-Diablo's Journal, 26 Jun 19

I am not on the IF/Flexible diet/keto or lo carb. I am somewhere between a mix of Dash, Mayo, Inflammatory. That does not mean I do not have flexibility in my diet. I loved all that restaurant, take out, delivery pizza as much as anyone does. I still love pizza..... but now the flexibility I have is when I want it I haul my butt to the store, buy better ingredients and toppings, and haul my butt back home and spend an hour making, baking, or grilling. For me that is the meaning of flexibility and discipline. Good post Diablo very thought provoking for many FS members. 

Gogo what food provides or gives you inflammatory issues? 

99% off us are on a flexible diet some how. The clean eater is never 💯.. The keto person is never 💯. If you are, great. But at some point, someone will have that piece of 🎂 🍟 🍔 or 🍕. They just became a flexible dieter..  

Sure, technically most people are but it isn't something they plan all the time or fit in without a care in the world. Before I was told about it in 2010, I was one of those individuals who mostly only ate pizza in moments of weakness, and when I did I believed that my diet for the day was blown so I would continue to eat everything is sight because the diet would resume the next day so I had to get it out of my system. Now I know better and so do other people who consider themselves flexible. 

Velvetee, it does start from childhood and we can't pick our parents or upbringing when it comes to nutrition. Some of us have it harder in adulthood because of what was hardwired into us since childhood. For the people who were raised like myself, when I am not "on top of it" I tend to overeat. I have a friend who is the opposite when he isn't lifting and watching what he eats, he tends to undereat. So we can agree to disagree but I think it is harder for people who came from obesity to stick to more rigid diets. 

Eh, I know plenty of people who are very overweight and still wouldn't be caught dead counting calories... it's not just folks with no weight to lose. But I know what you're saying -- macro counting gets as "you can eat 1600 calories worth of cheetos" even though nobody does that in practice... I hope. 

When I bring my calories back up I should probably try a real-deal flexible diet, since it's helped you with yo-yoing. My diets always turn into bro diets. Then I hit my weight target and it's ice cream city. 🍦 

that should say "macro counting gets painted as" 

Yeah, that's why a lot of named diets are popular. People would rather try them to see if they lose weight than to attempt calories counting. You should try it, John. It really does help with the bingeing for me. But like others have said, maintenance is the toughest part. 

I do flexible dieting as well. I eat clean like 90% of the time. Brown rice. Veggies. Fish. Avocado. Green Monster shake with oats. Yogurt. Daves killer bread with chicken salad and eggs. Eat those almost every single day. But every once in awhile I treat myself and indulge. I am not depriving myself. Im gonna continue to build muscle and enjoy the best things in life. 

I didn't have a name for it, but I totally believe in having some 'unhealthy' food as part of my WOE. Keeps me sane and goals are still achievable.  

Thanks, Gogo. Good to here, Apheus. Nikina, that's a good point. It helps with the mental part of dieting which is another reason long term adherence is more possible. 

And that will inevitably evolve over time. What's a quick fix for one person, may be a keeper for another.  

Atkins, slim fast, weight watchers, nutrisystem, Medifast, Jenny Craig, dexatrim, phen-phen, healthywage, overeaters anonymous... I've done ever single one of these. Every one. Or taken the pills. Know what worked? Every single one of them... Until I couldn't maintain it anymore. Thank God (literally) that I can eat in moderation some great tasting food that I believe God gave us to enjoy - while eating more "healthy" things and getting enough protein. 

I totally agree with Cb on that part. We all are flexible eaters. It's impossible to eat lean chicken meat every day, come on, let's be realistic. And dieting is not sustainable learn term, so nutrition should be a lifestyle, not a fashionable diet. 

@D, you know, I always say, it's ok to slip, just don't forget to get back on track. Preferably before getting extra lbs on the top of what you've already lost :) No, seriously, it's really all about those 4 things I mentioned, altogether. I have an amazing example, my 8 old kid and his 9 old cousin. Mine is normal, the other one is overweight. They both come from the same milieu (middle class). But one gets watermelon for a snack and the other one crisps. Because it's a HABIT and now it's hard to get rid of it. Both spend quite a bit of time in front of their screens but don't have the same metabolism because of genes. And mentally he indulges in sweets to deal with his parents' separation. So yeah, we are not equal here.  

Terrapin- rhe dash, may, and inflammatory diet are basically the same except when it comes to what types of fuit and veg they recommenf. High fructose fruit and veg are highly inflammatory for me. Those are ones like watermelon, pears, mangoes😢,aples, carrots, peas, zuchini, asparagus,. That does not mean I do not eat them as that is too restrictive. It means I am aware what it does to me and maybe allow one a day of the bad choice list.  

Definitely. The only foods I limit are sugar, processed foods, and meat, but I still eat them. I don’t have any unrealistic restrictions, and I don’t think eating as little as you can eat safely is healthy. Honestly, I don’t even diet. I just eat well, but a good amount, and exercise. 

@V, good job on helping him form good habits. We can pass on good ones or bad ones.  

Yes, you're absolutely right! I think everyone here has had their own struggle to lose and keep the weight off, we are therefore not a very judgmental lot🤗 I wish you luck in your journey!