"Junk" Food Opinions?

anywhoodle

Hi I've been following a 1200 calorie plan for the last two weeks and have for the most part been sticking to it (sometimes over/under by 100cals) My question is that some of my choices during the week are less than "healthy" e.g. ice cream/chocolate bar/ 1/2 frozen pizza dinner and was wondering if you are within your calorie/fat/carb targets for the day is it counterproductive to still eat those types of food? I'm asking in a fat loss prospective...

Thanks for any opinions!

genxrider

I really try and keep "junk" out of my diet. It just doesn't make me feel good.

I find good alternatives - Trader Joe's is fantastic for that, if you're lucky enough to have one near by.

rml_16

As long as you mostly eat healthy and stay in your calories, by all means allow yourself treats!

SergeantSunshine_reused

I agree. If you really love those kinds of foods then dont get rid of them. Life is too short right :]

NoAdditives

As long as you mostly eat healthy and stay in your calories, by all means allow yourself treats!

I agree. Unless you're planning on eating exclusively healthy foods every single meal, every single day for the rest of your life, don't worry about treats once in a while. As long as they're only once or twice a week they won't hurt your long term goals.

mermx

I am on 1200 cals a day also

My advice is to try not to eat too much junk food in one day. Maybe have a day each week or every 4 days where you treat yourself to your junk food (not going over your cals by too much)

I am thinking this because if you are eating high cal junk food each day then you are not leaving yourself with enough good food in your cals.

You can eat lots of good foods that will really fill you up.

I have 2 glasses of wine each night...but I take these from my exercise cals...it encourages me to exercise knowing that come the evening I can relax and unwind and enjoy my wine.

Maybe you can do the same and use your exercise cals to incorporate your junk treat at the end of the day?

ninerbuff

Nothing wrong with junk as long as it's not the staple of your foods. A cheeseburger or taco every few days isn't going to hamper you losses as long as they are accounted for.

heybrit

Yes, I exercise hard too and then indulge in a little treat to reward myself. If you deny yourself too much you will end up binging and become resentful of your lifestyle change. Remember that you can have treats. A treat is a scoop of ice cream, not the whole container, you know?

jmeeej

1200 calories per day is really not that many. In fact according to MANY sources it is pretty much the bare minimum to consume without kicking your body into starvation mode.

If it were me I would be trying to cram in as much whole/unprocessed foods in there as I could to make sure I was getting QUALITY energy sources........not to mention all of the required vitamins and minerals.

there isn't any room for junk food in a very restrictive 1200 calorie/day eating plan.

dls06

I like 40 cal fudge pops, fat free chocolate pudding cups, and low fat popcorn. I think everyone needs a snack they love. As long as you leave room in you daily goals go for it.

Riverofbeauty

If you're likely to binge on foods, then it's definitely a good idea to allow yourself those kind of things ocassionally (i.e something small every 1-2 days).Depriving yourself of those kind of foods can definitely lead to binging (speaking from experience!)

I've been on 1200 for the last 3 months (just moving onto maintaining now, so going to up the intake) and every 1-2 days I would have a biscuit or ice cream for dessert etc. Plus I have a "cheat" meal once or twice a week (takeaways, cafe drink etc).

Everything in moderation!

jmeeej

^^^

This is a great suggestion.

I think for a 1200 Cal eating plan you should keep the food as whole and clean as possible.....but every so often treat yourself to a cheat meal.

Cheat MEAL, not cheat day

If you can stick with that for a few weeks I bet you won't even miss the crap food after how great you'll start to feel.

rml_16

1200 calories per day is really not that many. In fact according to MANY sources it is pretty much the bare minimum to consume without kicking your body into starvation mode.

If it were me I would be trying to cram in as much whole/unprocessed foods in there as I could to make sure I was getting QUALITY energy sources........not to mention all of the required vitamins and minerals.

there isn't any room for junk food in a very restrictive 1200 calorie/day eating plan.

