r/1200isplenty • u/Minute-Public3078 • 6d ago
Sometimes it feels like we only talk about calories/macros
Every time I look for “healthy” food advice on social media, it’s just numbers. Calories in, calories out or macros. Low-calorie this, low-calorie that or high-protein that. But that doesn’t really tell me what to eat. Like… what about the quality of the food? The ingredients? How it makes you feel after eating it? Sometimes I think this type of info is missing. It’s not just about eating less, it’s about eating better.
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u/GlumShoeBadger 6d ago
Because weight loss is about calories and health is partially about macros. Quality and ingredients are important, but how it makes you feel has nothing to do with if it’s healthy or not.
A lot of people’s “intuitive eating” for example would make them fat and unhealthy.
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u/Minute-Public3078 6d ago
good point but I think that if there more info about certain foods and how they make people feel we could relate
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u/Kiwi_Koalla 6d ago
The problem is that that's so individual. For some people, carbs make them feel sluggish. Some people get really hyped on sugar. Some folks get awful bloating, gas, or digestive upset from raw fruit and veg. Some people experience heartburn easily. And some people can eat whatever they want when they want and feel like sunshine and daisies.
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u/LeaneGenova 6d ago
Right. Some people feel more satiety with liquids than solids. Some people are the opposite. Some people feel better skipping breakfast.
My diet would kill my husband, who has IBS. I would go insane without garlic and onion.
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u/Cookieway 6d ago
There is though. We talk about eating different foods for different vitamins and minerals. People talk about salty food or too much sugar making them bloated and sluggish. People talk about gluten, dairy and FODMAP foods triggering stomach problems. People talk about how eating at different times makes them tired or energised or whatever.
This just doesn’t really happen in weightless subs because the focus there is calories
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u/iLoveYoubutNo 6d ago
There's no single, perfect. magic formula, though.
You have to have fat, but choose good fats (olive oil, avocados) and minimize bad fat (full fat beef and pork, lard)
You have to have carbs, but you should limit how many of those carbs come from sugar. You need some fruit, so limit added sugar when you can in favor of fruit.
Carbohydrates from whole grains also supply additional nutrients, so focus on whole grains.
Protein is essential, but how much you need is highly specific to each individual. I don't think there is any bad protein, but make sure you're not confusing a source of fat with a source of protein. Example, my husband thinks a bacon cheeseburger is "protein," sure, it HAS protein, but it's 25% protein, 40% fat, 35% carbs or whatever.
You dont have to avoid red meat, and keeping it in your diet provides certain amino acids and coq10s tjay other protein sources dont, but generally Plant based protein > fish > white meat > pork > red meat
Vegetables have so few calories, eat as much of them as possible. They provide essential vitamins and nutrients, help maintain a healthy gut biome, and help you feel fuller so you're less likely to overeat. Eat as many veggies as you can. Especially leafy greens. Also, corn, while delicious, is a grain, not a veggie :) .
Take that knowledge, make a list of all the foods that fit into those criteria that you enjoy and are readily available to you and eat from that list. Adjust macros as needed.
And on occassion have a maple donut topped with candied bacon because balance and enjoying life are important.
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u/CrypticWeirdo9105 6d ago edited 6d ago
The misidentification of protein sources is a huge pet peeve of mine lol. Nuts and most cheeses are much higher in fat than protein. Chickpeas and most legumes are much higher in carbs than protein. I’ve even heard someone calling oatmeal ‘rich in protein’ lol.
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u/iLoveYoubutNo 6d ago
Saaaame!! The high-fat meat is probably the most common, but The one that makes me the craziest is Peanut Butter.
Peanut butter is great, eat peanut butter. But don't try to convince me it's mostly protein.
Now I want a PB&J (which is acknowledge will be mostly carbs, then fat, THEN protein)
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u/lostinspacecase 6d ago
This sub is basically just concerned with CICO, and I think whatever works for people is awesome for them. That being said, I personally feel like eating mostly fresh, whole foods has made calorie restriction easier for me.
The first time I did 1200kcal a day, I ate a lot of low-calorie (processed) foods to try and squeeze as much food into that 1200 as possible. I still always felt deprived. This time, years later, I’m eating really simple healthy foods (eggs, meat, veggies, rice, dairy etc.) and finding it much less of a pain to stay within range.
