Can you eat ANYTHING?
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It's not the "what" that is the problem. It's the "how much". If you choose high-calorie low-nutrient foods, then the quantity may leave you wanting. Should be a no-brainer really.1
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Physically, you can. What it's gonna do to your body is another thing. First of all, vitamin and macro-nutrient deficiencies may start appearing and messing up your health. The mental aspect is another thing, if you are on a diet and your calories are low, blowing it all on a a bit of pizza or something and then not being able to eat for the rest of the day will demotivate you really quickly and you'd rather eat 1lb of vegies to feel full than having a chocolate bar and starving until the next morning.
On what reasonable calorie goal would "a bit of pizza" leave someone unable to eat anything for the rest of the day?9 -
My answer is yes and no. I can eat anything, but I truly find that I am more successful with my weight loss when I don't eat anything and eat more healthy foods. Maybe the junk food does not fill me, which prompts me to eat more but I have tried CICO and it really does not work for me.
CICO works for everyone. It is a fundamental energy balance that drives weight loss, weight maintenance, and weight gain. It is simply a mathematical equation.
I feel like if more people understood what CICO is, and more importantly, what it is not, they would be more successful at implementing what so many of us are actually suggesting. The advice that you can eat what you want within your calorie deficit does not mean that a person should eat nothing but Doritos and doughnuts. It means that you don't have to exclude foods you love from an overall healthy, balanced diet in order to be successful. You can eat A serving of Doritos, or A doughnut, on occasion - when you have the calories for it. If you try to build the entire diet around "junk food", and then complain that it doesn't fill you up, then that is a failing of your understanding and your approach - not a failing of CICO.
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Physically, you can. What it's gonna do to your body is another thing. First of all, vitamin and macro-nutrient deficiencies may start appearing and messing up your health. The mental aspect is another thing, if you are on a diet and your calories are low, blowing it all on a a bit of pizza or something and then not being able to eat for the rest of the day will demotivate you really quickly and you'd rather eat 1lb of vegies to feel full than having a chocolate bar and starving until the next morning.
How low is your calorie goal that "a bit of pizza" blows the whole day?
Do people really eat a bar of chocolate when they are hungry and think that will be a filling meal?
Why can't people eat a meal like salad and a slice or two of pizza? That should fit within most calorie budgets, even if someone was aiming for the 1200 cal minimum threshold. Or, why not eat protein, a lot of veggies, and then a small piece of chocolate? Why always the extreme examples of a pound of veggies or a chocolate bar?11 -
My afternoon chocolate fix is 2 squares of 70% Divine dark chocolate. 50 calories - plus it has fiber! Some days I eat twice that amount. It's delicious. It has iron. It is not a sin.5
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In short yes, but.... for example I can't devour a large takeaway pizza as I simply cannot fit that into my calories for the day even if I didn't eat anything else that day. I can however fit in a small one if I'm conscious of the Base type and toppings I choose.
You just have to be sensible about it. Today is a great example I'm actually making pizza tonight, less cheese, some veggies and ham for the topping. To fit it in I had a large homemade greek salad for lunch and just a slice of toast for breakfast, a large orange and blueberries for snacks. It's all about balance.1 -
I just stuffed my face full of quesadillas. Later I'll be eating one of my homemade protein bars, which is almost entirely rich ooey gooey chocolate, I'll also have strawberry Greek yogurt mixed with harvest crunch, and then some pad Thai. With a bit of shuffling I could probably get a bag of popcorn in there too. All within my deficit. (And not a small deficit either, I'm set to lose 2lbs a week). 1650 cals per day.
CICO is like the ultimate food puzzle of "how many awesome things can I eat and be happy while still losing a ton of weight?"
One thing I suggest though is knowing your trigger foods. I'm basically addicted to gummy bears so for now I just don't touch them, simply because I KNOW I can't do moderation with them, I'll eat the whole bag at once, and then there goes all my calories. That's not me saying "I don't eat candy". That's me saying, "At the moment I'm not in a place where I can eat GUMMY BEARS with moderation, so I'm going to avoid them until I've got a better handle on that specific trigger food and then I'll be all nom nom nom, but with portion control."10 -
Let's say that it was easier to get away with an unbalanced diet when I had 80 lbs to lose, but yeah, you can eat anything you want and lose weight... you just got to ask yourself if that 800 calorie milk shake is worth being hungry all day in order to stay within your calories (or exercising for 2 hours).1
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snickerscharlie wrote: »Yes, you can literally eat anything and lose weight, provided you remain in a calorie deficit while doing so.