I have my calories set at 1000 because I don't lose on 1200. I have trrats and still meet my requirements nno problem. I had a donut today and with exercise, I'm below my goal and over my macros. If you make the right choices in fiod, there's plenty of room for treats.

engineman312

i do a trail mix of peanut m&m's, almonds, and crasins when i want junk food.

Grokette

No more junk food for me..

There is nothing that tastes that good other than whole foods.

rml_16

No more junk food for me..

There is nothing that tastes that good other than whole foods.

You need to get out more. ;-)

ohamberx0

i honestly drink coke zero when i'm craving something sweet =/ it takes care of it. otherwise i really eat whatever i want, but just learned to not want it often.

RNewton4269

I always allow myself treats. If I don't..then I would stray farther than I already do. I feel like if I work out and burn the calories I can allow myself to eat some things that aren't necessarily good for me. I don't do it all the time. Everything in moderation.

Grokette

No more junk food for me..

There is nothing that tastes that good other than whole foods.

You need to get out more. ;-)

I get out plenty. Junk food does not taste good. There is so much more flavor in anything that is a whole food that doesn't compare to junk food.

Pebble321

As long as you mostly eat healthy and stay in your calories, by all means allow yourself treats!

In principle, I agree with this, I'm a big fan of treats!
However if you are only taking in 1100 - 1200 cals per day I think you need to be careful to make sure you are getting enough nutrition to keep you healthy. A lot of "junk food" is highly processed and pretty empty of nutrition so make sure your other calories are nutrient rich to make up for it.

LisaMarieee

I hate junk food, I prefer whole, natural foods. Junk food just makes me feel sick and it doesn't taste nearly as good as whole foods. Whatever floats your boat, though.

rml_16

No more junk food for me..

There is nothing that tastes that good other than whole foods.

You need to get out more. ;-)

I get out plenty. Junk food does not taste good. There is so much more flavor in anything that is a whole food that doesn't compare to junk food.

We'll have to agree to disagree. I eat plenty of whole, healthy foods, but I still think chocolate cheesecake is one of the best-tasti.g foods ever invented. And the OP wasn't asking what you like to eat. She was asking if she could realistically lise weight in a healthy way and still enjoy those things. And she can.

shankleefranklee

I stay within my calorie range, but add in whatever I want.

If I want to eat pizza, or a chicken sandwich, I will. I will put it into my calories just like everything else. I might go for a longer walk, or try to put in some extra exercise. I will make a better choice option if I can - thin crust, less sauce, add veggies. Sometimes, I don't.

This is about keeping a life style you can keep up with forever, and let's face it, are you going to run away form pizza and hamburgers and cake for the rest of your life? Sure, you could. But if it's something you enjoy, go ahead.

Grokette

No more junk food for me..

There is nothing that tastes that good other than whole foods.

You need to get out more. ;-)

I get out plenty. Junk food does not taste good. There is so much more flavor in anything that is a whole food that doesn't compare to junk food.

We'll have to agree to disagree. I eat plenty of whole, healthy foods, but I still think chocolate cheesecake is one of the best-tasti.g foods ever invented. And the OP wasn't asking what you like to eat. She was asking if she could realistically lise weight in a healthy way and still enjoy those things. And she can.

I posted my opinion about junk food as I have just as much right to do as anyone posting about what types of junk food they eat.

That is what is wrong with this country..................everyone wants to keep eating junk instead of adopting healthier lifestyles.

Junk food does not belong in a healthy lifestyle.

You all eat what you want - I for one won't be apart of the Monsanto world of junk food made from Monsanto's GMO grains.

Junk Food and healthy do not even belong in the same sentence together.

rml_16

You're right. Only Americans ever eat any junk food ever and anyone who occassionally eats a slice of pizza or a cookie is a heart attack waiting to happen. How stupid of me to think otherwise.

unsuspectingfish

I find that the less junk I eat, the less appealing it becomes, and the more my stomach hates me for it. I still eat stuff like cookies and chocolate, but rarely, and I aim for all-natural when I do. Mostly, when I do feel like eating junk, I'll buy tortillas or fruit, add some peanut butter, and I'm usually good.

jmeeej

I posted my opinion about junk food as I have just as much right to do as anyone posting about what types of junk food they eat.