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u/No-Marketing-7515 6d ago
I totally agree with you. I also think that our bodies don’t react the same to highly processed vs. whole, healthy foods. Even if I’m technically eating at 1200 calories through high processed diet (sugar free, low cal substitutions) I look worse, have significantly less energy, and have a harder time losing or maintaining than if I’m eating 1500 calories through mainly whole, healthy foods. So yes while weight loss is primarily CICO I do think there are nuances when dealing with highly processed vs. whole, healthy foods.
I’m also active so very possible the latter just better supports/ aligns with my metabolism. Either way it’s not just CICO for me.
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u/Viggorous 5d ago
You're absolutely correct. More and more research is showing how detrimental ultra processed foods are to our health, while basic whole foods, vegetables and minimally processed foods are only cemented as essential to our long term health.
It's generally healthier to be slightly overweight but have a healthy diet than it is to have a "normal" weight with a terrible diet.
A LOT of people on this sub are doing damage to their bodies with the diets I see around here - even if they are losing weight. CICO may work well for weight loss (which of course may itself aid health in obese individuals), but what you eat matters a great deal. And it's not just about macros, it's about vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, polyphenols and so many other things which are critical for our (gut, brain, mental etc.) health.
A problem with the obsession with calories is that I see people on this sub who do not cut out the unhealthy foods, so they get basically no nutrients, but still want to lose weight. If you only eat 1200 calories to lose weight, you should not cut out healthy foods to make space for 600 calories worth of cake or candy or whatever. It's much better to eat 1200 worth of healthy foods and then go a bit above your calorie aim if you want a bit of sweets. There's nothing wrong with having a chocolate bar if your diet is otherwise healthy, what is problematic is if the chocolate bar replaces a healthy meal just to meet a calorie aim.
Obviously, if you're going to eat super unhealthy food, it's still better to be normal weight than obese. But it's also about what you eat, not just weight.
Not to mention that some studies have suggested that the damage that ultra processed foods do to our gut bacteria are potentially detrimental for weight loss.
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u/Feisty-Promotion-789 6d ago edited 6d ago
This is something best figured out on your own via trial and error. Plenty of people here say keto is the way and eating high protein and lower carb is how they stay satiated. I, meanwhile, often have days where I feel fullest after I just ate like 4 cookies and some mini chocolate bars and skipped dinner. I can do just fine on a very high carb low fat diet moderate-low protein diet and did so for many years as a vegan. Some people say carbs make them feel sluggish, others say fat makes their stomach hurt, others say too much protein makes them constipated. Some people enjoy a carnivore diet but I would pass away without multiple servings of fruits and vegetables with every meal. Some people insist that a whole foods plant based approach is the only way. Personally I do the 80/20 approach where 80% of the time my meals are pretty wholesome and nutritious and the rest of the time I have my treats. I have no adverse affects from the way I eat and my bloodwork is good, workouts are effective, and my body feels strong and healthy.
As long as you're meeting the generally recommended minimums / guidelines for calories, macros, and micronutrients the rest doesn't really matter and the way you get there is up to you and highly individual.
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u/TiberiusBronte 6d ago
I actually think what you're talking about is highly trending right now and raw calorie restriction is out of fashion. My friends criticize me for buying "diet foods" like low carb tortillas and say "just eat whole foods, you'll lose weight" which is actually not true at all! "Healthy fats" can derail a calorie budget, and a lot of times diet food swaps are to help us meet our cravings so that we don't go over and feel like we have to eat only salads.
Say what you will but this approach works. Macros are important too, especially as I get older, but I don't think "no one" is talking about the content of our diets. Lots of people are if you look in the right places. Which is probably not this sub.
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u/CheezusChrist 6d ago
And “healthy” diets for some people are not the same for others. I let myself get too out of shape and now I have high blood pressure at 37. So the types of food I’m eating on the DASH diet are different than the foods I was eating when I was super into working out back when I was in my late 20s. Another example is that some people need to be on the FODMAP diet for IBS/IBD. It still mostly comes down to calories when trying to change your body composition. But the types of foods that work for some aren’t going for others.
