can i lose weight but still eat rubbish?

wendywoolley

sounds strange yes but what i mean is as long as i eat only my 1200 calories can i eat sweets and high fat food or does it mean i have to eat 1200 calories of healthy food. see im a snacker and crave suger so im trying to figure out what i can and cannot have
please help

iceqieen

you can, but be carefull to eat healthy stuff too for nutrients - dont want to ruin your health

might also want to try the "only healthy food, and unhealthy only as occationally and in small dozes" and see if the snack and suger cravings lessen after a while.

missbaker89

bump

kindra3434

Technically I sapposed you can...but those foods wont keep you full and satisfied. What's the point of being skinny and unhealthy? Focus in health and preventing disease. Sugar is terrible for your body. Eat fruit!

mharriskc

I think you can eat 'rubbish'. What this site does for me is actually look at what and how much I eat during the day. It has made me think about what I order at a restaurant or fastfood place and sometimes helps me make better choices. For instance, when I go to Subway, I used to almost always order the footlong BMT, on white, with extra cheese and sometimes bacon added. Now, when I go there I order a footlong Club, which has a lot fewer calories.

I haven't really changed much as far as where I choose to eat, I just think now about what would be a better choice. Plus, I love to snack during the day, too....chips, chocolate, etc.

The key is to use moderation in your 'rubbish'

PennyNickel14

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

It's possible. But it's hard for me to hit my macros

JodieElijah

I think you'll find that by eating *rubbish* foods, you'll very quickly use up your daily calorie allowance. But by eating more healthy and nutritious foods, you'll be able to eat quite a bit more.

mrseelmerfudd

check out the twinkie diet (i think thats what its called) on google. you can do it, but you wont be getting your essential nutrients!!!

Neliel

It got to the point with me where I had to start making healthier choices anyway because I just stopped losing weight, whether I had a low calorie day or not. It's not the amount but the types of calories you eat that make a difference

huntingforhipbones

Well, you *can*, but this is after all a LIFESTYLE CHANGE, not a diet, and if you're losing weight to feel better, ditching the processed junk will make you feel far better than losing a few pounds while shovelling your face full of McDs.

Caitlinhappymeal

why would you set out to deliberately to eat rubbish? a treat now and again fine, but it sounds to me like self sabotage? xx

RoughDiamondUK

Yes, you can. Check out my food diary for proof. I am however trying to improve my bad habits somewhat -- I know that I need to improve further still, even though I have improved an awful lot from 2 years ago!

BrianSharpe

When you want something sweet grab a piece f fresh fruit, it takes a while to retrain your brain but I find a banana or apple will satisfy my craving for something sweet and be good for me at the same time.

If you're trying to stick to 1200 cal per day you'll hit your daily limit pretty quickly with junk food. (Of course, one option is to exercise a bit more and then reward yourself )

RoughDiamondUK

why would you set out to deliberately to eat rubbish? a treat now and again fine, but it sounds to me like self sabotage? xx

If the original poster is like me, cutting portions and making smaller changes (like I no longer have fried food multiple times a week, sometimes a day) is more achievable than dropping everything bad/sugary/processed/etc all at one time.

Martucha123

I strongly belive that if you want to eat 1200 kcal it should be all healthy.
If you can't quit sugary snacks, how about upping kcals to 1400 and eating 1200 healthy + 200 snacks?

MFP puts you on 1200 because you probably have chosen as your goal to lose 2 lbs/week,
but you do not have to lose so fast, it's healthier to chose 1lbs per week or even 0.5 and eat more.

usernamekelly1

This is your about me

"I have been on and off diets for 2 years without losing weight now i think i will try for a healthy lifestyle change instead"

You can try losing weight eating *rubbish* but in two years from now that sentence will be

"I have been on and off diets for four years without losing weight now i think i will try for a healthy lifestyle change instead"

snuggllepuff

Technically you can but that would be an unhealthy option. Also, you wouldn't feel very satisfied. For example, if you wanted to eat 30 grams of carbs, you can eat an entire bag of vegetables or 10 gummy bears for the same amount.

