Is it okay to have 'bad food' everyday?

Di3012

I think for most people, not having bad/junk food on a daily basis would feel like major deprivation. Feeling deprived is a great way to fail your diet and feel like it's not a doable lifestyle for you. I eat bad stuff every day..more than once, but I'm always under my calorie goal, and try to make sure I'm eating healthy foods as well.

If they feel it is like a major deprivation, maybe they should take a step back and accept that this "deprivation feeling" is what goaded them on to eat crap and so, in turn, become overweight in the first place.

You may be eating bad stuff everyday, more than once and always be under your calorie goal, but there is more to nutrition than just being under that goal and that is that you feed your body the correct nutrients.

I have a friend on MFP who did one of the most common-sense things I have ever heard of, in that she would only have treats after she had fulfilled her nutrients for the day, if those nutrients were not met, then it was no treats. In other words, nutritious food came first, treats followed and were not always forthcoming, it all depended on the tally at the end of the day.

jackieatx

See this article:

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


the dude ate bad food and lost 27 pounds. BECAUSE HE STAYED WITHIN A CERTAIN CALORIE RANGE FOR WEIGHTLOSS.

- his body fat dropped from 33.4 to 24.9 percent ON A TWINKIE DIET


It's not healthy, but just goes to show that calorie deficits will STILL lead to weight loss.

Actually he ate vegetables and consumed a protein supp everyday.

So? Accdg to the article 2/3 of his diet was junk. Which is the point of the discussion. Bad foods CAN still allow you to lose weight.

Anytime we create a deficit these same improvements show up regardless of what we eat, so it's not about the twinkies it's about overall health improvements when someone loses weight. Eating the veg and protein was for nurishment. Eating that same twinkie diet in excess of calories will show some pretty detrimental health effects that I'm sure would be worse than the SAD diet that at least has some real food..

And you've just described the entire purpose of the Twinkie Diet. What you eat doesn't matter, how much you eat does.

As for the original question, there's no such thing as "good food" or "bad food."

There is DEFINITELY good food and bad food. How long do you think he's going to live eating twinkies?! It's not just about dieting to lose weight, its about being healthy for life and fueling your body to help fight disease!

Good docs to watch: fat, sick, and nearly dead; food, inc.; forks over knives

The more you know savour exactly what it is you're putting into your body, the longer you'll live. You shouldn't ingest things that have ingredients you can't pronounce!

sarahharmintx

I have something "bad" most days. Although I don't consider anything that fits into my calories as bad.

Me too. Whether its a mini snickers or shot of jager, if its fits, I dont feel that bad about it.

Dreamweaver_5107

I think for most people, not having bad/junk food on a daily basis would feel like major deprivation. Feeling deprived is a great way to fail your diet and feel like it's not a doable lifestyle for you. I eat bad stuff every day..more than once, but I'm always under my calorie goal, and try to make sure I'm eating healthy foods as well.

If they feel it is like a major deprivation, maybe they should take a step back and accept that this "deprivation feeling" is what goaded them on to eat crap and so, in turn, become overweight in the first place.

You may be eating bad stuff everyday, more than once and always be under your calorie goal, but there is more to nutrition than just being under that goal and that is that you feed your body the correct nutrients.

I have a friend on MFP who did one of the most common-sense things I have ever heard of, in that she would only have treats after she had fulfilled her nutrients for the day, if those nutrients were not met, then it was no treats. In other words, nutritious food came first, treats followed and were not always forthcoming, it all depended on the tally at the end of the day.

Yah I cycle nutrents and on workout days when it gets even difficult to get my cals in I will use more calorie dense foods to get the cals in. I always stick to my calorie count and macro ratios though.

tigersword

See this article:

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


the dude ate bad food and lost 27 pounds. BECAUSE HE STAYED WITHIN A CERTAIN CALORIE RANGE FOR WEIGHTLOSS.

- his body fat dropped from 33.4 to 24.9 percent ON A TWINKIE DIET


It's not healthy, but just goes to show that calorie deficits will STILL lead to weight loss.

Actually he ate vegetables and consumed a protein supp everyday.

So? Accdg to the article 2/3 of his diet was junk. Which is the point of the discussion. Bad foods CAN still allow you to lose weight.

Anytime we create a deficit these same improvements show up regardless of what we eat, so it's not about the twinkies it's about overall health improvements when someone loses weight. Eating the veg and protein was for nurishment. Eating that same twinkie diet in excess of calories will show some pretty detrimental health effects that I'm sure would be worse than the SAD diet that at least has some real food..

And you've just described the entire purpose of the Twinkie Diet. What you eat doesn't matter, how much you eat does.

As for the original question, there's no such thing as "good food" or "bad food."

There is DEFINITELY good food and bad food. How long do you think he's going to live eating twinkies?! It's not just about dieting to lose weight, its about being healthy for life and fueling your body to help fight disease!

Good docs to watch: fat, sick, and nearly dead; food, inc.; forks over knives

The more you know savour exactly what it is you're putting into your body, the longer you'll live. You shouldn't ingest things that have ingredients you can't pronounce!

There is no such thing as a "good" food, or a "bad" food. There are healthier options, and less healthy options. In a balanced, well prepared diet, no food is "good" and no food is "bad." Good and bad are emotional responses, and food doesn't have emotion.

Oh, and that "don't eat foods you can't pronounce" argument. That's silly. EVERYTHING you eat has a very difficult to pronounce chemical name. Can you pronounce this? Spinacia oleracea. That's spinach, I'd consider that healthy, whether you can pronounce it or not. How about Phenylalanine? That's an essential amino acid, you'd die if you didn't eat it regularly, yet again, tough word to pronounce. How about alphalinoleic acid? An essential fatty acid that you also need to consume every day for health purposes. I could go on all day.

steflbrown

I am a big believer in portions. I have not eliminated anything completely from my diet. I simply measure everything out and have smaller portions. As long as I stay at or under my calorie intake, I don't feel like it is bad at all.

staceyseeger

I have 2 fat free fig newtons every night for dessert. On a free-for-all day, it's usually Mexican Food.

