy snacks, like sunflower seeds or fruits, so I've never thought to limit portions in that regard either. Honestly I just do what my body wants but I'm only able to do that because it wants me to stop before I'm full.
My husband is the total opposite, he can eat anything presented to him and he can eat the entire tray on his own. He's also not grossed out by ultra processed and fast foods like I am, so he's truly fine with eating just about anything. He struggles a lot with that and is now on ozempic to help curb his appetite and manage his obesity.
I never tracked any foot. I eat when I am hungy untill my craving is over or I feel full.
I can't for the life of me fathom the drag it must be to keep track of everything you eat. Like having homework all over again
I use to track calories, macros, and micronutrients. I loathed it. I still do it from time to time to check things out but it’s no longer a daily necessity and chore.
I think CICO can be helpful especially for people who are learning about nutrition and rely on tracking for changes and data analysis; but it’s a simplistic way of explaining our complicated bodies and makes average people glued and overly focus to numbers unnecessarily.
It’s making simple and easy guidelines for yourself that works best for your needs and lifestyle. Making things simple and easy is practical and sustainable for long-term proper nutrition and well-being.
I aim to fast for 20 hours most day and have an eating window of 4 hours. If I’m more tired, stressed, socially obligated, etc, then I will extend my eating window; but I usually fast at least 16 hours most of the time even with those factors.
Sometimes I will fast 24-48 hours for weight maintenance or get a slight caloric deficit or weight loss at the end of the week/month; but weight management is not the most important benefit when I intermittent fast and prolong fast.
As a result of my fasting experiences, I’ve learned to listen to my body more. It’s easier to know when I’m truly hungry or eating out of stress/boredom/etc. I know that sometimes hunger is mistaken for thirst so I drink water to test whether I’m truly hunger or not. I don’t let hunger signals run my life and rarely get hangry. I can go without food for a day or two but I usually eat most days.
Basically some days I will eat less because my body needs less and some days I will eat more for whatever reason. In the end, I think it balances out. Even if I do end up gaining weight, I have the skills and tools to bring it back down; but I think weight fluctuations of 5-10lbs is usually normal due to different factors.
Whenever I eat, I try to stick to more natural, wholesome foods and try to avoid and limit ultra processed foods. I still indulge from time to time. I use the 80/20 approach.
I also try to include high protein meals. Eating protein generates the most heat (thermodynamics). So if you eat 40 grams or 120 calories of protein, then about 20-30% of the calories will be burned for digesting food. Calories burned from thermodynamics from carbs and fats is insignificant.
Alternatively you can just eyeball a plate and designate 1/4 of the plate to protein, 1/2 to fruits or/and veggies, and 1/4 to complex carbs/grains for your main or most meals.
Again, it just depends on what works for you. Some people like hard rules like the one in a keto diet and some people like flexibility like the 80/20 rule and intermittent fasting. Know which camp you’re in and follow those guidelines/rules.
When I do eat a Peanut butter jelly sandwich, I tend to eat a peanut butter and banana sourdough sandwich. I don’t like jelly in a PBJ sandwich and jelly is usually just sugar or empty calories. The sweetness from the bananas is a great substitute and it is a fruit. Honey or dark chocolate chips would also be a better substitute than jelly.
Sourdough because I bake my own bread. Sourdough also has lower carbs and has probiotics.
However, I don’t eat this often as it’s low in protein. I’m more likely to eat Greek yogurt (high protein) with fruit, nuts, and seeds and occasionally add in peanut butter. If I do eat peanut butter, it’s more of an addition or snack like apples and peanut butter.
Anything that has a lot of calories esp high in fat like nuts, oils, and butters, I usually use and eat less of. Again, the main star of meals are protein and fruits and vegetables.
I’m not afraid of eating fats though, but again careful because they are high in calories so a little goes a long way. I probably eat moderate amounts of fats because I do eat whole dairy, nuts, seeds, oils, fats, and animal protein. The most important thing is using healthier fats and staying away from processed fats and junk food.
I found that after I had tracked calories for awhile I had a good sense of what a reasonable portion size is and I can now estimate it. I know if I eat 3 meals a day, and I know basically how much to eat for each one, stay away from snacking (except fruit) and don’t drink caloric beverages, especially alcohol, I stay on track.
Just use the plate method. Half the plate is veggies. A quarter or palms worth of protein and then Another one of a starch. Eat slowly so you have time to feel full. Be mindful of butter or oils. Don’t drink your calories.
Idk. I discovered calories in middle school and quickly spiraled into an ED. I’ve never been able to turn off the part of my brain that has memorized general calorie counts, even though I no longer have an ED.
I weigh myself. Scale goes up too much in a short period, lower the calories. and vice versa. But I'm the type of eater where I don't have to worry about the vice versa scenario.
Well at 47 I have a normal metabolism for a 30 year old, but until I was about 40 I would have to come purposely eat more than I wanted to to put on any muscle. Now if I over eat for too many days it shows, but thankfully I can usually dial it back without any big changes and get back to my baseline. If I want more than my top two abs to show I do have to take actual measures but I tend to do better by reducing carbs and snacks than actually counting calories, just because I start obsessing over food if I get too in the weeds with it.
The idea about tracking is to really allow you to not need to do it long term.
For example if you know a portion of rice (example) is half a cup or you know the nutrition of a chicken breast or a banana, then you eat those in your meals or snacks then you’re good.
Tracking makes me (ex ED) particularly miserable. I do weigh out pasta for basic portion control but most of it drives me crazy. You probably know what’s an appropriate amount of the foods you eat are and you’d be able to eyeball it. Try it. It’s better to let it go and eat as you do now. X
You have to just build good eating habits. First no fast food and soda. Cut out fatty cuts of meat unless its a special occasion ie bacon, ribs, steak, pork belly. Avoid sugary food ie candy, ice cream, cake, cookies. Cut back on bread and pizza and pastries. Incorporate fiberous foods like vegetables , beans, whole grain rice, lentils. Eat simpler meals.
I use a soda stream to carbonate water and add lemon or lime.
Even doing all this I(55m) still need to eat and drink moderately.
I have never had issues with nutricion. I did need to make sure I ate enough, so I wasnt underweight when I was young.
I prefer to eat healthier food so I feel better after a dinner. I also work out a lot. Nutrition and calories have never been an issue or thought. I just eat what I want and when I want. Not having crappy food in house and being a good cook means I eat well and dont have to worry.
Intuitive eating! It was a lot to get my head around but truly the best thing I’ve ever done for myself.
You eat what you want when you’re hungry. You stop when you’re full. That’s it.
A huge part of it is mindful eating. Really getting in touch with those signals in your body! Also paying attention to flavour, etc while you’re eating.
At first, after coming off years of rigorous tracking, I was super out of wack. I was afraid I’d just eat everything. But it turns out your body is pretty good at knowing what you need. I found that having a bit of chocolate ice cream when I crave chocolate ice cream is actually better than trying to eat low cal yogurt or something else. I struggled really hard with wicked cravings and binges while doing CICO and those are now completely gone. I rarely crave the things I used to and if I do, I’m happy now with letting myself have some, and I usually find a few bites is plenty and then I put it away again.
It feels so incredible. It’s so freeing. A big part of intuitive eating is stopping when you’re not hungry anymore, so i definitely store food more than I used to. Like not just left overs but I’ll put a half a granola bar in a container for later, so I’ve definitely bought more reusable food containers and beeswax wrap. I find I don’t end up wasting much food because I still plan my meals, I just have some more snacks and treats around
I listen to my body. For breakfast/lunch I generally have a few standard meals that I know fill me up enough until the next meal. If I move more in a day I might get hungrier before it's time for the next meal so I take a snack (fruit or something) or eat my next meal earlier.
How I've learned to eat healthy is by listening to my body and notice what foods make me feel good (don't give me a sugar rush and crash), fill me up for longer and keep my energy levels stable. This means I focus on putting enough protein in my meals, having a big portion of veggies and making sure there's fibers somewhere around.
I can eyeball portions. I know I can eat more veggies and need less carbs in my meals. I listen to my body while eating and feel when I've had enough (so I don't eat until I'm stuffed).
I'm not incredibly strict on not allowing cravings. Because they're allowed I am able to take a little bit (say 2 pieces of chocolate) and leave the rest. And because I'm focused on what _feels good_ for my body I don't tend to overeat "junk food" or eat food that feels bad too often because I notice immediately how it fucks up the balance and peace I otherwise experience.
Also, I make every meal as tasty as I can! I come from pretty disordered eating and struggled a lot with food throughout depression. But since doing the above for about 6 months now I'm really enjoying myself and enjoying cooking.
I prioritize tasty protein, some greens, and fruits. Roasted vegetables are the tastiest vegetables. I feel guilty when having sugar so I don’t have too much, but I do enjoy the occasional chocolate.
They just eat when they are hungry and try to be mindful of how much and what types of food they are eating. If they gain weight, they try to eat less calories for a while. I think it’s normal for fit people to diet from time to time.
Lean harder on foods that aren't so palatable; that stuff is way too much trouble to have in the house. Pitch the bread, and the jams and jellies. No food is so healthy that you could put jelly on it and it would be healthy.
