Would you rather have an amazing figure by eating a restrictive diet and exercising or be slightly larger (not obese)and not ripped by eating whatever you fancy?

[malificent7]

Like most women i love food but would also like a leaner body. Is the slog of dieting really worth it?

The first one.

I did just that last year. I followed a very strict plan of diet and exercise and was in the best shape ever. Even at 50 years old.

It all lapsed a little and despite regular gym visits and trying to monitor food/alcohol intake I have got a little fluffy again.

Currently feeling very low about my size and appearance - typically just in time for beach wear.

I am person A, I would never be able to contemplate being person B. My diet isn’t restricted, my calories are.

I agree, all calories are NOT equal.

They are equal in terms of weight loss. If you eat 1500kcals a day it doesn't matter where they come from as long as you are creating a deficit.

For nutrition and general health they are not equal.

Nothing should be restricted from any diet though. 'Junk' food can improve mental wellbeing, keep you motivated and stop you from feeling deprived. It's about balancing out what you eat, all or nothing attitudes rarely work when it comes to weight loss or fitness.

@whosorrynow - I dislike the fact that you have said that fitness is about looks. You may find, (both whilst trail running and more generally in life) that the easier it is to move your body; the more of the world you'll see, the more people you'll meet and you'll have a greater appreciation of, not only the great outdoors, but of life and humanity itself.

Have you never noticed that a massive part of the environmental campaigning movement are surfers, climbers, hikers ect. - ie people who 'optimise their own body' by playing in the natural environment

In order to be at the peak of physical fitness in order to be in really good shape .....well most of us would have to extend a great deal of time and energy in service of this goal, can you be a well rounded decent human being if the overwhelming focus of your life is optimising your own body?

You can certainly be well rounded.

That latter.

MyFamily I like how you've summed it up in your last post

Why does it have to be either / or? If we exercise and eat healthily, a lot of the "good" foods are actually delicious. I'd rather have a lovely salad than burger and chips. I found that once I started following a low glycaemic load diet I actually didn't crave fatty or starchy foods anymore.

I still eat some chocolate, and have a glass or two of red wine at weekends, eat the odd piece of cake, and enjoy good quality icecream. There are no low-fat or reduced sugar items in my food cupboard. I don't feel deprived by not eating chips and doughnuts. I think our bodies instinctively prefer healthy food once the tastebuds have been retrained away from processed foods and high sugar food.

Like many others, I feel I've got a good balance. I'm a size 10, definitely not an 'amazing body' but more toned than I used to be (running, yoga, weights, spin, walking), I watch calories but I like lean protein, veg and salad so doesn't feel particularly restrictive. I drink way too much wine and binge on sweets at least a couple of times a week. I guess if I wanted that elusive 'amazing' body then yes I'd have to really really restrict. Not sure if that puts me in the latter though, as staying slim is very important to me.

Eating whatever I fancy whenever meant my weight got to 20 stone, no higher or lower, that's what my desired eating gets me to. I love the control and good feeling of being slim but allow myself to splurge at weekends. So strict for 5 days and whatever I fancy at weekends. Keeps my weight down and I'm not missing out!
I will never be someone who can have a little bit of choc every day or a small portion of chips instead of a big one. It's all or nothing with me..

I wish I could do it by exercise but it's just too painful. Dieting does work for me when I stick at it but it's a bit of a yoyo as i occasionally get fed up and inevitably put weight back on

I can’t exercise due to disability; so it’s all about food intake for me. I really don’t look good fat! So I tend to go with the theory of a little of what you fancy does you good, while being sensible with portion control. I also feel like when I eat well, with plenty of fruit and veg, that I feel better mentally and physically. Is that maybe option 1.5?

I was into fitness years ago, gym 5 times a week, restrictive diet. I didn't mind then as I just saw food as fuel. Now I'm older I love food, I eat fairly well still, but I also have things I like even if they're not good for me. I'm a size 10 now with a bit of a mum tum and a slight covering of "insulation" everywhere. I was much more toned and had a lovely figure years ago, I'd love to do that again but I just don't have the time so make do with cycle with the youngest DC in a trailer and eating cake when I want to. I'm happy both ways but for different reasons

This is so interesting!

