Surely this can't be right?

sparklingdiva

hi everyone,
I'm getting on great with the diary and am more or less always under my calorie goal or just over the minimum
My body needs. I'm going to the gym 5 times a week for around 45 mons a time and have so far lost 11lbs in roughly 3 weeks.
Today I had a chocolate and coffee urge so got myself some on the way home from work. When I do this I am never hungry enough to eat any dinner so don't have any. I'm under my calorie goal and not too far over the minimum. My fat levels are fine , just the sugars are a bit over. So would I be correct in thinking that you can eat what you like so long as it's within the calorie bracket and not too much over in sugars etc? I just can't seem to get my head around that if I ate a snickers duo everyday that it'd be ok?!

Any info much appreciated! Thankyou xx

srandle175

I wonder the same thing

amanda07425

that's one thing I don't understand because that's weight watchers concept. Your allowed a # of points a day so if a cupcake is 10 points and your allowed 20 points a day.. they pretty much say u can have 2 cupcakes a day and lose weight?! (clearing thats a bad example lol n nobody does that but i hope u get what i mean) i just dont understand it.

withchaco

In addition to staying near your calorie limit, you also have to pay attention to your macros. I'd make sure you're getting enough protein and fat. (MFP's default value for protein tends to be too low, BTW)

PhilipByrne

Yep, that's why this site works. There are no forbidden foods. Just stay within your calorie limits, which of course you can increase with excercise. You should also keep an eye on sodium and fat levels if you're concerned about these things, but for pure weight loss just focus on the cals.

Slán
Phil

amandaramsey

Technically as long as you burn more than you take in you should lose weight but you won't necessarily get the same results when it comes to whether you are losing fat versus muscle. There's always a catch.

mrufki

Hi! I wondered the same thing myself as I eat a Weight Watchers cookie and cream ice cream bar each night. I think if it is included in the calories and you stay within them, you could eat what you want. The idea is to eat healthy with those calories you have, so my ice cream is the only treat I will eat with the exception of a hunk of Hershey's Dark chocolate which only has about 35 calories. That satisfies my sweet and chocolate cravings. I am slowly learning moderation.....

lmarshel

Yep, that's why this site works. There are no forbidden foods. Just stay within your calorie limits, which of course you can increase with excercise. You should also keep an eye on sodium and fat levels if you're concerned about these things, but for pure weight loss just focus on the cals.

Slán
Phil

^^ This! Absolutely true

VeganGal84

I think that it would be nearly impossible (if not completely impossible!) to have a completely perfect day, if you are considering every single macro nutrient. Just focus on staying as close to the target number as possible, and choose which macros are more important to you.

For example, I eat a vegan diet that is very high in whole grains and fresh produce. I will always be over in carbs and fiber, and for me... I don't care!

SueGremlin

Works for me. That's the thing that makes it sustainable for me. I pay attention to calories and protein only. I try to go over on protein and stay under on calories. That means eating Snickers bars or Cheezits or those bright orange peanut butter crackers once in a while if it is within the calories I am allotted. Having a calorie limit does help me curb my desire for crappy foods, so I eat more veggies and other nutritious yet low calorie foods, but that doesn't mean I can't have ANY candy or naughty things once in a while. I am 19 lbs down and have never felt better, so I am doing something right!

aquarius16

Well, if you eat less calories than you use in exercise, you will lose weight. It's simple maths. But if you don't eat a balanced diet, which are all the other columns in the food diary, you will probably get sick in the long run, because your body isn't getting the right nutrients to fight off bad things.
It all depends on how much you have to lose - if it's a lot, then you need to make a lifestyle change. If it's not much, then you might get away with a few days of just looking at your calorie intake and nothing else.
I sound like I think this is easy - but even though I may know the right way to go about all this, its stil blinkin' hard to do!

joehempel

Of course you can eat a snickers everyday and still lose weight!