That is what is wrong with this country..................everyone wants to keep eating junk instead of adopting healthier lifestyles.

Junk food does not belong in a healthy lifestyle.

You all eat what you want - I for one won't be apart of the Monsanto world of junk food made from Monsanto's GMO grains.

Junk Food and healthy do not even belong in the same sentence together.

I couldn't agree more with the last portion. We're all on here because we have health goals. We're all trying to eat healthier and get healthier. Why the heck would you try and see how much junk food you can squeak into your diet and still be "safe."

I have committed myself to 2 months of 100% clean eating with no cheating. No cheat days, no junk food, no nothing. After 6 weeks I don't even miss that crap food.

You're right. Only Americans ever eat any junk food ever and anyone who occassionally eats a slice of pizza or a cookie is a heart attack waiting to happen. How stupid of me to think otherwise.

Junk food part of the reason that this type of website even exists. People who don't know any better just fill their face with all the crap that is the cheapest and easiest to get to their mouth.


I have traveled all over the world......and I'm sorry to say this, but America is the worst place I have ever seen for overweight people. Everywhere you look there are fast food restaurants and diners that sling out GIANT plate fulls of the greasiest garbage food you could imagine. And they seem proud of it.


Not to say that most countries these days don't have health issues but the USA is second to none IMO.

rockstarginaa

Don't deny yourself! I follow a 1200 calorie diet and I still eat pizza/italian ice/tacos/etc.

rml_16

I posted my opinion about junk food as I have just as much right to do as anyone posting about what types of junk food they eat.

That is what is wrong with this country..................everyone wants to keep eating junk instead of adopting healthier lifestyles.

Junk food does not belong in a healthy lifestyle.

You all eat what you want - I for one won't be apart of the Monsanto world of junk food made from Monsanto's GMO grains.

Junk Food and healthy do not even belong in the same sentence together.

I couldn't agree more with the last portion. We're all on here because we have health goals. We're all trying to eat healthier and get healthier. Why the heck would you try and see how much junk food you can squeak into your diet and still be "safe."

I have committed myself to 2 months of 100% clean eating with no cheating. No cheat days, no junk food, no nothing. After 6 weeks I don't even miss that crap food.

You're right. Only Americans ever eat any junk food ever and anyone who occassionally eats a slice of pizza or a cookie is a heart attack waiting to happen. How stupid of me to think otherwise.

Junk food part of the reason that this type of website even exists. People who don't know any better just fill their face with all the crap that is the cheapest and easiest to get to their mouth.


I have traveled all over the world......and I'm sorry to say this, but America is the worst place I have ever seen for overweight people. Everywhere you look there are fast food restaurants and diners that sling out GIANT plate fulls of the greasiest garbage food you could imagine. And they seem proud of it.


Not to say that most countries these days don't have health issues but the USA is second to none IMO.

You completely and utterly failed to grasp my point.

ingeh

I was on the 1200cal starter intake on here but uped to 1420 and am now around 1250-1350cals a day. I havent eaten a Mcds for ages and even when I had to get my partner a big mac meal I just had a diet coke and resisted. It feels good to me to resist but every now and then Il want a burger or slice of pizza

HelenKaren12

I recently lost 5st by just having one bad day a week where I ate anything I had craved during the week. Due to my job and spending alot of time away from home I have since Christmas put about 21lbs on so I am going back to that way of thinking starting tomorrow and I have joined a gym.
I have realised that the best thing to do is give your self what your body is asking for not what you want. If that makes sense. If I crave something salty I have a small bag of low calorie crisps like Wotsits of French Fries, If I crave something sweet I have sugar free jelly with a Weight Watchers yoghurts. The main thing I have found is each person is different and what works for one doesn't work for another.
Keep it simple and as long as you get plenty of excercise you can't go wrong
Hope this helps :-)