Does it matter what you eat?

24

Replies

  • tycho_mx
    tycho_mx Posts: 426 Member
    Ideally, you'd eat a healthy diet. But for mathematical purposes, no - you'd lose as long as you kept a deficit.

    http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    For losing weight as long as you are at a deficit in calories at the end of the day you will lose, but if you want to feel good, a healthy well balanced diet is the way to go - I feel better when I eat more fruit, veg and multigrain/whole wheat foods than I do if I say eat a fast food burger.
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    I tend to believe that while there are plenty of discussions out there about a calorie being a calories, that whole, healthy foods are what you should be choosing most of the time. Clean eating is easier for our body to digest...and it provides the most nutritional bang for your buck. For instance, a 500-calorie bowl of pasta doesn't do the same thing that 500 calories of veggies, fruit and lean meats do. Yes, you may lose weight by cutting back calories and eating processed food, but there's so much more to health than simply a low weight.

    eh, you can get fat eating clean too ....there was an article around here about it somewhere the other day ...

    anyway, why can't I have the pasta and the veggies...or make a chicken/pasta/veggie dish?

    Agree with this - it's a matter of choice but I would rather have a chicken/pasta/veggie dish than a Big Mac Meal.
  • jackpotclown
    jackpotclown Posts: 3,275 Member
    who knows.

    :angry: \m/
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    I'm oddly impressed with the number of intelligent replies. It's like... MFP is all growns up today!!!

    *warm fuzzies for everyone*
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  • Valereee
    Valereee Posts: 74 Member
    I posed that exact question to my diabetes educator. I said, what if I chuck my healthy lunch and instead use up all my calories & carbs on a McDonald's cone. She said it was perfectly fine to do it once in a while. She insisted that all the body knows is the calories, nutrients and carbs you take in, not where it came from. But of course she warned me about the dangers of malnutrition if I did it too much.
  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
    I'm oddly impressed with the number of intelligent replies. It's like... MFP is all growns up today!!!

    *warm fuzzies for everyone*

    LOL - you're So Rightf! ....this could still go down hill :-)
  • a_stronger_me13
    a_stronger_me13 Posts: 812 Member
    I'm oddly impressed with the number of intelligent replies. It's like... MFP is all growns up today!!!

    *warm fuzzies for everyone*

    Well now you've jinxed it.
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
    I'm oddly impressed with the number of intelligent replies. It's like... MFP is all growns up today!!!

    *warm fuzzies for everyone*

    FRIENDS!
  • ValGogo
    ValGogo Posts: 2,168 Member
    Short answer...yes it does.

    Long answer...if you want long term results then you need to be responsible about your food. If you want to lose weight and don't care if you gain it back, well, then eat whatever you want. It's all about how you fuel your body.

    Yrur body works better with better fuel. Your body feels like crap if you live on crap food. Think about the person at work who eats garbage their whole life and when they go to the bathroom and you are already in the next stall, you don't want to be in there becasue you know they are going to blow it up with their stinky poops.

    Sorry, that just came to me but it's pretty accurate.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I tend to believe that while there are plenty of discussions out there about a calorie being a calories, that whole, healthy foods are what you should be choosing most of the time. Clean eating is easier for our body to digest...and it provides the most nutritional bang for your buck. For instance, a 500-calorie bowl of pasta doesn't do the same thing that 500 calories of veggies, fruit and lean meats do. Yes, you may lose weight by cutting back calories and eating processed food, but there's so much more to health than simply a low weight.

    eh, you can get fat eating clean too ....there was an article around here about it somewhere the other day ...

    anyway, why can't I have the pasta and the veggies...or make a chicken/pasta/veggie dish?

    Agree with this - it's a matter of choice but I would rather have a chicken/pasta/veggie dish than a Big Mac Meal.

    I would have either...
  • Galatea_Stone
    Galatea_Stone Posts: 2,037 Member
    I'm oddly impressed with the number of intelligent replies. It's like... MFP is all growns up today!!!

    *warm fuzzies for everyone*

    Yep. It's a virtual love fest of good info up in here.

    But I say that we wait for the first person to say "No chips! They're processed with kemikulz!" and pounce on them like rabid wolves.

    Great. Now I want chips.

    OP, I agree with pretty much everyone else on here. It doesn't matter if your only goal is to lose weight. It matters a lot if your goal is overall health and good body composition.

    As for free range, happy chicken farms, meh. I don't care if my chicken comes from Tyson or the neighbor's farm. It is all good.
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    I'm oddly impressed with the number of intelligent replies. It's like... MFP is all growns up today!!!