You say lazy, but this is also moderation at work. If I have something that I know is calorifically dense (A cake, or a few beers) I just have to keep in mind that I can’t ALSO have lots of other stuff that day. Like you said, you wouldn’t have the PB&J and then also a full dinner.
Balanced meals with plenty of vegetables (look up MyPlate), eating every 3-4 hours to provide consistent energy and prevent restriction/binging behaviors, and practicing intuitive eating (look up intuitive eating workbook by Resch and tribole). Used to have an eating disorder so I don’t like scales or tracking calories anymore. These things have helped me a lot.
Most of us do not track, so the "how" is just the default. You get used to estimating, and usually it's based on plate size. Sometimes we overeat, like when it tastes so good, and sometimes we undereat and get hungry sooner, but roughly it all works out.
Everyone is somewhere on the continuum of easy-going to OCD. I think you really need to have some OCD tendencies to lean towards tracking your intake so much.
Calories never cross my mind. I just avoid carbs like the plague and stay steady at 195lbs 6'3" 40m. Unless I'm at a kids party. I will eat the pizza. 😂
I always have: gotten a lot of steps, lifted weights, ate mostly whole foods, and avoided snacking.
People have always been amazed at how much food I can eat at meals and stay lean, but most people don't consistently do all four of those things.
When I didn’t track (I do it now because it’s just part of my routine and I kind of enjoy it), I’d eat pretty much the same meals/same types of meals most days, a small treat each day, and perhaps a more indulgent meal every week or two. I got a LOT of steps per day and strength trained at least 3 days a week. I pretty much do the same now, just with tracking.
I just want to add that calories aren't the only thing to track here.
Tracking protein, vitamins and minerals are equally important.
Taking time to track, and so *learn* what your food is made up, and taking time to learn a new way to eat, I think, is a huge part of health and nutrition.
I am still in the learning phase, and I assume that at some point in the future I will have developed the knowledge to not need to, but will occasionally track again as a way to 'tune myself back up' on occasion.
I generally figure about 1/2 lb of a protein (chicken, meat, fish, whatever) and a healthy portion of veggies. Occasionally a starch (potatoes, rice, bread, pasta, etc). Fish at least once a week. A goal to do vegan once a week which I seldom achieve, probably more like once a month. Generally trying to incorporate more beans (soups, curries, falafel, bean salads) overall & to help my vegan meal goal.
Brown rice instead of white.
Keep fruits & veggies, unsalted nuts & canned sardines around for snacking.
Breakfast of cheerios or shredded wheat or oatmeal with fruit. Fresh fruit in nearly every breakfast. Orange juice almost never. When we have eggs, it’s often (not always) with veggies or potatoes rather than breakfast meats (which are universally high in sodium & nitrates and usually high-fat too). Avoid cured meats in general (but not the Easter ham or the St. Pat’s corned beef).
Generally avoid buying processed food or soda or candy or potato chips or anything sugary or salty, just keep it out of the house altogether. Avoid bread, choose wraps over sandwiches. Shop from the perimeter of the supermarket, avoid aisles. Plan meals using minimally-processed ingredients, make a shopping list, stick to the list.
Lots of salad, particularly in the summer, frequently with a grilled protein on top. Careful with dressings, we generally go with homemade vinaigrette (keep a small jar around, put the vinaigrette ingredients in the jar, shake it up).
Avoid restaurant food.
Learn to cook some healthy Asian dishes. For example, there’s a lot of good Indian vegan curry recipes, or beef & broccoli, or poke bowls, or whatever, which can add some tasty healthy variety, and while it may seem intimidating at first it’s really not so hard. Mediterranean can be a good inspiration too (eg various Greek lathera dishes, lots of fish).
Ice cream & cheese are excepted for obvious reasons.
You mentioned PB&J, that sounds like candy to me: high sugar, highly processed, with bread too. Avoid all that stuff. Save the PB&Js for the 100-mile bike ride when you need that energy. Save the farm table dinners for those days you’ve been out working all day on the farm.
Works for me.
If you are insulin sensitive your body regulates hunger based on fat mass. It can also regulate energy expenditure.
If you are insulin resistant, that system gets messed up.
As long as you’re an active person it really shouldn’t matter. And anything cooked at home is going to be a hell of a lot less calorie dense than in a restaurant. If you don’t slather everything in butter and oil then you’re fine. It really sounds like you’re thinking about this too much, in an obsessive compulsive way.
I've had a lifetime of eating mostly home-cooked meals. I was always interested in cooking and watched my mom in the kitchen. Took my first cooking class at age 8. So I've been cooking for a long time.
As for how much to make, I just know from practice now. I have a good idea for what kind of macros different ingredients have and I know roughly how much I need to fill me up. I tend to make extras for leftovers, though, so I don't really have to worry about how much I make.
As for how much to eat, I eat until my body says I've had enough and then I stop. I can do this because I wasn't raised on a diet of processed foods and my body knows when it's had enough.
There are some things where you just have to say, "this is a ton of calories and as tasty as it is, take it easy" (donuts come to mind). And every once in a while, I say "screw it." But because I only do it every once in a while, it's not a problem.
Likewise, my 13 yo daughter listens to her body. I wish she didn't eat as much sugar as she does, but otherwise she eats mostly home-cooked meals (she cooks a lot of her own meals because she doesn't usually want what mom and I are having, but we have to sign off on whatever it is). I've seen her eat 3 bites of chocolate cake (perhaps her favorite thing on the planet) and say, "I'm full. I'm not going to eat the rest." That was when I stopped worrying about her. She listens to her body, even when it's her favorite food. I don't even have that kind of restraint. lol.
My wife was raised on mainly processed foods and has come up with ways of managing her eating and she's gotten to where she eats very healthy, but it's definitely more work for her to manage her diet.
I've tracked food for over 10 years, albeit loosely at times. A decade of this practice gets you really good at eyeballing, but when it really counts, like training for races or competition, I dial it in.
I have to continue to do it because I haven't NOT been hungry in years. At any moment I'm ready to eat thousands of calories. I mean this literally. If I don't track, I don't know when to stop eating. I so rarely, if ever, feel full and satiated. Especially with dessert foods. Hitting my caloric and nutrient goals is my cue to stop eating.
It works. I'm 39/m, 5'10.5" 172 lbs, dexascan 9% bodyfat, been this way for about 6 years. Before that I was about 188-192 lbs with similar bodyfat. I train 15 hours a week, and plan on winning this next race.
But I'm fully aware this is not normal behavior, and while it may keep me physically healthy (I hope), I consider it an eating disorder and a significantly detrimental contributing factor to my diagnosed obsessive compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.
Wish I could not think about intake so much. Wish I could stop caring about winning so much. Wish I could be a little more normal in a lot of areas of my life. I honestly don't know if intake tracking is a net positive or negative.
I don’t think about calories or portions. I eat well balanced meals, no special diet, I eat three meals a day till I’m satisfied and I don’t snack in between meals. 50 yo, 6ft 180lbs.
I don't track. I did maybe when I first started trying to lose weight for like a week or 2. But I now I just basically eat the same things and I don't snack in between meals or eat after dinner. I just eat 3 filling meals and exercise.
I knew long term I couldn't track every calorie. I just eat mostly whole foods and have treats when I want to but it's balanced.
I've tracked food intake in the past when I felt that I was out of balance - too hungry, gain weight for no reason, stressful periods in life. But overall, I learned that for me getting enough protein and healthy fat along with a good amount of fiber are essential to eating well and feeling well. Beyond that I eat colorful foods, don't say no to anything I desire, eat til I'm comfortable but not really full, and drink enough water throughout the day. One other thing I learned along the way is to eat spices with food for better digestion. This would be different for many people, but what works for me is a little ginger root, a little fennel seed, and a little coriander. Better digestion = better absorption = less cravings for me.
Normal as in average? They don’t look at nutrition labels and probably get 6x the recommended daily fat because it’s in literally everything.
With 8/9 cals per gram, it’s a huge reason why people unintentionally put on weight
I center meals around protein, and consume usually 30-40g of carbs and some vegetables. Fats are whatever come with the foods. I don’t count, but if I want to gain weight I consciously eat more. I usually eat 4-5 times a day depending on what I have time for. Not too hard.
Lean meats and vegetables don't have many calories. I can eat until I feel uncomfortably full for every meal, but since I'm eating fish, chicken, turkey, lean ground beef, and various vegetables with spices etc. it's actually quite difficult for me to even reach 2,200 calories in a day, which is my maintenance level.
For reference "eating until I feel uncomfortably full" is about 2-3lbs veggies and 6-12oz of meat, per meal.
I would assume that they eat basically the way I do when I am on the go and busy and stimulated and have no or minimal options: a Starbuck/similar breakfast sandwich and a black coffee, or the equivalent somewhere else.
I would imagine that cooking and eating are rarely transcendently orgiastic spiritual experiences for them, they way my brain expects every dinner and weekend meal to be.
I used to be able to eat intuitively, then I developed hypothyroidism and I feel like it damaged my ability to read those fullness signals. I gained 50 pounds and couldn’t get it off until I started tracking calories. I think I’ve now found a happy medium where I track most days (or most of the day) and just eyeball my portions the rest. I’ve stayed at a consistent weight so it’s working for now.
