Can I petition MFP users to use the terms "more ideal" and "less ideal" instead of good/bad foods?

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  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    snikkins wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    snikkins wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    What are you calling "requirements"? The CDC says men should get 56g of protein a day
    http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/protein.html

    I think if you talk to most people that lift weights or train people that lift they will recommend more protein. I would suggest that eating protein with the "extra" calories would make you healthier than filling in the calories with Ding Dongs, Cheetos, etc.

    You're making the assumption that macro and micro goals aren't met first, but that isn't what's being advocated. What is being said is once your macro and micro goals are met then eat ice cream, Oreos, etc.

    Edited to fix quotes as best I can.

    Say you meet your macro and micro goals daily and have 500 calories "left over". If you go to a nutrition expert and ask them the best way to fill in the additional calories do you think they will say Ding Dongs, ice cream, etc on a daily basis. Or do you think they will say eat a bit more of the nutritionally dense foods you are eating and occasionally have a treat?


    It's already been said, but you don't get extra credit in nutrition. You can end up with really expensive pee, though.

    I can't imagine trying to choke down 500 or more calories of broccoli instead of some ice cream or cookies after macros and micros are met, so I don't. And, mind-blowingly, sometimes I use donuts or ice cream to hit my fat macro if that's what I'm low on for the day.
    In what reality would you "choke down 500 or more calories of broccoli"?


    As for the "extra credit" nonsense. Nope. I don't buy it. I feel like I eat a nutrient dense diet most of the time, does that mean anything delicious and healthful that I eat would be "extra"? I very much doubt I'm "over" on all my micros. I doubt any of us is.

    That said, if I had 500 calories left, and felt that I'd had a nice nutrient dense day, a nice warm fruit cobbler with real whipped cream would be lovely.

    I don't see a lot of diaries, even the regulars who repeatedly declare they've got it all covered, where I'd be feeling like they'd be peeing out lots of nutrients. Some haven't had a plant food other than a potato here and there for weeks and weeks.

    We should all strive for balance. But we all need to know what that actually looks like for ourselves.
    I know that when life gets in the way I don't short cut with broccoli and salads, so I try to consciously eat as healthfully as I can. I know short cutting, PMS, and life's obstacles take care of much of the rest.

    If people really ate like all the foods that are claimed to be "bad" were bad, this would be the scenario:

    Finished with my three satisfying meals, as well as the banana and bit of leftover chicken breast I ate as my post-workout snack and have, say, 350 calories left (perhaps much more depending on activity and how restrictive you are in the "no bad food" thing). Wonder what to eat. Remember that cheese and ice cream are out, because, well "bad," so decide to prepare some more fish and broccoli. Yippee! Not because there's anything wrong with fish and broccoli, which I quite like, but because I probably had all I wanted at an earlier meal.

    Personally, I also try to eat a nutrient dense diet most of the time, have plenty of failures due to life, and if I plan well don't end up with 500+ calories normally anyway. But the idea that saving 200 calories for ice cream or that an excess of calories must be filled with meat (or lentils for the vegetarians) and veggies or whatever the most nutrient dense thing in your frig is, seems bizarre.

    Not to mention that this whole eat the MOST nutrient dense food possible is a weird way to look at food. For example, am I shortchanging myself by (when I'm eating meat, anyway) varying my diet and eating lamb and pork and beef as well as chicken and turkey and fish? Should I eat only salmon, since more omega-3s than cod? Or less salmon, because too many calories for the nutrients? Should I never ever eat pork shoulder (which made for some delightful lunches combined with veggies after I slow cooked some), since clearly the fat to protein ratio is far from that of chicken?

    But I don't know why I'm arguing, as if you'd have the cobbler sometimes (or a glass of wine) you are already picking the "bad" food on occasion over the more nutrient dense food, whatever that is.

    The point is that if I'm eating a generally nutrient dense diet, why is it going to matter for my health and well being if I fit in another 50-200 calories of protein (which one can be too high on, and I don't think I need more of) or veggies (which I never limit anyway--I've never heard of anyone cutting veggies to make calories to fit in other things, as they don't have that many calories anyway) or fruit or nuts (which are great, but I'm not always in the mood) vs. maybe something that I love and will enjoy that isn't especially nutrient dense? But, no, I've been told that my apple pie is "crap," so that's simply ALWAYS a bad choice.

