Too many bad fats and carbs in my diet?

trevkno2

Ok, let me explain my situation. When I first started eating healthier to lose weight, I strictly counted my calories and made sure I was under my goal everyday. But then I found myself thinking about loopholes and was wondering what would happen if I tried one.

The loophole I was looking into was this: You can eat whatever you want, as long as you are under your calorie limit for the day. I am talking meals from McDonalds, chocolate, chips, etc.

Is it possible to lose weight this way? Or will the bad fats, sugars, and carbs make it nearly impossible.

I imagine I wouldn't feel as well as I do now if I ate like this, but I was just wondering if it would work to lose weight.

mymodernbabylon

It is totally possible to lose weight that way. BUT...you may not feel very healthy and it may lead to problems in the long run. I do drink beers & wine, eat chocolate, etc. But I also try to eat a lot of very nutritionally dense foods on top of that and to not have 'unhealthy' foods all the time.

neanderthin

Only if for some reason you can't control your consumption......many people can't, and then blame the food. Of course when we blame something other than ourselves we normally like to categorize them and call them bad, like you have done.

Liftng4Lis

Calorie deficit = weight loss. Doesn't matter what you eat, if you're at a deficit, you will lose weight. That being said, eating McD's all the time, you're not going to feel the greatest (watch Supersize me). The best success you will find is in a well balanced diet where you are getting your macronutrients met.

Chrisparadise579

Yes you will lose weight but like everyone else said you will feel like crap. Also you will be VERY hungry, one of the main benefits of eating healthier is you get alot more food for the same amount of calories.

zyxst

Yes. I eat what I want and try to stay at/near my calorie goal. I have no idea if my health markers (from blood testing) have changed since I started losing 2.5 years ago, so I don't know how "healthy" I am with 139# off me.

If you're jonseing for a Big Mac or a cookie, then have it, log it, and move on. Unless you have a food allergy or you choke to death, you're probably ok with eating them.

colors_fade

Yes, you can lose weight. As mentioned, calories in have to be less than calories out. That's as simple as weight loss gets.

I think the thing you're really searching for is permission to eat in moderation. It's something I practice and I find it is the right dietary approach for me because I don't feel denied anything. At the same time, I'm working within a caloric budget, so smart choices do have to be made. It's very much like clothes shopping on a budget. I can either buy one pair of really awesome jeans, or a couple shirts. But since I'm on a budget, I can't just walk in and buy all the awesome jeans I want.

I tend do not deny myself anything as far as food choices go. Check my diary and you'll see all sorts of "unhealthy things". But there's a lot of healthy food there too (we tend to eat a lot of chicken and broccoli). I don't eat exclusively McD, but there are days when I'm traveling and a grilled chicken sandwich fits the bill (to me, this is part of eating smarter, while not denying myself fast food; I have the grilled chicken sandwich instead of the Quarter Pounder). What I don't do is get the fries, because then the whole meal goes over calorie budget, and obviously I drink diet soda if I get one.

I think the thing to do is just be smart about your caloric budget. Stay at a deficit, but don't deny yourself stuff. If you're craving an ice cream bar, get one. Just know the calorie content, and make sure it fits your budget.

And the other thing is, you can earn some calorie budget with exercise. I tend to eat very close to maintenance, to maintain satisfied, not hungry and fuel my workouts, and then I widen the deficit with exercise. Doing something as simple as walking can earn you some extra deficit for weight loss.

In the end, it's a simple mathematical formula: calories in < calories out. And you have several ways of manipulating that formula: by either (a) eating less or (b) exercising more or (c) both. Find what works for you.

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3laine75

You'll lose weight that way but along with, maybe, feeling crappy you won't get a lot to eat (volume of food). I often have mcds/ fast food but I have to work everything else around it (toying with the idea of having a quarterpounder for my dinner actually but it'll leave me short on my protein).

See if you can try and work some 'healthy' stuff in too so it's a bit easier to stay within calories (and hit macros).

