Is it better to watch what you eat or watch how much you eat?

1. 61

   Aupriann Myersposted 10 years ago

   Is it better to watch what you eat or watch how much you eat?

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2. 71

   EJ Lambertposted 10 years ago

   I can speak from personal experience.  I weighed 390 pounds at my peak and have gotten it down to 220.  I would say first and foremost is how much you eat.  Quantity of food always hurts you more than type of food.  That said, if a person feels they don't have the self control to curb the amount they eat, then shifting to foods that are low in calories can definitely help.  It all comes down to the person trying to lose the weight.  In the end, moderation always helps.

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   1. 61

      Aupriann Myersposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Wow congratulations! I am still trying to loose the 60 pounds of pregnancy weight. Would you then say its different for every body type?

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   2. 71

      EJ Lambertposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Absolutely.  Everybody loses weight differently.  For me, it took a massive change in dieting regimen and an increase in my physical activity.  My best recommendation is once you curve your food intake, add a good walk to your day.

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      duffsmomposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Congratulations EJ Lambert!  That is fantastic. I need to do the same and am working on it now.

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      EJ Lambertposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, duffs.  One thing I always try to remind myself is time is on my side.  The longer I attack that weight, the more likely it is to give up and start dropping.  Football players call it the "Pound the Rock" approach.

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3. 81

   Souther29posted 10 years ago

   Honestly I think both are important. Sadly in the UK there isn't nearly enough education on nutrition in schools which is why we have a growing obesity problem due to lack of knowledge and understanding mixed with misinformation in some media channels.
   
   Portion control is important as well as eating slower. You find many people rush through the food (especially if they are busy) which doesn't give your body time to realise that it's actually full... so you eat more!
   
   Some tips that have worked for me (and it is different for different body types) are cutting down sugar and minimising my carb intake. You get a lot of energy from protein which many people don't realise and associate carbs with 'fuel' so think they need lots of them to function. They can make you bloated and often can be starchy. It causes your insulin to spike then drop which is why sometimes after a heavy carb meal you will feel tired or a lack of energy or sluggish(big bowl of pasta etc).
   
   Honestly if you stick to lean meats (turkey, chicken (skinless, steak) and have veg with lunch and dinner it will just drop off. Fish is great too like salmon, pollock, kippers. You can then have the odd treat here and there as well.
   
   Exercise (short periods of good intensity) is also important if you want to speed the weight loss but it's 80% diet/ 20% exercise. You'll start to feel genuionelly amazing as your insulin levels will be fine, no hunger pangs and hormones balanced as well as bags of energy:-)
   
   Also a golden rule... anything that says 'low fat' or '100% fat free' is generally replaced by tons of sugar so still not good! Go for good fats in olive oil, nuts, oily fish.
   
   I did a hub on High Intensity Interval Training if you wanted some exercise tips too:-) Just need your body for it and no crazy equipment. Hope it helps... could go on for ages about this!

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4. 41

   ChristinSposted 10 years ago

   Both, you can't eat a small amount of calories that are all junk food and expect to be healthy.  On the other side, you can eat way too much with healthy foods also. If you eat too many calories, regardless of what they are, you will gain weight.
   
   You have to find a good balance for health.  As a general rule if you eat unprocessed wholesome foods (fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, etc) and don't eat packaged foods, junk foods, fast food etc.  and you exercise moderately and stay active you should be fine.
   
   I lost 60 pounds previously and I did it by eliminating simple sugars and white flour, eating more whole, nutritious foods and moving my body every day.  I also used the calorie count website (it's free) to track my calories and learn true portion control.

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5. 73

   Marie Flintposted 10 years ago

   I vote for WHAT over HOW MUCH. The greasy fats and high sugar content is what's killing our people in the United States. Eliminate these and eat to your heart's content!

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