Do you ever eat "junk" food on occasion, is it bad if you do

smanning1982

So I have been doing very good at this dieting thing for almost 4 weeks now. Always right at or right below my calorie goal MFP has set for me.

My question is if I eat "junk" food but am still under or right at my calorie goal is it that bad? For instance, I have 350 calories left to eat today (actually 700 counting my excersise calories but I usually don't eat all those back) for dinner, my husband wants to go to Burger King. I looked up the nutritional value and if I eat ONLY a whopper JR with cheese, no mayo it's 300 calories. Id still be under my calorie goal, but is it going to effect me? I have been only eating pretty healthy homemade food thus far

Thanks and sorry if I sound like an idiot LOL

shrdlicka23

I do eat junk on occasion and it will probably not effect your dieting. However, I would suggest not only looking at calories. Sodium, carbs and sugar are also things to keep your eye on. Enjoy your burger! But try to limit junk food to once a week.

rockerbabyy

i eat junk of some sort most days. just make sure it fits in your day (or you exercise more to work it off) and drink extra water to counteract the sodium

stayxtrue

I constantly am eating junk food But moderation is key

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

You're going to hear two trains of thought on this. The difference is between people who believe in calories in vs. calories out-- which means as long as you stay inside you're goal you're fine for weight loss-- and people who believe that processed food should be avoided at all costs. I subscribe to the first camp.

I have lost my weight eating in moderation. If I want to go out, I do, although not as much as I used to. I just keep everything within my calorie goals. I try to substitute healthy options when I can, but sometimes you just have to eat out (for social reasons, for convenience, whatever). Either way, one meal is not going to hurt your long term goals. So enjoy your burger. (Although I have to say if I was going to use 300 cals on a burger I'd go somewhere else. lol)

lookpretty

I find if I eat fast food in particular I crave it for a few days afterwards, some detox programs suggest while the good is still in the colon the body wants more.

theroadto100

I constantly am eating junk food But moderation is key

I just looked at your diary... I LOVE the names of your meals! So funny.

george_ie_girl

I eat junk occasionally - it's fine, as long as you're aware of the calories and don't over indulge.

I try to avoid all fast food though - I used to eat it so often and I'm scared of falling into that trap again. That's a personal thing for me though, if I think I can't stop at one, I don't have it at all!

cooter2533

eating junk food is fine as long as its within your calories, it may not be as nutrious or satiating but it sure is yummy sometimes. I have some form of ice cream 2-3 times a week and have had no issues with my weight loss because i fit it into my calories.

thepetiterunner

I eat "junk" food occasionally. It's fine if you do, in the end it's calories in versus calories out as others have stated above.

If you know you can keep yourself on track and be satisfied with just that one sandwich, then go for it and enjoy yourself. Moderation is key. I've just learned over time, that eating junk food isn't as satisfying to me as other healthier alternatives and that I generally feel better when I don't eat junk food.

But plenty of people eat it and can maintain their weight. You're an adult, it's up to you.

wftiger

I do it probably once a week as long as it fits into my calories. The sodium is high so I try not to go more than that. I don't think it hurts anything. For me, it keeps me on track. If I never got the foods that I like then I would eventually stop like I have always done in the past when I try to cut out all bad food. Yep, it is not the best choice but once in a while doesn't hurt.

maryjay51

heck ya i eat it on occasion..i try to control it and make it a meal and not a whole entire day of stuffing myself.. doesnt happen so much anymore as the older days .. but now i try really hard to plan it ..like if i go out to dinner or an event ..most events i dont eat at anymore because i have to go to a lot of them but once in a while they have something i really want to have and so i plan it

smanning1982

Thanks for all your replies, it makes me feel a whole lot better about going to eat out tonight! Now, I definitely don't want to get in the habit of doing that all the time like I used to, but once every 3-4 weeks I think should satisfy my craving for it

Going4Lean

all the time and then i feel crappy and bloated.

sc1572

Yep! Tonight I had frozen yogurt with a friend. A few weeks ago, I had a burger after doing my first half marathon. Gotta enjoy your favorites sometimes!

IronmanPanda

I have a section in my diary called "Cookies"

rileamoyer

BK -
Whopper Jr no cheese or mayo, 1/2 small order of fries, water and 1/2 sundae! Great junk food fix. LOL

JennyZD

YES! I have a cheat day every week where I go all out. There's so many benefits to having them... You can use the search engine to find previous posts about "spike days"-- it boosts your metabolism and send messages to your body that you're not starving. I've had one cheat day since I started on MFP three months ago and have lost 20 pounds so far

Hopefully you're making a lifestyle change and in reality we're always gonna crave something so if you don't want to have a cheat day just find a way to fit it into your diary.

natacha305

i LOVE junk

I hate to accept the fact that if i want to be thin I have to learn to make "healthy substitutions" for those mcdonalds cravings

If my up and down weight loss has taught me ANYTHING its that no matter if ive been dieting for 8329729 years and i want to treat my self to one order of small fries or a burger, the next week i will want another and then the next until its every week then every three days then every other day and so goes the vicious cycle.

the next thing you know your skipping exercise and doing all kind of naughty things!

I do it anyways because I love my self and i love eating what i want to make me happy sometimes more than i want to be thin.


of course I need serious motivation to get back on track. but anyway point is: moderation junk food is not as pleasing as what you actually want. just try to limit the junk food days on your calendar

rhorae

I don't know how many of you have experienced Yo yo dieting or how many of you have been dieting off and on for years like I have. I would caution you that Healthy eating is the way to go It is VERY easy to slip into old habits. Maintaining control is key and I would personally recommend not falling into the fast food trap. As you eat it you will crave more of it. Replace with healthy eating and put the thoughts of fast food off forever. Walk the talk.

mdebbie1026

I don't know about the colon part but I do know the craving part is true for me. That being said....it is aweful hard for me to pass up a brownie, or cookies, I do sometimes indulge but I always try to be as close as I can logging the calories. A couple of the girls I work with and I often share food, that sometimes gets me in trouble because they do not cook light, but we started this a long time ago and I don't want to seem rude and I do love to eat what others cook....one thing that does help me though is to log it first and see if it still looks as good as it did before I figured how expensive it is in the calorie dept. Do I REALLY want to work out an extra hour to work this off???

ahjenny

It's tempting, but I wouldn't. If you've been eating healthier stuff for the last 4 weeks, the junk food you consome (like BK) will probably upset your digestive system. It does for me, so I stopped doing it.