Are calories really king?!

wendsg

Just finished eating an entire Totino's Party Pizza. It fit in my calories. I'm not worried.

In fact, today and tomorrow morning I'm actually shooting to either hit or exceed my calorie allowance just for the purpose of carb and protein loading - I have a massive and difficult 60 mile bike ride tomorrow. Soooooo much climbing...

Can't do anything but reiterate what's already been said. Calories really are king. Eat what you desire, as long as it's within your allowance. You'll end up branching out naturally to find other food items that fit within your allowance and leave you satisfied. Hence why today's Spicy Big Fish sandwich from BK won't be accompanied by french fries, but rather by a side salad with some vinaigrette dressing.

NovusDies

sheloves89 wrote: »

Calories are king for weight loss.

But remember that weight loss isn't the whole picture. You can be within a normal BMI and still be unhealthy. Your body requires the nutrients in foods like vegetables in order to function in the long-term. You don't have to subsist only on salads, but you do need to include leafy greens and stemmy veg somewhere in your diet in order to avoid the long-term health complications associated with not eating these things (from things as simple as vitamin deficiencies to things as serious as cancer).

If you're not keen on raw veggies (a la salad), try frying sturdy veg (like carrots, squash, sweet potato, and broccoli) in batter (like this tempura recipe) - they taste a bit like french fries, but with vegetables other than potatoes! They don't have to be boring, and the point is to make them in a way that you like them, so that you can give your body what it deserves to keep functioning for ya!

What health complications have been directly linked to ONLY not eating leafy greens and stemmy veg? Health is a big picture item with many components. Nutrition can be maintained many different ways because of nutrient redundancies in nature.

rickiimarieee

shaf238 wrote: »

quiksylver296 wrote: »

shaf238 wrote: »

I'm eating a subway cookie right now (guess you would consider that 'unhealthy') but it's fine as it fits within my calorie goal and macros. So yeah, all about CICO (calories in, calories out).

Oatmeal raisin, I hope. Oh, man, now I'm drooling.

I also lost by just focusing on calories. I'd say I eat about 80% "healthy" and 20% "treats".

Double chocolate every time. I had another 2 today

These are my favorite.

mph323

I lost 50 pounds and have kept it off a year by just managing my calories. In the begining the only change I made was to eat less (and I didn't have a very healthy diet, in that my fiber and protein were way too low, and a lot of my calories were consumed in less nutrient dense/higher calorie foods like chips and baked goods). As I went along I found I was naturally gravitating toward more nutritious foods because they were more satisfying, especially fiber and protein, but I was close to maintenance when I started consciously switiching up what I was eating to meet nutrition goals. What I ate didn't make any difference in how I lost weight, just how much.