Eating what you want and losing weight

24

Replies

  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,407 Member
    I agree that anything can be had within moderation. I actually can not stand those dieters who strive for a "perfect" meal plan because i find - that is all they are about. That is all those people want to talk about, and they are obsessed over it.

    Though, I have found my cravings for "not so healthy" food has decreased in only 3 weeks! I loved sweet and sour chicken balls from any chinese food place. The other day, i thought "i havnt had chinese for a while"...and then i thought of the chicken balls....and then i almost gagged at the thought of it!

    I am proud of you that you found something that works for your lifestyle!
  • Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim
    Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim Posts: 267 Member
    Bump
  • orishp
    orishp Posts: 214 Member
    I personally think you are kidding yourself, but to each their own....

    In what respect?

    the title of your thread. Like i said, it hasnt worked for me in the past, so i am of course basing my opinion on my own experience. Maybe some people can, maybe you are one of those lucky ones ... I am not so lucky, so i have to lose weight the hard (and healthy) way

    Read some of the success stories, all the ones i have read include changing you eating habits and eating better
  • maryloo2011
    maryloo2011 Posts: 446
    Every morning I wake up and I smoke a cigarette. And for breakfast I eat five strips of bacon. And for lunch a bacon sandwich. And for a mid day snack...BACON. A WHOLE DAMN PLATE. and I usually drink my dinner. Now according to all those flat belly experts, I shoulda took a dirt nap 30 years ago! Just goes to show ya.

    I'm in love with the fact that you apparently love bacon as much as I do!
  • Sntimentildy
    Sntimentildy Posts: 7 Member
    Chevy88grl,

    I agree with you. Four years ago I did weight watchers and lost 30 lbs (now mind you I only had a starting weight of 186 so I didn't want to go any lower then that since I am 5'7" and have size 11 feet and big you knows:blushing: ...lol....I followed the diet journal and ate anything I wanted but in moderation. My problem was when I stopped keeping track. People wouldn't believe what they ate if they all tracked what went in their mouths. It's not so much the type of food as it is the quantity of food. People at weight watchers asked me how I did it and I told them, if I want a piece of chocolate cake I just have it but just smaller then I would normally eat. It works for me so far since 20 days starting this I have lost 6 lbs. But I lost 5 lbs before starting here just by watching the quantity of food I was eating. I have 20 lbs more and then I will try and maintain it. :flowerforyou:
  • shellsrenee01
    shellsrenee01 Posts: 357 Member
    I still drink soda, eat sweets, and have tasty pasta...and I'm losing weight. Love it! :drinker:
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    Every morning I wake up and I smoke a cigarette. And for breakfast I eat five strips of bacon. And for lunch a bacon sandwich. And for a mid day snack...BACON. A WHOLE DAMN PLATE. and I usually drink my dinner. Now according to all those flat belly experts, I shoulda took a dirt nap 30 years ago! Just goes to show ya.

    Grumpy Old Men?
  • CassieReannan
    CassieReannan Posts: 1,479 Member
    This is true. I havent cut out all junk food in my diet and I'm still losing weight. If I cut it all out I don't think I would stick to it for long.
    I still eat rice and bread but its brown. I still eat pasta but in moderation. I still have potato chips but not every day. I still have chocolate!

    I like to be in control of my macros too, not just calories. It's just the way I like to do it.. everyone is different.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    Cutting calories alone doesn't work for me, don't care about what the math says (and I am an engineer!!!!!)

    Luckily, I eat fairly healthy most of the time, and even more now, and I don't like fast food. The missing piece for me was the exercise and I seem to have that down now.

    I do have a piece of chocolate everyday, my down fall, but other than that I try to eat as clean as possible most of the time.

    I personally think you are kidding yourself, but to each their own....

    I think his statement was accurate if you exclude people with specific dietary related medical conditions.
  • JMeka
    JMeka Posts: 26
    I've read countless amounts of crap from people on this forum that just doesn't make sense, for example in order to lose weight you need to eat wholesome foods and NO junk food, to lose weight. But the truth is, you can eat what you want and lose weight - no, it's not ideal, you obviously need X amount of vitamins, protein etc, however anyone can lose weight eating what they want, as long as it's within their calorie allowance.

    There is an interesting read on the link below, a scientist eats nothing but Twinkies and junk food for two months and, would you believe it, lost weight. He took tablets for his vitamins and what not, but it just goes to show that these "only eat wholesome to lose weight" preachers are people who fell off a bandwagon somewhere along the way.