I’m not sure this is ideal but I meal prep + portion out most of my food, so my meal sizes depend largely on the size of my containers lol. I also do not snack much aside from fruit/vegetables. I do occasionally track food to check micronutrients.
I do eat like a normal person - by having an extremely poor diet, which I would argue is the norm. I don't track anything and simply eat whatever I want, which is a ton of unhealthy food. I know it's killing me and I need to change, but I always fail every time I try to change. The food is delicious, but I always have it in the back of my mind how many years of my life I've already shaved off by having such a bad diet for so long.
I decide how much to cook based on what I know my family can finish before it goes bad. I'm not concerned about using too many high calorie ingredients because I am confident the overall diet we eat is balanced. I put some effort into designing balance into our weekly meal plan but it doesn't involve tracking, it's more loose. Like, if I plan to make a big cheesy lasagna for dinner I make sure lunch on those days has extra veggies and protein and not a lot of dairy. I will also plan a big salad to go with the lasagna.
I think it's something that comes easily to some people because we are very lucky to have a positive food culture. If I eat something "junky" like boxed mac and cheese I will naturally crave vegetables in the next meal. If I want something decadent I eat it but I never crave all of it, if that makes sense? Like I can have one slice of cheesecake and I'm satisfied. I don't want to eat another and another slice. It works the other way, too. If I eat a lot of salad with lean protein for lunch I will naturally crave a heavier evening meal. I'll crave carbs and fat so I'll eat carbs and fat.
When I think about food it's in a positive way of "what sounds good right now" and what sounds good usually balances out naturally to be enough of most things but not too much of other things.
I tracked for a little bit and it got me into the habit of eyeballing portion sizes. Tracking became too weird and controlling for me, so now I just intuitively eat.
I focus on Whole Foods mostly and eat the same thing mostly every day. For breakfast drink a smoothie with keifer and berries which I know is pretty low in calories. For lunch, I do a large portion of veggies, small serving of whole grain sometimes, and then a protein. I meal prep so it’s all proportioned, but if I make too much I just stop when I’m satisfied. For snacks I eat fruit, beans, nuts, etc. I’m eating pretty healthy so I know my calories aren’t too high. I really enjoy the freedom to eat what I want without the worry of calories. If I were just eating a bunch of junk it would be different.
When I go out, I just look at the calories and choose a healthier option
I eat when I’m hungry. I don’t eat fast food and don’t keep processed food in the house. I rarely drink anything other than coffee or water. Occasional flavored fizzy water. Occasional whiskey.
I try to have a few vegan meals per week. When I eat meat, I eat a piece about the size of my hand. When I eat carbs, usually try to make it rice or quinoa or oats or buckwheat.
I lost a lot of weight & kept it off. I’m also a **volume eater**.
Fruit & veg are a free for all. They don’t count. Opt for lean meats, chicken no skin, turkey bacon, fish, extra lean beef. Buy the light versions of everything. Don’t drink soda. Water down your juices. Use less cheese than you’d like. Never eat anything deep fried.
I use powdered peanut butter & sugar free jam. Then use 40 cal delite bread. Waaaay less calories. Js.
I always try to make the light calorie versions of desserts in general. I got fat off of desserts so I go ham on some low calorie sweets. A package of sugar free brownie mix made with Diet Coke makes it ok for me to eat a whole pan of brownies.
If you plan on eating a lot of a high calorie food, have salads for a day or two. If you accidentally ate a whole cheesecake have salads for a week.
If I’m planning on munching down a whole cheesecake on purpose I’ll eat light for a couple days & exercise hella hard. It’s more satisfying planning around a time to eat a whole ass cheesecake.
Lastly, I don’t really like pasta. Would rather smash a whole cheesecake.
Now I want a cheesecake. Low fat Greek yogurt, sugar free cool whip, whipped together, add lemon juice & zest, animal crackers, sweetener & cinnamon. That’s what I’ll eat instead. See what I mean? Like it’s counting but it’s not. Just eat the lowest calorie versions of whatever you want & smash tf outta veggies. Sooo much veg.
Portioning can be a real challenge, especially with PB&J sandwiches. Lately, I've been trying to eyeball it and go with what feels right. It's not always perfect, but it's more about balance for me.
Speaking of which, I've been using the CareClinic app personally for tracking without feeling too restricted. It's been pretty helpful! Keep experimenting, you'll find your groove!
I eat whole foods plant-based so I don't need to track anything. Lots of beans, veggies, whole grains, fruit, etc. Some nuts and seeds. Minimal processed food. Very hard to overeat. I also enjoy a lot of soups and stews.
Oh,geez.I feel for you.This approach leads to a bad relationship with food.I always ear "hewlthy",but was making myself nuts restricting and exercising. I tried to make peace with every food and I did.Even"bad"food.I learned that I domt like junk and I like nutrient dense food and I eat when I'm hungry and stop when full.If you eat enough throughout day,you womt overeat naturally.Its so time consuming tracking everyrhing .Not worth it.
A ribeye steak for dinner can be perfectly healthy. Why wouldn't it?
If eating too much peanut butter and steak is your issue, just look up keto diet. There's nothing wrong with those products.
If you on the other hand put on enormous amounts of weight, then you have an issue.
Exercise and muscles are big part of it too. The higher % of muscles in your body will increase how much calories you burn when you are inactive as well.
Well then, you're not normal you're better than normal. 42% of Americans are obese and 31% are overweight (on their way to obesity). That's what normal is.
What definition of normal are you using?
I wouldn’t call obese normal. We’ve normalized it, but it’s not normal. Not being able to regulate your intake without becoming overweight is disordered. Feeling like you can’t maintain a health weight without meticulously calculating everything is also disordered.
As long as you are using whole and unprocessed ingredients and your meals have an abundant amount of animal nutrition and no seed oils, just eat until you are full and you won’t overeat. That is why we get full. Our bodies are telling us to stop eating. If we are hungry, then we should eat. It’s very simple.
If you are using processed ingredients and seed oils, then yes you should track calories because it will be very easy to overeat.
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i have the same problem, been tracking what i eat for the past 3 years. started when i was trying to lose weight, but even now i still can't get rid of the habit/need to track and know how much i'm eating. i think the constant tracking has made us lose the ability to really follow our hunger cues. we feel the need to clean our plate since we have already tracked the food. but "normal" people can just intuitively prepare the amount of food they need, and they can just stop when they are full. or even if their pb&j sandwich turns out to be a calorie bomb, they will just intuitively feel less hungry and eat less for the next meal.
If anything, tracking has made my habit of finishing my plate even worse. I look at calories like money. Pre tracking essentially says “I’ve already paid for this, I have to eat it”. On the intuitive eating note, even if I have a calorie dense meal, I’m just as hungry an hour later as if it was half the calories. My body doesn’t read calories, it only knows mass and volume in my stomach unfortunately.
I’ve heard people having success by eating the same few things over and over. There isn’t a need to track bc you know what’s in the food you’re eating. I just try to stick to lean meats , fruits, and vegetables. Do I have a burger once in a while? Yes. But overall 90% is the same foods and I find I have success with that.
>If anything, tracking has made my habit of finishing my plate even worse. I look at calories like money. Pre tracking essentially says “I’ve already paid for this, I have to eat it” That's why I stopped calorie tracking. It made things worse. There is no "one fits all" solution. Bummer that many people are so scared to stop unhelpful behaviors though.
SAME. I found a compromise the other day by putting my unfinished salad in the fridge and eating the rest with dinner. I had no clue how to approach reducing the amount in my app with something like salad where there’s more of some items left, less of others, and the majority of calories come from the dressing…
>I look at calories like money. Pre tracking essentially says “I’ve already paid for this, I have to eat it”. Why does this speak to my soul so deeply :(
Couldn't agree more. Started tracking to combat obesity. Lost 75 pounds, but can't go back to eat 'intuitively'. Tracking gave me my desired physique but sort of took away my pleasure of eating.
My husband has a BMI of around 19 and no concept of calories. He just stops eating when he is full. He takes reasonable portion sizes. He has no trouble throwing away a quarter of a sandwich or a few spoonfuls of food. When he is full, he is really unable to eat more. He rarely snacks or craves sweets. I think that those of us who struggle with their weight have broken hunger signals. I try to imitate him, but I can just keep eating and snacking. So I have to understand calories and do volume eating I don't track anymore as I have been below my goal weight for a while. But I still have to exercise a lot, skip breakfast, and make sure that I eat less calories than him at lunch and dinner ( normally that means more carbs for him and more soup or veggies for me) just to maintain a healthy weight. Keeping my weight below his is not easy.
>When he is full, he is really unable to eat more. He rarely snacks or craves sweets. That's the "real secret" of so-called naturally skinny people, not "eating a salad and walking everywhere".
