how many times can you treat urself to junk food?

Boxing987
Boxing987 Posts: 143 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I like pizza and burgers but need to get in boxing shape, how often can I treat myself? two times a week?

Replies

  • jec285
    jec285 Posts: 145 Member
    Depends what your daily calorie goal is. You could eat a burger or pizza every single day as long as it fits your daily allowance. I allow myself one day a week to pig out on pizza and not give a f---. A lot of people can't do that and stay on track though.
  • asciiqwerty
    asciiqwerty Posts: 565 Member
    I treat myself whenever i need it AND it fits my calories and macros

    this can be more fiddly to work out, but means that when I do indulge, i'm guilt free, so it won't put me off track
  • Shropshire1959
    Shropshire1959 Posts: 982 Member
    What is junk food?

    A good quality burger can have protien, carbs and fat in good ratios .. so what's wrong with them?
  • lisab64mfp
    lisab64mfp Posts: 89 Member
    I was thinking along the same lines of Snopshire195 -- junk food isn't burgers and pizza in my book. Junk food is that nutritionally devoid processed crap -- chips, crackers, packaged baked goods, and candy.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Junk food - is kale, spinnach and other yukky stuff that;s only going to get scraped off my plate into the garbage.
    The two things you need to worry about, I would suggest, are:
    Meeting macro goals.
    Getting a good range of micronutrients.


    One way people try and do the latter is restrict their eating to only foods higher in micronutrients.
    This doesn't mean they will get a good range of micro-nutrients - indeed, they miss out on some that may be more typically found in other foods. But may well give them a better chance of meeting their goals vs not making an effort to get a good range of micronutrients AND eating less nutrient dense food.


    So - to conclude - as many times as you want, if it meets your micro and macro nutrient goals.

    You'll see plenty on here eating a tub of ice cream a day and so on - typically they're the ones with the physiques the rest of us are envious of!

    From that, I often have pizza, ice cream and burgers.
    (Burgers today, though lower fat ones to meet my macro goals for the day - I'm not going easy on the buns as I might on other days because I'm looking for a load of carbs.)
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    However often you can do it and still stay within your calorie/macro goal.
  • prettyface55
    prettyface55 Posts: 508 Member
    usually one day on the weekend!:happy:
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    It's your choice - best advise I have seen (for someone eating IIFYM) is:

    'Junk food can be eaten as often as you want — even daily — as long as it only comprises a minor proportion of your overall calories for the day'
  • GretaGirl8
    GretaGirl8 Posts: 274 Member
    if chocolate and candy are junk food...just about every other day i treat myself.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    if chocolate and candy are junk food...just about every other day i treat myself.

    IMO they qualify - Junk food needs to taste good!
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    if chocolate and candy are junk food...just about every other day i treat myself.

    IMO they qualify - Junk food needs to taste good!

    then fresh NB strawberries are junk food.

    I eat what I want when I want as long as I stay on track...tonight it's tyson chicken strips...tomorrow burgers...pizza when I feel like it, chocolate everynight.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    I have pizza and burgers every week. You can make things fit. If you have the calories and macros for delivery or to go out, go for it. If you don't, make a homemade version. Weight loss doesn't have to be all lean protein, veggies, and agony.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    if chocolate and candy are junk food...just about every other day i treat myself.

    IMO they qualify - Junk food needs to taste good!

    then fresh NB strawberries are junk food.

    I eat what I want when I want as long as I stay on track...tonight it's tyson chicken strips...tomorrow burgers...pizza when I feel like it, chocolate everynight.

    Chicken strips - mmmmm

    I too eat those things when I really feel like it. What does the NB stand for?
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    It's your choice - best advise I have seen (for someone eating IIFYM) is:

    'Junk food can be eaten as often as you want — even daily — as long as it only comprises a minor proportion of your overall calories for the day'

    I like this method, personally. I usually balance out my splurges but don't have a real "cheat" day ever. For example, I may have a burger and a scoop of ice cream for lunch paired with a big veggie omelet (no cheese) at breakfast and then for dinner a huge salad and/or a bowl of bean soup and some fruit. The only time I see a big problem is when it starts becoming a habit to have "junk" like eating fast food daily and being way off track with my macros. JMHO.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    if chocolate and candy are junk food...just about every other day i treat myself.

