Do I have to eat healthy all the time to lose weight?

amusedmonkey

padawan2302 wrote: »

Technically you are all correct - you lose weight by having a calorific deficit. But to encourage people to continue eating unhealthily is denying the obvious health benefits from eating more of a healthy diet. The benefits for your heart, liver, blood pressure, diabetese etc, etc. from cutting out less healthy food are there for all to see. It's somewhat dangerous to encourage someone to eat what they want as long as its in the right amount. That's like saying if I ate nothing but cheese burgers for a year i'd be ok as long as I was lighter. Probably have serious heart disease, good chance of a stroke or liver failure as well, but what the hey, I've lost some weight.

I think most people know that nutrition is important, and are just looking for "permission" not to feel guilty when they eat things they want. I would also argue that starting with a single goal may be better in the long run. Once calories are easier to control, other goals can be introduced. You may also find yourself wanting to add foods that aren't too calorie dense, like vegetables, even without specifically trying. That's because "eating what you want" is self-balancing. Most people would not be very full if they spend all their calories on brownies daily, and many people would not want to live on brownies (or cheeseburgers, or any other single food) anyway. That's why I believe simplifying is the best strategy, all else will come gradually, and if it doesn't, it can be introduced once dieting isn't as challenging.

animatorswearbras

The advice you've received is solid all you need is a calorie deficit to lose weight. What I found has worked best for me (but everyone is different) has been try to eat 3 parts healthy/clean with a good balance of macro's and nutrition to 1 part eat whatever I fancy as long as it fits in my cals. (I'm not trying to lose weight at the moment though)

Clairin

Hi, you say you want to have a treat every day. I gather that a treat for you is junky kind of sweet food. You mention sweet food and I dont think you mean sweetcorn, sweetpotato etc. :-) I treated myself to a super juicy Mango the other day. Im currently treating myself to a soy latte barley drink which I find so soothing and its sweet because the light soy milk is sweetened. So we can treat ourselves to sweet foods without them being junky is what Im getting at. You can have a snickers or whatever as long as its within your calories for the day and still stay in deficit is the answer you are looking for I think.

nighthawk584

CI/CO and keeping at a calorie deficit is the only thing that matters for losing weight. That being said, I prefer to eat healthier choices. Makes me feel so much better and I have more energy through the day.

ceiswyn

Clairin wrote: »

Hi, you say you want to have a treat every day. I gather that a treat for you is junky kind of sweet food. You mention sweet food and I dont think you mean sweetcorn, sweetpotato etc. :-) I treated myself to a super juicy Mango the other day. Im currently treating myself to a soy latte barley drink which I find so soothing and its sweet because the light soy milk is sweetened. So we can treat ourselves to sweet foods without them being junky is what Im getting at. You can have a snickers or whatever as long as its within your calories for the day and still stay in deficit is the answer you are looking for I think.

No food is 'junk'.

A Snickers may have a lot of calories and very few micronutrients, but that doesn't make it 'junky'. It means it wouldn't make a good dietary staple. But if someone's on a fifteen mile hike, for example, or seriously underweight, a Snickers is actually a much healthier snack than some sweetcorn or a soy latte!

Foods are not 'good' or 'bad' absolutely. They are good or bad in context.

And it's as important to satisfy your mind as it is to satisfy your body. For me personally, if my mind wants chocolate, no amount of mango (which I love) or light soy drink is going to satisfy it. So I just have to make room in my diet to fit in those calories while still getting everything else I need. That's all there is to it.

kimny72

padawan2302 wrote: »

Technically you are all correct - you lose weight by having a calorific deficit. But to encourage people to continue eating unhealthily is denying the obvious health benefits from eating more of a healthy diet. The benefits for your heart, liver, blood pressure, diabetese etc, etc. from cutting out less healthy food are there for all to see. It's somewhat dangerous to encourage someone to eat what they want as long as its in the right amount. That's like saying if I ate nothing but cheese burgers for a year i'd be ok as long as I was lighter. Probably have serious heart disease, good chance of a stroke or liver failure as well, but what the hey, I've lost some weight.

We aren't technically correct. We are literally correct. You can lose weight eating any food you want. "Losing weight" and "optimal health" are different goals, although they often go hand in hand.

Nobody encouraged anybody to eat an unhealthy diet. Just confirmed that you can lose weight eating any food. We're all adults here, I'm not going to assume that because OP wants to eat a treat every day that means they don't understand the difference between "lose weight" and "be healthy".

I'll add that if you are an obese person eating nothing but cheeseburgers, and you eat less cheeseburgers to lose weight until you are at a healthy weight, but still eat nothing but cheeseburgers, you will still be healthier than you were. Not as healthy as you could be, but still an improvement. And some people have to get to that point before taking the next step to change their diet.

Obviously, OP is already aware of the correlation between diet and health since they are concerned that eating a treat every day might be a problem. Is there some reason you assume OP wants to eat an entirely unhealthy diet?