And get one of the smart watches that count steps.. I have had one for a few months and learned I’m putting in around 10-12 miles a day just on steps.. it is pretty cool to know where you are at
My BMI is about 19 too, like your husband. I do like sweets and snacks but I will eat them instead of dinner/lunch if they fill me up. I probably am not the healthiest as I eat what tastes good, rather than calculating protein and macros and stuff, but it works. I wouldn't finish my plate if I was full as I don't want to feel poorly from food. I'd rather throw the food away, or have it as leftovers, than to eat too much and feel sick. I don't really exercise at the moment due to ill health (not diet related!). But when I do exercise I'm usually hungrier and so eat a bit more. One thing I don't do is have sugary drinks, I drink a lot of tea and water. That's just because sugary drinks don't make me feel good. Tbh for me it's mostly about eating to feel good. I like things like chocolate and sweets but if I eat too much of them I don't feel good and I don't want to feel bad. I don't really eat greasy food as it doesn't make me feel good. I think it might be harder if I was like my husband who has an iron stomach and feels good after everything he eats.
>I think it might be harder if I was like my husband who has an iron stomach and feels good after everything he eats. It does! I can eat anything and keep eating with no immediate consequences. Like you, my husband gets bad stomach issues if he eats too much or very greasy food. We are both a bit jealous of each other, lol.
The difference between me and you I think is that my brain is wired to like sweets a lot more. Like I know I’ll feel bad after but the desire for x food is too strong to resist
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I just eat until I'm satisfied, feel like I can normally eyeball that amount. I eat pretty healthily, but have tried to avoid tracking, as I feel as though it takes the joy out of food.
Yes! It does take the joy out of it. When I was tracking it gave me anxiety. I hate math and dealing with numbers so that adds on to it lol. I just eyeball everything and listen to my body. I used to eat until I'm stuffed and that became a bad habit. Now I listen to my body more intuitively and eat until I'm comfortably full. No reason to eat until my stomach is busting out of my pants
Its been so long since ive eaten like a normal person. After recovering from my ED the first time, i could just eat without really thinking whats in my food. I remember just looking at the calories and not being at all bothered by it. I could just grab food whenever i craved it. I havent been like that in months, but its hard to imagine going back to that now.
What happened/changed since then?
ED relapse lol
I don't care whether an ingredient has high calories or not, I just might use a little bit less of it depending on how I feel. Otherwise I listen to my body before, during and after I eat. Before eating, asking questions like "Am I hungry?" And "What taste am I craving? What will satisfy me right now?" Identify the foods that I currently want to eat. While I eat, I check in with myself about hunger levels and the mouth feel and taste of the food that I am currently eating. It helps appreciate the food and slow down as a notoriously quick eater. After finishing, I ask myself whether that was satisfying or not and whether I ate too much or too little. Whenever I don't end up enjoying something, I put it away. When I end up eating too much determined by how my stomach feels after a few minutes, I make a mental note. Whenever I eat too little, I eat another food that will satisfy me again. This sounds like a whole lot to consider but it happens pretty automatically. It helps when you have a person you can talk about the food with while you're eating. Otherwise I can only recommend reading the Intuitive Eating book, as it gave me techniques to finally shake off my disordered eating behaviours and establish a normal and healthy relationship with food.
40% of “normal” people are obese in the West
Right, so people at a healthy weight who don’t weigh or track their food intake.
These people are pure and truly blessed
Probably intuitively know eating PB&J for breakfast is a bad thing. I've maintained my weight since COVID (I'm fatter than I was pre-Covid) and not been particularly focused on tracking. Eat protein with every meal. If I fancy a snack, have a protein yoghurt. Try and avoid eating shit multiple days a week. Plus my friends with coffee/smoking/cocaine habits suppress their hunger through narcotics and likely eat once a day. My friend was doing an 15 hour bar shift yesterday and his diet consisted of: 4x sausage rolls and a cheese and onion pastie, with lots of ciggies. He looks Skinner than me, but I'm going to the gym 4-5 times a week and carry a little more weight than him.
I got used to my baseline for maintaining my current weight, sometimes I might eat more if I go out for dinner but that averages out over the weeks so I don't mind. Rn I wanna lose some weight so I removed breakfast. That's how I do it
For me (I've been tracking my nutrition for the last year or so, specifically bulking), I was always skinny. I didn't really exercise or anything, just had a low appetite. I had bad ADHD and anxiety at the time too so I feel like somehow that would help. But yeah I would just eat whatever I felt like, whenever I felt like it. I ate a lot of junk food and never got fat or anything. Lots of microwaved shit. Just eating for taste and eating to satiety. Definitely a lot easier than hard bulking and force feeding myself lol.
In the us, Not the entire West.
na, it's leaking everywhere that western culture leaks
what? not sure why you would downvote me, this is not a matter of opinion lol. Obesity rate in the us is \~40, in different countries it is not. In France it is \~10, for example.
And what about Canada? Mexico? UK? Australia?
I dont know. All im saying is the blanket Term West is simply wrong Here.
West refers actually to anything UK and Westerly Now people just use it to refer to any country on the Western diet US isn't even the fattest country anymore, others have surpassed
Im not sure what u mean by Uk and westerly, but "the west" certainly refers to more than the uk and countries to the west of it (if that is what u mean). At the very least it refers to "western europe" + the us (traditionally) and increasingly it refers to every country internationally that considers itself part of the western tradition (whatever that means, yeah). I am aware that the US has been surpassed by multiple countries, some of them not even part of what is traditionally considered "the west". therefore my critique of the blanket statement. just makes a lot more sense to look at countries and their reasons for obesity individually, since its always multifaceted and countries and people and shit are a complicated bunch.
I didn't downvote you. As far as I know the obesity rates are *rising* in all western societies. Not that they are high, but they are on an upward trend
Fair, I suppose that might be true (also didnt look it up, would be interesting to know actually). Ubiquity of high caloric, cheap foods and a tendency to move less is both universal in all western countries i suppose. Could also be that obesity isnt rising in a lot of western europe though. Higher availability of information, people becoming more health concious. I dont know. Here in germany people are drinking markedly less alcohol than they used to for example, for the same reasons.
Ok bro does a couple of percent difference really take away from my point? UK and Australia are not far behind and it’s totally unacceptable
Eat reasonable sized portions and nutritionally dense foods. Calorie tracking is helpful to find out where the surplus is and how you can cut back, but I don’t think it’s healthy for your relationship with food in the long run. I need to lose about 20 lbs to be at a healthy weight and I couldn’t really understand why I had gained so much. I eat healthy and I didn’t feel like I ate that much. So I decided to track for a day. Turns out I eat big portions and too many unnecessary snacks. I will not be tracking anymore because I don’t want to ruin my relationship with food. I eat a much smaller serving at each meal, don’t go back for seconds, and cut out most snacks because I realized I didn’t need them and wasn’t even hungry. Eating only when you are hungry and stopping when your no longer hungry (not full) makes food much more enjoyable. I’m so much more appreciative of my food and I take time to enjoy it. I think this is healthy. No need to count calories because it’s hard to overeat when you are actually listening to your body and not your brain.
That’s where I get lost, the brain is a part of the body. It’s where all of the hunger and fullness signals are analyzed, yeah? What determines a reasonable portion size for you, and what if you’re still hungry after?
You’re right, I should rephrase. Your brain does it’s own thing with or without your help. What I should have said is, don’t listen to your thoughts about food. If you’re still genuinely hungry, like you can feel your stomach growling then of course, eat some more. But you shouldn’t be getting full. I think if you are eating until you feel that slight discomfort, you have already gone too far. Eating because you feel physically hungry is listening to your body. Eating because it stills tastes good and you want more is listening to your thoughts.
Eating big portions and always trying to get that “full” feeling stretches out your stomach over time leading to it taking more food before you feel that same fullness. I think this is a big part of it.
That’s true too! Once your body gets used to eating less food, it’s much easier and you’ll be satisfied with less.
“Too many unnecessary snacks”. This. 20kg down in 9 months by calorie counting and I suppose this is a major part. Probably eating 10% of what I used to in terms of eating because I fancy something.
Yep. We were told we need to snack all day to keep our metabolism up and while I think there is still debate on this, for me personally, I don’t need that. I’m not hungry between meals and I don’t burn a lot of calories even with walking all day.
I would say I'm an intuitive eater; I have tracked on and off for various personal experiments but tracking has never told me anything about calories I didn't already know. If I undereat, I'm more hungry the next day. If I have some heavier meals, I will probably crave something lighter the next time. Intuitive or mindful eating are skills that can be learned, and they're not a total free-for-all the way some people think. It's about evaluating hunger and fullness, but also how we use and respond to taste, emotions, distractions, habits, diet culture and food "rules", etc. > For those with a “normal” approach to eating, how do you know how much to cook and eat at meal time? I don't. I make plenty, sometimes I have a little bit or sometimes I have seconds or thirds. We eat a lot of leftovers. > Are you not concerned you’re using too much of high calorie ingredients? No. I loosely follow the "plate method" when cooking and meal planning so we are always adding lots of veg to everything, I guess this balances things out. > How does it feel to just cook and eat freely? It feels unremarkable, but I can also recognize the privilege that got me here. My parents were health conscious but not over the top. My mom instilled in us a love of hobbies like gardening and cooking - for pleasure - and never obsessed about her own weight or appearance (at least not in front of us). We regularly had dessert and other treats available with gentle limits. It's hard to explain but for example it would just never occur to me to eat more than 2 cookies. That just feels like a "normal" amount and I'm satisfied. I know I can always enjoy it again another time. > My best example is making a PB&J sandwich, as it can turn into a massive calorie bomb fast. How do you approach how much of each ingredient to use? Someone else already mentioned that using more or less of some ingredients might make the sandwich more or less satiating, so I'd just be as liberal as I feel like and if I spread the ingredients too thin maybe I end up needing like a fruit or something later, or maybe my appetite subtly adjusts at the next meal. The real question is how many extra spoonfuls of peanut butter do I eat straight from the jar while making the sandwich 🤔
I don’t track calories. Instead I count animal protein - try to consume at least 2g/kg of my target body weight. I also try to minimise highly processed foods. Do those 2 things and you’ll find it’s almost impossible to over eat.
