Just need clarification

TiffanyLoveG

I read on MFP a lot that it doesn't really matter what I eat, as long as I'm still creating a calorie deficit.. but when I do research, every source still tells me no sugar, oil, carbs, ect. Im wondering if any of you have been successful in losing weight while still including sugars and things of that nature in your diet while still creating a caloric deficit.

PrincessMel72

Yes, I've been able to eat whatever I want as long as I maintain a caloric deficit Calories in/Calories out

janejellyroll

I lost all my weight and am comfortably maintaining while regularly eating sugar, oil, and carbohydrates. All it took was a deficit.

TiffanyLoveG

Thanks guys!

cityruss

Millions, nay billions of people have lost weight including sugars and things.

Just to clarify on the whole doesn't matter what you eat thing.

This phrase and those like it are used to point out the basics of how weight loss occurs. No matter what you eat if you take in less energy then you expend bodyfat will be utilised and weight will be lost.

No sensible person on here has ever advised anyone to eat (for example) the twinkie diet, it is though used as an example of how weight loss works.

However, in terms of nutrition, health, adherence, athletic performance etc etc then what you eat does matter.

Diets are built on the dosages and context of the foods they include, not the specific foods in isolation.

For me a balanced and varied dietary intake that meets goal dependant macronutrient levels is key.

kommodevaran

It's physically impossible to cut sugar/carbs/fat etc completely from your diet.
I have lost weight several times, on a range of different approaches. They all work to get the weight off.
But it wasn't until I stopped listening to all the "advice" and recommendations, and just focused on calories and eating whatever I wanted, that I could keep the weight off.

bagge72

Yeah just a deficit for weight loss, but for health just eat a well balanced diet that includes sugar, oil, and carbs...

They really just tell you that, because they know it causes a temporary loss from water weight which makes people buy into whatever program they are trying to sell, whether it's selling themselves as a professional, or a one size fits all diet they pretend is right for you.

JoeCWV

I lost 70 pounds simply county calories. I did not avoid any foods in particular. If it is what I want and fits in my calories for the day I eat it.

The important thing is to consider what you are doing. Dieting is restrictive and not sustainable. Changing your eating habits and lifestyle is what you should be aiming for.

So, ask yourself how you plan to eat once you reach your goal weight. Once you have that answer that is how you should be eating now, just at a lower caloric intake. Then, once you achieve your goal weight, you up your intake to maintenance and you are set.

From there you simply monitor your weight withing a range, mine is five pounds, and when you reach the edge of either side (low end, or high end) you adjust your intake accordingly.

StaciMarie1974

Can you give specific sources? And rule out any that are selling you on something.

I eat what I want. I think of my calories as a budget, and I need to find a way each day to mix what I want and what I need. I might want to eat nothing but donuts, but that would not work well for me. Why? Because I'd run out of calories and not have enough donuts to get me thru the day. I eat pizza. I eat fast food - often. I drink alcohol occasionally, but honestly I've never been much of a drinker so occasionally is often enough for me. I have sweets. I use a food scale, aim to get a decent amount of protein and don't stress the other macros too much.

TiffanyLoveG wrote: »

I read on MFP a lot that it doesn't really matter what I eat, as long as I'm still creating a calorie deficit.. but when I do research, every source still tells me no sugar, oil, carbs, ect. Im wondering if any of you have been successful in losing weight while still including sugars and things of that nature in your diet while still creating a caloric deficit.

cerise_noir

TiffanyLoveG wrote: »

I read on MFP a lot that it doesn't really matter what I eat, as long as I'm still creating a calorie deficit.. but when I do research, every source still tells me no sugar, oil, carbs, ect. Im wondering if any of you have been successful in losing weight while still including sugars and things of that nature in your diet while still creating a caloric deficit.

I ate all those things and just kept up with a calorie deficit. Lost 100lbs. The no sugar/fat/carbs/etc is a crock of poo.