Kalikel

You can eat only fast food and still lose weight. You can eat only candy and lose weight.

People suggest eating better as part of an entire overhaul - a lifestyle change. Makes a healthier you with new, good habits that replace old, bad habits. The weight loss is just a bonus of the healthier living, not it's focus.

You can easily lose weight by making portion adjustments. You eat whatever you want and count the calories. The focus is on weight loss, not overall health. Some people try to eat a little healthier, some don't.

Both plans result in weight loss. The first is healthier, the second is easier and more fun.

You make the call.

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suziqrrt

I try to stay at less than 30 grams of fat per day so I doubt that I could eat anything from McD's. Personally, I think it is better for your health to stay far away from that kind of stuff. Not that I never splurge at BK. LOL! When I first started trying to lose weight, I weighed 356 pounds. I now weigh 203 pounds. I used to carry around a spiral notebook and a calorie king book everywhere I went. I found that I lost weight the best eating high protein, good fats, and <50 carbs per day. All of my carbs came from vegetable or fruit sources. It is very important to me to log my food. I'm so glad I know about My Fitness Pal now, it is so much easier than carrying my notebooks! Good luck to you!!

missigus

I lost weight for a while doing the same thing- not watching fat, carbs, protein, etc. while staying at 1200 calories. I didn't eat fast food, but I ate too much of other things. Eventually my weight loss stopped, and I found once I reached maintenance mode it was hard to be disciplined. I also wasn't cutting fat, meaning I think I was losing muscle along with some fat despite working out. The sad fact that I learned is that your end results really do depend on what quality and type of food you put in your mouth. I was also hungry all the time on 1200 calories and would splurge. So I knew something had to change or I'd be struggling forever. I took the time to figure out my TDEE and what my macros should be. I'm now at 1500 to 1600 calories and I am not hungry all the time, but I am being really conscious of my macros this time. It's a pain to figure out in the beginning, but it's getting easier each week.

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vismal

I try to stay at less than 30 grams of fat per day so I doubt that I could eat anything from McD's. Personally, I think it is better for your health to stay far away from that kind of stuff. Not that I never splurge at BK. LOL! When I first started trying to lose weight, I weighed 356 pounds. I now weigh 203 pounds. I used to carry around a spiral notebook and a calorie king book everywhere I went. I found that I lost weight the best eating high protein, good fats, and <50 carbs per day. All of my carbs came from vegetable or fruit sources. It is very important to me to log my food. I'm so glad I know about My Fitness Pal now, it is so much easier than carrying my notebooks! Good luck to you!!

That's not smart.

Was going to say the same thing. Fat does not make you fat...

VelveteenArabian

Diet (the way you eat in general, not specifically for weightloss), fitness and nutrition are totally different things. They can help each other, they can hurt each other, but each still retains its own unique properties. You'll never become physically fit without exercise, for example. All the exercise in the world won't make you nutritionally balanced. You can eat regular portions and still be out of nutritional balance.

What you're thinking of isn't a loophole, it's just how it is.

You can eat whatever you want and maintain your deficit. However, will you remain nutritionally balanced in doing so? How will what you're eating affect your energy levels for your workouts and your results?

The key is MODERATION. If 50% of your meals are fast food - is that moderation?

You can allow yourself to eat certain things, but just be sure that you in turn don't feel obligated to eat them. If you're allowing yourself Oreos as a snack, but really would rather have a yogurt one day, don't force down the Oreos - eat the yogurt!

suziqrrt

Which part? The low carbs or low fat? I have lost 153 pounds over the past 2 1/2 years, cholesterol, blood sugar, calcium, and vitamin levels are all normal for the first time in my life. I exercise daily and work 12 hour shifts on my feet in a hospital 5 days per week. The best thing? I feel great!! I have been under the care of a doctor and a nutritionist who also has a Phd. I certainly trust them more than what any website tells me to do. My advice to anyone would be to find a really good nutritionist or dietician to help you make a plan that helps you accomplish your goals and still make sure you are receiving adequate nutrition. In my opinion, what is "not smart" is somehow making 5,994 posts on the forums in 1 year and not bothering to even log your food.

suziqrrt

I did not say I do not eat any fat. I try to eat less fat. I know that fat does not make you fat, however I work in a cardiac ICU and I see what too much fat does to your cardiovascular system every day.