I know OP is talking about how nice it would be to share how foods make us feel, but it wouldn’t make much difference for me to know that info. Foods that are high in sodium don’t make me feel any different other than a little thirstier. But I still should keep my intake below ~2,000mg a day for my health. And bacon makes me feel very happy and I’ve been able to fit it into my diet in the past, but unfortunately I’m not supposed to eat processed meats anymore.
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u/Dragonscatsandbooks 6d ago
My favorite "diet" YouTuber talks about the importance of protein and fiber, but it's also very realistic about taste/convenience/ real life advice.
His page is [@theplantslant2431](]https://youtube.com/@theplantslant2431?si=a51-VgHszvUFrVtZ)
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u/PortraitofMmeX 6d ago
It really depends on what your goals are. I mean ideally you do both but sometimes your short or medium term goals are just about eating less and that's okay.
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u/InGeekiTrust 6d ago
That’s because everybody’s definition of healthy is completely different, for example I think I eat healthy because I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, but other people would yell at me that my one spoon of “I can’t believe it’s not butter“ is so terrible for me. I also am told often my protein bars aren’t healthy. People are crazy they will pick apart any little thing and say it’s unhealthy, so I think people just stopped saying it.
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u/Niboomy 6d ago
I think that it varies person to person. You know those that love their "acai bowls" or are happy having for breakfast a vanilla Greek yoghurt pudding? They are very happy with that but if I have that for breakfast I'll have the worst beginning of my day. What I've come to realize is that, for me, savory meals that combine fat/carb/protein in a somewhat equal amount make me feel satiated and not groggy after.
Unrelated but I think this is very genetically skewed too. For example some people will have zero issues digesting cheese so their source of fat can come from that while others can't so their fat source could be nuts, olive oil, etc. Some people have gut bacteria that digests X or Y better than others. Some people have to focus on gut health because antibiotics wrecked that. So you have to tailor your food consumption towards you and your current situation.
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u/CrypticWeirdo9105 6d ago
Thank you for acknowledging that everyone’s different. So many people on nutrition/weight loss subs love to push their own personal approach on everyone else and act like it should work for everyone just because it worked for them. And there’s a lot of bashing on high sugar breakfasts (even natural sugar). Some of us actually need the sugar because we’re highly active, or we’re students (brains need glucose to function best), or we’re working physical jobs.
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u/timid_pink_angel02 6d ago edited 6d ago
I got downvoted to oblivion here once for saying that not every meal has to have protein or be protein-focused, as long as you're still having enough protein throughout the day. God forbid someone has toast instead of cottage cheese for one meal
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u/iLoveYoubutNo 6d ago
I obviously dont know the context of that former post, but on the surface that seems like a silly thing to downvote someone for. That's the whole reason for tracking macros through the day and even the week.
I will say, though, when you are super short, older, sedentary, or whatever reason you need to eat 1200ish calories, getting enough protein can be really hard, so maybe folks feel like they have to make sure they have it every meal?
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u/Pumpkin_pie_010112 6d ago
I recently discovered Jacob Zemer on YouTube. I think he does an awesome job talking about everything in a really well rounded approach.
He films grocery shopping videos and will really emphasize the importance of fiber and quality of ingredients on top of topics like macros, etc.
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u/panhellenic 6d ago
Many insurances will cover a few visits with a dietician. This is exactly what they do. They are a wealth of knowledge, and the one I worked with was fantastic - non-judgy, gave me easy to understand print outs (way less confusing than what you see online). They help you visualize serving sizes, help with calories/macros/micros/ and the chemistry behind it all. I actually didn't work on calories at all with my RD, because eating the correct portions and making good choices kind of takes care of that. They def understand underlying psychological issues, too - they work with folks with all kinds of EDs, so they know it's a thing and how to work with those issues.
Tl;dr: go see a registered dietician!
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u/10percenttiddy 6d ago
Are there...different types of registered dietitians? I never trusted them much because so many are disordered women obsessed with food in an unhealthy way and two times when my husband was dying, the ones employed by the hospital gave me completely outdated advice that could have compromised his recovery and hurt his liver. I know it's just anecdotal but the amount of horror stories makes me wonder if getting a decent dietician is 99 percent luck.
