Can you really eat what you want?

danparamore

I just had a panini and chips and whike it was within my calories, I may count ut as a cheat meal

Can you really eat what you want, no matter what it is, and lose weight?

Jackie9003

Providing you create a deficit yes, I've been doing that for over 2 yrs and lost 57lb. Some weeks I didn't lose anything, it's all about balance sometimes you need that panini so don't deny yourself.

estherdragonbat

Yes, you can eat what you want and lose. You just might not be able to eat as much as you want, whenever you want.

A treat is not a cheat. It's a choice. And not necessarily a poor one.

JeromeBarry1

Yes. Remember, there is no guarantee that a calorie deficit today will be confirmed with a scale weight loss tomorrow. Over the span of months and years, consistently keeping in a calorie deficit will be confirmed with a scale weight loss.

Kathryn247

Hmm,
How did you calculate the calories in the panini and chips? Did you make it yourself and weigh all of the ingredients in grams to log them? That's the only way to know for sure if the calories you logged for it are correct. If they're from a restaurant, even a restaurant that posts nutrition info, it's mostly a guess.
Cheat meals still count, no matter what you call them. You aren't cheating anyone, your body still takes in the calories.
You can really eat what you want, no matter what it is, and if you stay in a calorie deficit you will lose weight.

TonnnnUK

If you burn more calories in a day than you consume, and do that repeatedly you will lose weight. Calories and calories alone dictate weight loss. It's not a science, despite a lot of people trying to make it complex. It's a lot easier said than done, though.

etherealanwar

Yes you can and this is the main reason why I have been able to adhere to my "diet" for going on a year and a half now.61 pounds down and counting. Just make sure you are weighing everything you can and logging accurately. As long as you're in a calorie deficit you will lose weight.

ceiswyn

Why on earth would you consider a meal that you enjoyed and that fits within your calories to be a 'cheat'? Do you think you ought to feel ashamed of it for some reason?

Panini911

WITHIN your calorie goals yes.

but most of us find tiny portions of craved foods won't satiate us for long. so in the end we make choices for foods that fit our calorie goal AND keeps us happy and full. it's a balance.

For overall health it's good to eat a variety of foods and get enough/good balance of protein/fat/carbs.

shaf238

In short, yes.

lx1x

Yep. Been eating same food.. Wendy's .. taco Bell.. ice cream . Cakes..



Key is portion.. as long it fits your cal goal.

lalalacroix

Last night I had dessert which was a large banana sliced, about 1 cup of yummy chocolate peanut butter ice cream topped with crushed chocolate special k.

It fit in my calorie goal and I don't consider it a cheat at all. I'm down 45 pounds. I would never have been able to be on this weight loss path long term if I didn't figure out how to eat foods that I enjoy while losing weight.

magnusthenerd

Well, if you wanted to eat 40 pounds of uranium, you'd probably die heavier than you weighed in the morning.

Otherwise, for things reasonable to eat, within calorie limits, sure. As long as the energy value of what you take in is less than you use staying alive, the energy has to come out of your body's stores.

How would you imagine it working otherwise? Where would the material to gain weight come from in these potentially "forbidden foods of fattening"?

whmscll

I can’t. I am close to goal and only get 1300 calories a day to lose .5 a week (more when I exercise of course) so a lot of what I want to eat will leave me hungry or immediately put me over my daily calories. I choose foods I enjoy - I’m not eating anything I don’t like - but I have to choose caredully to properly nourish my body and feel full.

TanyaHooton

Yes, yesterday I had m&m's, and today I'm having crispy chicken with fries. It fits in my calorie budget, so I'm having it.

If I want something and it will push my over my calorie budget, then I'll either exercise more and cut out food elsewhere, or I'll say, "ok, today I'm going over and it will be fine" then get back to discipline for the next 6 days.

AnnPT77

Sure, anything, as long as you're in a calorie deficit.

But most of us want to be healthy and energetic, not just thin, so overall good nutrition is important. Your meal doesn't sound all that nutrient deficient, either, so I'm not seeing what you perceive to be wrong with it.

Dakase83

All in moderation. ^^ And this!!!