MonicaT1972

Why do it if you are looking at making a permanent lifestyle change.

The way I look at it is that it's just an invitation to failure. One nugget leads to 2 which leads to all 20 eventually.

Why put garbage food in your body at all, if you need the odd treat go healthy. Dark chocolate is an excellent example, 1 to 2 pieces are satisfying and the health benefits from it are great.

jackieatx

Don't be silly. That's Latin. Spinach is great for you.

You're obviously missing the point here and just arguing for arguments sake.

You really shouldn't be promoting twinkie diets.

However, if you want to do it yourself, you definitely should.

I'll be there for you when you develop diabetes.

[quote

See this article:

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


the dude ate bad food and lost 27 pounds. BECAUSE HE STAYED WITHIN A CERTAIN CALORIE RANGE FOR WEIGHTLOSS.

- his body fat dropped from 33.4 to 24.9 percent ON A TWINKIE DIET


It's not healthy, but just goes to show that calorie deficits will STILL lead to weight loss.

Actually he ate vegetables and consumed a protein supp everyday.

So? Accdg to the article 2/3 of his diet was junk. Which is the point of the discussion. Bad foods CAN still allow you to lose weight.

Anytime we create a deficit these same improvements show up regardless of what we eat, so it's not about the twinkies it's about overall health improvements when someone loses weight. Eating the veg and protein was for nurishment. Eating that same twinkie diet in excess of calories will show some pretty detrimental health effects that I'm sure would be worse than the SAD diet that at least has some real food..

And you've just described the entire purpose of the Twinkie Diet. What you eat doesn't matter, how much you eat does.

As for the original question, there's no such thing as "good food" or "bad food."

There is DEFINITELY good food and bad food. How long do you think he's going to live eating twinkies?! It's not just about dieting to lose weight, its about being healthy for life and fueling your body to help fight disease!

Good docs to watch: fat, sick, and nearly dead; food, inc.; forks over knives

The more you know savour exactly what it is you're putting into your body, the longer you'll live. You shouldn't ingest things that have ingredients you can't pronounce!

There is no such thing as a "good" food, or a "bad" food. There are healthier options, and less healthy options. In a balanced, well prepared diet, no food is "good" and no food is "bad." Good and bad are emotional responses, and food doesn't have emotion.

Oh, and that "don't eat foods you can't pronounce" argument. That's silly. EVERYTHING you eat has a very difficult to pronounce chemical name. Can you pronounce this? Spinacia oleracea. That's spinach, I'd consider that healthy, whether you can pronounce it or not. How about Phenylalanine? That's an essential amino acid, you'd die if you didn't eat it regularly, yet again, tough word to pronounce. How about alphalinoleic acid? An essential fatty acid that you also need to consume every day for health purposes. I could go on all day.
[/quote]

gettingthinandfit

Giving yourself a treat everyday is fine, as long as its not excessive and you don't binge on it. I try to give myself something little each day but I avoid foods I know I'll go overboard on. Everything is moderation!

mes1119

yes. it is fine. but I would make sure it fits your macros

NovemberJune

Yea I eat something "bad" most days. I think the fewer unhealthy things the better for your health! But a little junk in moderation isn't going to hinder your weight loss and it's still a lot better than lots of junk

secretgirl4611

For me it is! I have 1 or 2 bad things per day haha like candy, ice cream or something sweet...
If not then In the past attempts to lose weight and so called DIET
I would gooo wayyy over board and eat lotz of them

NOW, I DONT DEPRIVE MYSELF OF NE THING I LOVE TO EAT..

MODERATION IS KEY !!

I also, eat up to 1900 calories per day and am losing more weight then when I was eating @ 1200-1400 so yeaup.. life is gooood!

ashleyacee

I don't think it is okay to have bad food everyday ,even if you keep the calorie limit under. It is best to eat clean whole foods. I have something bad once a week if I go out for dinner I'll have yam fries or a caeser drink. I go by this - one serving of any desser/treat I want and one alcoholic beverage once a week that isn't depriving yourself and it's going to get better results. 'Bad foods'' wil add up if not physically but how one is feeling.

LindaCWy

Would love to see the affects of this twinkie diet after a year rather than 10 weeks...
I'm sure if professor twinkieface did it for a year he'd clog up his arteries from all the hydrogenization.

I think Supersize me proved the point of "bad foods" pretty well...

NovemberJune

Also, since you're new, give yourself time to make improvements. Keep an eye on some of your nutrients and macros and see where you can slowly make improvements. Sodium is a big one for me that I try to keep an eye on. Good luck!

kelseyhere

that depends. if you're trying to look like eva longoria- then no, you probably shouldn't eat any junk food or drink any alcohol. if you are just trying to be a healthy normal weight it's probably not going to derail you too much if it is within your calorie limits.

it's also a question of long term health though, think about the unnatural chemicals you're putting into your body everyday. even switching from a snickers bar to a piece of whole wheat toast with nutella and peanut butter is a better option. it still tastes like "junk" food, but not as bad for you.

in the long run, if it helps you stick to your goals that's good, just try as much as possible to choose unprocessed, real foods.

jadedone

I love pastries and dessert. If I have them everyday, progress slows. So I stick to indulging just a few times a week.

Unknown

The 10 calorie packs of cookies and chocolate covered pretzels have saved me! Also those all fiber 90 calorie brownies are great for chocolate cravings.

Unknown

*100 calorie