Tacklewasher

I've cut very little out and am down ~ 80 lbs. I did cut out pop, but only because it's a lot of calories. I cut down on a lot of things but still eat pretty much what I always have. I think the biggest change for me is making my own lunches instead of going for fast food, as it means I have carrots and snap peas instead of french fries. But I still have the same breakfast (Quaker oatmeal) and dinners are pretty much the same, just smaller (had 1/2 a steak last night). It's the only way I would stick to this. Tell me I need to eat rabbit food to lose weight and I'm more likely to eat the rabbit.

AnvilHead

TiffanyLoveG wrote: »

I read on MFP a lot that it doesn't really matter what I eat, as long as I'm still creating a calorie deficit.. but when I do research, every source still tells me no sugar, oil, carbs, ect. Im wondering if any of you have been successful in losing weight while still including sugars and things of that nature in your diet while still creating a caloric deficit.

You can find fearmongering zealot websites that tell you anything and everything is teh poizonzz. Vegan websites will spin tales of the deadly dangers of pus-filled dairy products and hormone-filled, diseased animal carcasses that were cruelly slaughtered with tire irons; keto websites will tell you that eating one grain of sugar will cause your mind to rot and your whole body to blow up, and that you can lose a thousand pounds in a month and cure diabetes and cancer by eating as much bacon and coconut oil as you want; paleo websites will tell you that you're already dead and just don't know it yet if you're not catching your food with bare hands and roasting it over an open fire and avoiding a laundry list of food items, and so on.

There are a million pseudoscientific crackpots out there with their "research" - and of course, with their book$, diet plan$ and $upplement$ to $ell you to help you along the golden road to glorious success and glowing health. Funny, but they can't all be right.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of people who are successfully losing weight and seeing dramatic improvements in their health markers simply by eating a varied, well-rounded diet within appropriate calorie goals, using common sense and moderation in what they eat. And yes, many of them include sugar, carbs, fats, oils, fast food, alcohol, etc. in their diet in moderation. Context and dosage are what matter when it comes to the diet.

mhwitt74

Definitely calories in/calories out. I still have more sugar than I probably should and continue to lose weight.

dania201

It's true, but some foods leave you still wanting more even if you're full, so you got to watch out for that!!!

ccsernica

There's a lot of weight loss misinformation out there.

gunnmike

If you are burning more calories than you are consuming, you will lose weight.

jenilla1

Yes. Successful at losing and then maintaining for over 5 years eating all of those things within calorie goals.

cwagar123

Yep. 80 lbs down. All CICO

Tazzie0208

The secret is to eat a balanced diet, calories matter. I don't want to say eat all the sugar you want (because if you don't exercise it will accumulate in your waist!!!) Our brain needs sugar to keep up.. everything is important, carbs and sugars too, the most important thing is to eat balanced and yes count your calories. If you ate over your allowed caloric intake, then exercise.

lemurcat12

TiffanyLoveG wrote: »

when I do research, every source still tells me no sugar, oil, carbs, ect.

A lot of the sources assume that you won't count calories so instead recommend eating in a way that will (on average) cause weight loss without counting or even if you count poorly.

Also, a lot of the stuff on the internet is not reliable. More reliable sources, places like Harvard and the US Dietary Guidelines and the WHO, will recommend limiting things like added sugar, sat fat, processed meat, many highly processed oils, refined grains, etc. (not carbs, the standard carb percentage is within the recommendations and many very healthful foods that are recommended, like vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes are largely carbs), but not say to cut them out. Instead, a healthful diet is more about getting enough of what you need (eat your veg, get enough healthy fats, fiber, protein), and not eating too much.

But of course this also demonstrates that a lot of these recommendations are about nutrition -- and food choice does matter for nutrition -- and not just weight loss. It's also true that for a lot of people junk foods or soda or other foods commonly recommended against are not that filling, so if you eat a lot of them it's easy to go over calories or not feel satisfied on your calorie goal.

Im wondering if any of you have been successful in losing weight while still including sugars and things of that nature in your diet while still creating a caloric deficit.

Absolutely. I focus on eating a healthy balanced diet and limit things like high cal/lower nutrition foods, but I still include ice cream and occasional chicken and waffles in my diet. I am mostly doing maintenance now, but I lost a lot of weight doing this.