What you will find, however, is that high calorie foods, especially those yummy ones containing both sugar and fat, 'cost' a great deal more, calorie-wise, than their less spendy counterparts, and satiety may become an issue since you can't eat a whole lot of them in a day and remain within 'budget.'
Nutrition and weight loss are two separate issues. But that doesn't mean you should disregard nutrition simply because you absolutely *can* lose weight by eating anything you crave within your caloric budget. What seems to work best overall for most people is a well-balanced diet that covers all of your macro needs, with a little wiggle room left over for some treats.
SusanMFindlay wrote: »Yes and no. I regularly eat many foods that get labeled "junk food". A single serving of chips or pretzels. A single serving of ice cream. A homemade cookie or two. Yummy stuff like that.
I have found, for me, that there are a couple of foods that are not a good idea for me to eat because I have too much trouble with portion control. So, I don't eat snack crackers. Not because there's anything inherently worse about them than chips or cookies or ice cream. But because I will eat half the box.
I also regularly eat many foods that the "clean eaters" would scoff at - though I don't consider them junk at all. Thin crust pizza with a salad or with edamame is a perfectly fine dinner, in my opinion. And sausage is perfectly fine as my protein on occasion. Steak? Yep. Bacon? Yep. Cheese? Yep. Pasta? Yep. All perfectly decent foods that can be eaten in appropriate portions as part of a balanced meal.
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I lost 70 pounds eating whatever I wanted and staying at my calorie goal. I did find that some foods did not keep me full as well as others so what I want to eat has changed a bit. But I still eat out, both fast food and sit down restaurants, and I still eat processed foods and sweets. I just eat them in moderation and have portion sizes that are appropriate for me.
So then you are not really eating "whatever you want". You've had to change what you "want" to make it work.0 -
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I suppose theoretically I could eat whatever I wanted and lose weight, provided I was happy eating the minuscule portions to stay within the calorie range. Realistically, losing weight or maintaining means that a lot of "want it" foods simply aren't a part of my diet anymore, or at best are a food for a rare occasion.0
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Yes. The cold hard fact is a big yes. Of course there are other considerations, like if you want pizza, ice cream, burger, fries, pecan pie, and Churros in your usual quantities all in one day, most people dieting wouldn't manage that unless they eat just a nibble of everything, or if something is so unmanageable it always gets out of control. Something needs to be restricted, be it the serving size or the frequency. It works brilliantly though once you iron out the kinks.
I have eaten more chocolate last week than the entire last 3 months combined and had pizza twice this week when normally I only have it like once every few months. I've lost weight, and as a bonus, I tallied my micronutrient averages for the last 7 days today and I'm spot for nearly every single one of them. Even if you include less nutritious foods, and even if you eat more of them than usual, you can still have a pretty nutritious diet if you're active enough to earn enough calories and have decently nutritious foods when you aren't having junk.
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I lost 70 pounds eating whatever I wanted and staying at my calorie goal. I did find that some foods did not keep me full as well as others so what I want to eat has changed a bit. But I still eat out, both fast food and sit down restaurants, and I still eat processed foods and sweets. I just eat them in moderation and have portion sizes that are appropriate for me.
So then you are not really eating "whatever you want". You've had to change what you "want" to make it work.
No, you change HOW MUCH of some foods you choose to eat, not necessarily what foods you want. What you want does evolve as your lifestyle adapts. Obviously, if you change nothing, you don't change your weight either.8 -
naturallykinky wrote: »I was wondering has anyone been able to eat anything (junk food included) stay within the suggested calories and still lose weight?
Yes I eat what I want every day and have lost weight because I watch my calorie intake.
I prelog my food and adjust portion sizes to fit my goals. I look at calories first then meeting my protein goal. I try to eat several servings of vegetables or fruits a day. I generally have 100-300 calories for snacks.
I pair higher calorie foods with more lower calorie vegetables. 1-2 slices of pizza with a salad for example.
I reduce calories in foods by using less cheese, less oil, lower fat milk, thinner crust for pizza. I might skip rice or bread if it doesn't fit well that day but another day I fit it in.