    Personally, I think having such an attitude about food would make me neurotic and likely less able to eat well overall.
    To me a warm home made cobbler ISNT a "bad" food.
    :smile:
    Nor do I think a nice home made apple pie is a "bad" food.
    Nor do I think a nice glass of chardonnay is a "bad" food.
    Fruit seems like a great choice to me.
    And I have treats every day, in fact.

    I agree with all this. I'm not the one who insisted that my apple pie was BAD or "crap."
    IF you're eating a generally nutrient dense diet, it's probably not going to matter if you chose something less nutrient dense for the last 50-200 calories. No. That's never really been my argument.

    And in fact, not that you care, I have no doubt you're eating really healthfully.

    but, btw, two days ago I read someone on here saying they cut vegetables to make room in their calories for more protein and sweets.

    And yes, one of our most prolific posters eats virtually NO plant foods save the occasional potatoes.

    Your fish and veggies comment doesn't really get at what I was saying, but that's okay.

    Well, it seems to me like you are basically agreeing with me (or, more accurately, that we aren't so far apart on this issue). But if we are only to eat nutrient dense foods with excess calories--as was asserted, though not by you, but that is what the "no extra credit" bit was in response to--then it seems that fish and veggies would be what I'm supposed to have as a treat if I want a little something after dinner.

    One other point is that it's not like we can rank foods from best to worse--they all bring something different to the table. Some claim that there's a benefit to eating quicker carbs after a heavy workout (with some protein), so I'm trying to experiment with that now (and having trouble with my own prior prejudice that slow carbs and fiber and eating carbs with fat are always better). I may or may not decide that this is something of value, but stuff like that seems to call a lot of the X=good, Y=bad stuff into question.
  • ccmayw
    ccmayw Posts: 40 Member
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    jazmin220 wrote: »
    Can i petition MFP users to be less sensitive about the way others describe food? And also let people have their opinions? 'Cause it's not that serious.

    This!

  • Gianfranco_R
    Gianfranco_R Posts: 1,297 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    But I don't know why I'm arguing,
    Indeed, no reason to argue.
    As for me, I have some sort of dessert every night.
    Usually it is fruit salad with yogurt and cinnamon, or a banana "ice cream" with some nuts and melted high percentage chocolate or fruit gelatin with yogurt, or simply some squares of high percentage chocolate. Occasionally, I have also some "less healthy" treats.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    _John_ wrote: »
    Sugarbeat wrote: »
    What would we argue about?

    dunno. but I'm running out of popcorn for watching that other thread.

    It's all a philosophical battle over whether "we'd" like someone to think exclusionary about food or inclusionary...
    Well, there's always the age-old "muscle weighs more than fat debate," or we could go back to people who don't know the difference between "lose" and "loose."
  • simplydelish2
    simplydelish2 Posts: 726 Member
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    Regardless of how you refer to your food it's either clean and healthy or it isn't. We all eat from both sides. Kind of a silly post IMO.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    Regardless of how you refer to your food it's either clean and healthy or it isn't. We all eat from both sides. Kind of a silly post IMO.

    Exactly. The only difference is that one group enjoys every bite of it guilt free while people in the other group feel like they are "eating crap".
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
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    Regardless of how you refer to your food it's either clean and healthy or it isn't. We all eat from both sides. Kind of a silly post IMO.

    Exactly. The only difference is that one group enjoys every bite of it guilt free while people in the other group feel like they are "eating crap".

    If it's guilt free, why get so upset when someone else uses a word like bad or junk? The whole thing, between both threads, seems like a Twitter brigade having a hissy because someone said Harry Styles is ugly.
  • missomgitsica
    missomgitsica Posts: 496 Member
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    Macstraw wrote: »
    I checked with my food, none of it is offended by any terms used to describe it & it promised it's feelings won't get hurt..........
    Macstraw wrote: »
    I checked with my food, none of it is offended by any terms used to describe it & it promised it's feelings won't get hurt..........

    :D That made me chuckle.

  • snikkins
    snikkins Posts: 1,282 Member
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    Packerjohn wrote: »
    snikkins wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    snikkins wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    snikkins wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    What are you calling "requirements"? The CDC says men should get 56g of protein a day
    http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/protein.html

    I think if you talk to most people that lift weights or train people that lift they will recommend more protein. I would suggest that eating protein with the "extra" calories would make you healthier than filling in the calories with Ding Dongs, Cheetos, etc.