Over the course of the summer I eat Ice Cream in a Waffle Cone (UDF Uses a back-hoe to scoop those things in there) and still lost weight!

tristahenry

Google the twinkie diet and you can read about the study a nutrition professor did regarding this topic. All he ate was junk food and he lost weight, however he was by no means healthy at the end of this thing. When you figure what you're putting in your body, think about more than just calories. To be a fully functioning machine there is a combination of things -fat, calories, protein, fiber, sodium, vitamins, minerals - that play a role. Avoid chocolate and coffee in the place of any meal if its going to be a constant thing.

That being said, we're all human and we all have our strange meal replacements and rewards (mine is a snickers bar and a coke for breakfast). Keep in mind that moderation and fulfilling your body's needs are key.

Jo2926

I agree that you could theoretically eat anything you want and lose weight - but putting aside the nutritional value of foods - then you also need to think about staying full. So yes, you can eat just cupcakes, but will this leave you feeling hungry all day and ready to shout at the first person you see?!

I guess it is different for everyone - I would be starving if I had a small amount of high calorie foods, so prefer to fill up on meat and veg. But then I work with (very skinny) girls who eat a mars bar and are then full up for most of the day.

captainfabulous

A nutritionist once told me "there are not 'bad' foods, just bad eating habits". Okay to have your chocolate fix every now and then...stay under your calorie goal and that's even better. That being said, not a great idea to eat Zingers every day. Sounds like you're doing great! Keep it up... and enjoy your your Snickers bar every now and then.

Kikilicious84

Yep, that's why this site works. There are no forbidden foods. Just stay within your calorie limits, which of course you can increase with excercise. You should also keep an eye on sodium and fat levels if you're concerned about these things, but for pure weight loss just focus on the cals.

Slán
Phil

I agree with this. After a while though...you'll probably start wanting more for your "calorie bucks" and you'll find that you start to opt for healthier choices.

AI1108

double post

AI1108

hi everyone,
I'm getting on great with the diary and am more or less always under my calorie goal or just over the minimum
My body needs. I'm going to the gym 5 times a week for around 45 mons a time and have so far lost 11lbs in roughly 3 weeks.
Today I had a chocolate and coffee urge so got myself some on the way home from work. When I do this I am never hungry enough to eat any dinner so don't have any. I'm under my calorie goal and not too far over the minimum. My fat levels are fine , just the sugars are a bit over. So would I be correct in thinking that you can eat what you like so long as it's within the calorie bracket and not too much over in sugars etc? I just can't seem to get my head around that if I ate a snickers duo everyday that it'd be ok?!

Any info much appreciated! Thankyou xx

Umm... okay I'll start off by saying.. yes MFP is designed with the whole calories in vs calories out but the closer you get to your calorie goal you may find it harder to sustain yourself on snickers bars everyday. That's a lot of processed sugar and would probably also make you sick, and its harder to lose the bulges that way. I'm not a doctor or scientist but I try to watch the quality of the calories I take in .. not just for my weight loss but for the sake of a healthy life. Plus a lot of people have found too much sugar to stall their weight loss. I don't think it's all about playing the numbers game but thinking about what you put into your body too and what makes you feel the best with those foods.

darrcn5

It really depends on the person. Some people can lose weight by only counting calories. I have found I lose weight much easier by watching my carb/sugar levels.

sparklingdiva

Thanks for your input folks!

I must confess that I did actually buy some other sweets a bit later on, after the snickers and coffee, and then i ate some bread quite late too with lashings of butter! looking back though it wasn't because I was hungry, i just started snacking and couldn't stop.

I find that if i allow myself to have too many treats, even if its ok, then i easily slip back into bad habits....it just kinda takes over.

I find myself typing different sweets into the diary to see if i have enough calories left to have some....not really a great way of thinking.

I need to have more willpower and not get into bad habits. Once im stuck in a rut i find it so hard to get out of it.

It's not easy but i know it'll be worth it