I don't know about you, but an entire bag of vegetables would be a much more filling choice. Plus it would include vitamins and fiber which your body needs.

A tiny handful of candy isn't really a realistic portion. You will definitely be hungry and crave more sugar.

TaylorsGranddad

sounds strange yes but what i mean is as long as i eat only my 1200 calories can i eat sweets and high fat food or does it mean i have to eat 1200 calories of healthy food. see im a snacker and crave suger so im trying to figure out what i can and cannot have
please help

I do, I eat takeaway food a lot, chocolate a lot.... BUT I walk a lot to counter it. IMO eat what u like or you'll be miserable and then quit, just watch what u put in your mouth.... however I do agree with the people who say eventually you have to eat more healthy, so try mixing it up only eat rubbish.... say at weekends....it works for me, & BTW I've lost 42lbs so far, so it works for me.

JesterMFP

It sounds like (from your profile) you want to make a permanent lifestyle change and keep the weight off. Eating a healthy diet will give you a healthier body long term, but going on and off diets and seeing your weight yo-yo does you no good physically or mentally. My suggestion would be to make gradual changes. You could try to eat only healthy food, cut out all excess sugar and junk food, but how long could you sustain that for? It will probably be easier (and therefore more sustainable) to gradually cut back on the junk.

Instead of focussing on what you're cutting out, try to think of healthier things you can add in. As others have said, on only 1200 calories, you will probably struggle to feel full and satisfied on only junk. Try new things and experiment with your diet, without thinking of it as a way of depriving you. (A lot of people find 1200 hard to stick to anyway, that might be something you look at increasing in the future).

As you gradually make changes, you can focus on one aspect at a time, maybe cutting sodium levels for a few weeks, or cutting down on sugar, drinking more water, getting more fibre, protein etc.

I'm not advocating living off junk at all, but I know how hard it is to stick to a diet that feels like a diet. When I started MFP I decided that I wasn't going to give up any of the foods I like. I still have pizza, chocolate, wine etc. Over three months, my diet has got a lot healthier, I've found new foods that I like and I don't eat as much of that stuff as I once did, but I also feel like this is a way of eating that I can continue forever. I'm not miserable from depriving myself of food I like, but at the same time, I've naturally started making healthier choices.

Ultimately, a healthy diet is going to be much better for you than one full of junk, but I believe that if you make it a gradual process, you'll find that you're far more likely to stick to it in the long term.

Clarecbear82

I have without realising it as I was kind of kidding myself that the porridge I ate every morning and the odd salad was a healthier diet than I used to have and ignored the junk I was still eating!

I warn you not to follow in my foot steps as the bad diet has caught up with me and I seem to be ill constantly so I'm trying to change my ways now but its better to never get this way. A treat hear and there is fine but when its everyday and your not fueling your body properly it will catch up eventually!

MelanieAG05

Technically yes, as long as you stay in your calorie range however your body will not thank you for this in the future (diabetes etc) and so you should aim to be healthier.

If you are finding it difficult then you could introduce the dietary changes slowly. For example, you could firstly aim for your 5 a-day fruit/veg. Start by substituting your snacks with a piece of fruit like a banana, apple or handful of grapes. I love carrot sticks dipped in hummus for my morning snack! These do have sugar but it is natural sugar so you will still taste the sweetness. Gradually the sugar cravings will go away. Then you could start to look at breakfast.....then lunch......then dinner and introduce veggies/salad and then before you know it you will be eating healthier all the time and having the "rubbish" as treats in moderation.

Its all about planning your meals as well. Just don't buy rubbish at the supermarket.......then you wont have it in the house to eat it!

I understand that all this advice you have been given is easier said than done and only you can make the decision to become healthier if that is what you want to do.