Is it this simple?

tharealcali99

Can i eat anything I want as long as it's under my calorie maintenance level and have a calorie defecit?

spring913

Sure.

It's not the healthiest way to live, but you will loose with a calorie deficit.

I eat "crappy" food when I'm craving it. If I don't, I'll end up binging at some point, that's worse for me.

gothchiq

For weight loss, yes you can. For optimal nutrition, not so much. If you are trying to build strength or endurance I'd suggest minimizing the junk because your body will need good quality fuel to maintain muscle mass.

JeromeBarry1

Yup. The only way you can do it that simply is to accurately and passionately log every thing that passes your lips. Do that, stay in a calorie deficit of appropriate size, and you, too, will lose weight.

B4Rachael

Yes, but just remember that the unhealthier foods usually have higher calories, so you can end up still being hungry when you hit your calorie limit for the day.

Carlos_421

Yup

diannethegeek

tharealcali99 wrote: »

Can i eat anything I want as long as it's under my calorie maintenance level and have a calorie defecit?

Yes, that's really how it works.

My suggestion is always: Eat foods that you like in portion sizes that fit your goals.

Get plenty of fats & protein for health and satiety.

Get plenty of fruits & veggies for the micronutrients.

Fill in the rest of your calories with carbs, sweets, and treats as you see fit.

There are no foods that you must avoid, just like there are no foods that you must include in your diet. You may find as you progress that there are some foods you don't consider worth the calories, but that's going to be highly individual. Start logging for a few days and make changes as you go along until you find what works best for you.

leanjogreen18

When I was younger I lost weight eating m&m's, dr pepper and pizza. Not sustainable nor healthy at all!!! No wonder I never had any energy.

WinoGelato

Yes.

Is there a particular food you were concerned about? Often when we see posts like this everyone jumps to the conclusion that when you said "can I eat anything I want" that what you want means a diet of exclusively Doritos and Donuts...

What most people mean is that they want to eat a bunch of different foods including some "healthy" things but that they have heard somehow that if you eat Oreos (for example) it's impossible to lose weight.

Providing specifics about what you were interested in (including quantity and frequency) will help avoid some assumptions and straw man arguments...