MikePTY

Absolutely. I think trying to define certain foods as "good" or "bad' is counterproductive to progress. That doesn't mean I don't care about nutrition. Quite the opposite. I eat mostly nutritious foods now. But at least once a week, sometimes more, I'll have some combination of McDonalds, Wendy's, or Popeyes. Other times I'll have different things that others may consider a "cheat". But to me, it's not cheating. It's an integral part of my diet that I owe as much success to it as I do all the avocado and chicken breast I eat. Long term lifestyle change is about balance, and if you consistently deny yourself everything you enjoy eating, you chances of sticking with it get reduced.

_faedreamer

I had half a portion of decadent apple crisp with vanilla ice cream and caramel syrup yesterday. It was within my calories for the day (I was actually under by a couple hundred even after the dessert), and I was down .4 lbs this morning. It wasn't the healthiest use of my calories yesterday, and I could have had way more food for that amount, but it didn't and won't derail my progress as a one time thing.

staticsplit

I had pecan pie last night for dessert and a pain au chocolat this morning. It was all within my calories. I still try to make sure most of my food is nutrient dense, but I eat what I crave as well.

PiscesMan123

I have always liked the philosophy that 80% of weight loss takes place in the kitchen. Once you figure out your goal, you can determine the number of calories per day that will help you be successful. For me; 1500 works. There is much to learn about portions, nutrition, etc. and MFP provides the best tools for that. Especially, tracking. Tracking what you eat is very effective. You will be surprised by how many calories are in a serving and how small that serving can actually be. It helps me to knock down an extra 500 calories, which now gives me 2000 for the day. If I don't get the extra 500, then I don't GET to eat 500 more. You will find foods that work great...single serve popcorn and sugar free pudding with skim milk have been helpful. You will then, after time start to pay attention to other nutrition facts, like sodium. One step at a time. Welcome to the community.

lynn_glenmont

Kathryn247 wrote: »

Hmm,
How did you calculate the calories in the panini and chips? Did you make it yourself and weigh all of the ingredients in grams to log them? That's the only way to know for sure if the calories you logged for it are correct. If they're from a restaurant, even a restaurant that posts nutrition info, it's mostly a guess.
Cheat meals still count, no matter what you call them. You aren't cheating anyone, your body still takes in the calories.
You can really eat what you want, no matter what it is, and if you stay in a calorie deficit you will lose weight.

I eat out in restaurants (including the fast-casual sort that serve panini and chips) all the time, and have for years through weight loss and maintenance. I don't bring scales to the restaurant. I log using their nutritional data if they have it, and if they don't, I either mentally deconstruct the dish and log estimated amounts of the various components or I log something similar from a different chain that I'm familiar enough with to know that it really is similar in ingredients, cooking method, and amount. Those guesses have worked fine for me. There's no need to try to convince the OP that the data they log for meals out are meaningless. Being a guess doesn't make something a "cheat."

WinoGelato

OP can you clarify why you felt that meal was “a cheat”? What are you cheating on? Have you made sweeping changes in diet - ie low carb, such that a meal that fits within your cals but isn’t how you normally eat, feels like you are cheating?

Kathryn247

@lynn_glenmont - I do the exact same thing you do for restaurant food, and guessing/estimating has worked fine for me, too. I didn't say or try to convince OP that the data logged for meals out was "meaningless," I said it's a guess and it still counts.
I didn't say a guess makes something a cheat, either - I don't understand what you meant by that TBH, but cheats aren't really a thing IMO since it all still counts.

ErinWard1986

Tomorrow marks 2 weeks for me. So far, I’m down 7 lbs staying within my calorie deficit. I eat chocolate every night and oh, I had a milkshake yesterday! My diary is open. I could never make it if I couldn’t eat foods that I enjoyed! I’m already feeling better!

lynn_glenmont

Kathryn247 wrote: »

@lynn_glenmont - I do the exact same thing you do for restaurant food, and guessing/estimating has worked fine for me, too. I didn't say or try to convince OP that the data logged for meals out was "meaningless," I said it's a guess and it still counts.
I didn't say a guess makes something a cheat, either - I don't understand what you meant by that TBH, but cheats aren't really a thing IMO since it all still counts.

OK. Obviously you would know better than I what your intended meaning was. I responded to it as it came across to me, and upon re-reading, it still comes across that way. Clearly what we have here is a failure to communicate.