    You're making the assumption that macro and micro goals aren't met first, but that isn't what's being advocated. What is being said is once your macro and micro goals are met then eat ice cream, Oreos, etc.

    Edited to fix quotes as best I can.

    Say you meet your macro and micro goals daily and have 500 calories "left over". If you go to a nutrition expert and ask them the best way to fill in the additional calories do you think they will say Ding Dongs, ice cream, etc on a daily basis. Or do you think they will say eat a bit more of the nutritionally dense foods you are eating and occasionally have a treat?


    It's already been said, but you don't get extra credit in nutrition. You can end up with really expensive pee, though.

    I can't imagine trying to choke down 500 or more calories of broccoli instead of some ice cream or cookies after macros and micros are met, so I don't. And, mind-blowingly, sometimes I use donuts or ice cream to hit my fat macro if that's what I'm low on for the day.

    Not according to this peer reviewed article on WedMD. Article is specifically talking about gaining weight, but it is telling you how to "fill in" to get to your calorie goal:

    Calories Count, But So Do Nutrients

    Focus on healthy foods to gain weight, because even though you have more leeway with calories, good nutrition still rules.

    "Weight gain requires eating calorie-rich but also nutrient-rich foods -- not just high-calorie foods with lots of fat, sugar, or empty calories," says Alice Bender, RD, nutrition communications manager for the American Institute for Cancer Research.

    The goal is to choose foods that are packed with vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and calories so each bite is loaded with good nutrition.

    "Start with nutritious foods and then wherever you can, enrich the foods with additional ingredients like yogurt, fruit, nuts, and healthy fats," Escott-Stump says.


    Complete article:
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/how-to-gain-weight

    Again, an occasional few cookies, etc is fine, you shouldn't be using calorie dense nutrient light foods to fill a surplus calorie need after getting your macros.

    Filling surplus calories with nutritionally poor foods on a regular basis may not impact you weight, but can have negative impacts on blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.

    "Not just" indicates that they are not advocating those who are trying to gain weight to eat solely those things, but instead focus on... wait, you guessed it... hitting their macro and micro goals for the day and then eating whatever. I'm sure it's very easy to be tempted to hear the words "bulk" or "gaining weight" and assume you can eat whatever you want, but this RD is saying no, eat your fruits and vegetables, too.

    I'm not sure how this is saying anything different and in seriousness, have you ever done enough exercise where you end up with 1,000+ extra calories and tried to fill that with micro-nutrient dense foods? This is how we get the people who cannot eat 1,200 calories asking what they should do because you feel full.

    You are not getting the part below. Note the article talks specifically about gaining weight. It is the same thing you want to do when you have excess calories after you meet your macro/micro goals. You should be focusing on nutrient rich foods most of the time if you have "surplus" calories. Does that say you can't have cookies, of course not. Just maybe fruit and yogurt for example to get you extra calories 80% of the time and cookies, cake, etc the other 20%.

    "Focus on healthy foods to gain weight, because even though you have more leeway with calories, good nutrition still rules.

    "Weight gain requires eating calorie-rich but also nutrient-rich foods -- not just high-calorie foods with lots of fat, sugar, or empty calories," says Alice Bender, RD, nutrition communications manager for the American Institute for Cancer Research"

    I actually specifically addressed that part. I also have already noted the "weight gain" part and also specifically addressed that in my previous response, but hey. It's all good. Maybe it will be more clear this time.

    Bender, the registered dietitian, is saying that it's important to hit your nutrient goals while gaining weight, which basically excludes eating only cookies and ice cream all day every day. While you may be hitting your calorie goals, you may be missing something else. What Bender is saying is what everyone here is also saying: While gaining weight, don't ignore the importance of eating well.

    I'm unsure how this translates into eat things like cookies to fill in your extra calories on a daily basis after you've taken care of your nutrition is against what Bender is saying. Some of the guys here bulk, that is, gain weight, on 2,500 or more calories a day. It is completely possible to hit your nutrient, both macro and micro, goals for the day and end up with some extra when this is what your working with. It is at this point that eating ice cream fits in, which is all anyone is saying.

