I eat junk food... but only 1200 calories worth..

mrchantele123

Is that ok? If you just have a quick skim through my food diary and see I still eat crisps, bread, chocolate bars, etc.. but I still manage to stay within 1200 calories. So.. is this okay?

I never really had a problem with it in the past, but my scales recently broke and so I'm not going to be able to see if it's working still. I still can't help but feel a bit guilty.

srp2011

If junk food is all you eat, you may or may not lose weight, but you definitely won't be healthy.

EDesq

Depends on whether your goal is to be "Thin" or Healthy.

Jellyphant

If the calories aren't catching up, the sugar/sodium contents sure will.

AggieCass09

you'd have more energy if you ate healthy non-processed foods. As others have metioned, you will be "skinny-fat" rather than thin and toned if you just eat junk

BflSaberfan

To each his own. With 1200 calories I really dont think i'd waste 200 on kitkats though....just sayin.

Lisa__Michelle

I was going to basically say what everyone else is saying except that even the thinnest people can have heart attacks and blocked arteries from eating terrible. My dad knew a man who ran marathons and was a runner. He was in shape but all he ate was the worst foods. He ended up dying of a heart attack from blocked arteries even though you could look at him and he looked in shape.

Spayrroe

Firstly, seems you're from the UK, and I'm from the US, so I don't really know what a lot of the food on your diary is. The only thing I was a bit concerned for you about (now, I just went through your diary for yesterday) is that you only got half of the protein recommended.

As long as you're getting enough vitamins and nutrients (and adding a multi vitamin in the morning would help with that) and maintaining the necessary calorie deficit to lose, you should be fine.

Shweedog

Typically yes you will lose weight if your calorie count is low. It is when people plateau even with a low cal diet that their diet is reevaluated for the proper foods. Eating all junk, and little healthy foods, will take its toll on your body, however. Lack of energy, fatigue, mooodiness, and not to mention actual health problems may ensue. You skin, heart, kidneys, liver, and muscles will thank you if you adopt healthier choices.

alexbowser

I think this article answers you better than I could.
http://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/nutrition-101/how-calories-really-count-00412000070740/

DianaPowerUp

Think of your body as a machine, that needs fuel to run. If you put in crap fuel, what happens to the machine? Will it still run? Probably. Will it run well? Probably not. Your body NEEDS protein, carbs, good fats, vitamins, in order to keep it healthy - things you find in real food, like chicken, veggies, etc. It's ok to have a snack every now and then, as long as you have a healthy diet. But if those are the only things you're eating, it will catch up with you eventually.

2bFitNTrim

From someone who was once very small but lived on mostly crap, all I can say is "Don't Do It"!! :noway:

This was me a few years back:
Breakfast: if I felt like it, Lunch: package of nabs with a coke, candy in the afternoon, then normal dinner which may or may not have had veggies or fruits. Dessert was a sure thing. Snacking on chips, cookies, candy also a sure thing.

You know what happened? I passed out at work, not once but twice. The first time I tried to catch myself, but my head came down HARD!!!! on the corner of a table. I managed to get myself up & into the hallway to ask for help b/c I knew I was in trouble. BAM!! I went down again.

Diagnosis: malnourished and severe iron deficiency. Boy, the lecture I got from the doctor. He was irritated. I was definitely old enough to know better, he said.

Believe me, I'd rather be a few lbs heavier, but enjoy good health and have energy. Be good to yourself! :flowerforyou:

lil_missfit

Depends on whether your goal is to be "Thin" or Healthy.

That's the BIG question!! You may lose weight but you're body is suffering if all you're eating is junk and eventually.....eventually.....you will be trying to lose weight again.....and again.....and again......and......well-you get the point:))

Have a daily treat perhaps, rather than a day of junk:)) You won't feel so deprived and on "punishment" if you allow yourself one treat a day and then a cheat meal at the end of the week:))

Mad_Dog_Muscle

No, not a good way to do it at all. like your title says "JUNK FOOD"...... i.e., its junk....... I have not read any of the other responses but I would think most people are going to say you should eat healthier for your 1200 calories! If you have "junk" as a treat now and then thats ok, but not as your everyday meal choices.

lil_missfit

I took a look at your diary. Some things I am not sure what they are. Are crisp potato chips?? Definately eat breakfast (not a kit kat). space your meals out more. I saw one day just 2 meals and one was like 800 cals. The other was lunch and no breakfast. Maybe to wean yourself off junk you can allow yourself one half the kit kat after a well balanced lunch and the the other half after a well balanced dinner. Have fruits and veggies or nuts for snacks in between. Eat whole grains in the morning with maybe peanut butter.....a cereal with fruit maybe:)) for dinner-I try to go dark green and lean (meaning a protein/meat with dark green veggies). You've gotta spread those meals out though....what I think will happen (based on my own experience) is eventually you will CRASH and go into binge mode....happened to me everytime. Then the pounds will pack on (that happened to me too). I would do what you are doing and then spend months in binge mode (my word for it).... You're body will start craving everything because it will starve....even if you eat 1200 calories of junk everyday. I am not trying to present myself as a know it all or be mean...I am almost 32 years old and can tell you...I have been there so I know all too well the end of this story:))

MrsSorenson

Depends on whether your goal is to be "Thin" or Healthy.