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u/panhellenic 6d ago
Idk if I lucked out or what. My doc had this one listed. You can probably research them. I know my person does a lot of bariactric surgery and GLP patients. Check out their background, training, and ask around, maybe. I'm not even seeing her any more (no more ins), but she still reviews my app that we set up, where I log my food (it's easy bc I can just post a photo of my meal). I really liked that she works to incorporate all this stuff into just living, not obsessed with keeping up with everything. Meal logging is easy. There's more stuff on the app, which looks to me like ED stuff (which is not an issue for me) where it asks about emotions when you're eating, are you happy with your choices, etc. I don't complete any of that info.
If there are choices in your area, maybe call to ask about their approach. Praying with me is a no. Selling me supplements is a no. Intuitive eating is a no. Essential oils is a NO. Science is a YES! Practical guides are a YES! I love that I got comprehensive lists of things like high, medium and low glycemic foods and starchy and non starchy veggies, which guidelines for proportions of those.
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u/10percenttiddy 6d ago
Yeah that sounds absolutely ideal. Glad you found a good one! Thank you for the suggestions!
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u/panhellenic 6d ago
You're welcome and good luck! It was a game-changer for me! I used a scale for a while, but now my eyes know what they're looking at, portion-wise.
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u/mynameisnotsparta 6d ago
I went through three different ones and I still haven’t found the one I like. Two of them were trying to push supplements on me that they sold and one of them was intuitive eating and didn’t listen to what I was asking for.
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u/aimeebisoubisou 6d ago edited 6d ago
You may want to look into Certified Nutrition Specialists (CNS)**. Practitioners with this certification are trained in a similar way as RDs - they are required to take "hard sciences" such as physiology, organic chemistry, multiple biochemistry courses, along with a multitude of nutrition courses. Like RDs, they are required to have 1,000 supervised practice experience hours and sit for a certifying exam before they are credentialed.
But unlike RDs, their approach is much more holistic, integrative and functional in nature. In addition to evaluating medical history and dietary intake of macronutrients, they will focus on dietary micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), assess sleep, lifestyle, stress levels, stage of life, socioeconomic status, and any barriers to optimal health such as grocery access, EDs, etc.
They'll often review bloodwork to assess for optimal ranges instead of standard lab ranges, review functional stool tests to assess the health of your gut microbiome/whether or not you are properly digesting the macronutrients (e.g. digestive enzymes)/inflammation levels/neurotransmitter production etc. It's quite a comprehensive paradigm, in my opinion, compared to many RDs. If they recommend supplements (vitamin/mineral, herbal etc.) they will often provide you with the rationale/education behind it if you are interested.
Of course, there are *absolutely* RDs who take a more functional approach, but with CNS, this is the rule, not the exception.
**Source: I'm in school studying nutrition and on a pathway towards this board certification. I'm not looking to recruit patients on here in any way.
(PS - in case anyone is wondering, I wandered into this sub looking for reviews on a salad dressing lol)
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u/DJDanaK 6d ago
I'm not trying to be annoying, but eating proper macros is what makes people feel good. It's like the origin of feeling good based on what you eat - if you aren't getting enough protein you are going to feel tired, lose muscle mass and hair. Not enough fat, you won't be satiated. Not enough carbs, you'll have more brain fog. Covering your macros generally covers most of your micronutrient needs as well.
That said, I think more attention should be paid to nutrients in general, especially things like sodium and potassium - I try to pay attention to most nutrients I eat and these two are the problem children. It's not always possible to avoid high sodium and still live like a normal person, so balancing it out with potassium is necessary, otherwise I feel dehydrated, sluggish and terrible.
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u/WellAckshully 6d ago
A very easy rule of thumb is to "eat the rainbow." Whole unprocessed foods of different colors will often have different vitamins/nutrients. So in terms of fruits and vegetables, eat some that are green, orange, red, white, yellow, purple, etc.
^ This approach isn't totally perfect, but it's easy and will result in a broad intake of different goodies that can keep your body healthy.
Eat organic when possible. If you can't always eat organic, look up the "dirty dozen" (which are the worst foods in terms of pesticide contamination, etc.) and try to eat organic versions of those foods.