    Your argument makes quite a bit less sense in the case of gaining weight than losing weight because for a lot of people, it is much harder to fit in a daily treat on more restricted calories, but doesn't mean it can't, or shouldn't, be done.
  • snikkins
    snikkins Posts: 1,282 Member
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    Packerjohn wrote: »
    snikkins wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    snikkins wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    snikkins wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    What are you calling "requirements"? The CDC says men should get 56g of protein a day
    http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/protein.html

    I think if you talk to most people that lift weights or train people that lift they will recommend more protein. I would suggest that eating protein with the "extra" calories would make you healthier than filling in the calories with Ding Dongs, Cheetos, etc.

    You're making the assumption that macro and micro goals aren't met first, but that isn't what's being advocated. What is being said is once your macro and micro goals are met then eat ice cream, Oreos, etc.

    Edited to fix quotes as best I can.

    Say you meet your macro and micro goals daily and have 500 calories "left over". If you go to a nutrition expert and ask them the best way to fill in the additional calories do you think they will say Ding Dongs, ice cream, etc on a daily basis. Or do you think they will say eat a bit more of the nutritionally dense foods you are eating and occasionally have a treat?


    It's already been said, but you don't get extra credit in nutrition. You can end up with really expensive pee, though.

    I can't imagine trying to choke down 500 or more calories of broccoli instead of some ice cream or cookies after macros and micros are met, so I don't. And, mind-blowingly, sometimes I use donuts or ice cream to hit my fat macro if that's what I'm low on for the day.

    Not according to this peer reviewed article on WedMD. Article is specifically talking about gaining weight, but it is telling you how to "fill in" to get to your calorie goal:

    Calories Count, But So Do Nutrients

    Focus on healthy foods to gain weight, because even though you have more leeway with calories, good nutrition still rules.

    "Weight gain requires eating calorie-rich but also nutrient-rich foods -- not just high-calorie foods with lots of fat, sugar, or empty calories," says Alice Bender, RD, nutrition communications manager for the American Institute for Cancer Research.

    The goal is to choose foods that are packed with vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and calories so each bite is loaded with good nutrition.

    "Start with nutritious foods and then wherever you can, enrich the foods with additional ingredients like yogurt, fruit, nuts, and healthy fats," Escott-Stump says.


    Complete article:
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/how-to-gain-weight

    Again, an occasional few cookies, etc is fine, you shouldn't be using calorie dense nutrient light foods to fill a surplus calorie need after getting your macros.

    Filling surplus calories with nutritionally poor foods on a regular basis may not impact you weight, but can have negative impacts on blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.

    "Not just" indicates that they are not advocating those who are trying to gain weight to eat solely those things, but instead focus on... wait, you guessed it... hitting their macro and micro goals for the day and then eating whatever. I'm sure it's very easy to be tempted to hear the words "bulk" or "gaining weight" and assume you can eat whatever you want, but this RD is saying no, eat your fruits and vegetables, too.

    I'm not sure how this is saying anything different and in seriousness, have you ever done enough exercise where you end up with 1,000+ extra calories and tried to fill that with micro-nutrient dense foods? This is how we get the people who cannot eat 1,200 calories asking what they should do because you feel full.

    You are not getting the part below. Note the article talks specifically about gaining weight. It is the same thing you want to do when you have excess calories after you meet your macro/micro goals. You should be focusing on nutrient rich foods most of the time if you have "surplus" calories. Does that say you can't have cookies, of course not. Just maybe fruit and yogurt for example to get you extra calories 80% of the time and cookies, cake, etc the other 20%.

    Isn't that exactly what we've been saying all along? That most of the calories would come from highly nutritious foods and some of them can come from less nutritious foods?

    See? There is barely any difference between your approach and mine. The only difference is in the mindset. While I do try to focus on nutritious foods (80% of that time as you would call it) I don't feel the other 20% is necessarily bad. In fact I would venture and say that my chocolate, cookies, cake..etc were extremely good for me because had I tried to cut them out I wouldn't have succeeded at losing weight due to feeling deprived. I'm nearly 100 pounds lighter, blood sugar 40 points lower and I'm no longer hyperlipidemic.

    It's interesting because this back and forth seems to be about the definition of 80/20 - Is it a daily thing? Or an overall (think over an entire year) thing?