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lemonsnowdrop

Everything in moderation. I'm going to The Vortex tonight and having the biggest burger I can get my hands on. Fast food doesn't make you gain weight, eating excess calories does. As for everyone saying eating fast food will make you unhealthy, it won't as long as you balance it out with home cooked meals. Eating McDonald's a couple times a week won't directly harm you.

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vismal

I did not say I do not eat any fat. I try to eat less fat. I know that fat does not make you fat, however I work in a cardiac ICU and I see what too much fat does to your cardiovascular system every day.

Former CCU nurse current ICU nurse. Dietary intake of fat is not what is causing your patients to have STEMIs, NSTEMIs, CHF, or cardiac arrest. The correlation of dietary fat to blood lipid levels is weak. I take in around 80-100 grams of fat daily on average yet have an exceptional blood lipid panel. Obesity (whether it came form overeating fats, or carbs, or both) is what is going to correlate heavily with heart disease. You can have moderate amounts of dietary fat with ZERO cardiac complications. Providing you exercise regularly, don't smoke, and have a healthy weight for height, you shouldn't worry about having as much as 0.5 grams of fat per lb of body weight per day. I generally would say 0.3 would be the absolute minimum but you aren't doing yourself any benefit by keeping it that low.

lemurcat12

The loophole I was looking into was this: You can eat whatever you want, as long as you are under your calorie limit for the day. I am talking meals from McDonalds, chocolate, chips, etc.

Is it possible to lose weight this way? Or will the bad fats, sugars, and carbs make it nearly impossible.

Sure, it's possible, if you can stick to your calories and keep up with whatever exercise you are doing as part of your plan.

I couldn't, and more than that I'd not feel good or be happy with what I was eating.

On the other hand, while I try to eat mostly nutrient dense foods, I do go to restaurants (not fast food just due to personal preference, but a wide variety) and eat ice cream and really good dark chocolate and other treats that fit into my calories on occasion. I don't believe in all or nothing.

suziqrrt

I did not say I do not eat any fat. I try to eat less fat. I know that fat does not make you fat, however I work in a cardiac ICU and I see what too much fat does to your cardiovascular system every day.

Did you learn that dietary fat is vital to overall health? Working in a cardiac ICU doesn't mean anything. The 2 people that have commented on your fat intake so far are a nurse and an EMS provider so ICU isn't going to hold as strong credentialing.

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lemurcat12

It's all about satiety. That is why when I was trying to lose weight I gave up 95% of refined sugar, and 95% of carbs (other than from fruits and especially vegetables, which I loaded up)....

If you are hungry all the time, you will not reach and/or maintain your ideal weight. So give this a try, even though it may not work for you.

Is the OP asking for advice on how to change his diet, or just asking a general question?

Why would you tell him he should change his diet to something so extreme (drop 95% of carbs) without some hint that he's having problems staying sated?

I happen to agree with you (as would most, probably) that a plain bagel is a poor breakfast for hunger management or nutrition purposes (at least if you are on a deficit), and yet my own usual breakfast (also involving a 2 egg omelet) is pretty balanced between carbs and protein often (i.e., not low carb in the least), because I like to include Greek yogurt and fruit. Sometimes I even have (gasp!) steel cut oats. I find that so long as I have a good amount of protein (needed to meet my daily protein goal) and some fat, having carbs by no means makes me hungry overly quickly. Plus, I tend to work out in the morning, so like to have some carbs.

I'm sure there are people who do better on fewer carbs, but in that it's specific to individuals I think it's absurd to tell others that they will be hungry unless they go low carb.

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suziqrrt

My degree is in respiratory therapy, which is the same degree level as a nurse (bachelors degree) and a couple of levels higher than an EMS provider.

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