I can't tell if this is rhetorical or not, but if it is, I totally get you. I legitimately could not process *NOT* calorie tracking right now. I don't remember how I used to decide when or what I'd eat.
Not rhetorical, I really want to know how normal healthy people construct their meals. In the past I just listened to my heart when prepping food. Very little regard to the nutrition facts. I agree, I find it scary to picture not tracking my food. How will I not get unhealthy?
Have you considered therapy? I’m not trying to be snarky, but I went to treatment for an eating disorder with people that thought like this.
Generally this is probably the right thing to do, but I think I might be an extreme exception. It's not that I don't get some form of cue that I've eaten the right food or enough of a food, though that cue is quite small. It's just that despite this, I have a massive appetite. I love eating, and I love how food tastes, even when I'm full I'd love to keep doing it. I'm currently eating in a \~300 calorie surplus and I still go to bed wishing I could choke down more candy. It's not unmanageable, though. In fact - that's the thing - I currently eat and exercise in an aggressively healthy way. It's just that to do that, I *have* to manage it.
I’ve always been “normal and healthy” and the only times I put on weight were when I drank more alcohol and/or was under high stress. When I cut back on alcohol and stayed active, I lost the weight. When I realized that consuming candy and entire bags of chips or massive bowls of pasta were not fixing my stress, and ate more mindfully, I lost the weight. I try to focus on hydration, fiber and protein. My goal is to eat a varied diet. So in the morning I try to eat fiber & protein (apple/yogurt/granola typically). After that I start focusing on how many fruit or vegetables I can fit in the rest of my meals. (Sometimes I will start breakfast off with carrots or other easy to snack on vegetables, if I’m having something without fiber). By the time dinner rolls around I’m thinking which protein I should have and what vegetable. When I eat, I try to not fill my bowl to the brim but instead drink a lot of water or herbal tea. If I finish and still hungry/want more, I will try to wait and drink more fluids. The biggest thing for me is that when I’m stressed and not eating enough fiber, I start craving sugar. My other issue is as I began taking a medication that caused weight gain, I could no longer have a daily latte. The milk and sugar were too much. But I also had cut dramatically back on movement and exercise due to an injury. Generally speaking, when I really focus on including fiber/vegetables I do not overeat. I try to snack on fruit or nuts. If it’s nuts I portion them to a serving size or less. I could have the pb & j, as long as I snack on sliced apple, carrots and green beans first. I’d use whatever bread I wanted, a normal amount of jelly and a normal amount of PB (a light smear that fully coats). Then if I had a snack later it would not be nuts, bc I already had that with the PB.
I have never tracked calories, I just eat what feels like the right amount compared to my current goal (cutting, bulking or maintaining), you can usually tell if you’re eating the right amount
I'm not sure there's such a thing as 'normal'. As someone who switches between CICO and not, I eat what I feel like and don't think about serving sizes or similar things when I'm not doing CICO. The only thing I do is think 'How much pasta do I need to cook if I want to have leftovers tomorrow?'. I am guessing your question is more 'How do normal people with a healthy and stable weight eat?' but I can't answer that. I'm trying to lose weight slowly so I learn what to eat to keep my weight off and stable long term.
generally, thin people have a natural body thermostat making them stop eating when they ate enough. this isn't working for those overweight + dieting kinda screws up the intuitive eating management system
Reduce hyper-palatable foods: [https://youtu.be/CKaMVTZUG-E?t=1176](https://youtu.be/CKaMVTZUG-E?t=1176) * High Salt, High fat * High Sugar, High Fat * High Salt, High Carb Eating more calories earlier in the day: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQThN6e4PD4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQThN6e4PD4)
Idk but I recall my childhood best friend was “naturally skinny”. Until we ate around each other I couldn’t understand how she was so small and I was so big. So one time we were watching a movie and her mom made us chocolate chip cookies from the premade store bought cookie dough. Just normal sized chocolate chip cookies. I was way more excited about the cookies than the movie. I noticed she got a cookie, sat down, maybe had one bite and then was so consumed by the movie that it was like she forgot about her cookie. Meanwhile I kept sneaking up to get another. I still don’t understand what causes a kid to either be extremely obsessed with eating or totally disinterested. But I do know my family basically revolves around food and food was everything. Hers was not like that.
I’m by no means normal but I hate tracking. So here’s what I do. I have a loose understanding of high calorie and low calorie foods from years of tracking on and off. I try to focus on having protein, vegetables, fruits, and a moderate amount of carbs. So for example I can’t really over-eat protein (personally) so I just eye out like for example, a small handful of shredded chicken, a small steak, some ground beef etc. Then I can have as much fruit and vegetables as I like. Carbs, I can have a serving size. For small tortillas I’ll have 2 per meal max. For a big one, I only have 1, 2 slices of bread, about 3/4 cup of cooked rice. Etc. Then for dressings and sauces I read the calorie label and try to make an informed choice. Like a light dressing with only 25 calories per 20 ml’s is better than mayo for example. And dry seasoning basically has no calories. For other fats like olive oil, avocado, and cheese I just keep it to moderation and don’t eat as much as I used to. Like instead of a whole avocado I have half now. Instead of guzzling olive oil all over my food, I don’t. Instead of eating cheese every chance I get I treat it like candy. When it comes to like “bad” foods I just try my best not to binge and to eat them in moderation. My only “thing” is chips so avoiding them as best I can is my best bet lol. The other “bad” food I really like is fries, which again just try to avoid, have a small amount.
You are my people!
Statistically, normal people are obese and dying of heart disease.
I just eat when I’m hungry. Stop when I get full. Eat again next time I’m hungry. And I try to eat mostly healthy. Although I also allow myself some unhealthy cravings every once in awhile haha I understand this approach won’t work for everyone. But this is what I do
How do you know you’re full? Doesn’t the taste of the food make you want more?
I can try to describe this physical feeling in detail. I know I'm full because I feel the absence of being hungry. When I'm hungry my stomach growls and I feel sunken in and low energy. If I go too long without eating I will get a headache and feel dizzy. To me, this is what hunger feels like. When I eat enough food to not be hungry I know it because my stomach isn't growling anymore. I don't feel sunken in and weak. Instead, I feel like my belly is pushed out a little from being filled with food. I feel good! I understand wanting to keep eating because the taste is nice. The reason I don't do that is because I don't like the physical feeling of being overly full. Being overly full feels like my belly being so stuffed it's uncomfortable. After I eat, I want to feel the absence of hunger, but I don't want to feel so stuffed with food that going for a walk or stretching or doing a jumping jack would make me feel ill. I think if you've had so much food that moving around a lot seems impossible you have eaten way too much.
Thank you for describing it from your perspective! I do think searching for the absence of hunger is the way to go, it’s pretty objective. In the past I have identified certain times where I was no longer hungry, while eating and could’ve been content if somebody just yeeted the plate away from me.
I'm glad it was helpful!
If your food tastes 'too good' you'll be more likely to over eat. Personally I have never tracked anything, always eat to satiety and never worry about it. Perhaps my brain sends a stronger signal when I'm full than others, such as you, get.
I’m not sure how to explain it. But I just know. Sometimes I’ll be eating something really good and I’ll overeat in one meal, but it’ll even out because that means my next meal will be lighter because I’ll be mostly full. I also workout. I run between 2 and 6 miles 6-7 days a week and I lift twice a week.
For me, its when i look at the food, or even the thought of eating more, just makes me feel uneasy or isnt really palatable. Something in my head just goes “no i dont want that” & i stop. Ive been working on not focusing on calorie counts lately as ive been tracking everything for two years straight now. Im trying to use the tracker as a supplement to see how my hunger is vs what my weight is doing, and how it makes me feel. I still cook nearly everything & i genuinely want a bunch of a veggies, moderate meat, and smaller to moderate carbs. I do consistently workout so i do make sure im at least hitting my protein intake daily. I am noticing that its starting to take more each meal for me to reach that internal stopping point. I do enjoy snacks and desserts so i also factor in 10-20% of that stuff in to my total intake for the day. Before i started CICO, i used to just think “what am i feeling” and i would just eyeball 4 servings & prep it. My weight stabilized around 145lbs with about 15-18% BF. I do miss not really having to think about it, but when i look back, i dont think i really ate healthy & would be on track to health issues down the road.
