Eating unhealthy for under 1,200 calories

Brady_

Hi everyone

so i have a question! have any you lost weight by eating 1,200 calories or less a day of not exactly the most healthy food? sure not EVERY meal of my day is un healthy, but maybe once a day or once every other day I throw a meal in that isnt exactly "clean"

like today I had hamburger helper microwave singles "cheesburg macaroni" for lunch (180 cals), and for dinner leann cuisine pizza. I stayed under my calories but that isnt exactly salad and fruit.

I also bought a couple "betty crocker bowl appetit's" like the pasta alfredo and a penne one, they have a good 350 calories, but that amount of calories would be okay for lunch or dinner, its just not "healthy" food. i know i SHOULD but i never really look at fat content or sodium, mostly calories... calories in..calories out..

I was just wondering if anyone else does this and has seen success when you eat the right amount of calories just from not the most healthy food.

I certainly do eat salads, veggies, fruits, grilled chicken ETC, just sommetimes i like my pasta or mac & cheese

(I am on day 2 of the 30 day shred, and i'm walking some mornings, but once i get into the 2nd week i want to run a few days a week as well once i stop being so sore)

MissingMyOldSelf

I call those "treat meals." I try to limit to one a day, if I HAVE to. For example, I work nights, and I can't exactly come home at 4am and cook a full meal for myself, so I usually keep a small stash of the Michelina's lean gourmet (buffalo chicken snackers, FTW!!!!), and I make a package of those, for 200 calories. It's enough to keep me satisfied, and it keeps me from waking up in the morning completely nauseated, as if I didn't eat anything at all. I've still managed to lose weight doing this! And I will keep doing this as long as I'm successful!!!

ajanmillie

I definitely lost weight eating junky. It is embarrassing to say that but it is true. I am trying to learn clean eating, but I really think it takes alot of time and effort to do that.

MissFit0101

I'm sure you will lose weight regardless of what you eat, as long as there is a caloric deficit, but that doesn't make it healthy.

MissMaryMac33

1200 is too little even if you're eating healthy -- and less than 1200 regardless what you're eating isn't healthy.
Your goal with only 25 lbs to lose should be 1/2lb a week ---

Aside from that, I have days where I eat a lot of crap and just try to stay under my goal (1400). No one is perfect every day!

Brittshae

I have lost 15 lbs so far and I eat what I want. I'm sure the weight would come off faster if I eat better and exercise more, but I do not want to deprive myself. Some people go on diets and when they lose the weight, they end up gaining it all back because they go back to their old eating habits. I have learned how to control my portions and it is really working.

vwbug86

I work at McDonald's so at least one of my meals at least five days a week isn't exactly the best. I have seen weight loss success. I try to counter act it by making sure I eat lower sodium meals and snacks through the rest of the day.

mrsbjf

I do the same thing, and stay within my calories and I have lost weight. It's all about burning more calories than you consume. Eating healthy will obviously make you feel better, but the answer is yes, you can still lose weight by eating junk food.

mcrowe1016

I have lost weight eating more processed foods than I should. I am just hitting a plateau though, so I might have to re-evaluate my eating habits soon.

However, I have more to loose than you do, so eating more processed foods might not work as well for you. Give it a few weeks and see what your body tells you.

getitoffhord

We should all try to eat as healthy as possible, but if I did not have off days like you describe, I would never stick to my plan. Not every day can be perfect, and we should never put that kind of pressure on ourselves.

Misiaxcore

My first 5 weeks I did not care how healthy the food I was eating was. Never looked at my macros either. I consistently lost 2lbs a week. After I lost 10lbs I hit a plateau and had to up my calories to break it. It was around then that I started to take notice of other things as well. Now I'm still not the cleanest eater, but I eat a lot better than I did that first month.

estinson79

Yes, you can still lose weight while eating junk food as long as you are burning more calories than you are taking in. I know this all too well from experience and it is defintiely not something I recommend.
I am 5'6", and currently 130 pounds. I am trying to get back to 120, which I feel was my ideal weight.
About 7 years ago, I weighed just 112 pounds. I was definitely skinny, but i was very unhealthy. I didn't work out, ever. I ate sweets and fast food all day long. My boyfriend at the time called me "the fast food queen", my friends couldn't figure out how I could eat fast food all day and be so skinny. Apparently I was just not eating enough calories to gain anything.
But I felt SO unhealthy. I couldn't do any physical activity without getting winded. My body ached. I had headaches all the time. I was always tired. sleeping in until 10am was a regular habit for me.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, Although I desperatley want to lose weight and feel comfortable in my own skin again, I would never want to be that unhealthy again. I get grossed out thinking about the garbage I ate. I was putting so much toxic waste in my body!
I will never go back to that

sharonus

Those don't sound THAT unhealthy to me. They're probably really high in sodium, but if you are staying right around the recommended calories, you'll lose weight.

Nothing was really off limits for me when I was losing, but I did decide to avoid bread, chips, soda and things that I didn't really enjoy. (The monthly "let's celebrate the September birthdays!" cake at work isn't good enough for me to blow 300 calories!) If I wanted a beer, I would drink it. But I would make sure I worked out that day so I had enough calories. I probably ate a piece of chocolate 4 days of the week. But again, I would make sure I had the calories and I would eat a quarter rather than the whole bar. I think holding ourselves to eating 'perfectly' is one of the reasons people fail on diets.

That said, I have tried to concentrate on viewing food as "fuel" and recognize that when I was feeling tired or hungry, it would probably be better for me to eat a salad or almonds than cookies.

Sul3i

Def yes! If u take a look at my diary iits not perfect! For the most part I try to eat foods that fuel my body so I can feel great but I love breads and. Pastas so on occasion I allow myself to eat it within my calorie allowance (1400 per day) I've been at this since the end of June and I've lost 47 lbs so I'd say I've been successful even tho I don't always eat "clean" good luck to ya!

frankiesats

You can lose weight, but try and think about it like this:

1200 calories of microwave burgers, chips etc.
1200 calories of salad, vegetables and lean protein.

Which is better for you? Try pay attention to the levels of fat, sodium, carbs etc. that you are taking in. It isn't all about the calories!

Good luck xx

goodasgoldilox165

-the number of calories you eat will determine whether or not you lose weight.
-the kind of foods you choose when making up those calories will determine how you feel and how healthy you are.

No food is 'bad' if part of a mixed diet. As they (the ancient wise ones) have always said:
'a little bit of what you fancy does you good'. (I think that they key here is the 'little'! ):drinker: