can you eat anything within calories given

kel798

I was just wondering if you have to eat healthy within your calories or you can eat anything within your calories , if you would still lose weight ? im not a big salad or veggie person, but not a biggy on junk food either, but just wanted to know if it made any differance , thanks .

Wightvixen

Can you? For most people, yes, although some people find that certain foods tend to keep the weight on. Should you? That's a different story that I'm sure a lot of people would have strong opinions on :laugh:

xraychick77

you can eat what you want.

can you lose weight on eating twinkies all day as long as you stay under your calories..yes..is it healthy? no.

the thing is, that your body likes good fuel. if you give it bad fuel it doesnt want to function as well. if you eat unhealthy nutrition poor foods you'll find yourself more sluggish, tired etc. plus your body needs all those good nutrients to work well. to keep your metabolism fires burning strong.

MissMalinSara

By the looks of my diary - it does make a big difference..

Ive been on a '1200 calorie' a day plan - but eating junk food.. for instance burger king..mcd's..

Haven't lost a single pound!!

So stick with the fresh veg, protein and fruit!

helenmelon29

I think it makes a difference. As the 'good' food fills you for longer? Less bloated? More energy? Craving less sugar/chocolate?

To be honest Im not sure of the exact reasons but I feel better with healthly food.

PoleBoy

Are you hitting your carb / fat / protein goals?

kidtechnical

For the purposes of weight loss I'd say yes. For long term health I'd say no. Everything in moderation though, demonize nothing. There's a difference between eating all your calories in chocolate or eating 200 of chocolate for an occasional snack.

kel798

thanks, i pretty much asked myself the same questions, i just thought that maybe with less healthier food you'd probs just eat less throughout the day, where as if it were the more healthier option , then you'd just probs eat more food throughout the day, but can't see me losing too much if i chose the non so healthy options ?? i just want to prepare myself for times of having takeaways with friends etc, or other slip-ups, and partys and wondered if i just kept within my allowance , then i can just choose an healthier option of junk food , have so many celebrations coming up and don't want to hinder my plan for my goal weight for my anniversary in june .

ybba12490

I think it makes a difference. I eat super healthy for the most part, but when I want a "treat" I have something super small, like 1/2 a bar of dark chocolate or a chocolate&peanut butter power bar. There are ways to get sweets in there by not completely splurging on calories. It's all up to you, would you rather reach your daily cal intake with fast foods or lean meats, veggies, and low fat dairy? It's all up to you but the healthy choices will make you feel better all day AND in the long run.

James_H

I imagine that if you were somehow able to eat junk food and stay not only within your calorie goals but also within the fat, saturated fat, carbs, and sugar goals, then yeah that would be ok!

But I'd be very surprised if you could possibly eat 1200 or 1600 calories a day of 'bad' food and not go over all the other things...

ybba12490

For the purposes of weight loss I'd say yes. For long term health I'd say no. Everything in moderation though, demonize nothing. There's a difference between eating all your calories in chocolate or eating 200 of chocolate for an occasional snack.

yes! good point

erin_89

Hi

Will let me tell you I don't have a lot of money to buy crazy foods so I eat what I can afford. When doing this you have to go by my fittness pal goals that are set (cals things like that). If you don't then you could be eating to much sugar or carbs. Also portion I alway did portion size everything. Yes it is so easy to just eat everything and anything you want but you have to have some control. That's how I lost my way. I did drink sodas but only 8 oz and only at dinner and I "tryed" to drink 9 to 10 bottels of water a day. Plus when you are doing only the porton control you have to do some workout. At the time I was 380 I could only walk 30 mintues a day then I moved it up to 60 mintues a day and lost 22 pounds. So it can be done just use mfp, work out, use portion control and your all good.

Note this what I did and what helped me.

Good luck

kel798

thanks for all the replies, im gonna have just have a good balance for a long term weight loss, i should have said im starting today, i have been pretty good with my food , snacked on crabmeat, and been for a 35 mins walk . just want to start this right and stay with it, i am currently 67kgs, height 5'3 and would like to have a starting goal to get down to 60kgs

downtome

As it is important to eat healthy foods each day, it's ok to use some of your calories on a slurge every so often, whether it be a burrito from Baja Fresh or a Dark chocolate candy bar! As long as you are eating a healthy diet most of the time! I splurge at least once a week on a dinner of my choice but I try hard to keep within my calories goal. I sometimes go over but I have found that it doesn't really affect my weightloss as it all evens out at the end of the week. Eating 1200 calories worth of candy bars in one day probally won't get you anywhere as far as weightloss, just use common sense and you'll do fine! This should be a lifestyle change and from that,it is a learning process each and every day!

CMcBryer

This is a very interesting news report. http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

mentalbeat

Certainly eating healthier is the better option, but don't deny yourself a treat every now and then. Just watch out for processed foods full of empty calories.

Cytherea

Yes, you can. Most people can't switch from their normal diet to a perfect and healthy diet right away. The fact that you are here and following a plan is a huge start. When I started, I still ate fast food and frozen dinners a LOT. As I started to get used to making better choices and seeing how many calories those things took up, I started to eat better and better. Now, I can't remember the last time I had fast food (I think I've had it once since before Thanksgiving!) and I make almost all of my food from scratch and I cook dinner every night. It isn't the kind of thing that you can just be perfect at right away; there's a learning curve and it takes time.