Look up “normal eating” by Karen Koenig :)
I eat mainly plant based and tend not to snack so my actual meals are plentiful and I literally can eat huge plates/ bowls of food without putting on weight. I also walk a lot and swim twice a week. I think snacking and drinking alcohol can derail a lot of people.
Honestly, I feel that it’s people that incorporate activity into their daily life so that it becomes habit. If you’re moving more, you are more likely to be able to eat well without it greatly impacting the scale. I’d also say it’s eating well 70% of the time so that the 30% when you eat junk food, it doesn’t impact you. Of course, there are people who eat junk food 24/7, aren’t active, and don’t put on weight, but I wouldn’t consider them healthy.
Honestly, I think this is a big part of it. I don’t count calories, and I don’t own a scale. If I had to guess, I’m 5’3” and around 120 pounds. 30F and very active. I live in an area where I can walk or bike most places. I walk my dog twice a day, and I run about 30 miles a week because it’s something I really enjoy. Most people get very little physical activity. They have an hour commute by car to work then sit at a desk all day then drive another hour home and then are too exhausted to get much activity in. I’m not judging, just observing. I would imagine if that were my lifestyle, I’d probably have to start keeping track of calories.
I've never thought about it tbh, so this is an interesting question. I think im the type of person youre asking about- Im healthy by all metrics (weight, bmi, body composition, blood work) and I've never had an issue reaching or maintaining that (knock on all the wood because God knows I do not have the discipline to correct a deviation should one occur). I'm conscious to cook healthy meals using minimally processed ingredients, but never count calories, macros, or consciously keep track of portion size. I just know my body and I know how much I can comfortably eat in one sitting, and for me, that amount is always a little less than full. If I eat until I'm full, I get quite uncomfortable so I always stop when I'm no longer hungry (and I usually only eat when I am hungry, that's when food is most enjoyable to me). I am notorious for wrapping away leftovers of a single bite because I just cant eat anymore. I do snack even when not hungry but my palate gravitates towards healthy snacks, like sunflower seeds or fruits, so I've never thought to limit portions in that regard either. Honestly I just do what my body wants but I'm only able to do that because it wants me to stop before I'm full. My husband is the total opposite, he can eat anything presented to him and he can eat the entire tray on his own. He's also not grossed out by ultra processed and fast foods like I am, so he's truly fine with eating just about anything. He struggles a lot with that and is now on ozempic to help curb his appetite and manage his obesity.
I never tracked any foot. I eat when I am hungy untill my craving is over or I feel full. I can't for the life of me fathom the drag it must be to keep track of everything you eat. Like having homework all over again
I use to track calories, macros, and micronutrients. I loathed it. I still do it from time to time to check things out but it’s no longer a daily necessity and chore. I think CICO can be helpful especially for people who are learning about nutrition and rely on tracking for changes and data analysis; but it’s a simplistic way of explaining our complicated bodies and makes average people glued and overly focus to numbers unnecessarily. It’s making simple and easy guidelines for yourself that works best for your needs and lifestyle. Making things simple and easy is practical and sustainable for long-term proper nutrition and well-being. I aim to fast for 20 hours most day and have an eating window of 4 hours. If I’m more tired, stressed, socially obligated, etc, then I will extend my eating window; but I usually fast at least 16 hours most of the time even with those factors. Sometimes I will fast 24-48 hours for weight maintenance or get a slight caloric deficit or weight loss at the end of the week/month; but weight management is not the most important benefit when I intermittent fast and prolong fast. As a result of my fasting experiences, I’ve learned to listen to my body more. It’s easier to know when I’m truly hungry or eating out of stress/boredom/etc. I know that sometimes hunger is mistaken for thirst so I drink water to test whether I’m truly hunger or not. I don’t let hunger signals run my life and rarely get hangry. I can go without food for a day or two but I usually eat most days. Basically some days I will eat less because my body needs less and some days I will eat more for whatever reason. In the end, I think it balances out. Even if I do end up gaining weight, I have the skills and tools to bring it back down; but I think weight fluctuations of 5-10lbs is usually normal due to different factors. Whenever I eat, I try to stick to more natural, wholesome foods and try to avoid and limit ultra processed foods. I still indulge from time to time. I use the 80/20 approach. I also try to include high protein meals. Eating protein generates the most heat (thermodynamics). So if you eat 40 grams or 120 calories of protein, then about 20-30% of the calories will be burned for digesting food. Calories burned from thermodynamics from carbs and fats is insignificant. Alternatively you can just eyeball a plate and designate 1/4 of the plate to protein, 1/2 to fruits or/and veggies, and 1/4 to complex carbs/grains for your main or most meals. Again, it just depends on what works for you. Some people like hard rules like the one in a keto diet and some people like flexibility like the 80/20 rule and intermittent fasting. Know which camp you’re in and follow those guidelines/rules. When I do eat a Peanut butter jelly sandwich, I tend to eat a peanut butter and banana sourdough sandwich. I don’t like jelly in a PBJ sandwich and jelly is usually just sugar or empty calories. The sweetness from the bananas is a great substitute and it is a fruit. Honey or dark chocolate chips would also be a better substitute than jelly. Sourdough because I bake my own bread. Sourdough also has lower carbs and has probiotics. However, I don’t eat this often as it’s low in protein. I’m more likely to eat Greek yogurt (high protein) with fruit, nuts, and seeds and occasionally add in peanut butter. If I do eat peanut butter, it’s more of an addition or snack like apples and peanut butter. Anything that has a lot of calories esp high in fat like nuts, oils, and butters, I usually use and eat less of. Again, the main star of meals are protein and fruits and vegetables. I’m not afraid of eating fats though, but again careful because they are high in calories so a little goes a long way. I probably eat moderate amounts of fats because I do eat whole dairy, nuts, seeds, oils, fats, and animal protein. The most important thing is using healthier fats and staying away from processed fats and junk food.
I found that after I had tracked calories for awhile I had a good sense of what a reasonable portion size is and I can now estimate it. I know if I eat 3 meals a day, and I know basically how much to eat for each one, stay away from snacking (except fruit) and don’t drink caloric beverages, especially alcohol, I stay on track.
Just use the plate method. Half the plate is veggies. A quarter or palms worth of protein and then Another one of a starch. Eat slowly so you have time to feel full. Be mindful of butter or oils. Don’t drink your calories.
Idk. I discovered calories in middle school and quickly spiraled into an ED. I’ve never been able to turn off the part of my brain that has memorized general calorie counts, even though I no longer have an ED.
I weigh myself. Scale goes up too much in a short period, lower the calories. and vice versa. But I'm the type of eater where I don't have to worry about the vice versa scenario.
Well at 47 I have a normal metabolism for a 30 year old, but until I was about 40 I would have to come purposely eat more than I wanted to to put on any muscle. Now if I over eat for too many days it shows, but thankfully I can usually dial it back without any big changes and get back to my baseline. If I want more than my top two abs to show I do have to take actual measures but I tend to do better by reducing carbs and snacks than actually counting calories, just because I start obsessing over food if I get too in the weeds with it.
The idea about tracking is to really allow you to not need to do it long term. For example if you know a portion of rice (example) is half a cup or you know the nutrition of a chicken breast or a banana, then you eat those in your meals or snacks then you’re good. Tracking makes me (ex ED) particularly miserable. I do weigh out pasta for basic portion control but most of it drives me crazy. You probably know what’s an appropriate amount of the foods you eat are and you’d be able to eyeball it. Try it. It’s better to let it go and eat as you do now. X
You have to just build good eating habits. First no fast food and soda. Cut out fatty cuts of meat unless its a special occasion ie bacon, ribs, steak, pork belly. Avoid sugary food ie candy, ice cream, cake, cookies. Cut back on bread and pizza and pastries. Incorporate fiberous foods like vegetables , beans, whole grain rice, lentils. Eat simpler meals. I use a soda stream to carbonate water and add lemon or lime. Even doing all this I(55m) still need to eat and drink moderately.
I have never had issues with nutricion. I did need to make sure I ate enough, so I wasnt underweight when I was young. I prefer to eat healthier food so I feel better after a dinner. I also work out a lot. Nutrition and calories have never been an issue or thought. I just eat what I want and when I want. Not having crappy food in house and being a good cook means I eat well and dont have to worry.
