This is exactly what happens with me...

This is what usually trips my mom up when she diets...she gets all these healthy foods (sugar free frozen yogurt, air popped popcorn, homemade vegetable-beef soup, fruit, etc.) and at first, she does lose weight because the "healthy" foods are lower in calories than what she WAS eating, but then her weight loss plateaus and she gradually ups her serving sizes of the healthy foods and winds up slowly gaining weight and then she gives up the diet and gains ALL the weight back. So yeah, you really have to watch it, even with healthy foods.

This depends on your definition of healthy. If you eat the right foods, you can and should eat all that you want. It's been shown that people who eat diets high in protein and healthy fats, tend to lose weight without counting calories.

Yes, it always comes back to those calories, doesn't it? I always find that writing down what I eat helps to keep things in check.

I think that there comes a time that you can really not have TOO much broccolli.

Actually you can't eat all you want just because it's healthy and people are supposed to eat only to the point where they're not hungry anyway. And if it's the right food someone shouldn't need to eat as much because nutrient rich food fills someone up better. It still will be excess calories if a person eats in excess.

Celery and cabbage are about the only things I can over indulge on that are healthy. ha ha.

I agree -- excess calories are excess calories. It doesn't matter what form they came in.

Yep..a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. I food journal too. It really keeps me accountable.

I also keep track of my calories in a spreadsheet on my computer. It's really easy for those low-calorie foods to add up if you don't keep them in check.

A calorie is not just a calorie- that's the problem! Calories from protein affect your metabolism differently than calories from fats and simple carbs do.

I eat between 2500-3000 calories a day. If that were mostly carbs, I would be fat. However, since I eat mostly lean protein and healthy fats, and practice nutrition partitioning, I'm a size two with 13% body fat.

Now see Hoaxerz, I changed my diet to how you eat and man the weight is falling off finally. (I'm eating like 1200-2000[max when I decide to take a day off]) You give me even more hope. Thanks.

Hoaxerz I do understand about the differences in calories, thank you for calling me out, but I said that in reference to the fact that eating too much of anything will make you gain weight if you take in more calories than you expend.

That is true maryleigh too. I think it all depends on what works best for everybody. (It took me forever to find what works for me. I'm finally in awe like I've found god or something.)

I happy that I could inspire at least one woman to eat more, g1amourpuss! Granted, I'm not saying everyone should start eating 2500 calories/day, but it's something to work up to; it's so nice being able to enjoy so much food.

Yes, superfoxml, you too are right in that eating more than you expend will cause weight gain. But, most women are not eating enough. Diets that are too restrictive only lead to a slow metabolism and binging.

Most women's bodies require around 2000-2200 calories a day; but women seem to think that 1500 is some magic number (yes, I've seen the formula, it's too simplistic).