I don't try to have doughnuts, stuffed crust pizza, fried chicken, bacon cheeseburger and a peanut butter shake all in one day when my calorie goal is 1200-1400. That is common sense.1 -
I lost 70 pounds eating whatever I wanted and staying at my calorie goal. I did find that some foods did not keep me full as well as others so what I want to eat has changed a bit. But I still eat out, both fast food and sit down restaurants, and I still eat processed foods and sweets. I just eat them in moderation and have portion sizes that are appropriate for me.
So then you are not really eating "whatever you want". You've had to change what you "want" to make it work.
I still eat whatever I want. Somethings I just don't want as often as I used to want them. There is not anything that I used to eat that I don't still eat. I just don't eat somethings as often, or in the same quantities that I used to. I still have my coffee with real sugar and half and half. I still eat something chocolate everyday. I have cake or brownies or pie or ice cream regularly. I eat at McDonald's. I just get small fries or only have a serving of ice cream or have one piece of cake or one brownie. And if I have McDonald's one day I might not have the cake the same day I might save that for the next day. So yea, I do eat whatever I want.2 -
I lost 70 pounds eating whatever I wanted and staying at my calorie goal. I did find that some foods did not keep me full as well as others so what I want to eat has changed a bit. But I still eat out, both fast food and sit down restaurants, and I still eat processed foods and sweets. I just eat them in moderation and have portion sizes that are appropriate for me.
So then you are not really eating "whatever you want". You've had to change what you "want" to make it work.
If I lived in a magical world where I could eat anything and be healthy and not gain weight, I would probably eat a somewhat different diet than I do now (not enormously different in that I'd still eat vegetables and get plenty of protein and so on, but different).
Living in the real world where those things matter, what I WANT is affected by my calorie budget and satiety and nutritional concerns. But that does not mean I don't eat what I want. Also, no foods are off limits, although some will rarely be chosen or chosen in smaller amounts than otherwise.
I'd say you can eat "anything" you want and lose if you are willing/able to control how often you eat it or how much you eat. Some things will be more difficult to fit in than others.4 -
I lost 70 pounds eating whatever I wanted and staying at my calorie goal. I did find that some foods did not keep me full as well as others so what I want to eat has changed a bit. But I still eat out, both fast food and sit down restaurants, and I still eat processed foods and sweets. I just eat them in moderation and have portion sizes that are appropriate for me.
So then you are not really eating "whatever you want". You've had to change what you "want" to make it work.
Incorrect. They are still eating whatever they what. They may not be eating how much they want though. Two different things.6 -
Yep! Maintaining, living life, and being healthy while doing it!1
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I make it work.
Short history: 2014 lost ~50, 2015 maintained, 2016 regained 10-12 pounds. Jan-Mar of 2017 took it back off, now maintaining again in the 125ish range area.
I eat food. I prelog to have an idea of what I'll need/when/how it fits. I eat differently on weekdays than weekends, for example, as my routine is different. My 2nd job is Dominos so I eat food from there most weeks at least once. Sundays now I might have an entire order of stuffed cheese bread for dinner (1200ish w/ dipping sauce) while when losing I'd have 1/2 of a small gluten free pizza (460ish). Now if I have Subway after work on Friday night, I'll probably eat the free cookie (free cookie Fridays at one location) while when I wanted to be at a deficit, I skipped it. Now at maintenance I may have alcoholic beverages 2x a month, before it was 1 or none. Its a matter of choices, planning.0 -
I haven't found this to be true. Carbs and sweets are major triggers for me and make it too hard for me to stay within my calorie goal. In an ideal world, sure, all calories are equal. In my world? A snickers bar and a bowl of ice-cream that equals my calorie goal isn't sustainable. Junky, processed foods can only be a "sometimes food" for me. Not only do they seem to make me hungrier, they make me lethargic. For some reason, I always end up staying up later when I eat something like that and don't sleep as well. Why? No idea. Not a scientist. Don't have real answers but I have (finally) figured out that I do best eating mostly foods that come from plants and animals.1
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Ofcourse the answer is yes, You can eat a pizza, burger or french fries all day as long as it fits your daily calorie allowance (but don't try it it's unhealthy anyways)
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thetrishwarp wrote: »You can eat any food, just not any quantity.
Yep. This has taken me years to learn.
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