Whats the right answer?????

kristinhull1

A year ago I was on MFP and when I asked people if I could eat fries, pizza and foods that I love on a diet. I got so many negative responses. You cant out exercise a bad diet. You wont lose weight eating fries. Your trying the lazy way out. Blah Blah Blah. So I ate the things they told me to. Eggs, chicken breast, fruits and veggies protein bars and shakes.. I ate that way for 5 months. Working out my *kitten* off and losing 15lbs in 5 months. Then I stopped losing weight all together. So I gave up...But now im back due to a few medical problems. I have every symptom on the hypothyroidism list and have test to be done the next 2 weeks. Also chest pains and kidney pains. So I got the urge to want to lose weight so I could be a healthy weight for my Son and Fiance. So I started my fitness pal back up and asked for some advice. I made a grocery list and posted it in a forum. The comments I got were so different this time around then they were a year ago. My list included the foods people told me last year to eat. Chicken breast, veggies, Fruits, Wheat bread, Brown rice, Eggs, Protein powders. My responses were unbelieveable. I see why you stopped your diet last time. This list sucks. Your telling me you can only lose weight on these foods. Your telling me you'll never eat pizza again. Its not possible to lose 80lbs on just eggs and veggies. You can eat all the foods you love but in small portions. I couldnt believe it. MFP was a total transformation from a year ago. So I ripped up my grocery list and went to the store and got the things we normally do. But I added some veggies and fruits and bottled water instead of 5 24 pack cases of pop. I still got french fries and pizzas.


So what im asking is. What ways right? Should I be eating only healthy foods eggs chicken veggies and fruits to have a successful weight loss journey? Or can I eat the things I love like pizza waffles chicken nuggets and fries and have a successful weight loss journey? I have 80lbs to lose and im hoping that by next summer im down to my healthy weight. Im just lost as to which ways right and which ways wrong. I can say I am an overeater and im addicted to pepsi. If im not cleaning my house im sitting on the couch. I get all those things cause weight. But I want to know how to lose it. Pop has all been thrown out, I am doing portion control on all the things I love, I am adding fruits and veggies to my diet. But im not eating a 100% healthy diet. More like 30%. Im just confused as to what works and what doesnt. Has anybody lost weight eating food they love.

iamuniqueiam

It's just calories in vs. calories out. So the right answer is to do what works for you in order to control the calories in. I can't eat 1 slice of pizza. I have to have 4. Therefore I eat pizza rarely and eat chicken and egg whites and vegetables instead. I love ice cream, I can eat a small portion and be happy, so I eat ice cream every day. This is what works for me and I've lost 132 lbs. Find what works for you and you have the right answer.

deksgrl

Yes, calories in/calories out. HOWEVER, if you have some health issues, and you indicate here there you do, then content of what you eat makes a difference too.

WithWhatsLeft

Yep, calories in, calories out. Eat less than you burn. I've lost weight eating (and drinking) stuff I love, but I can't go whole-hog with junk food. It's just not good fuel for me; I'm better with cooking my own versions of clean and healthy, with a little junk here and there.

Find what works for you.

kristinhull1

Thank you. Im eating pretty healthy for breakfast lunch and snacks. Dinners the hard part.

kristinhull1

Thank you guys

Faithful_Chosen

Calories in vs calories out. If you can fit your favourite foods into that equation, go for it! For more healthy living, aim for your macros (and micros) as well, because living off of pizza and ice-cream solely is going to make you sick in the long run. Variation is key. Try to use foods like pizza as treats. Good luck!

MamaBirdBoss

You were listening to the people you wanted to hear last time. You wanted to hear that it wasn't how much you were eating but what it was.

Calories in and calories out are all that matters to weight loss.

I'm a three-slice girl. Right now it doesn't fit my macros, so I'm not ordering pizza. If it did, I would.

Take a look at my diary. My highest weight was 162. I'm now 137 and still losing. I eat chocolate, some crackers, yummy Chinese food, and more.

ninerbuff

The right answer is eat however you CAN to lose weight and sustain not putting it back on. You do want to try to eat more nutrient dense foods if possible, but that doesn't mean you have to go to an extreme to do it. Extremes are why people fail on diets.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

shadowfax_c11

CICO is right. Which foods you eat is important for some things but not for weight loss. Last weekend I ate an entire loaded meat lovers pizza. (over 2 days)I have also been enjoying chocolate cake in the evenings. I kept it within my calorie goals. I have dropped about 4.5 pounds in the past week. (not typical, I usually lose 1-1.5 a week) Now I am not going to eat that sort of thing all of the time. Veggies and healthy lean meats are also important. Whole grains, and dairy are part of my diet as well. Balance is key. And just paying attention to how many calories go in vs how many you burn.

jim180155

You can lose weight eating junk food, food with little nutritional value. If you eat at a caloric deficit, eating fewer calories than you burn through BMR (basic bodily functions with no activity), normal activity like walking, and intentional exercise. Genetics and body composition can play a role in variances in BMR where some people naturally burn more calories than others even when both are doing nothing at all, but the formula remains the same. You lose, maintain or gain weight based on CICO, or Calories In Calories Out. 2000 calories of Miracle Whip will have the same effect on your weight as 2000 calories of broccoli.