    IMO they qualify - Junk food needs to taste good!

    then fresh NB strawberries are junk food.

    I eat what I want when I want as long as I stay on track...tonight it's tyson chicken strips...tomorrow burgers...pizza when I feel like it, chocolate everynight.

    Chicken strips - mmmmm

    I too eat those things when I really feel like it. What does the NB stand for?

    New Brunswick...Canada where I live...we have some of the best berries in the world...seriously...the juice runs down your chin when you bite in...

    I grow my own....raspberries & strawberries
  • tycho_mx
    tycho_mx Posts: 426 Member
    I like pizza and burgers but need to get in boxing shape, how often can I treat myself? two times a week?

    Michael Phelps ate them every day. He still won Olympic golds. Can you do that?

    You can eat highly processed foods and still lose weight. See "Twinky Diet experiment". However, can you train, spar, and prepare optimally on such a diet? Phelps did. I can't. I can't eat very fatty foods close to a workout (within 2-3 hours) and not have some abdominal strains. Depending on how hard a workout or race starts, even peanut butter on bread can mess me up.

    So do some testing. The problem with boxing (I used to do martial arts) is the weight cutting; it's all or nothing. So if you're still heavy at the weigh-in you need to dehydrate to make weight... and that might mess you up for your fight.

    I know I can have one heavy, "unbound" meal per week and not mess up too much. As an example, I'm losing weight slowly for hilly races at the end of the summer (10 lb gone, 5-8 to go). It tooke me about 3 days to go back to "normal" after a big meal on Saturday. Workouts were still quality, so that was the crucial part.
  • smokinkudzu
    smokinkudzu Posts: 20 Member
    if you check my food log you'll see that i still indulge on potato chips on a very regular basis.

    for pizza, it depends -- i might have one of those 300 calorie single-serve frozen pizzas a few times a week, but i try to keep delivery pizza to at most once a month

    ive adjusted my burger tastes to boca and morningstar patties, which i have quite often, so it is rarer for me to go on a big mac attack or white castle crave
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    if chocolate and candy are junk food...just about every other day i treat myself.

    IMO they qualify - Junk food needs to taste good!

    then fresh NB strawberries are junk food.

    I eat what I want when I want as long as I stay on track...tonight it's tyson chicken strips...tomorrow burgers...pizza when I feel like it, chocolate everynight.

    Chicken strips - mmmmm

    I too eat those things when I really feel like it. What does the NB stand for?

    New Brunswick...Canada where I live...we have some of the best berries in the world...seriously...the juice runs down your chin when you bite in...

    I grow my own....raspberries & strawberries

    Lol - reminds me of an old radio DJ in England that used to say the only way to eat a juicy mango is: naked in a sink.
  • Shropshire1959
    Shropshire1959 Posts: 982 Member
    Lol - reminds me of an old radio DJ in England that used to say the only way to eat a juicy mango is: naked in a sink.

    Unfortunately - you have to be careful quoting Old DJs over here these days
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    Lol - reminds me of an old radio DJ in England that used to say the only way to eat a juicy mango is: naked in a sink.

    Unfortunately - you have to be careful quoting Old DJs over here these days

    Opps sorry forgot - although TW's is whiter than white!
  • Shropshire1959
    Shropshire1959 Posts: 982 Member
    Lol - reminds me of an old radio DJ in England that used to say the only way to eat a juicy mango is: naked in a sink.

    Unfortunately - you have to be careful quoting Old DJs over here these days

    Opps sorry forgot - although TW's is whiter than white!

    T'be sure :-)

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