  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited March 2015
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    JPW1990 wrote: »
    Regardless of how you refer to your food it's either clean and healthy or it isn't. We all eat from both sides. Kind of a silly post IMO.

    Exactly. The only difference is that one group enjoys every bite of it guilt free while people in the other group feel like they are "eating crap".

    If it's guilt free, why get so upset when someone else uses a word like bad or junk? The whole thing, between both threads, seems like a Twitter brigade having a hissy because someone said Harry Styles is ugly.

    I'm one of the people who could care less what my food is called, but I find the reasoning behind labeling foods as "junk", "crap", or "bad for you" peculiar. Some people find that condescending and probably why they get upset. I'm more interested in the psychological side of it - I mean it's very common to see threads with titles like "I messed up", "fell off the wagon", "how do I stop craving X", "I'm mad at myself"...etc
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    But I don't know why I'm arguing,
    Indeed, no reason to argue.
    As for me, I have some sort of dessert every night.
    Usually it is fruit salad with yogurt and cinnamon, or a banana "ice cream" with some nuts and melted high percentage chocolate or fruit gelatin with yogurt, or simply some squares of high percentage chocolate. Occasionally, I have also some "less healthy" treats.

    That's nice.

    You really shouldn't take one clause of a sentence out of context.
  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    Lettuce is a bad food.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited March 2015
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    JPW1990 wrote: »
    Regardless of how you refer to your food it's either clean and healthy or it isn't. We all eat from both sides. Kind of a silly post IMO.

    Exactly. The only difference is that one group enjoys every bite of it guilt free while people in the other group feel like they are "eating crap".

    If it's guilt free, why get so upset when someone else uses a word like bad or junk? The whole thing, between both threads, seems like a Twitter brigade having a hissy because someone said Harry Styles is ugly.

    The other thread was started to discuss whether it's helpful to call foods "bad." I don't think it is. (I gave what I thought were some good reasons in one of the two threads which--shock--no one bothered to address at all.) Therefore, it's fun to knock down the arguments as to why certain foods must be "bad." (I don't mind the term "junk food.")

    I thought the premise of this thread was a joke, but could be wrong.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    I'd say a family birthday is fine to have cake, not when everyone at work brings something in for a birthday on an every other day basis. Wings at a Superbowl party sure, not every Sunday, Monday and Thursday during the NFL season. Dessert once or twice a week not after 2 out of 3 meals a day.

    Just my opinion.
    Who said anything about dessert being 2 or 3 meals a day? You're arguing extremes for no reason.

    How would you interpret this quote?

    "Am I no longer allowed to have dessert after lunch and supper?"
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    Packerjohn wrote: »
    snikkins wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    snikkins wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    snikkins wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    What are you calling "requirements"? The CDC says men should get 56g of protein a day
    http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/protein.html

    I think if you talk to most people that lift weights or train people that lift they will recommend more protein. I would suggest that eating protein with the "extra" calories would make you healthier than filling in the calories with Ding Dongs, Cheetos, etc.

    You're making the assumption that macro and micro goals aren't met first, but that isn't what's being advocated. What is being said is once your macro and micro goals are met then eat ice cream, Oreos, etc.

    Edited to fix quotes as best I can.

    Say you meet your macro and micro goals daily and have 500 calories "left over". If you go to a nutrition expert and ask them the best way to fill in the additional calories do you think they will say Ding Dongs, ice cream, etc on a daily basis. Or do you think they will say eat a bit more of the nutritionally dense foods you are eating and occasionally have a treat?


    It's already been said, but you don't get extra credit in nutrition. You can end up with really expensive pee, though.

    I can't imagine trying to choke down 500 or more calories of broccoli instead of some ice cream or cookies after macros and micros are met, so I don't. And, mind-blowingly, sometimes I use donuts or ice cream to hit my fat macro if that's what I'm low on for the day.

    Not according to this peer reviewed article on WedMD. Article is specifically talking about gaining weight, but it is telling you how to "fill in" to get to your calorie goal:

    Calories Count, But So Do Nutrients

    Focus on healthy foods to gain weight, because even though you have more leeway with calories, good nutrition still rules.

    "Weight gain requires eating calorie-rich but also nutrient-rich foods -- not just high-calorie foods with lots of fat, sugar, or empty calories," says Alice Bender, RD, nutrition communications manager for the American Institute for Cancer Research.