    *warm fuzzies for everyone*

    Well now you've jinxed it.

    I know. Damnit LOL What's wrong with me?




    Don't answer that.
  • ValGogo
    ValGogo Posts: 2,168 Member
    In my experience, no. It's good to get in a lot of veg, fruit, lean meats etc from a nutritional point of view. But I have ice cream every day, and fit plenty of other treats into my week and it hasn't affected my weight loss. I try to eat "healthy" foods because that means I can eat more and I do feel better because of it, but as long as you're under your calorie goal you should be losing weight.

    She wasn't specific about eating veggies and good food. She asked does it matter what you eat as long as you stay under calorie goal.

    My interpretation of her question was that she is not eating many of those things.

    Look, we all know people who only eat chinese takeout, pizza, sausage mcmuffins (YUM!!!), and Drake's cakes. For all I know, she could be one of those people. I'm not saying she is, but I'm assuming she is not eating a balanced diet so I answered accordingly.

    To the question poster.....are you eating healthy foods? Becasue if you are, then of course you can have some "unhealthy" foods sometimes, sparingly. Just not all the time, especially when you are starting out. Then you balance it out and you can enjoy your food/fuel without wondering if you "binged" or if you have somehow failed.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Short answer...yes it does.

    Long answer...if you want long term results then you need to be responsible about your food. If you want to lose weight and don't care if you gain it back, well, then eat whatever you want. It's all about how you fuel your body.

    Yrur body works better with better fuel. Your body feels like crap if you live on crap food. Think about the person at work who eats garbage their whole life and when they go to the bathroom and you are already in the next stall, you don't want to be in there becasue you know they are going to blow it up with their stinky poops.

    Sorry, that just came to me but it's pretty accurate.

    and there goes the thread...
  • ValGogo
    ValGogo Posts: 2,168 Member
    I mean im not gonna eat junk all day but if i eat a small bag of chips for a quick snack is it going to hurt my diet?

    Of course not. Have those darn chips and enjoy them. If you are eating balanced then go for it.

    BTW, lose the word "diet." It's a bad word. Mouths should be washed with soap for saying "diet." haha. But seriously....
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    Short answer...yes it does.

    Long answer...if you want long term results then you need to be responsible about your food. If you want to lose weight and don't care if you gain it back, well, then eat whatever you want. It's all about how you fuel your body.

    Yrur body works better with better fuel. Your body feels like crap if you live on crap food. Think about the person at work who eats garbage their whole life and when they go to the bathroom and you are already in the next stall, you don't want to be in there becasue you know they are going to blow it up with their stinky poops.

    Sorry, that just came to me but it's pretty accurate.



    tumblr_lsmwi9kv2i1r0ojhto1_250.gif


    How dare you.
  • ValGogo
    ValGogo Posts: 2,168 Member
    Short answer...yes it does.

    Long answer...if you want long term results then you need to be responsible about your food. If you want to lose weight and don't care if you gain it back, well, then eat whatever you want. It's all about how you fuel your body.

    Yrur body works better with better fuel. Your body feels like crap if you live on crap food. Think about the person at work who eats garbage their whole life and when they go to the bathroom and you are already in the next stall, you don't want to be in there becasue you know they are going to blow it up with their stinky poops.

    Sorry, that just came to me but it's pretty accurate.


    and there goes the thread...


    Sorry, should I not have mentioned "poop?"
  • ValGogo
    ValGogo Posts: 2,168 Member
    Short answer...yes it does.

    Long answer...if you want long term results then you need to be responsible about your food. If you want to lose weight and don't care if you gain it back, well, then eat whatever you want. It's all about how you fuel your body.

    Yrur body works better with better fuel. Your body feels like crap if you live on crap food. Think about the person at work who eats garbage their whole life and when they go to the bathroom and you are already in the next stall, you don't want to be in there becasue you know they are going to blow it up with their stinky poops.

    Sorry, that just came to me but it's pretty accurate.



    tumblr_lsmwi9kv2i1r0ojhto1_250.gif


    How dare you.


    HAHAHA! :)
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    I tend to believe that while there are plenty of discussions out there about a calorie being a calories, that whole, healthy foods are what you should be choosing most of the time. Clean eating is easier for our body to digest...and it provides the most nutritional bang for your buck. For instance, a 500-calorie bowl of pasta doesn't do the same thing that 500 calories of veggies, fruit and lean meats do. Yes, you may lose weight by cutting back calories and eating processed food, but there's so much more to health than simply a low weight.

    eh, you can get fat eating clean too ....there was an article around here about it somewhere the other day ...

    anyway, why can't I have the pasta and the veggies...or make a chicken/pasta/veggie dish?

