Which is Worse? Calorie Deficet or Unhealthy Food?

kirstinlee

I keep getting on and falling off this weight loss wagon, but this time I'm convinced to stay on it. I've (re)discovered running/jogging, and I've actually enjoyed it the last two days (the first exercise I've ever liked. Ever.) Here's my dilemma, though: I'm 17, and still live with my mom and step dad.
I normally do the grocery shopping (I'm given a general list and a budget), so I'm able to buy healthy things here and there, like frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fruits, and veggies. But because my mom favors the high price, high calorie foods (frozen lunches, white bread, chips, high-sugar yogurt and snack foods) I don't have a lot of money to work with to buy healthy stuff.
Talking to her about buying healthier foods has proved fruitless. I'm looking for a job, but I haven't been able to find one, so I don't have the option of buying my own food.
Generally, my every day "staples" are: a whole egg and five egg whites, a few tablespoons of milk, and a tablespoon or two of ketchup in the mornings, and a chicken breast with a few tablespoons of olive oil, and spices or herbs with veggies if we have them in the house for lunch. My dinner varies wildly, but I keep my portions small because the food tends to be unhealthy.
I guess what my question boils down to is: What's better to do? Meet your calorie goals even if it means eating unhealthy, sugary, processed foods? Or falling below your calorie goals in order to eat mainly good, wholesome foods?

BeautyFromPain

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Articeluvsmemphis

I'd say to keep your exercise at a minimum because I would suggest eating less. Buy some nuts like almonds that will give you the good kinds of calories/fat. drink plenty water. next time you go shopping, buy a good multivitamin, and grab some fruit where you can like a banana. if you get them kinda green, they will last longer, and they're cheap. i of course still eat some "unhealthy" food, but hey that's life. hope all works out

mea9

Could you take over some of the cooking and cleaning up responsibilities rather than get a job? It sounds like your mom has more money than time so if you are making supper you can forgo the more costly stuff and there would be leftovers for lunches. You could then use the extra money for things like nuts, seeds, etc... It's just a matter of redistribution. Sounds like you're doing great!

Acg67

calories are most important then macros, food choices don't make a ton of difference assuming you hit your calories and macros

kirstinlee

Could you take over some of the cooking and cleaning up responsibilities rather than get a job? It sounds like your mom has more money than time so if you are making supper you can forgo the more costly stuff and there would be leftovers for lunches. You could then use the extra money for things like nuts, seeds, etc... It's just a matter of redistribution. Sounds like you're doing great!

I wish it could work that way!
My step dad works in China for two months, and then will come home for one. During those eight months of the year that he's gone, I already do the cooking and cleaning. I normally do "make dinner," but my mom prefers high-calorie foods like pizza and pasta. They're technically home made, but still not things you'd eat on a diet...
She comes from the standpoint of working and my brothers going to school. She likes buying pre-made and easy-to-make things, because my brothers refuse to eat left overs for lunch and most of the time she's the same way. I, on the other hand, am home all day every day until I'm able to find a job. While it's easy for her and my brothers to eat frozen breakfast sandwiches and pancakes for breakfast, for her to take frozen meals for lunch and my brothers to buy school meals every day, it's not so easy for me. She actually doesn't find it necessary to buy anything lunch-wise.

kirstinlee

calories are most important then macros, food choices don't make a ton of difference assuming you hit your calories and macros

Could you please explain what a "macro" is? I'm new to this whole weight loss thing.

Acg67

calories are most important then macros, food choices don't make a ton of difference assuming you hit your calories and macros

Could you please explain what a "macro" is? I'm new to this whole weight loss thing.

macros = macronutrient= protein/fat/carbs

so most important thing for weight loss is a consistent caloric deficit, then getting in a min of pros and fats (1g of pro per lb of lean body mass and .35 g of fat per lb of body weight) and filling in the rest of your cals however you like. in terms of weight loss it doesn't really matter if you get your protein from big macs or tuna (big macs obviously have fat etc along with the pro)

snookumss

I would just try to find a happy medium, and do whatever you like for exercise. I know people who get a ton of exercise and therefore can eat whatever they want! When I was a senior in high school I ate horribly, because I worked all the time and was on the dance team... but I didn't adjust for low exercise changes in my life and gained weight while still eating horribly. If you are doing exercise, and eating better (even if not perfect) you will still see gains Hon

Seajolly

In college, I lost weight while eating VERY cheap... Now I can afford to spend more on food so I do, but back then I didn't have the money so I really was careful about what I bought. Here are my suggestions for you:

Buy in bulk! Is it possible for you to buy the food the rest of your family eats in bulk instead of individual boxes/servings? This will save money, and maybe your mom will let you buy some healthier stuff for yourself since you'll be saving money on the rest of the groceries? You could also buy fruit in bulk which would be cheaper, and you can freeze what you can't eat right away and make healthy smoothies.

There are plenty of things you can get for cheap, you just might have to be a little creative. Do you have an apple orchard near you? Go apple picking and get a large bag of apples for super cheap! Or go to a farmers market, where usually you can make deals with the farmers, especially at the end of their day when they are close to packing up. You can get some great deals at farmers markets!

When all else fails, these are some cheap staples I lived on in college when I was too broke to buy very much food:

- eggs (I see you already eat them)
- bananas (like someone else said, get them green and they'll last longer)
- low-fat milk (might even be cheaper to get soy milk some places)
- peanut butter (cheap store brand will do... just make sure there's no high fructose corn syrup)
- oatmeal (get in bulk, plain kind! super cheap! you can add bananas and a splash of milk for flavor)
- yogurt (get in a large tub, NOT the individual small ones. the plainer, the better. watch the sugar!)

The trick is to try to eat as much protein as possible, which will help you stay full longer.

mochaphobic

I'm not sure how to offer advice to you, but I did find this pancake recipe from a website that looks easy to make and healthy too. Maybe you can indulge in these pancakes while your mom eats the highly processed ones... most of the ingredients you probably have in your cupboards already.


Ingredients:

1 cup fat free milk (or water)*
3/4 cup oatmeal (uncooked, quick or regular oats)
3/4 cup oatmeal flour (for directions go to this recipe at stellaskitchen.com and search for oatmeal pancakes)
1 tsp baking powder (optional)
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
4 large egg whites
1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground

Try these modifications:

Blueberry pancakes: Add ¼ c blueberries (fresh or thawed) to recipe and omit cinnamon
Oat-Nut pancakes: Add 1 ½ tbsp diced pecans, walnuts, or almonds to recipe.
Whole Grain pancakes: Replace quick oats with hot multigrain cereal. Prepare as directed.
High protein pancakes: Add 1-2 scoops vanilla protein to batter, increase water.


Directions:
Heat milk (or water) until hot, stir in oats and set aside. Beat egg whites into a stiff foam with hand mixer or blender and reserve. Mix remaining dry ingredients together and stir in oatmeal/milk mixture. Fold in egg whites until mixture is well blended. . Spray pan with nonstick spray and cook pancakes until browned on both sides.

*Depending on how long you've let the oats sit, you may need to add a little extra water to the batter to thin it out. It will still be thicker than regular pancake batter


Nutritional Information for 5 Pancakes:
Per Serving: Calories- 313 Carbs- 48.8g Protein- 19.5g Fat- 4.5g Fiber- 6.3g