    The goal is to choose foods that are packed with vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and calories so each bite is loaded with good nutrition.

    "Start with nutritious foods and then wherever you can, enrich the foods with additional ingredients like yogurt, fruit, nuts, and healthy fats," Escott-Stump says.


    Complete article:
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/how-to-gain-weight

    Again, an occasional few cookies, etc is fine, you shouldn't be using calorie dense nutrient light foods to fill a surplus calorie need after getting your macros.

    Filling surplus calories with nutritionally poor foods on a regular basis may not impact you weight, but can have negative impacts on blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.

    "Not just" indicates that they are not advocating those who are trying to gain weight to eat solely those things, but instead focus on... wait, you guessed it... hitting their macro and micro goals for the day and then eating whatever. I'm sure it's very easy to be tempted to hear the words "bulk" or "gaining weight" and assume you can eat whatever you want, but this RD is saying no, eat your fruits and vegetables, too.

    I'm not sure how this is saying anything different and in seriousness, have you ever done enough exercise where you end up with 1,000+ extra calories and tried to fill that with micro-nutrient dense foods? This is how we get the people who cannot eat 1,200 calories asking what they should do because you feel full.

    You are not getting the part below. Note the article talks specifically about gaining weight. It is the same thing you want to do when you have excess calories after you meet your macro/micro goals. You should be focusing on nutrient rich foods most of the time if you have "surplus" calories. Does that say you can't have cookies, of course not. Just maybe fruit and yogurt for example to get you extra calories 80% of the time and cookies, cake, etc the other 20%.

    Isn't that exactly what we've been saying all along? That most of the calories would come from highly nutritious foods and some of them can come from less nutritious foods?

    See? There is barely any difference between your approach and mine. The only difference is in the mindset. While I do try to focus on nutritious foods (80% of that time as you would call it) I don't feel the other 20% is necessarily bad. .

    I have gotten the idea from many of these posts that people are saying once you hit your macro/micro requirements you're good to fill any remaining calories with less nutrient dense foods i.e, crap exclusively. I say, and I think most nutrition authorities would tell you, the "extra" calories should come mostly (80/20, 75/25 whatever) from nutrient dense foods and the reminder from whatever. This does not have to be on a daily basis, but should be the case long term.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    snikkins wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    snikkins wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    snikkins wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    What are you calling "requirements"? The CDC says men should get 56g of protein a day
    http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/protein.html

    I think if you talk to most people that lift weights or train people that lift they will recommend more protein. I would suggest that eating protein with the "extra" calories would make you healthier than filling in the calories with Ding Dongs, Cheetos, etc.

    You're making the assumption that macro and micro goals aren't met first, but that isn't what's being advocated. What is being said is once your macro and micro goals are met then eat ice cream, Oreos, etc.

    Edited to fix quotes as best I can.

    Say you meet your macro and micro goals daily and have 500 calories "left over". If you go to a nutrition expert and ask them the best way to fill in the additional calories do you think they will say Ding Dongs, ice cream, etc on a daily basis. Or do you think they will say eat a bit more of the nutritionally dense foods you are eating and occasionally have a treat?


    It's already been said, but you don't get extra credit in nutrition. You can end up with really expensive pee, though.

    I can't imagine trying to choke down 500 or more calories of broccoli instead of some ice cream or cookies after macros and micros are met, so I don't. And, mind-blowingly, sometimes I use donuts or ice cream to hit my fat macro if that's what I'm low on for the day.

    Not according to this peer reviewed article on WedMD. Article is specifically talking about gaining weight, but it is telling you how to "fill in" to get to your calorie goal:

    Calories Count, But So Do Nutrients

    Focus on healthy foods to gain weight, because even though you have more leeway with calories, good nutrition still rules.

    "Weight gain requires eating calorie-rich but also nutrient-rich foods -- not just high-calorie foods with lots of fat, sugar, or empty calories," says Alice Bender, RD, nutrition communications manager for the American Institute for Cancer Research.

    The goal is to choose foods that are packed with vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and calories so each bite is loaded with good nutrition.

    "Start with nutritious foods and then wherever you can, enrich the foods with additional ingredients like yogurt, fruit, nuts, and healthy fats," Escott-Stump says.