WinoGelato

padawan2302 wrote: »

Technically you are all correct - you lose weight by having a calorific deficit. But to encourage people to continue eating unhealthily is denying the obvious health benefits from eating more of a healthy diet. The benefits for your heart, liver, blood pressure, diabetese etc, etc. from cutting out less healthy food are there for all to see. It's somewhat dangerous to encourage someone to eat what they want as long as its in the right amount. That's like saying if I ate nothing but cheese burgers for a year i'd be ok as long as I was lighter. Probably have serious heart disease, good chance of a stroke or liver failure as well, but what the hey, I've lost some weight.

How do you get from the OP’s question of if it’s possible to eat “A” treat every day and still lose weight, to eating “nothing but cheeseburgers for a year”?

Straw Man much?

CSARdiver

With relatively little to lose set a realistic goal of .5lb/week loss.

Absolutely budget for treats. As anything you implement will be long term and sustainable, implementing absurd changes brings nothing but unnecessary suffering.

Five years at maintenance and I focus on those trigger foods - everyone is different, but mine is chips. I don't eliminate these, but I sure watch them closely.

kenyonhaff

One of the things that attracted me to MFP was that I didn't have to swear off treats, and I could eat anything I wanted -- as long as it stays within the overall calorie budget.

And while I still indulged in the occasional Ben & Jerry's ice cream or cake or whatever, I also discovered some treats that were easier to fit in my plan.

A sampling:

Spongebob Squarepants popsicles: How can you not smile and eat this? It's 100 calories!

Halo Top - High protein ice cream? Yes, really! Not quite Ben and Jerry's but you can eat the whole PINT for a hit of 280 calories.

Rice Crispy Treats: You can get prepackaged ones to keep portion size controlled.

Bacon: Seriously, it's not that hard to fit.

kshama2001

h553xx wrote: »

My goal is to lose fat. I love sweet food. I feel cutting out this completely will lead to binging or something else. My goal is to lose 15 pounds. I tired low carb, carb cycling in the past and they never worked. Now I just want to eat the same amount of macros everyday. But I’m scared this will cause a plateau. Wat do I do? Please advice me?
I want to have a treat everyday. Can I have one as long as this fits in my macros for the day? If I do this, will it affect progress?

Perhaps you were over-restricting the other times you tried to lose weight and that led to binging and then failure?

With only 15 pounds to lose, do set your weekly weight loss goal to a half pound per week.



This is what can happen with an overly aggressive calorie deficit:



https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/

MikePTY

padawan2302 wrote: »

Technically you are all correct - you lose weight by having a calorific deficit. But to encourage people to continue eating unhealthily is denying the obvious health benefits from eating more of a healthy diet. The benefits for your heart, liver, blood pressure, diabetese etc, etc. from cutting out less healthy food are there for all to see. It's somewhat dangerous to encourage someone to eat what they want as long as its in the right amount. That's like saying if I ate nothing but cheese burgers for a year i'd be ok as long as I was lighter. Probably have serious heart disease, good chance of a stroke or liver failure as well, but what the hey, I've lost some weight.

The number one diet related driver of all these things you mentioned is weight, not specifically what you are eating. Being overweight/obese increases your risk for all of them. So losing weight, even on a "cheeseburger" diet, would probably improve overall health markers. But again, none of us are encouraging that. We all understand that the individual is probably eating a varied diet, and wanted to make sure they could still eat something they enjoyed on the diet. The answer is absolutely. They can still be healthy and have treats that they enjoy. That doesn't mean that diet strictly of chocolate and pixie sticks in the best thing for them, but nobody is saying that is what they should do.

As mentioned by @amusedmonkey, when people are trying to control calories, they usually naturally improve their nutritional intake. I wouldn't say that I make a particular effort to have great nutrition. However if I want to hit my calorie goals, I'm not gonna be able to do it strictly downing fast food, pizza, and cheesecake. So I eat a combo balance of foods. That means I am eating a lot more lean meats, beans, and fruits and veggies, than I was before. So my nutrition is undoubtedly better. But I also eat fast food and treats and such on occasion and within my calorie goals. You can still have good nutrition and enjoyment of food. We weren't meant to do either extreme: eating strictly for nutrition or eating strictly for pleasure. There can be a good balance of the two that is healthy mentally and physically.

RealWorldStrengthLLC

There is actually a more complex answer to your question. If you want to lose MOSTLY FAT, you need to strength train (which in a deficit is less than fun), eat in a caloric deficit, and consume an adequate amount of protein/fats.

Regular Strength training tells your body "we need these muscles, don't burn them for energy"

Eating in a deficit is what is required to lose weight. Basic laws of energy here. But if you aren't strength training, some of what is lost will be muscle (actually you still will lose muscle on a cut but less so with moderately heavy lifting)

Eating in a deficit is not enough. You could have a deficit diet of nothing but donuts and still lose weight, but you'll also lose muscle mass and end up a smaller version of you at roughly the same or even worse body composition.