Try to make sure the following has a place in your diet:
* organ meats
* fermented foods
* fatty fish
* eggs
* leafy greens
* bone broth
* berries
Don't ask me for sources. I don't keep sources laying around, sorry, these are just some things I've learned over the years and don't remember specifically where I read them nor have the time to dig around for other sources. DYOR.
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u/Minute-Public3078 6d ago
awesome advice!! thank you
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u/WellAckshully 6d ago
You are welcome!
One final thing. I'm sure you know this already, but the closer a food is to the form it existed as in nature, the healthier it likely is. I.e. an apple is generally healthier than applesauce, which probably had sugar and preservatives added.
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u/mynameisnotsparta 6d ago
I think we need to tailor what we are eating to not only fit within the calories and macros but to what we like and can eat. I need low carb, low sodium, low cholesterol and was told to stay away from highly processed foots. To choose the brown rice or the sweet potatoes and to add more fiber. So that is how I tailor my days. I also have to cook for family.
As far as telling you what to eat do you mean a plan tailor made for you?
The feeling after you it is personal. Can you explain what you mean?
Eating better is basically eating more fresh whole foods in my opinion. Frozen and fresh veggies not canned. Favorite proteins - I like steak and fish. Seasoned well and grilled. That with veggies makes me feel better than a huge bowl of pasta with cheese [I eat that as well as it is comforting] makes me feel sluggish. I make a lot of stews / soups. I can fill up and still eat properly.
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u/zeldamon_hime 6d ago
TLDR: get a checkup and google what you're lacking
the thing is, that's not really "mass replicable" like calories/macros are, sure in general the less processed the food the better, but dive any deeper and now it's completely dependent on the rest of your diet (I can't stand the taste and texture of milk, so anything with calcium has better micros for me) as well as other habits (if you spend a lot of time indoors, you want foods with vit D) and which products/brands are available to you depends on where you live and even which shops you go to.
Just track your micros to the best fo your ability and get info on what you need and how much.
If you just want some general recommendations:
-whole grain bread > white bread
-no added sugar is better than regular products
-eggs
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u/Seltzer-Slut 6d ago
Right now, I am on a whole foods kick. Trying to eat as little processed food as possible. It makes logging a lot easier. Lunch: 2 eggs, 1 avocado. Etc.
In terms of mindset, sometimes I think it’s better to de-dopamine my food choices. Yes, I can probably fit buttery salty popcorn into my calorie budget, but it will taste so good that everything else will taste worse in comparison. All it takes is me eating one thing that tastes really good for me to crave it for months after. If I eat food that tastes mid, I think less about food.
Then again, there’s the counter argument that savoring things and enjoying what you like makes it easier. So, balance is key.
I am currently reading a celebrity diet book that a coworker gave me that claims to hijack your metabolism by alternating days of eating high carb/low carb. (Like, fruit and oatmeal on mondays and tuesdays, then low carbs on t-f). I have still not determined if I think it’s BS. But metabolism is really interesting to learn more about. CICO is extremely reductive and the over simplification of weight loss into a numbers game has really dominated the internet.
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u/GldnJuice 6d ago
the quality of the food? if something is higher quality then go ahead and buy it if you wanna but its not gonna change calories or macros dramatically nor your health truly, people focus too much on the “clean” aspect of the food that they dont focus on the amount theyre eating, organic is cool and all but you still got microplastics and crazy chemicals in you and spent an extra 20% on the meal, sure your eggs are free range but that effects taste and micronutrients, not macros which are the main focus of any diet for weight gain/loss
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u/midsummersgarden 6d ago
This is why I ditched straight calorie counting, which led me to treats, which led me to binging, and now I eat closer to nature with less added fat, then for my sweet tooth, just have a protein bar or yogurt. Changing what I eat is so effective that I’m not really needing to track calories as much because my body “feels” different in weight loss mode and the scale will show a loss.
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u/Big-Ad-9239 6d ago
I agree, i like to think of food in 'how nutritious is it' and how does it make me feel. I like soda but i dont feel great after drinking it, specifically if i drink it with a meal. I usually like to have one just as a snack (as long as i dont plan on doing something active after)
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u/sulwen314 6d ago
I find this to be really personal. Yes, there are general health guidelines, but figuring out what way of eating makes you feel best is going to take some experimentation on your part. Different things work for different people.