    Complete article:
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/how-to-gain-weight

    Again, an occasional few cookies, etc is fine, you shouldn't be using calorie dense nutrient light foods to fill a surplus calorie need after getting your macros.

    Filling surplus calories with nutritionally poor foods on a regular basis may not impact you weight, but can have negative impacts on blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.

    "Not just" indicates that they are not advocating those who are trying to gain weight to eat solely those things, but instead focus on... wait, you guessed it... hitting their macro and micro goals for the day and then eating whatever. I'm sure it's very easy to be tempted to hear the words "bulk" or "gaining weight" and assume you can eat whatever you want, but this RD is saying no, eat your fruits and vegetables, too.

    I'm not sure how this is saying anything different and in seriousness, have you ever done enough exercise where you end up with 1,000+ extra calories and tried to fill that with micro-nutrient dense foods? This is how we get the people who cannot eat 1,200 calories asking what they should do because you feel full.

    You are not getting the part below. Note the article talks specifically about gaining weight. It is the same thing you want to do when you have excess calories after you meet your macro/micro goals. You should be focusing on nutrient rich foods most of the time if you have "surplus" calories. Does that say you can't have cookies, of course not. Just maybe fruit and yogurt for example to get you extra calories 80% of the time and cookies, cake, etc the other 20%.

    Isn't that exactly what we've been saying all along? That most of the calories would come from highly nutritious foods and some of them can come from less nutritious foods?

    See? There is barely any difference between your approach and mine. The only difference is in the mindset. While I do try to focus on nutritious foods (80% of that time as you would call it) I don't feel the other 20% is necessarily bad. .

    I have gotten the idea from many of these posts that people are saying once you hit your macro/micro requirements you're good to fill any remaining calories with less nutrient dense foods i.e, crap exclusively. I say, and I think most nutrition authorities would tell you, the "extra" calories should come mostly (80/20, 75/25 whatever) from nutrient dense foods and the reminder from whatever. This does not have to be on a daily basis, but should be the case long term.

    What you fill your macro/micro requirements with already comes from nutrient dense foods. If the rest was made up of 80% nutrient dense food, you'd be at 96% nutrient dense food.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    snikkins wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    snikkins wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    snikkins wrote: »
    Packerjohn wrote: »
    What are you calling "requirements"? The CDC says men should get 56g of protein a day
    http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/protein.html

    I think if you talk to most people that lift weights or train people that lift they will recommend more protein. I would suggest that eating protein with the "extra" calories would make you healthier than filling in the calories with Ding Dongs, Cheetos, etc.

    You're making the assumption that macro and micro goals aren't met first, but that isn't what's being advocated. What is being said is once your macro and micro goals are met then eat ice cream, Oreos, etc.

    Edited to fix quotes as best I can.

    Say you meet your macro and micro goals daily and have 500 calories "left over". If you go to a nutrition expert and ask them the best way to fill in the additional calories do you think they will say Ding Dongs, ice cream, etc on a daily basis. Or do you think they will say eat a bit more of the nutritionally dense foods you are eating and occasionally have a treat?


    It's already been said, but you don't get extra credit in nutrition. You can end up with really expensive pee, though.

    I can't imagine trying to choke down 500 or more calories of broccoli instead of some ice cream or cookies after macros and micros are met, so I don't. And, mind-blowingly, sometimes I use donuts or ice cream to hit my fat macro if that's what I'm low on for the day.

    Not according to this peer reviewed article on WedMD. Article is specifically talking about gaining weight, but it is telling you how to "fill in" to get to your calorie goal:

    Calories Count, But So Do Nutrients

    Focus on healthy foods to gain weight, because even though you have more leeway with calories, good nutrition still rules.

    "Weight gain requires eating calorie-rich but also nutrient-rich foods -- not just high-calorie foods with lots of fat, sugar, or empty calories," says Alice Bender, RD, nutrition communications manager for the American Institute for Cancer Research.

    The goal is to choose foods that are packed with vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and calories so each bite is loaded with good nutrition.

    "Start with nutritious foods and then wherever you can, enrich the foods with additional ingredients like yogurt, fruit, nuts, and healthy fats," Escott-Stump says.


    Complete article:
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/how-to-gain-weight

    Again, an occasional few cookies, etc is fine, you shouldn't be using calorie dense nutrient light foods to fill a surplus calorie need after getting your macros.

