Eat what you want but stick to the calories?

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  • LaLa_Ventura
    LaLa_Ventura Posts: 94 Member
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    This is a pefect discussion. I did pretty good today. Nutrient levels high, low sodium, workef out today and then.... a piece of pre sliced new york cheesecake. Im still okay chart wise.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    I disagree with most people here, I don't think you can just go and have whatever you want, health wise that is, weight wise.. I guess the calorie thing is right but ,I prefer quality over quantity,so if 50 grams of fat are gonna go in,they better be avocado or nuts, not hmm -random greasy stuff- I stay away from trans fats as well, but depends on what you want i guess.
    I train hard,eat okish ,i will have a cheat meal but it's not gonna be a pile of sugary stuff, it's gonna be either more of what i already eat or something nice i wouldn't eat on a weekday but not something i would run away from. Like a pre made soup,for example,so much sodium yucks

    No one is saying have whatever you want for health.
    She asked if she could have ONE chocolate bar as long as she sticks with her calories AND macros.
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
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    I disagree with most people here, I don't think you can just go and have whatever you want, health wise that is, weight wise.. I guess the calorie thing is right but ,I prefer quality over quantity,so if 50 grams of fat are gonna go in,they better be avocado or nuts, not hmm -random greasy stuff- I stay away from trans fats as well, but depends on what you want i guess.
    I train hard,eat okish ,i will have a cheat meal but it's not gonna be a pile of sugary stuff, it's gonna be either more of what i already eat or something nice i wouldn't eat on a weekday but not something i would run away from. Like a pre made soup,for example,so much sodium yucks

    No one is saying have whatever you want for health.
    She asked if she could have ONE chocolate bar as long as she sticks with her calories AND macros.

    +1 to this

    I just don't understand how a cheat meal 1x a week makes more sense than this does. No one is saying eat crap and screw it all if under calories. We've all said eat healthfully and include "crap" as well. And FYI-I could argue that there are as many health benefits to chocolate as there is to avocado....
  • kkorzeniowska
    kkorzeniowska Posts: 24 Member
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    Yes....I never asked can I live on junk food all the time. I wouldn't want to anyway. Im at stage when I feel horrible,heavy and bloated after few hours if I have slice of pizza or burger..... My body just doesn't like this type of food anymore. It used to healthy things, but I'll always crave for sugar,candies and chocolate. So i would like to include it to my diet now and then.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    I disagree with most people here, I don't think you can just go and have whatever you want, health wise that is, weight wise..

    Two things:

    (1) the question WAS weight wise, or specifically fat-wise. I'm sure all of us agree that nutrition matters and I find it rude that you imply that the prior posts were saying otherwise.

    (2) The OP didn't say "can I lose weight eating lots of crap and ignoring nutrition." She asked about including a chocolate bar in her diet. There's a huge distinction between eating only candy (what you seem to have assumed, but which I think NO ONE is so confused that they think it's a good idea) or including candy within the context of an overall healthy diet.

    Your answer seems to say that the latter is basically the same as the former from a nutrition/health perspective and of course it is not.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Yes, technically you could get your daily caloric allowance in ice cream, candy, and Doritos and if you are at a deficit you will lose weight. But will you be healthy. I doubt it. But yes, it's actually a very simple formula. Weight loss equals less calories going in than calories being burned. I'd just rather be healthy than thin.

    That's not what she is asking and no one is advising you get all your calories In That food only.

    She's asking if she can fit in A chocolate bar into her day and still be healthy and reach her goals - to that the answer is yes.

    It's not all or nothing. It's moderation.

    Yep. (I should read all the prior posts before responding.) ;-)
  • VanillaGorillaUK
    VanillaGorillaUK Posts: 342 Member
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    Just to reassure you.... Yes it's true.

    I've lost 50lbs thus far using this method, as have many on this forum.