Some people take this a step too far and think that all calories are equal. They're not. Some people follow IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) in the extreme, again thinking that all calories are created equal but with the acceptance of making sure they get a healthy portion of protein, carbs and fats. The IIFYM crowd gets closer in that they'll eat enough protein to build or maintain muscle and enough fat to carry out basic bodily functions, but they're still missing a big part of the picture. We still need micro nutrients, like magnesium from greens.

We're biologically engineered to eat a variety of whole, unprocessed foods. There are vitamins and nutrients that our bodies need to function optimally, things that you can't get from potato chips, pizza and Pepsi. You can supplement with store-bought vitamins which can help fix shortfalls, but supplements shouldn't be your sole source of micro nutrients since we are still in the process of discovering new vitamins and how micro nutrients interact when derived from whole foods.

You need to eat whole foods. That doesn't mean that you can't have pizza, ice cream or waffles. It just means that most of your food, somewhere around 80%, should come from whole foods, things that are unprocessed, don't come in a box or can, and aren't frozen and meant for the microwave. The exception to the last would be frozen fruits and vegetables which can be more nutritious than fresh because they are typically flash frozen at the peak of ripeness.

In short, both answers you got before are right, but both should be done in moderation. Eat mostly whole foods, eat at a moderate caloric deficit, and try to leave room in your calorie goal for some of your favorite treats.

Bshmerlie

CICO is all that is required for weight loss. However you mentioned several medical problems that you are having and I noticed that your calorie goal is set at 1200. Trying to eat only 1200 and still provide your body with all the vitamins and nutrients it needs to be healthy is a difficult thing to do especially if a large portion of your diet is made up of junk good. Maybe up the calories a little bit and include some exercise to offset it. Try to have 1200 calories of healthy foods and above that your treats. Better yet have your doctor set you up with a nutritionist to make sure your diet is helping your medical issues and not making them worse.

Sabine_Stroehm

ninerbuff wrote: »

The right answer is eat however you CAN to lose weight and sustain not putting it back on. You do want to try to eat more nutrient dense foods if possible, but that doesn't mean you have to go to an extreme to do it. Extremes are why people fail on diets.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

This. Honestly, I can't quite imagine that MFP members told you you had to eat nutritious foods to lose weight.

Regardless, if it were me, I'd eat less, move more, and try to eat a DELICIOUS balanced, nutritious diet with some indulgences and treats as I see fit.

kristinhull1

Thank you everyone. Im loving the answers. This morning I had 2 egg whites and a whole egg scrambled with a piece of cheese and a piece of whole wheat toast. I can eat pretty healthy for breakfast and lunch. Dinner is where the unhealthiness comes from. I have a 2 year old Son and a Fiance that can eat a house and still dont gain much weight. Ive been with my Fiance almost 9 years and have seen him eat a whole large pizza and still the scale says 135. I am done with pepsi. Im so happy to get it all out of system. Water taste yummy with a little water enhancer. I love eggs and cheese and whole wheat bread. I just hate salads and veggies and fruits. But im adding healthiness to everyone of my meals. If we have a meat mash potatoes buttered noodles and biscuits and veggies for dinner. Im going to cut out the biscuits and noodles and just have the meat a small portion of potatoes and the veggies. Im gonna do this right.

debubbie

I have lost 70 pounds and I don't always eat the healthiest food for me. I try to stick closer to 70% of better eating including lean meats, veggies, fruits, and water. But, on occasion I have pizza, a Dr. Pepper, biscuits and gravy, and almost always a square of dark chocolate for lunch or dinner. I have eaten around 1700-2100 calories a day for almost 18 months except for when I have taken breaks from the calorie counting and try to eat around 2500 calories or so for maintenance (I need the mental break every so often from counting calories and being "on" all the time).

Also, I changed my mindset some to not compare my weight loss to someone else's (there will always seem to be someone that is losing weight quicker and faster than you, but are they doing it in a healthy and sustainable way?), I quit using my scale as the only factor in determining if I was successful at losing weight or not. Instead I focus on how my clothes fit, inches lost every month, body fat % decreasing, BMI slowly going down, and improved fitness (I can run a mile without stopping and my time keeps getting better!) Using these factors has been a huge motivating factor for me in working towards my goal of losing over 100 pounds.

I have used recipes from Clean Eating magazine and SkinnyTaste website to find healthier alternatives and ways to jazz up veggies that I actually like. I used to be known at work as being worse than a kid for eating veggies because I truly hated them! Now I sprinkle some sriracha or chipolte powder seasoning on broccoli, potatoes, cauliflower and bake for about 20 minutes and they are amazing! I make my own mac and cheese because I can cut calories by not using the pre-made versions. I make salads with hard boiled eggs, tuna packs, blueberries, strawberries, spinach and pineapples that taste wonderful and light. Add a little olive oil dressing and you have dinner that you can pair with fish or a lean meat to bring your calories down at dinner. As you continue to work at losing weight you will find that you can find all kinds of tricks to make it work for you without it seeming like work. It really takes consistency in your logging and being persistent in trying to do the best you can each day. If you make a mistake, learn from it and move on.

Good luck!

kristinhull1

Thank you guys so much...Im pretty good and healthy with breakfast and lunch and snacks....Dinners not so much.