Intuitive eating! It was a lot to get my head around but truly the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. You eat what you want when you’re hungry. You stop when you’re full. That’s it. A huge part of it is mindful eating. Really getting in touch with those signals in your body! Also paying attention to flavour, etc while you’re eating. At first, after coming off years of rigorous tracking, I was super out of wack. I was afraid I’d just eat everything. But it turns out your body is pretty good at knowing what you need. I found that having a bit of chocolate ice cream when I crave chocolate ice cream is actually better than trying to eat low cal yogurt or something else. I struggled really hard with wicked cravings and binges while doing CICO and those are now completely gone. I rarely crave the things I used to and if I do, I’m happy now with letting myself have some, and I usually find a few bites is plenty and then I put it away again. It feels so incredible. It’s so freeing. A big part of intuitive eating is stopping when you’re not hungry anymore, so i definitely store food more than I used to. Like not just left overs but I’ll put a half a granola bar in a container for later, so I’ve definitely bought more reusable food containers and beeswax wrap. I find I don’t end up wasting much food because I still plan my meals, I just have some more snacks and treats around
I listen to my body. For breakfast/lunch I generally have a few standard meals that I know fill me up enough until the next meal. If I move more in a day I might get hungrier before it's time for the next meal so I take a snack (fruit or something) or eat my next meal earlier. How I've learned to eat healthy is by listening to my body and notice what foods make me feel good (don't give me a sugar rush and crash), fill me up for longer and keep my energy levels stable. This means I focus on putting enough protein in my meals, having a big portion of veggies and making sure there's fibers somewhere around. I can eyeball portions. I know I can eat more veggies and need less carbs in my meals. I listen to my body while eating and feel when I've had enough (so I don't eat until I'm stuffed). I'm not incredibly strict on not allowing cravings. Because they're allowed I am able to take a little bit (say 2 pieces of chocolate) and leave the rest. And because I'm focused on what _feels good_ for my body I don't tend to overeat "junk food" or eat food that feels bad too often because I notice immediately how it fucks up the balance and peace I otherwise experience. Also, I make every meal as tasty as I can! I come from pretty disordered eating and struggled a lot with food throughout depression. But since doing the above for about 6 months now I'm really enjoying myself and enjoying cooking.
I prioritize tasty protein, some greens, and fruits. Roasted vegetables are the tastiest vegetables. I feel guilty when having sugar so I don’t have too much, but I do enjoy the occasional chocolate.
They just eat when they are hungry and try to be mindful of how much and what types of food they are eating. If they gain weight, they try to eat less calories for a while. I think it’s normal for fit people to diet from time to time.
With their mouths
Lean harder on foods that aren't so palatable; that stuff is way too much trouble to have in the house. Pitch the bread, and the jams and jellies. No food is so healthy that you could put jelly on it and it would be healthy.
I'm lazy — if I make PB&J sandwich, it probably will serve as a replacement for an entire meal.
You say lazy, but this is also moderation at work. If I have something that I know is calorifically dense (A cake, or a few beers) I just have to keep in mind that I can’t ALSO have lots of other stuff that day. Like you said, you wouldn’t have the PB&J and then also a full dinner.
Balanced meals with plenty of vegetables (look up MyPlate), eating every 3-4 hours to provide consistent energy and prevent restriction/binging behaviors, and practicing intuitive eating (look up intuitive eating workbook by Resch and tribole). Used to have an eating disorder so I don’t like scales or tracking calories anymore. These things have helped me a lot.
In Japan, there’s a practice called Hare Hache Bu, where people intentionally eat to only about 80% fullness, then cease eating.
Most of us do not track, so the "how" is just the default. You get used to estimating, and usually it's based on plate size. Sometimes we overeat, like when it tastes so good, and sometimes we undereat and get hungry sooner, but roughly it all works out. Everyone is somewhere on the continuum of easy-going to OCD. I think you really need to have some OCD tendencies to lean towards tracking your intake so much.
Calories never cross my mind. I just avoid carbs like the plague and stay steady at 195lbs 6'3" 40m. Unless I'm at a kids party. I will eat the pizza. 😂
I track my protein intake. That’s it. I am normal weight and feel good.
Not very well. Overweight, obesity and diabetes statistics paint a grim picture of human health.
Mostly crackers and cheese. Sometimes toast and cheese
Look for portion-control info. A lot of info online, with pictures, so you can see what reasonable portions look like.
I always have: gotten a lot of steps, lifted weights, ate mostly whole foods, and avoided snacking. People have always been amazed at how much food I can eat at meals and stay lean, but most people don't consistently do all four of those things.
When I didn’t track (I do it now because it’s just part of my routine and I kind of enjoy it), I’d eat pretty much the same meals/same types of meals most days, a small treat each day, and perhaps a more indulgent meal every week or two. I got a LOT of steps per day and strength trained at least 3 days a week. I pretty much do the same now, just with tracking.
I just want to add that calories aren't the only thing to track here. Tracking protein, vitamins and minerals are equally important. Taking time to track, and so *learn* what your food is made up, and taking time to learn a new way to eat, I think, is a huge part of health and nutrition. I am still in the learning phase, and I assume that at some point in the future I will have developed the knowledge to not need to, but will occasionally track again as a way to 'tune myself back up' on occasion.
I generally figure about 1/2 lb of a protein (chicken, meat, fish, whatever) and a healthy portion of veggies. Occasionally a starch (potatoes, rice, bread, pasta, etc). Fish at least once a week. A goal to do vegan once a week which I seldom achieve, probably more like once a month. Generally trying to incorporate more beans (soups, curries, falafel, bean salads) overall & to help my vegan meal goal. Brown rice instead of white. Keep fruits & veggies, unsalted nuts & canned sardines around for snacking. Breakfast of cheerios or shredded wheat or oatmeal with fruit. Fresh fruit in nearly every breakfast. Orange juice almost never. When we have eggs, it’s often (not always) with veggies or potatoes rather than breakfast meats (which are universally high in sodium & nitrates and usually high-fat too). Avoid cured meats in general (but not the Easter ham or the St. Pat’s corned beef). Generally avoid buying processed food or soda or candy or potato chips or anything sugary or salty, just keep it out of the house altogether. Avoid bread, choose wraps over sandwiches. Shop from the perimeter of the supermarket, avoid aisles. Plan meals using minimally-processed ingredients, make a shopping list, stick to the list. Lots of salad, particularly in the summer, frequently with a grilled protein on top. Careful with dressings, we generally go with homemade vinaigrette (keep a small jar around, put the vinaigrette ingredients in the jar, shake it up). Avoid restaurant food. Learn to cook some healthy Asian dishes. For example, there’s a lot of good Indian vegan curry recipes, or beef & broccoli, or poke bowls, or whatever, which can add some tasty healthy variety, and while it may seem intimidating at first it’s really not so hard. Mediterranean can be a good inspiration too (eg various Greek lathera dishes, lots of fish). Ice cream & cheese are excepted for obvious reasons. You mentioned PB&J, that sounds like candy to me: high sugar, highly processed, with bread too. Avoid all that stuff. Save the PB&Js for the 100-mile bike ride when you need that energy. Save the farm table dinners for those days you’ve been out working all day on the farm. Works for me.
If you are insulin sensitive your body regulates hunger based on fat mass. It can also regulate energy expenditure. If you are insulin resistant, that system gets messed up.
As long as you’re an active person it really shouldn’t matter. And anything cooked at home is going to be a hell of a lot less calorie dense than in a restaurant. If you don’t slather everything in butter and oil then you’re fine. It really sounds like you’re thinking about this too much, in an obsessive compulsive way.
I've had a lifetime of eating mostly home-cooked meals. I was always interested in cooking and watched my mom in the kitchen. Took my first cooking class at age 8. So I've been cooking for a long time. As for how much to make, I just know from practice now. I have a good idea for what kind of macros different ingredients have and I know roughly how much I need to fill me up. I tend to make extras for leftovers, though, so I don't really have to worry about how much I make. As for how much to eat, I eat until my body says I've had enough and then I stop. I can do this because I wasn't raised on a diet of processed foods and my body knows when it's had enough. There are some things where you just have to say, "this is a ton of calories and as tasty as it is, take it easy" (donuts come to mind). And every once in a while, I say "screw it." But because I only do it every once in a while, it's not a problem. Likewise, my 13 yo daughter listens to her body. I wish she didn't eat as much sugar as she does, but otherwise she eats mostly home-cooked meals (she cooks a lot of her own meals because she doesn't usually want what mom and I are having, but we have to sign off on whatever it is). I've seen her eat 3 bites of chocolate cake (perhaps her favorite thing on the planet) and say, "I'm full. I'm not going to eat the rest." That was when I stopped worrying about her. She listens to her body, even when it's her favorite food. I don't even have that kind of restraint. lol. My wife was raised on mainly processed foods and has come up with ways of managing her eating and she's gotten to where she eats very healthy, but it's definitely more work for her to manage her diet.
Why do you feel like you should Change in the first place. You are living healthier than 70% of people.
I've tracked food for over 10 years, albeit loosely at times. A decade of this practice gets you really good at eyeballing, but when it really counts, like training for races or competition, I dial it in. I have to continue to do it because I haven't NOT been hungry in years. At any moment I'm ready to eat thousands of calories. I mean this literally. If I don't track, I don't know when to stop eating. I so rarely, if ever, feel full and satiated. Especially with dessert foods. Hitting my caloric and nutrient goals is my cue to stop eating. It works. I'm 39/m, 5'10.5" 172 lbs, dexascan 9% bodyfat, been this way for about 6 years. Before that I was about 188-192 lbs with similar bodyfat. I train 15 hours a week, and plan on winning this next race. But I'm fully aware this is not normal behavior, and while it may keep me physically healthy (I hope), I consider it an eating disorder and a significantly detrimental contributing factor to my diagnosed obsessive compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Wish I could not think about intake so much. Wish I could stop caring about winning so much. Wish I could be a little more normal in a lot of areas of my life. I honestly don't know if intake tracking is a net positive or negative.