    You don't need to wonder anymore B)
  • mystgrl1604
    mystgrl1604 Posts: 117 Member
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    Erm...I eat what I want as long as it's in my caloric intake. Saying that, you do get more for your calories eating healthy food so I always bear in mind that if I eat anything naughty, that will greatly lessen the amount of food that I can for the rest of the day.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Yes, technically you could get your daily caloric allowance in ice cream, candy, and Doritos and if you are at a deficit you will lose weight. But will you be healthy. I doubt it. But yes, it's actually a very simple formula. Weight loss equals less calories going in than calories being burned. I'd just rather be healthy than thin.

    That's not what she is asking and no one is advising you get all your calories In That food only.

    She's asking if she can fit in A chocolate bar into her day and still be healthy and reach her goals - to that the answer is yes.

    It's not all or nothing. It's moderation.

    Yep. (I should read all the prior posts before responding.) ;-)

    It can't be repeated enough -some mfp users need to take a reading comprehension class :noway:
  • KHS86
    KHS86 Posts: 29 Member
    edited July 2015
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    People make things more complicated than they are...

    When it comes to losing or gaining weight the only thing that matters in the end is calories out vs calories in.

    1g carbs = 4 calories
    1g fat = 9 calories
    1g protein = 4 calories

    It doesn't matter if those carbs are from oats or from chocolate, 1g of carbs is still 4 calories.

    When that is said, I'd rather eat 100grams of oats, than eat a snickersbar and still feel hungry.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited July 2015
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    KHS86 wrote: »
    When that is said, I'd rather eat 100grams of oats, than eat a snickersbar and still feel hungry.

    I ate lots of food including some chocolate on Friday and didn't feel hungry at all. I do this most days (some which involve oats too, although I don't find oats especially filling, I just like them). Does anyone really find that eating chocolate or not is the deciding factor as to whether they are hungry or not? I mean, I guess at 1200 calories, but even then I think you can fit in a little chocolate if you like it and just do a better job eating more vegetables and protein and whatever else you find filling in the rest of your diet.

    Thus, as mentioned above, I think this whole discussion about the effect of a treat to be rather beside the point. Eat a good overall diet -- including some sweets if you like them -- and you should be fine, both from a health and hunger standpoint. It's NOT all or nothing.

    (As an aside, I'm a chocolate snob, so wouldn't choose snickers, but my memory from back when I ate them is that they were actually pretty filling for candy--likely the peanuts.)
  • KHS86
    KHS86 Posts: 29 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    KHS86 wrote: »
    When that is said, I'd rather eat 100grams of oats, than eat a snickersbar and still feel hungry.

    I ate lots of food including some chocolate on Friday and didn't feel hungry at all. I do this most days (some which involve oats too, although I don't find oats especially filling, I just like them). Does anyone really find that eating chocolate or not is the deciding factor as to whether they are hungry or not? I mean, I guess at 1200 calories, but even then I think you can fit in a little chocolate if you like it and just do a better job eating more vegetables and protein and whatever else you find filling in the rest of your diet.

    Thus, as mentioned above, I think this whole discussion about the effect of a treat to be rather beside the point. Eat a good overall diet -- including some sweets if you like them -- and you should be fine, both from a health and hunger standpoint. It's NOT all or nothing.

    (As an aside, I'm a chocolate snob, so wouldn't choose snickers, but my memory from back when I ate them is that they were actually pretty filling for candy--likely the peanuts.)

    The point was eat whatever the *kitten* you want to eat as long as it fits your macros.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    I wasn't suggesting the OP eat a bunch of crap, just making the point that you could do that and still lose weight.

    The OP didn't ask, "How can I have the most healthy diet possible?" OP asked if they could eat chocolate and still lose weight. Of course they can.
  • Katzedernacht
    Katzedernacht Posts: 266 Member
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    Yikes you people take all wrong all the time no one said "living on that stuff"

    fine i will stop replying here such defensiveness
  • Duchy82
    Duchy82 Posts: 560 Member
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    Sugar spikes in someone that hasn't got diabetes isn't that extreme. When at uni in my endocrinology module i had to participate in an experiment where we took fasting blood sugar levels and then again after consuming pure glucose.

    My levels only only went from 4mmol to about 6mmol (which are both well within the normal) and then went back down again, you have to trust your body to control the glucose levels.