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

    Moral of the story? You CAN eat junk food (although it should be in moderation IMO) and lose weight - please do not listen to these ney sayers who claim eating junk food will result in not losing weight.

    You can lose weight eating anything. But to stay healthy and live long you need to eat right. You can't eat twinkies 3Xday for life and expect that you'll live to be an active 80.

    The crappy food catches up to you with high cholesterol, diabetes and heart attacks. These problems have been falsely attributed to obesity as the only cause. The truth is, a crappy lifestyle causes the problem.


    Totally agree...... Longevity is my key goal
  • Maurice1966
    Maurice1966 Posts: 419 Member
    ****AGREED*****
  • JuneBPrice
    JuneBPrice Posts: 294 Member
    Absolutely agree.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    What I say: "I've lost weight eating cookies, ice cream and fast food."

    What I mean: "Over the last 6 months I've lost weight incorporating cookies, ice cream and fast food into an otherwise nutrient rich and balanced diet."


    How is this hard to understand?
    BRUCE-LEE-APPROVES-GIF.gif
  • shorty35565
    shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
    I guess if you ONLY want to lose weight u can eat whatever u want. But I wanna be healthy. Skinny=/= healthy.
    Losing weight isn't all math imo. Our bodies all don't work the same way. What works for others, might not work for u or vice versa. So it can't be only simple math.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    I guess if you ONLY want to lose weight u can eat whatever u want. But I wanna be healthy. Skinny=/= healthy.
    Losing weight isn't all math imo. Our bodies all don't work the same way. What works for others, might not work for u or vice versa. So it can't be only simple math.

    Medical conditions can create differences. Personal preferences differ. Phyiologically it's mostly the same.

    Good reading:

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/you-are-not-different.html
  • Anthonydaman
    Anthonydaman Posts: 854 Member
    This is funny. I have been formulating thoughts around explaining the addictive nature of junk food, and how my 4 year journey has finally gotten me to a place where I no longer desire it at all, in fact, quite the opposite; I am repulsed by most of it, and completely indifferent to the rest. I crave natural wholesome food now and make those choices every time when offered either or. But, it takes some explaining. This little Preamble doesn't really do it justice.
    My four month journey has lead me to the same conclusion and feelings toward unhealthy food.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    Eating what I want works for me! Fortunately, I want to eat a healthy, nutritionally complete diet with occasional treats. :tongue:

    I don't feel good when I eat garbage, so I don't want to eat garbage.
  • aproc
    aproc Posts: 1,033 Member
    This is very simple.
    For mere weight loss with no concern for optimal health, eat whatever but create a deficit.
    For peak fitness and to look good, feel great and live well, clean eating is best.
    And that's lean meats, low fat dairy, nuts, whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies.
    It's not rocket science.
    I eat clean 75% of the time. That's as good as it gets, and it's a work in progress.
    Life is to be lived :drinker:

    This. ^
    If your only goal is just weightloss then of course you can eat whatever you want. I'm aiming for overall health and to get some good definition of the muscles I've worked so hard to build so I try and keep most of my daily food plan clean but still enjoying foods I love often. :P
  • jackieatx
    jackieatx Posts: 578 Member
    But if you do follow, say, a twinkie diet, how horrible would your skin and nails be? Sure, you might lose weight eating that sort of diet, but it won't satiate you. You'll still feel like crap.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    But if you do follow, say, a twinkie diet, how horrible would your skin and nails be? Sure, you might lose weight eating that sort of diet, but it won't satiate you. You'll still feel like crap.

    Probably true.

    But, I believe there lies a middle ground somewhere between eating 100% unprocessed and nutrient dense foods and only eating twinkies . It's somewhere between these end-points that, given a diet that's nutrient rich with the proper total food intake, one can incorporate some of that junk food and still lose weight, and not be miserable.
  • kayemme
    kayemme Posts: 1,782 Member
    This is funny. I have been formulating thoughts around explaining the addictive nature of junk food, and how my 4 year journey has finally gotten me to a place where I no longer desire it at all, in fact, quite the opposite; I am repulsed by most of it, and completely indifferent to the rest. I crave natural wholesome food now and make those choices every time when offered either or. But, it takes some explaining. This little Preamble doesn't really do it justice.