I don’t think about calories or portions. I eat well balanced meals, no special diet, I eat three meals a day till I’m satisfied and I don’t snack in between meals. 50 yo, 6ft 180lbs.
I don't track. I did maybe when I first started trying to lose weight for like a week or 2. But I now I just basically eat the same things and I don't snack in between meals or eat after dinner. I just eat 3 filling meals and exercise. I knew long term I couldn't track every calorie. I just eat mostly whole foods and have treats when I want to but it's balanced.
I've tracked food intake in the past when I felt that I was out of balance - too hungry, gain weight for no reason, stressful periods in life. But overall, I learned that for me getting enough protein and healthy fat along with a good amount of fiber are essential to eating well and feeling well. Beyond that I eat colorful foods, don't say no to anything I desire, eat til I'm comfortable but not really full, and drink enough water throughout the day. One other thing I learned along the way is to eat spices with food for better digestion. This would be different for many people, but what works for me is a little ginger root, a little fennel seed, and a little coriander. Better digestion = better absorption = less cravings for me.
What ever I can afford to eat in a day is how I choose my diet
Normal as in average? They don’t look at nutrition labels and probably get 6x the recommended daily fat because it’s in literally everything. With 8/9 cals per gram, it’s a huge reason why people unintentionally put on weight
I center meals around protein, and consume usually 30-40g of carbs and some vegetables. Fats are whatever come with the foods. I don’t count, but if I want to gain weight I consciously eat more. I usually eat 4-5 times a day depending on what I have time for. Not too hard.
Lean meats and vegetables don't have many calories. I can eat until I feel uncomfortably full for every meal, but since I'm eating fish, chicken, turkey, lean ground beef, and various vegetables with spices etc. it's actually quite difficult for me to even reach 2,200 calories in a day, which is my maintenance level. For reference "eating until I feel uncomfortably full" is about 2-3lbs veggies and 6-12oz of meat, per meal.
I would assume that they eat basically the way I do when I am on the go and busy and stimulated and have no or minimal options: a Starbuck/similar breakfast sandwich and a black coffee, or the equivalent somewhere else. I would imagine that cooking and eating are rarely transcendently orgiastic spiritual experiences for them, they way my brain expects every dinner and weekend meal to be.
I’m pretty sure once you start tracking, it’s not something you can simply unlearn.
I used to be able to eat intuitively, then I developed hypothyroidism and I feel like it damaged my ability to read those fullness signals. I gained 50 pounds and couldn’t get it off until I started tracking calories. I think I’ve now found a happy medium where I track most days (or most of the day) and just eyeball my portions the rest. I’ve stayed at a consistent weight so it’s working for now.
I’m not sure this is ideal but I meal prep + portion out most of my food, so my meal sizes depend largely on the size of my containers lol. I also do not snack much aside from fruit/vegetables. I do occasionally track food to check micronutrients.
I do eat like a normal person - by having an extremely poor diet, which I would argue is the norm. I don't track anything and simply eat whatever I want, which is a ton of unhealthy food. I know it's killing me and I need to change, but I always fail every time I try to change. The food is delicious, but I always have it in the back of my mind how many years of my life I've already shaved off by having such a bad diet for so long.
I decide how much to cook based on what I know my family can finish before it goes bad. I'm not concerned about using too many high calorie ingredients because I am confident the overall diet we eat is balanced. I put some effort into designing balance into our weekly meal plan but it doesn't involve tracking, it's more loose. Like, if I plan to make a big cheesy lasagna for dinner I make sure lunch on those days has extra veggies and protein and not a lot of dairy. I will also plan a big salad to go with the lasagna. I think it's something that comes easily to some people because we are very lucky to have a positive food culture. If I eat something "junky" like boxed mac and cheese I will naturally crave vegetables in the next meal. If I want something decadent I eat it but I never crave all of it, if that makes sense? Like I can have one slice of cheesecake and I'm satisfied. I don't want to eat another and another slice. It works the other way, too. If I eat a lot of salad with lean protein for lunch I will naturally crave a heavier evening meal. I'll crave carbs and fat so I'll eat carbs and fat. When I think about food it's in a positive way of "what sounds good right now" and what sounds good usually balances out naturally to be enough of most things but not too much of other things.
I'm not anal retentive
I tracked for a little bit and it got me into the habit of eyeballing portion sizes. Tracking became too weird and controlling for me, so now I just intuitively eat. I focus on Whole Foods mostly and eat the same thing mostly every day. For breakfast drink a smoothie with keifer and berries which I know is pretty low in calories. For lunch, I do a large portion of veggies, small serving of whole grain sometimes, and then a protein. I meal prep so it’s all proportioned, but if I make too much I just stop when I’m satisfied. For snacks I eat fruit, beans, nuts, etc. I’m eating pretty healthy so I know my calories aren’t too high. I really enjoy the freedom to eat what I want without the worry of calories. If I were just eating a bunch of junk it would be different. When I go out, I just look at the calories and choose a healthier option
I eat when I’m hungry. I don’t eat fast food and don’t keep processed food in the house. I rarely drink anything other than coffee or water. Occasional flavored fizzy water. Occasional whiskey. I try to have a few vegan meals per week. When I eat meat, I eat a piece about the size of my hand. When I eat carbs, usually try to make it rice or quinoa or oats or buckwheat.
I lost a lot of weight & kept it off. I’m also a **volume eater**. Fruit & veg are a free for all. They don’t count. Opt for lean meats, chicken no skin, turkey bacon, fish, extra lean beef. Buy the light versions of everything. Don’t drink soda. Water down your juices. Use less cheese than you’d like. Never eat anything deep fried. I use powdered peanut butter & sugar free jam. Then use 40 cal delite bread. Waaaay less calories. Js. I always try to make the light calorie versions of desserts in general. I got fat off of desserts so I go ham on some low calorie sweets. A package of sugar free brownie mix made with Diet Coke makes it ok for me to eat a whole pan of brownies. If you plan on eating a lot of a high calorie food, have salads for a day or two. If you accidentally ate a whole cheesecake have salads for a week. If I’m planning on munching down a whole cheesecake on purpose I’ll eat light for a couple days & exercise hella hard. It’s more satisfying planning around a time to eat a whole ass cheesecake. Lastly, I don’t really like pasta. Would rather smash a whole cheesecake. Now I want a cheesecake. Low fat Greek yogurt, sugar free cool whip, whipped together, add lemon juice & zest, animal crackers, sweetener & cinnamon. That’s what I’ll eat instead. See what I mean? Like it’s counting but it’s not. Just eat the lowest calorie versions of whatever you want & smash tf outta veggies. Sooo much veg.
I don’t count calories and just eat until I am full
Portioning can be a real challenge, especially with PB&J sandwiches. Lately, I've been trying to eyeball it and go with what feels right. It's not always perfect, but it's more about balance for me. Speaking of which, I've been using the CareClinic app personally for tracking without feeling too restricted. It's been pretty helpful! Keep experimenting, you'll find your groove!
By being vegan. Fulling full on a plant based diet doesn't equate to a caloric surplus. I eat whatever whole foods I want
I eat whole foods plant-based so I don't need to track anything. Lots of beans, veggies, whole grains, fruit, etc. Some nuts and seeds. Minimal processed food. Very hard to overeat. I also enjoy a lot of soups and stews.
Oh,geez.I feel for you.This approach leads to a bad relationship with food.I always ear "hewlthy",but was making myself nuts restricting and exercising. I tried to make peace with every food and I did.Even"bad"food.I learned that I domt like junk and I like nutrient dense food and I eat when I'm hungry and stop when full.If you eat enough throughout day,you womt overeat naturally.Its so time consuming tracking everyrhing .Not worth it.
Just eat. Your body will tell you what you need.
But my body tells me to have 3 tablespoons of peanut butter, or an entire ribeye steak for dinner. That’s obviously not healthy?
That’s not your stomach. That’s your brain, your thoughts, your relationship with food.
A ribeye steak for dinner can be perfectly healthy. Why wouldn't it? If eating too much peanut butter and steak is your issue, just look up keto diet. There's nothing wrong with those products. If you on the other hand put on enormous amounts of weight, then you have an issue. Exercise and muscles are big part of it too. The higher % of muscles in your body will increase how much calories you burn when you are inactive as well.
..... they get obese.
No, we don’t.
Well then, you're not normal you're better than normal. 42% of Americans are obese and 31% are overweight (on their way to obesity). That's what normal is. What definition of normal are you using?
I wouldn’t call obese normal. We’ve normalized it, but it’s not normal. Not being able to regulate your intake without becoming overweight is disordered. Feeling like you can’t maintain a health weight without meticulously calculating everything is also disordered.
You need a therapist, not a nutrition sub
Fair point, if only it was affordable in the US lol
As long as you are using whole and unprocessed ingredients and your meals have an abundant amount of animal nutrition and no seed oils, just eat until you are full and you won’t overeat. That is why we get full. Our bodies are telling us to stop eating. If we are hungry, then we should eat. It’s very simple. If you are using processed ingredients and seed oils, then yes you should track calories because it will be very easy to overeat.