    Filling surplus calories with nutritionally poor foods on a regular basis may not impact you weight, but can have negative impacts on blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.

    "Not just" indicates that they are not advocating those who are trying to gain weight to eat solely those things, but instead focus on... wait, you guessed it... hitting their macro and micro goals for the day and then eating whatever. I'm sure it's very easy to be tempted to hear the words "bulk" or "gaining weight" and assume you can eat whatever you want, but this RD is saying no, eat your fruits and vegetables, too.

    I'm not sure how this is saying anything different and in seriousness, have you ever done enough exercise where you end up with 1,000+ extra calories and tried to fill that with micro-nutrient dense foods? This is how we get the people who cannot eat 1,200 calories asking what they should do because you feel full.

    You are not getting the part below. Note the article talks specifically about gaining weight. It is the same thing you want to do when you have excess calories after you meet your macro/micro goals. You should be focusing on nutrient rich foods most of the time if you have "surplus" calories. Does that say you can't have cookies, of course not. Just maybe fruit and yogurt for example to get you extra calories 80% of the time and cookies, cake, etc the other 20%.

    Isn't that exactly what we've been saying all along? That most of the calories would come from highly nutritious foods and some of them can come from less nutritious foods?

    See? There is barely any difference between your approach and mine. The only difference is in the mindset. While I do try to focus on nutritious foods (80% of that time as you would call it) I don't feel the other 20% is necessarily bad. .

    I have gotten the idea from many of these posts that people are saying once you hit your macro/micro requirements you're good to fill any remaining calories with less nutrient dense foods i.e, crap exclusively. I say, and I think most nutrition authorities would tell you, the "extra" calories should come mostly (80/20, 75/25 whatever) from nutrient dense foods and the reminder from whatever. This does not have to be on a daily basis, but should be the case long term.

    How many extra calories do you think we are talking about in this scenario?

    What the article (not sure why you said it was peer reviewed) at WedMD said was that if you need to gain weight you aren't some special snowflake who should be eating just whatever, but should still try to eat an overall healthy diet, since micros and macros matter to overall health (which might affect how you gain). It said nothing about extra calories and making sure that 80% of those are nutrient dense foods.

    Now, personally, I don't track to see if my micros are met, because then I'd have no life and would probably be officially orthorexic. Instead, I eat an overall balanced diet including lots of fruits and veggies (I try to get more than the recommended veggies in particular, because I enjoy eating that way, and I try to get a good variety, and particularly like to get some greens every day), my macros (and specifically enough protein, which currently for me means about 125 grams, or way more than any nutrition expert would say I need), adequate fiber (usually through fruits and veggies, but I do tend to favor beans when they fit into a meal and choose whole grains over refined grains more often than not--although I think the benefits of grains in general are exaggerated, so don't worry much about eating them), some foods providing fats like those in salmon and nuts and olive oil and avocado, other foods I like and think are good for me, like potatoes and sweet potatoes, so on. I think that given the limitations on access to food throughout much of human history and the diversity in possible healthy diets (if you look at traditional diets), this is probably sufficient to make sure I'm hitting my micros, barring some evidence of something lacking. (Most likely to be lacking, really, is Vit D.)

    I do all this through eating 3 balanced meals and sometimes a post-workout snack. The post-workout snack will often relate to things I'm trying for athletic performance (currently introducing more quick carbs, if I don't like the results I'll change that) or staying satiated based on limited food on hand (I sometimes use foods like protein bars for this).

    If after all of this I have calories left over (and I admit that when I have plenty of calories because I'm working out regularly and aiming to eat close to maintenance I will attempt to save a bit of room) I will add in some kind of food based solely on what I enjoy as a post dinner treat. This could be a pudding made of banana and coconut milk plus some tapioca, it could be a slice of apple pie (usually not available, sadly), it could be cheese, it could be nuts, it could be ice cream, if I'm short on protein, maybe a protein bar, who knows. I mostly go by what seems good, since I feel like I ate what I needed throughout the rest of the day.

    Your insistence that this is an unhealthy thing to do and that BAD food is BAD seems to me to be bizarre. You have yet to provide any evidence that someone would be healthier eating only the banana pudding (should that strike you as nutrient dense enough, perhaps not), vs. the other things I've mentioned as possible treats.