My advice for someone who has just started is this. First day or two, just eat as you normally would, don't try to cut back. But log *everything.* That way, you will see how many calories/fats/carbs/etc are in the foods you normally eat, and what that kind of eating does to your body. If you typically eat 2000 calories a day, going down to 1200 a day right away is not going to be good for you, because you're going to be starving and discouraged right off the bat. Instead, eat a hundred or so less every day or every few days until you are more used to eating the lower amounts, and you've given yourself some time to see through experimentation which foods you can get the most mileage out of. If you take it slow, it won't be so overwhelming, and you have a much better chance of success.

And there will always be those days where you go to parties or go out with friends. And that's ok! That is part of life, and this is all about your lifestyle, not a "diet." I like to plan out things in advance when I know they are going to happen, and then build the rest of my day around them. So for example, if I know I'm meeting up with friends for dinner some night, I look at the menu to the place the night before or that morning before I eat anything, check out the nutritional information, and decide what I am going to eat. Then, I log it as dinner, and see what I have left for the rest of the day, so that I can eat without going over too much.

kell33

i think if you don't allow your self a little treat now and a again you go off the boil and give up, but trying to stay with the more healthier options for the most off the time has got be better all round xx:flowerforyou

kel798

Thanks guys, for all of your replies, and now i know, i can still do this with the occasional splurge, and won't feel too guilty, so i'll plan ahead and i'll let you know how im going :happy:

broadsword7

Hi, as others have noted here, yes you can occasionally splurge, and yes, technically if you stayed within your calorie range you could still lose weight. For me, if I am overweight due to not managing my body and health the way I should, tracking weight loss while eating right and exercising is a good indicator of progress. But I know that the main thing is not really the weight loss. It's being healthy. What prompted my own personal turn-around was my body telling me it was time to straighten up and do right by it. That, and I read a really short paperback book by Michael Pollan called Food Rules. I highly recommend it. It is cheap and a very quick read. There are certain things I believe about eating that are just, well, true. We know they are true, and yet, we choose to ignore them. For me, getting pulled in by friends to indulge in a community pizza party at lunch while I am focused on this journey is no longer a problem. I can celebrate with friends and choose to not actually eat the pizza. And because I know the truth, I am no longer tempted by the "lie." I'm not trying too sound to "zen" or "radical" here, but my point is that this whole thing is just as much mental as it is physical. I truly believe we should think very hard about what we are eating. Weight loss, gain or maintenance really is secondary.

4theking

By the looks of my diary - it does make a big difference..

Ive been on a '1200 calorie' a day plan - but eating junk food.. for instance burger king..mcd's..

Haven't lost a single pound!!

So stick with the fresh veg, protein and fruit!

It makes no difference where your food sources come form if the macro breakdown is the same. For example, if you are eating 1200 calories, 50% carbs, 25%protein, 25%fat, no matter the sources, you will lose weight just the same. To say otherwise, would not be based in fact that could be backed up in scientific literature.

kel798

Thanks again guys for the replies, im gonna have a good think about my meals and plan when possible, i have found some great recipes on here, even for the pickiest eater that i am, and not feel too guilty if i do have the occasional splurge, i will probs up my excercise if i have done though, some really good ideas and tips from you all, good luck to all of you :happy:

TheDeviation

the thing is, that your body likes good fuel.

That's key right there. Feed yourself the right foods and you'll be amazed at what your body does with them. The wife is always giving me a hard time for eating as much as I do. But what I eat is what my body seems to love (lots of chicken, tuna, salmon, oatmeal, etc).

And like some mentioned, take a minute to learn about macronutrients (aka macros). There's plenty of reference sites out there.

deirdremryan

If you stick with just staying under calories, you'll lose weight. That's just science. (Calories consumed vs. calories burned) But if you want to be healthy and stay that way, you've got to eat fresh foods, nothing processed, nothing too loaded with sugar or saturated fats. To start off my weight loss, I stuck to just staying under 1200 calories, and it worked, I lost 45 lbs in 4 months. But since I've hit a plateau, I'm trying to get rid of any processed foods and just eat fresh fruits, vegetables, and good sources of protein. This has really helped me get through it. Good luck!

LorinaLynn

The way I look at it, not every choice has to be perfect and healthy, as long as most of them are.

This weekend, I had a jelly donut, pepperoni pizza, a slice of chocolate cherry cake, and cheddar-bacon-ranch french fries. But NORMALLY, I eat mainly chicken or fish, a ton and a half of veggies, snack on fruit or rice cakes, and drink 96 oz of water a day.

Do the best you can, and don't feel like you failed if you eat something that's "not perfect." Eating it isn't failure. Quitting because you think you failed is failing.

TheDeviation

The way I look at it, not every choice has to be perfect and healthy, as long as most of them are.

Sundays are the "cheat" days in our house. You have to reward yourself once in a while. Just have to remember that once & a while isn't every day.

weightingtobloom

I don't know the science behind what SHOULD happen, but for me the quality of the food makes a huge difference. I've been sticking pretty to1200 calories but I mostly get them from peanut butter, chocolate chips, and cereal. That's a lot of fat and sugar! I haven't lost any weight