Two years ago I got slim for the first time in my adult life and I love it! I exercise daily and feel amazing at 5ft 2in and 52kg but its hard! I calorie count obsessively and my Fitbit rules my life. Im exhausted. Its currently extra hard because wearing great clothes for each season helped keep me motivated and I'm struggling as each cold wet, day has me putting boring old Jean's on again!

well most of us would have to extend a great deal of time and energy in service of this goal, can you be a well rounded decent human being if the overwhelming focus of your life is optimising your own body?

Interestingly enough, people who say that usually find the time to watch tv and browse the net, MN... it's a choice. There's a lot of free time in the day, even when people are soooo busy. We all are. Full time jobs, house, kids. It's a choice of how you organise your own time.

I feel I'm in neither camp. I'm a size 12 with a bmi of 22 so not overweight. However my thighs and bum are quite flabby. I'm not at all toned. I genuinely eat whatever I want although I do tend to enjoy healthier foods more. If I want to go out and eat a whole pizza and have cake I will. I just try to balance it out with healthy stuff the next day. I could lose half a stone or 10lbs and tone up at the gym but to be honest I'm happy enough with my 44 year old body that's grown 2 babies and had cancer. I want a healthy body more than I want a supermodel flawless body.

I calorie count obsessively and my Fitbit rules my life

Hmm. I calorie count what I eat and monitor exercise on FitBit. I wouldn't say that is obsessive though, I quite enjoy doing it. It's sort of like a hobby. It's interesting. I find myself gleefully thinking any detour walking is good for extra steps!😁 I feel pretty clever with myself looking up menus before eating out and selecting the best meal for my needs. I don't know at what point this would become obsessive.

I recommend The Obesity Code - Jason Fung and Why We Get Fat - Gary Taubes.

They explain in easy to understand terms how a calorie is not a calorie and obesity is, as people in fact always used to say, a problem with “your glands”.

At the heart of it all, as they explain, is the relationship between the fat storage hormone insulin and the “fattening carbohydrate”.

Is it possible to be a decent human being who lives a good life whilst simultaneously caring about how fit you look and how hot you are?

^

Why does this always have to descend into the moral?

Of course it is possible!

Siam, yes I've watched some of Jason Fung's stuff on YouTube and would certainly agree it is just too simplistic to think it is all about counting calories.

However I have also platoed low carbing. So I actually do both. Which I found is more successful. It makes sense because if you are fat adapted you will just as easily utilise fat in your bloodstream from food you have recently eaten instead of stored fat. So there can still be a point where you don't burn stored fat.

Also with some types of exercise you are well placed to burn carbohydrate and utilise glycogen stores as a primary source of fuel. Typically high intensity stuff like sprinting or fast skipping will do this.

Trying to be A. Current BMI is 27 and this is not good for my knees. Have realised recently that I'm the least fit of my friends and need to get into the healthy BMI range.

I'm pleased someone else asked this question. I've been thinking about this a lot recently. I love food, and I naturally have a curvy 'hourglass' type shape, but at my usual 'eat what I fancy' diet my BMI is about 26 (so roughly a size 12 / 14).

A couple of times over the past few years I've done weight watchers and lost a stone. I prefer how I look a stone lighter but I find I have to cut out most of the food I enjoy, and I often feeling hungry, bored and tired with it. So eventually I get fed up, all my old habits creep back in, and the weight goes back on again.

I'm currently back at my BMI of 26 and wondering whether it's really worth trying to lose the weight again and prefer how I look but make myself miserable, or just to accept my fuller figure and resign myself to being a size 14.

I know someone who has the most amazing ripped body - not an ounce of cellulite and clearly defined abs but without being too skinny / she's a size 10.

I'm only one dress size bigger at a 12 and while I run/swim/cycle/weight train/fell walk I'm definitely more "wobbly" than her and while I eat a reasonably healthy diet I'm not averse to cakes and takeaways.

here comes the but......

I also know how restrictive her diet is (not in terms of calories/portion size - she eats bigger portions than me, but definitely in terms of fatty/sugary treats) and I know how many hours she trains..... 7 days a week, even on holiday. Her life is more or less planned around it.

I'd rather be my shape and size and have treats and a life than my diet be as restricted and have to do as much training as my friend.

That said, training is her life and for her it's her relation time?!

*relaxation