Does anyone eat whatever they want just within calories?

sarahharmintx

Yes. About 80-90% of the time. I know I could lose faster if I made better choices but for now, Im not doing that.

handeye

i started out that way but then after a month or so i found it really messed with my energy levels when trying to work out or getting through the work day. i realized that i felt much better, had more energy, and could work out longer/harder when i ate healthy. but i think it's a great way for people to start to lose weight if they lower the calories, then slowly start switching to healthy foods. that way it's more of a gradual change and you don't get discouraged doing everything at once.

bcattoes

Surely we all should be eating what we want within calories by default that would make us all the weight we want to be forever. No?

Not necessarily. If I don't exercise and eat what I want, I gain weight. I get too hungry if I eat little enough to stay thin without regular exercise, so I want to eat more. My weight control is 90% exercise.

JustJennie1

Yes it's just that the "whatever I want" happens to be lots of fruits, veggies, yogurt, etc. Stuff that I like and that is good for me. I do occasionally indulge and will have pizza, ice cream or cookies etc. but not that often because I feel like absolute garbage the next day.

Bob314159

I started 3 months ago eating whatever I wanted - its hard enough keeping the calories down and exercising. Doing too many changes at once may sabotage your efforts.

Then I started to fine tune, noting that 250 calories of chocolate might not be as satisfying as a more healthy alternative.

Right now I'm working on getting my fiber percentage up. I still need to cut my cheese consumption in half or more.

On the other hand, I don't eat soft drinks, HFCS, fast food, or foods with lots of chemicals - but I was doing that before I started watching calories.

TonyStark30

Surely we all should be eating what we want within calories by default that would make us all the weight we want to be forever. No?

Not necessarily. If I don't exercise and eat what I want, I gain weight. I get too hungry if I eat little enough to stay thin without regular exercise, so I want to eat more. My weight control is 90% exercise.

There has to be a balance point though, but you make a good point, weight lost may be mostly diet, but weight control is mostly exercise, why not exercise on the way down if it works? You'd be already be setting yourself up for how you need to be when you get to the weight you want.

MrsBully4

http://www.nwcr.ws/Research/default.htm

Might be helpful for people wanting to know how people maintained weight loss

GatorDeb1

BOTD: benefit of the doubt.

Ah Google didn't know that one.

justal313

Generally I try to eat healthy. Whole Grains, fruit-not-fruit-juice, veggies, leaner meats etc. I will on occasion eat something "bad" but I stay under my net goal. If I'm planning on being badder than usual I add to my workout so I'll still be under net.

I do however have milk and a Kashi dark chocolate cookie everynite about an hour before I go to bed. If I am waaaaay under goal I'll have two. I won't have 3 even if I have enough calories left. I am happy if I'm under (but not more than 150-200 under) because it will account for error if I have to estimate anything.

I'm trying to keep closer to my net. I have often come waaay under because I exercised too long. So now I try to prelog my planned food before I exercise I might be able to have a 40 minute session instead of 60.

erikapereira

Sometimes I eat whatever I want and other times I try to make better choices but I ll never put myself in a painful diet lol

lilmzzgreeneyez

i am so glad to read this thread. i feel better now knowing that i still have treats here and there and its not going to kill my progress. i eat generally healthy (whole grains fruits veggies ect) but i am so obsessed with staying under my sugar and sodium taht some day i notice that i obsess on what i eat too much and then im not happy.; i am losing weight (20 lbs so far in a month or so) but i have to try to keep my mind off the obsession and just be happier that im doing it right. problem is that some days i go over my sodium some or my sugar and i feel like a failure. thats not good. so yea im glad that its not going to halt my progress or send me backwards.

mdet06

I try to eat on the healthy side but have occasional things I really like. I stay under my calories though, mostly.

ster81

Yes, I eat pretty much what I want as long as I hit my calorie goal for the day. Only thing I really track is the amount of protein, just to be on the safe side. I tried the healthier eating route before.. I gained weight since I wasnt satisfied and kept eating more.

ehalps26

IIFYM

Lkoblara

That's how I do it. I tend to make better choices still because I eat 4 small meals a day and 2 snacks. But for example, today I wanted my favorite pizza, so I made sure to make better choices earlier in the day so I could eat 2 slices. I don't do this everyday, but it's nice to know that I can be flexible.

jodyjustice

I was just wondering the same thing and then I saw this post! I am staying under my calories, but if I eat something, like an oatmeal pie, I feel SOOOO guilty and Fat even though I am still under my goal!!!

chica6578

bumping this for a late night read lol

gapm

I know I would probably lose more faster if I didn't do this but I eat whatever I want just stay under my calories is that ok? Does anyone else do this? I feel like if I don't eat what I want I give up early and easier.

My rule for myself is that I can eat absolutely anything and everything regardless of calories as long as I record ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING I eat. And I do mean I record ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING that I eat, or at least I try very hard to do that. In some cases I approximate what I ate if what is in the database does not exactly match what I ate, but I try to match it as well as I can. If I'm over the calorie recommendation that MFP has for me, so be it with no guilt.

This might not work for everybody, but in my case, behavior observed and recorded is behavior changed. The act of thinking about what I eat and recording it has lead me to eating less and making changes to my eating habits. The net result for me has been weight loss.

Emmalou202620

yes i do i eat every think lol chocolate on toast crisps, have cakes and im still loosing as long as you stop within your goal your fine

tgustafson85

I've been actively watching WHAT I eat. The other day I picked up a box of gril scout cookies, only to realize 2 measly cookies have 140 calories! And those 2 cookies wouldn't satisfy my hunger the way other foods would.