    I lost ~20 pounds in the last half of 2011 eating a remarkably "unclean" diet.

    I gained ~22 pounds in 2012 eating a remarkably "clean" paleo diet.

    I maintained throughout most of 2013 eating remarkably "unclean" too. I also bulked and have/am cutting on the same "unclean" diet.

    All were intentional and accomplished by carefully measuring calories in/out. Oh, and my "health" was unchanged during these years.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Yes...but the extent to which it matters will be infinitely debated for as long as the interwebs exists
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
    My friend is a clean eater...I've never been with her when she's pooped obviously...but she has the nastiest smelling gas I have ever smelled. So there goes that analogy.
  • ValGogo
    ValGogo Posts: 2,168 Member
    My friend is a clean eater...I've never been with her when she's pooped obviously...but she has the nastiest smelling gas I have ever smelled. So there goes that analogy.

    hahahaha. if's funny how good veggies make you produce stinky f@rts.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Short answer...yes it does.

    Long answer...if you want long term results then you need to be responsible about your food. If you want to lose weight and don't care if you gain it back, well, then eat whatever you want. It's all about how you fuel your body.

    Yrur body works better with better fuel. Your body feels like crap if you live on crap food. Think about the person at work who eats garbage their whole life and when they go to the bathroom and you are already in the next stall, you don't want to be in there becasue you know they are going to blow it up with their stinky poops.

    Sorry, that just came to me but it's pretty accurate.

    LOLwhat?

    I don't want to get too graphic, but my ability to clear a room...bath or otherwise...was greatly enhanced in 2012 when I was eating the healthiest health food that ever did health.

    And I don't know anyone who eats crap. If I did, I would probably contact mental health services...because that's horribly wrong. I know some people who eat food that others have deemed to be unacceptable for various (many ridiculous) reasons, but not crap.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Yes it matters. If you care about health it matters a lot. If you only want to lose weight it still matters but not nearly as much.

    For health you want not only a certain amount of calories but also a certain amount of nutrition from your food and you only get that if you eat the right foods.

    For weight loss only different macronutrients (Protein/Carbs/Fat) have different thermogenic costs for digestion. In simple terms if you eat 100 calories of pure sugar you will get that full 100 calroies out of it in one quick burst. If you instead eat 100 calories of lean protein you will only get 80 calories out of it due to digestive costs and it will be stretched out over a longer period of time.

    Why should you care? Well to lose weight you don't want to be hungry all the time and you want to keep your calories low so it makes sense to eat more harder to digest foods that will give you calories over longer periods of time and in lower amounts.

    If you doubt this eat your calories as almost all simple carbs and see how you feel (buzzed then crashing then starving) versus a day where you eat your calories as almost all protein (satiated, harder to eat enough to reach your calorie goal).

    A site on thermogenic cost breakdown:
    http://www.exrx.net/FatLoss/EnergyBalance.html
  • techgal128
    techgal128 Posts: 719 Member
    Normally it doesn't but in some cases it can. I have an insulin resistance and can't easily lose weight from exercise and calorie cutting alone. I'm been reducing the carbs which has helped my weight loss immensely. If you don't have any health issues, then the calorie deficit is all you need but I also agree with everyone else that your health will be strongly affected by what you eat.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    People have different opinions on this.

    As far as I've seen, it doesn't matter what you eat as long as you stay within your range.

    This is true but it will be MUCH MUCH easier for you to stay in that range and not be starving if you eat the right foods.
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
    Replying to OP

    Of course it matters what you eat. Poison is not good for you. Malnutrition is not good for you.

    Does it matter to weight loss?

    Yes, although not as much. There is some evidence that calories from different foods are processed differently... but that's probably minor in comparison to the fact that it's much easier and more likely that you'll eat too many calories of some foods than others. You can lose weight on the Twinkie diet, but when you eat food that is calorie dense and nutrition poor, you're more likely to feel hungry and crave more food. When you eat a healthy diet that meets your nutritional needs and is high in whole foods (whole grains, entire fruits and vegetables, etc.) you are more likely to feel energetic, to exercise, to stay healthy, and to stop eating when you should and lose weight.
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    People have different opinions on this.

    As far as I've seen, it doesn't matter what you eat as long as you stay within your range.

    This is true but it will be MUCH MUCH easier for you to stay in that range and not be starving if you eat the right foods.

    the right food being the foods you enjoy?