    So just have that magnum ice cream and enjoy it (just don't have the full pack lol!)
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    Kalikel wrote: »
    I wasn't suggesting the OP eat a bunch of crap, just making the point that you could do that and still lose weight.

    The OP didn't ask, "How can I have the most healthy diet possible?" OP asked if they could eat chocolate and still lose weight. Of course they can.
    Yikes you people take all wrong all the time no one said "living on that stuff"

    fine i will stop replying here such defensiveness

    The person who did say that was quoted. How do you figure they were talking about your posts?

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/33417765/#Comment_33417765
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    I just wonder is that really truth? What about the insulin levels and how it spikes after high in sugar snacks? It's one of the reasons why body stores fat. Can I really have a chocolate bar with no consequences as long as I will stick to the calories and macros?

    I'm not an expert, but this is how I understand it:
    Insulin will spike in response to high sugar snacks but the spike in a healthy person is a good rise. Insulin must clear your blood of the excess glucose. Insulin will raise and peak at about one hour past the snack and then fall. When it is on the rise it does put the brakes on fat burning and focus on getting the glucose into your cells, and once they are full it will start fat storage until the blood is back to a good sugar level.

    So technically speaking, if that chocolate bar was not an excess of calories, you won't make fat, you'll just stall for a very short time on fat burning. It's not a big amount. Granted if you ate a steak instead of a sweet, your fat burning wouldn't stall quite as much because the insulin levels would not go as high, but even a steak will raise insulin levels a bit.

    Plus you always have insulin in your body at all times to get glucose into your cells. It isn't all or nothing with insulin, just higher and lower levels.

    It's the T2 diabetic who will have the massive spike of insulin because they are insulin resistant. Their body needs to make WAY more insulin to get the same job done. As a prediabetic, I would avoid the chocolate bar. As a healthy person, it's not a medical issue, just a personal choice.

    It is thought that eating high levels of added sugars is one of the factors that can lead to T2 diabetes though. If your sugars are higher than average (or even average for North America), I wouldn't have that chocolate bar too often... but you probably already know that. :)

    Best wishes.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited July 2015
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    nvsmomketo wrote: »
    So technically speaking, if that chocolate bar was not an excess of calories, you won't make fat, you'll just stall for a very short time on fat burning. It's not a big amount. Granted if you ate a steak instead of a sweet, your fat burning wouldn't stall quite as much because the insulin levels would not go as high, but even a steak will raise insulin levels a bit.

    But another point is that you are using energy from some source to fuel your body all the time. It doesn't make much difference whether it's fat at a certain point in time or not. This is similar to the misunderstanding that some have about exercise and the "fat burning zone." You aren't going to lose more weight staying in the fat burning zone and exercising for fewer calories, since you use the calories/fuel you use, and will end up burning more fat over the course of the day, just at later times.

    For the same reason the fat burning benefit of exercising fasted seems to even out through the course of the day no matter when you exercise.

    Your body can't run on nothing, so if calories are equal the total net fat that gets burned over the course of the day should be equal (assuming you are in a deficit).
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    nvsmomketo wrote: »
    So technically speaking, if that chocolate bar was not an excess of calories, you won't make fat, you'll just stall for a very short time on fat burning. It's not a big amount. Granted if you ate a steak instead of a sweet, your fat burning wouldn't stall quite as much because the insulin levels would not go as high, but even a steak will raise insulin levels a bit.

    But another point is that you are using energy from some source to fuel your body all the time. It doesn't make much difference whether it's fat at a certain point in time or not.

    That's true. When the candy bar is eaten you'll be running on glucose for a while, which is what many people are using as fuel most of the time anyways. People living on a calorie deficit, or those eating low carb, will be using fat for fuel more frequently. If you are eating at a deficit, or low carb, the candy bar may switch you out of fat burning mode and use that glucose instead, which can be helpful for athletic performance if you are active at that time.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    I just wonder is that really truth? What about the insulin levels and how it spikes after high in sugar snacks?

    None of that matters if you're in a caloric deficit.