Does it matter what I eat...

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As long as I am eating the calories I am supposed to? I am asking from a weight loss standpoint, not a health one. If I eat "bad" calories, but I eat them in moderation, will I still lose weight?

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  • nehtaeh
    nehtaeh Posts: 2,977 Member
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    In general, yes.
  • clioandboy
    clioandboy Posts: 963 Member
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    yep!
  • srsimon
    srsimon Posts: 60 Member
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  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
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    Pretty much esp in the long run you will lose weight if you stay under/near your cals. Just keep in mind in the short term that highly processed foods take longer for your body to digest completely and are high in sodium- I personally find I bloat with pseudo weight (up to 3 lbs overnight) for a few days after I have a bit of junk food or go out to eat. Just so you don't look at the scale and think "WTF?"
  • ironmule2042
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    As long as I am eating the calories I am supposed to? I am asking from a weight loss standpoint, not a health one. If I eat "bad" calories, but I eat them in moderation, will I still lose weight?

    I actually started my journey just counting calories and nothing else and saw great results for a while. It was helpful and not overwhelming. As my loss slowed and started to plateau I changed. Now I've expanded to watching fat, protein, sodium and others as well. Now it about much more than just weight and more about being all around healthy.
  • cem789
    cem789 Posts: 231 Member
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    my food diary is super unhealthy but i still lose weight :)
  • khk2010
    khk2010 Posts: 451 Member
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    As long as I am eating the calories I am supposed to? I am asking from a weight loss standpoint, not a health one. If I eat "bad" calories, but I eat them in moderation, will I still lose weight?

    I actually started my journey just counting calories and nothing else and saw great results for a while. It was helpful and not overwhelming. As my loss slowed and started to plateau I changed. Now I've expanded to watching fat, protein, sodium and others as well. Now it about much more than just weight and more about being all around healthy.
    Bump!
  • AmberElaine84
    AmberElaine84 Posts: 964 Member
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    As long as I am eating the calories I am supposed to? I am asking from a weight loss standpoint, not a health one. If I eat "bad" calories, but I eat them in moderation, will I still lose weight?

    I actually started my journey just counting calories and nothing else and saw great results for a while. It was helpful and not overwhelming. As my loss slowed and started to plateau I changed. Now I've expanded to watching fat, protein, sodium and others as well. Now it about much more than just weight and more about being all around healthy.

    I have had the same thing happen. Exactly, actually!! As soon as I lost most of my weight, I started watching fats, sugars, sodium. But in the beginning, it was just counting calories in general.
  • mrmarius
    mrmarius Posts: 1,802 Member
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    Yep. Only thing is you will will feel worse. But its ok to eat bad food every now and then. Heck I saw where some dr lost weight on a twinkie diet. He took vitamins to supplement what he didnt get for nutrients
  • mccorml
    mccorml Posts: 622 Member
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    i think it only really matters is when women are at like 15% percent and men ar at 10% trying to go lower because after that its hard to lose body fat and your going into competition body builder every muscle standout kinda thing and thats when you see people cutting carbs and stuff also people doing keto diets like bodybuilders who want to burn alot of fat without losing little muscle very quickly you know? like thats pretty much what ive deduced
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    right, technically, the answer to your question is yes. But that's a terrible way of looking at it. I'm not saying everyone needs to become super clean healthy eaters. but right along with how many calories you eat should be what the quality of those calories is.
  • Teresa652
    Teresa652 Posts: 217 Member
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    It was a very good read. This gives me lots to think about now.
  • BoresEasily
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    The short answer is yes but it's only a quick fix. You won't manage to keep it off. To keep it off you need to change what you stick in your mouth. That's not to say you have to eat 100% natural foods all the time but you need to reduce the amount of processed foods you stick in your gullet to keep it gone, otherwise you'll just yo-yo.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    right, technically, the answer to your question is yes. But that's a terrible way of looking at it. I'm not saying everyone needs to become super clean healthy eaters. but right along with how many calories you eat should be what the quality of those calories is.

    This is my viewpoint, as well. What's the point of losing weight if not to become healthy? I might still lose weight if I eat poorly while watching my total calories, but I won't feel as good as I could, and I won't really be as healthy as I could be. My body is worth putting in the effort to not only lose the excess weight, but give it proper fuel. Treats now and then are fine, but my goal is to not only reach my goal weight, but to really be healthy and to have healthy habits in ALL areas of my life.
  • amycal
    amycal Posts: 646 Member
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    It was a very good read. This gives me lots to think about now.

    You may also want to read this:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/chewing-on-the-twinkie-di_b_782678.html
  • MisdemeanorM
    MisdemeanorM Posts: 3,493 Member
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    I still eat probably about 20% crap :) meaning processed or junk food or something. Overall I am healthier though so I don't worry about it. You CAN lose weight eating just 3 McDonalds burgers a day, but you'll probably eventually have a heart attack.
  • Sweet13_Princess
    Sweet13_Princess Posts: 1,207 Member
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    I would say from a weight loss standpoint, it doesn't matter. It's all about calories in and calories out. However, you should eat a variety of healthy foods to avoid cancer and malnutrition side effects. So, if you have a bad cheat day and eat a lot of junk but are under your calorie goal, it's no biggie... but be sure to get back on track the next day. People can actually get addicted to sugar and carbs... if you eat a variety of foods you avoid craving particular things.

    Shannon