You need adequate protein, personally I go for 1g/lb of LBM. Fats are responsible for hormone production and having less than 20% of your cals come from fats is a bad thing, more is ok if you so choose. Carbs can make up the rest.

lynn_glenmont

Clairin wrote: »

Hi, you say you want to have a treat every day. I gather that a treat for you is junky kind of sweet food. You mention sweet food and I dont think you mean sweetcorn, sweetpotato etc. :-) I treated myself to a super juicy Mango the other day. Im currently treating myself to a soy latte barley drink which I find so soothing and its sweet because the light soy milk is sweetened. So we can treat ourselves to sweet foods without them being junky is what Im getting at. You can have a snickers or whatever as long as its within your calories for the day and still stay in deficit is the answer you are looking for I think.

I don't understand why adding sugar to one plant's reproductive unit (cacao bean) is junk, while adding sugar to the expressed liquids of another plant's reproductive unit (soy beans) is not.

Can you clarify the logic here?

callsitlikeiseeit

i lost 130 pounds and eat the same foods i always have. difference now, i work out and count calories and the majority of days eat within my calorie goals. i have ice cream or chocolate in some form nearly every day.

magnusthenerd

youcantflexcardio wrote: »

There is actually a more complex answer to your question. If you want to lose MOSTLY FAT, you need to strength train (which in a deficit is less than fun), eat in a caloric deficit, and consume an adequate amount of protein/fats.

Regular Strength training tells your body "we need these muscles, don't burn them for energy"

Eating in a deficit is what is required to lose weight. Basic laws of energy here. But if you aren't strength training, some of what is lost will be muscle (actually you still will lose muscle on a cut but less so with moderately heavy lifting)

Eating in a deficit is not enough. You could have a deficit diet of nothing but donuts and still lose weight, but you'll also lose muscle mass and end up a smaller version of you at roughly the same or even worse body composition.

You need adequate protein, personally I go for 1g/lb of LBM. Fats are responsible for hormone production and having less than 20% of your cals come from fats is a bad thing, more is ok if you so choose. Carbs can make up the rest.

Actually, muscle loss, as in actual protein structures, on a deficit while resistance training that maintains intensity and with adequate protein, is not likely to happen. Glycogen stores will diminish but that will return the instant one goes back to maintenance. Even on ridiculously harsh deficits like Lyle's RFL.

nooshi713

No. You can make room in your calories for unhealthy food. It is up to you how you want to do it. If you’re trying to lose, just make sure you log everything.

Some people have a treat daily, some weekly, etc.

lgfrie

You can have treats everyday, and if it'll help you stay on your diet, you should have them.

Seems to me there are two forces pulling in opposite directions on a diet: the need to eat at a calorie deficit over a possibly long period of time to lose the weight, and staying in compliance /not quitting due to feelings of deprivation. This is the basic conflict in the diet narrative. They key is to find a balance wherein you are "happy enough" with what you are eating that you will stick with the diet while still being at a calorie deficit. For many, that means including treat foods. If that's what it takes for you to be happy enough to stay on your diet, then that's what it takes.

I have 80 - 150 calories worth of pure treat/junk food everyday. It's done wonders for my diet compliance and I don't think I could do without it. Initially my plan was to start with it and then wean myself once I got used to "real" dieting, but eventually I figured out that having treats everyday was "real dieting".

Treats must be logged, though, and must fit into the caloric day. Once you start eating sweet treats and not recording them, your diet is over, unofficially and then soon enough, officially.

J72FIT

You have to be in an energy deficit to lose weight. You have to eat a healthy diet to be healthy. A healthy diet does not need to be health foods all the time and can certainly contain a treat every day.

PAV8888

padawan2302 wrote: »

That's like saying if I ate nothing but cheese burgers for a year i'd be ok as long as I was lighter. Probably have serious heart disease, good chance of a stroke or liver failure as well, but what the hey, I've lost some weight.

you would be just about as healthy as you would be if you ate nothing but kale for a year. For that matter if you ate nothing but bananas you'd be just about as healthy too. Remember. NOTHING BUT!

JenniferM1234

You know what helps me, so it might help you? I think of my getting-healthier life in terms of weeks, not days. So, once a week or so, I really go "off the rails." I'm not going to stop going out with girlfriends or to social events, and while there, I just have fun -- and for me, part of that is wine/cocktails, and allllll the food. But that is just one (usually) weekend night a week.

The other six days I do my best to stay under the mfp calorie daily limit. Because I'm only 5'3", it's only 1350 calories a day, which isn't a lot for someone who loves cheese and nuts and processed meat! But that once a week allowance lets me still live my life. And it might slow down my getting-healthier process, but it's still happening, and I'm not only miserably looking at my friends chomping on their onion rings or whatever. Don't miss out on life.