I Agree! If you really want long term results you have to treat your body better. Loading it with junk is like putting mud in your gas tank, won't get you very far.

BrownSkinBeauty1990

It's not healthy to eat the foods that you're eating, but I'm sure you know that already & that's not the question your asking!
But yes you will lose weight if you stick to your calories. You can live off crisps all day but if you eat 1200 cals your defo going to lose weight. x

jjhenry5

Eating too much sugar can spike your insulin, and over enough time, this could cause insulin resistance which limits your bodies ability to use blood sugar as energy, so it tends to get stored as fat. It also puts you at risk for diabetes. On the other hand, you are still young yet, so you can probably bounce back from a bad diet better than us old folks. God knows I ate like crap in college.

With that said, starting healthy eating habits now will prevent problems in your future.

fteale

No, not ok. Your diet is awful! But you know that already or you wouldn't have posted. You may be thin on it now, but it will bite you on the behind when you are older. Get healthy now while you are young.

MyNameIsNotBob

Try to cut back on the junk and eat some real food. You're not tracking sugar or sodium... try doing that for a few days and you may start to think differently about the things you're eating.

Sure, you'll lose "weight," but you'll be starving your body of the nutrients it needs to be healthy & function well.

TheBraveryLover

I don't have first hand experience, but I've read several MFPers on here who have eaten similar to what you have, but just watched their calories and still lost weight consistently.

If you just want to be slimmer, I'm sure this is fine, but if at some point you prefer to be healthy, a healthier diet is needed.

Good luck hun!

fsugirl26

As a girl, I naturally love chocolate, and I love eating sweets and junk food when I get stressed...but if you're putting in the time and effort to LOSE weight, don't you think you at least owe it to yourself to adopt a healthier lifestyle so you won't be gaining/losing the same weight for the rest of your life?? If I'm going to lose all this weight, I'm going to make sure that it never comes back!!

MaribelDM

I just had a bag of SMALL Doritos.... it's okay. it was a craving. I'm done with it.. Now, back to my plan!!

Eskimopie

I mean, I'm not skinny, but not overweight, and my diet isn't great (it swings from pretty healthy to wayyy too much sugar), and at 23 I just got diagnosed with high cholesterol...so I wouldn't recommend it! I'm trying to cut back on junk because it starts impacting you YOUNG.

hyper_stitch

Not to sound patronising but you're only 18, age is on your side. Yeah it's crap that you're eating so don't be surprised if you feel tired and sluggish, in all honesty this is pretty much the way I ate at your age too ... I did party hard and dance my *kitten* off most nights of the week and I did maintain/lose weight between 8-9st BUT here it is ... it WILL catch up with you x

cosplaydieter

I was pretty much the same until I started this diary. Many meals of mine would be a chocolate bar and a cup of tea or squash and then I would have a small sized dinner of oven chips or smiley faces and some sort of frozen breaded processed chicken or maybe frozen pizza. No vegetables or exercise ever.

I'm starting to feel more lively now I'm improving my diet a little. Ive been over every day since I started but today went a little better.
I wanna get to 8 stone and I have the same calorie target of 1200 a day. It is really tricky trying to get under it. I'm hoping to lose weight on my bottom half I have fat over what used to be muscley legs but it seems to keep coming off my upper half of my body which is already small and flat and I'm not in proportion.

ShellyMacchi

one thing i DO know is if you keep having that type of food regularly, whether it fits in your calories for the day or not, you will continue to crave it. *S*

so i guess it depends on whether you are trying to retrain your body to expect healthy foods instead, or not *S*

eeeekie

Not healthy

You eat crisps for breakfast? How does that wake your body up after it's long night fast? You can't point cheap oil in a car and expect it to run properly for long hauls. You're doing your body a dis-service by putting junk food in it. If you add a bit more fruits/veggies I'm sure you'd feel better and lose weight quicker.

anubis609

mishelnkiki

WHYYYYY OH WHYYYYYY CANT I SEE UR DANG PICS!!!! UGHHHH!!!!

ladybg81

Why, may I ask, would you even want to do that. Don't you feel terrible? I know when I eat a bunch of crap I feel like crap. Again, do you want to be thin or healthy; there is a big difference.