Can you eat whatever you want?

MzMandi1025

I have always been the "everything in moderation" type. This whole thing has taught me portion control. So long as I keep the portion down & the calories in line with my limits, then I'm good to go. This doesn't mean I eat fast food everyday so long as I log it, I do make good food choices a good part of the week. I choose healthier snacks & I'm more aware of the foods that I eat. Healthier foods in the long run will fuel your body longer & they just overal make you feel better. But if I'm craving something, I'll check the portion size & amount of calories & account for it. I don't like to deprive myself something that I'm craving. I look at this as more of a lifestyle change & not so much a diet.

fitby38

its not what you eat ... its the portions you eat ... too much of anything can be bad for you
yes ... with self-control you can eat whatever you want to eat and still lose weight

buckystars

I eat whatever I want as long as my calories are under. I try to eat clean (doesn't always happen) and exercise 5 days a week. If you tell yourself you can't eat certain things, that they are "off limits", you are more likely to go insane and eat everything you find. I know, I've done this.

I've lost 32 pounds now eating whatever I want, including chocolate, ice cream and pizza. Should I eat those things? Probably not. Just don't develop a relationship with food where you are terrified of it. It's just not healthy in many ways.

Hope that helps!

dleithaus

Not sure how scientific this might be... but recently I stopped drinking alcoholic beverages. While not a huge percentage of my daily calories, I definitely counted them. My "substitute" was mostly carbohydrate calories, and notably in the form of chocolate and ice cream... things I had kind of sworn off of due to dietary caloric concerns.

Now, one might not think that subbing one "empty" calorie for another makes any difference, but the metabolism of alcohol as an energy source is different than carbs, fats, and proteins... So I was interested. Making this change, I have not gained or lost any weight, consuming the same number of calories and at the same activity level. To me it continues to be all about knowing exactly how much I am eating (eg,by weighing everything and/or portion control) and counting the calories.

bcampbell54

I didn't see anything particularly frightening in your diary. I wonder, though, where you are getting the burn numbers for your exercise; some seemed rather high to me.

I've discovered that as I count calories, I have less "room" for certain foods anymore. I hardly drink any alcohol, I tend to shun any fast food (or restaurant food in general.

Make sure you are keep your diary as accurately as possible, and you should see the loss.

wftiger

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

Yup. As far as weight loss it does not matter. All that matters is having a deficit. Healthwise, I would not recommend the twinkie diet as you would lack many nutrients.

As above poster stated, make sure you are accurate. Weigh your food. I can shove 2 servings of shredded cheese in 1/4 cup but that doesn't work when I weight it out to 28 grams. Every single bite counts and has to be logged.

I didn't look at your food diary but make sure that you are getting adequate protein. Many people do not and wonder why they do not keep or build muscle (and do not stay satisfied longer).

mbraga92

It comes down to carb choices. Carbs has everything to do with weight loss. Unsaturated fats are good for your hormones. Protein is good for repairing muscle and keeping you full and satisfied. But carbs is your main key. It comes down to simple carbs and complex carbs. Simple carbs are the type that spike your blood sugar level which causes your body to release insulin and anytime no matter what, when your body releases insulin, your gonna store fat. These carbs are the obvious. Anything really refined. Complex carbs are the natural kind of foods. Ones that doesnt have processing from them such as oatmeal, beans, wild rice etc. Those types of carbs take a much longer effect of raising your blood sugar in a much slower, stable way due to mainly the fiber content. Which in turn keeps you feeling full longer. I dont care what people say. This 'weight loss' you see from people eating sugary crap, yeah it may be weight, but most of its muscle. If your constantly storing fat, how can you be losing fat? Besides, take a before and after picture of someone who lost 10 lbs eating clean vs someone who lost 10lbs eating twinkies. That person who ate the junk is going to have less tone, saggier skin and overall looking worse than the one who lost the 10 lbs the clean way.

Nataliaho

I follow these broad guidelines which I've taken from reading (amongst others) Alan Aragon.
- Hit my macros
- Get 80% of my calories from clean, whole foods
- do whatever I want with the other 20%

Also to the poster who talked about alcohol consumption, I read an interesting article on that yesterday.. looks like there's not a simple answer

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sex_news_sports_funny/a_muscleheads_guide_to_alcohol_1

LatissimusDorsi

Yes and No.
To lose weight? Yes.
Optimal body composition? No.

fitbydons

The answer is in your first line - "I ate UNDER my calories"!.

slowturtle1

Kind of depends on what it is you want to eat, and in what amounts. :laugh:

I do eat whatever I want, but some of what I want is pretty darn healthy. I work hard to make sure I have enough calories for indulgences, and plan my meals to make sure I get a good balance.

