Where are my people who eat good old traditional foods, just less of it than average?
Personally, the satisfaction I get from a smaller plate of full-fat foods exceeds that of a large plate of reduced fat, artificially sweetened "diet" foods. I've been eating this way for many years and to me it's so easy to maintain without feeling deprived in any way.
I understand the volume-eating mentality, but I'm curious how common it is to go the opposite direction.
by SpringCleanMyLife
40 Comments
Ps I’ll get some fresh fruit and veggies later today 🙂
Some days/meals I do. Like I’m not passing up my mom’s Mac n cheese while visiting, but I’m eating a smaller portion than I would have in the past.
5% Greek yogurt, cheese, butter. I eat the yogurt almost daily in my fish wraps and the other two a few times a week.
Me!
Me. For the most part, anyway. I cook for my whole family, and we are on a budget, so I eat what they eat, just less of it or more veggies/less of the unhealthy stuff. “Diet foods” are, in general, way more expensive and often less satiating. (I’m not talking about broccoli, which I eat a lot of; I’m talking about rice cakes, snacky foods, etc.)
I like pairing a small amount of full fat or full sugar foods with a larger amount of vegetables to get both “real foods” and volume.
I mostly go with regular, whole foods, but will often choose the whole grain varieties when available to up my fiber content.
I absolutely do this. I mean, I make some lower calorie substitutions if there’s a good one to use but there’s some things that I just won’t compromise on. Bacon is definitely one of those things. Eggs, I’ll do one egg and two servings of egg whites. I eat real butter and I gotta have my low sugar strawberry jam. Also, that Izzio bread is the bomb!
I’ll do swaps here and there. Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, etc. But for the most part I eat everything I normally would. Just portion it all out. I get less cravings now that I just eat what I wanted in the first place.
I’d never give up real butter for that fake margarine crap. I don’t care how low calorie it is, that stuff is so bad for you.
I do both depending on how I’m feeling and my macros that day. I lift weights so also have a high protein goal to hit
I still eat full fat versions of my favorites just not as much and not as often. I also try to balance a day somewhat; if I know dinner is ribs with mac and cheese, then I have super light lunch and skip breakfast. I am fasting a lot these days so it makes it easier to squeeze in some favorites now and then
I don’t volume eat, but sugar free or low sugar drinks are a lifesaver. I never drank those before I was started counting calories. That and my protein powder with skim milk in the mornings allow me to eat what I would have before but in reasonable portions.
Back when I was counting calories (transitioned to intuitive eating over time) I almost never had any diet or low fat products ever. They taste awful and I always felt more satisfied after eating real food. Exception was diet soda.
I swap when the low cal option doesn’t taste like chemicals and sadness, which is exceedingly rare, so mostly I eat smaller portions of the food I like. Luckily I really like most veggies so I can still fill up on volume and fiber.
I also eat treats nearly every day. About 10-20% of my calorie budget is reserved for “unhealthy” snacks. I know this doesn’t work for everyone, but I’ve found that it works really well for me. I’ve kind of turned it into a mindfulness exercise where I sit down and really focus on enjoying my treat. It broke me out of the mindless grazing I used to do.
Yes! I use whole milk in my coffee, and I am obsessed with the whole milk extra creamy Icelandic skyr. It’s so good
Quality over quantity for sure.
Absolutely, love mixing high satiety foods: lentils, oats, salads, veggies with full fat components – tadka daals, fancy vinegrettes, veggie curry / stir-fries works perfectly for me.
Probably helps I have a tea addiction to ween some hunger away 🙂
Baked potato + full fat raita, yum and super convenient.
I do both but for the most part I prefer smaller portions of regular food over diet foods.
I’ve learned it’s better to cut some protein and carbs and dedicate the extra calories for fat. Full fat Greek yogurt, 15-20g of olive oil etc. Works for me and keeps me satiated. gotta find what works for you
me, I want pasta
This is what I do! I feel like a lot of my changes have been about portion control more than anything else
Me! I really enjoy cooking with whole foods that are unprocessed. I refuse to go back to eating high processed foods to lose weight, so I have just adjusted my portions. I’ve tried both ways and my body likes this way the best. Enjoy your smaller plate of full fat foods!
Absolutely just not at every meal! In the past I ate so strict that I’d inevitably break and binge.
I’m taking a more balanced approach this time. I’m 30 lbs down and I enjoy what I want within reason.
I’m having success cuz I don’t feel like I need a break from my diet. I eat lots of healthy stuff and what I want in reasonable portions :))
It’s a balance for me. Full-fat foods are great, but my portion sizes will often leave me hungry when giving me enough calories. So I’ve made some swaps (shoutout to /r/Volumeeating!) to help with that. But I’m not giving up bread or dairy. Ain’t no way.
I hate diet food. I pair small portions of full fat cheese, regular bread, bacon etc with loads of veggies and I never feel deprived!
There’s certain things I do, and do not.
Yogurt? In getting the zero Greek version.
My house buys 2% milk that I use on recipes cooking for the whole fam. If I’m making something for myself like oatmeal? Unsweetened almond milk. I try to mostly use alternatives in a sandwich for mayo. When I really want it? Full on Duke’s or there’s no point. Just half a serving will normally work just fine.
Me too!! I do this and i works perfectly well for me.
This plus some veggies/fruits is plenty food and still under 400-500 calories. Only 2 good meals a day max plus some fasting
A couple times a week for sure. If I don’t, it leads to bingeing. Yesterday I wanted McDonald’s so bad and I was working all day so I hadn’t eaten much. I had the calories for it and I did it. A single cheeseburger and a small fry. So worth it!
Just depends on the item and what I’m using it for. But I definitely toward cutting carbs vs fat when I’m cutting calories. Fats make me full and static unlike carbs that just make me feel bloated but not actually full. And some things are just worth the calories. Like I will make bacon instead of turkey bacon but I’m totally fine with turkey pepperoni. And I’ll use regular peanut butter in a pb&j but I’m fine use pb powder in like a smoothie.
Now that I’ve been weighing my food, it’s a lot easier for me to portion things out. I just keep my scale on the dinner table and portion out small servings of the normal dinner I make.
The benefit of that method is when you are eating outside your home. You know logical portions.
I do a mix of both. Some swaps are no brainers, like I only buy the low carb tortillas now, but you can pry my grass fed Irish butter from my cold dead fingers.
My problem is a complete lack of self-control 😅
Me. I would rather not have cheese if it’s not full fat. I buy whole versions of yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream, and milk.
“Fat-free” = a shit ton of sugar most of the time. My mother’s, my, and even my daughter’s generations were repeatedly fed lies that is now proving to have been damaging our health, especially our brains.
Meee. My breakfast this morning:
1 sausage pattie
1 egg + a pile of shredded feta
A shit ton of butter
It all depends! I do add egg whites to my two whole eggs for extra protein. The fats are still there but I get more fluffy eggs. I tried peanut butter powders but bleh, I guess for my smoothies it’s okay but I’m not putting it on my toast. I think low fat options have their place, but I also like my healthy fats. Now I want avocado…
Me. I cook for my family and just portion control my foods and eat more salad and veg.
I replaced most carbs with fat and generally find it to be much more sustainable for me. Hard to eat too much if my diet is mostly fat and protein.