You could lose weight eating nothing but Twinkies or McDonalds, but you'll find you can eat a lot more of healthier foods.

^^^^Exactly! A McDonald's hamburger once a month probably won't wreck your progress if you just really must have one, and nothing says you can't have a baked dessert now and then, but what would be the point of making these staples if being healthier is the goal? If I have a choice of fruit or cheesecake, 9 times out of 10 I'll choose fruit because I actually love fruit, but if I really want to indulge and have the calories to spare, I'll have the cheesecake and not worry about it. Everything in moderation.

Sabine_Stroehm

I follow these broad guidelines which I've taken from reading (amongst others) Alan Aragon.
- Hit my macros
- Get 80% of my calories from clean, whole foods
- do whatever I want with the other 20%

Also to the poster who talked about alcohol consumption, I read an interesting article on that yesterday.. looks like there's not a simple answer

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sex_news_sports_funny/a_muscleheads_guide_to_alcohol_1

That was very interesting! Thanks for linking it.

gsager

What I mean by that is last week I didn't loose any weight, I stayed under my calories and thought I ate pretty reasonably compared to my past. As long as I stay under my suggested calorie level & I follow my plan and exercise, can I eat whatever I want within reason? Thx.

That is right.

Gilbrod

Yes. I fluctuate between 185-190. But my clothing never gets tighter. Work hard, play hard, yada yada yada.

beckylawrence70

I do and it works for me. I also work out alot too.

rileysowner

Not if you want to be healthy and get your hormones and digestion working well. I could eat 700 calories in processed Twinkees every day and probably lose some weight through some caloric deficit - but it would probably wreak havoc on my body and I would be even unhealthier than before. There are also studies showing that if our hormones are too out of whack, no matter what we eat, it will be stored as fat, even if we eat at a caloric deficit (our bodies will then be cannibalizing our muscles for fuel, etc).

Quality over quantity. Then everything will work itself out.

The twinkie deit showed that is not the case. Not to say that is the way to eat, but the guy who did it not only lost weight, but his other health markers improved as well. That is he was healthier. Another example is the documentary Fatheads (available on netflix). In that he ate a calorie controlled diet of 2000 calories of only fast food for 30 days. He lost weight and also had improvement in other health markers. Again this is not to say that is an optimal diet. Even the guy who made the documentary said that a good diet needs to include more veggies, but it does show healthy eating is much more flexible than most people think.

cgray

I've eaten whatever I've wanted and maintained my weight by counting calories for 15 years. But I'm not sure that what I want represents what everyone would want because I'm a very picky eater. So my answer would be yes, followed by a cautionary I'm pretty sure.

ninerbuff

Been doing it for years. Been within 10lbs of weight for over 20 years.


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

jarrodc

Here's a few points I feel you should know:

1. Weigh loss is not worth tracking over weeks, it's becomes worth tracking over months. This is probably the most common mistake I see.

2. Satiety is far more than just what macro nutrients you eat. Some foods will actually make you hungrier, for example, most high carbohydrate foods, yet they are often far higher in calories per gram than their fat/protein counterparts. This is a pretty clear example, but there is many more examples out there, and this is one of the finer parts of dieting that is neglected by most, leaving them hungry and causing them to fail in the long term... A great example is people who follow IIFYM (if it fits your macros) diets, these dieters seldom succeed. Your best bet? Eat vegetables, lots, with meat, and some fruit. Grains? Well that's more controversial than abortion in some circles.

jarrodc

Not if you want to be healthy and get your hormones and digestion working well. I could eat 700 calories in processed Twinkees every day and probably lose some weight through some caloric deficit - but it would probably wreak havoc on my body and I would be even unhealthier than before. There are also studies showing that if our hormones are too out of whack, no matter what we eat, it will be stored as fat, even if we eat at a caloric deficit (our bodies will then be cannibalizing our muscles for fuel, etc).

Quality over quantity. Then everything will work itself out.

The twinkie deit showed that is not the case. Not to say that is the way to eat, but the guy who did it not only lost weight, but his other health markers improved as well. That is he was healthier. Another example is the documentary Fatheads (available on netflix). In that he ate a calorie controlled diet of 2000 calories of only fast food for 30 days. He lost weight and also had improvement in other health markers. Again this is not to say that is an optimal diet. Even the guy who made the documentary said that a good diet needs to include more veggies, but it does show healthy eating is much more flexible than most people think.

Have you ever seen anyone that got 6 pack abs on a twinkie diet? No. Because it's hard as hell to stick to a diet of under 2000 calories for any long period of time.