    agreed. I sometimes still have a craving for chips, and I may indulge occasionally, but I don't feel deprived in any case. my diet has switched to a highly whole-foods approach and I find that most of the time, I don't really want "junk" food. Today, "junk" food is my home-made granola, which isn't junky at all! (but it is kind of sweet, so I treat it similarly)
  • NWCountryGal
    NWCountryGal Posts: 1,992 Member
    I missed those posts but I certainly believe in eating healthy foods to supply nutritional needs but I love going and having McDonalds or other gut-bomb, and I still have lost weight. The winners I know have twinkies once in awhile:drinker: :drinker: :laugh:

    I've read countless amounts of crap from people on this forum that just doesn't make sense, for example in order to lose weight you need to eat wholesome foods and NO junk food, to lose weight. But the truth is, you can eat what you want and lose weight - no, it's not ideal, you obviously need X amount of vitamins, protein etc, however anyone can lose weight eating what they want, as long as it's within their calorie allowance.

    There is an interesting read on the link below, a scientist eats nothing but Twinkies and junk food for two months and, would you believe it, lost weight. He took tablets for his vitamins and what not, but it just goes to show that these "only eat wholesome to lose weight" preachers are people who fell off a bandwagon somewhere along the way.

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

    Moral of the story? You CAN eat junk food (although it should be in moderation IMO) and lose weight - please do not listen to these ney sayers who claim eating junk food will result in not losing weight.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    Eating junk makes me want to eat more junk. And it's not because I deprive myself now--I like what I eat on a regular basis. If I tried to incorporate jnk all the time, I think I'd drive myself crazy trying to fit it into my calorie limit and also getting adequate nutrition. It's much better for me to have it only on days out with friends or those times that for some reason I just get out of sync. But I feel better and do better when I am sticking to a cleaner approach.
  • NWCountryGal
    NWCountryGal Posts: 1,992 Member
    Now that's a healthy answer, good stuff!!
    But if you do follow, say, a twinkie diet, how horrible would your skin and nails be? Sure, you might lose weight eating that sort of diet, but it won't satiate you. You'll still feel like crap.

    Probably true.

    But, I believe there lies a middle ground somewhere between eating 100% unprocessed and nutrient dense foods and only eating twinkies . It's somewhere between these end-points that, given a diet that's nutrient rich with the proper total food intake, one can incorporate some of that junk food and still lose weight, and not be miserable.
  • mnlght535
    mnlght535 Posts: 84
    I've read countless amounts of crap from people on this forum that just doesn't make sense, for example in order to lose weight you need to eat wholesome foods and NO junk food, to lose weight. But the truth is, you can eat what you want and lose weight - no, it's not ideal, you obviously need X amount of vitamins, protein etc, however anyone can lose weight eating what they want, as long as it's within their calorie allowance.

    There is an interesting read on the link below, a scientist eats nothing but Twinkies and junk food for two months and, would you believe it, lost weight. He took tablets for his vitamins and what not, but it just goes to show that these "only eat wholesome to lose weight" preachers are people who fell off a bandwagon somewhere along the way.

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

    Moral of the story? You CAN eat junk food (although it should be in moderation IMO) and lose weight - please do not listen to these ney sayers who claim eating junk food will result in not losing weight.

    MaverickUK2K,

    While it may be true that you can eat whatever you want as long as you are expending more calories that you are taking in, you will never have a fit, healthy, good looking body if you do that. And I think you're chastising without realizing the reality of these forums and the people on them.

    Most people equate losing weight with getting the body they want. They equate losing with getting healthy and getting fit and trim. You're upset because you think in literal terms only and you don't see what most people see.

    The FACT is that HEALTHY, SUSTAINABLE WEIGHT LOSS can only be done eating healthy, wholesome foods. And even your twinkie-eating scientist has to admit to that one.

    Oh btw, if all I ate was twinkies...even if it was only 1200 calories...I would blow up like a balloon. So perhaps they should have used a wide range of people for their little scientific test so it would be a real test and not a total, non-scientific, absolute fail. What that scientist did proved only that HE could lose weight eating that way. It proved NOTHING about the majority of the population.

    I find that I have what I would call a "treat" once in awhile and incorporate it into my caloric intake so I don't feel like I am dieting. I feel that what I am learning from MFP and the information that is shared, it is more of a lifestyle change not a diet. By the way, if I only ate between 1200-1500 calories worth of twinkies I would gain weight too but I would be starving lol.
  • dvisser1
    dvisser1 Posts: 788 Member
    I guess if you ONLY want to lose weight u can eat whatever u want. But I wanna be healthy. Skinny=/= healthy.
    Losing weight isn't all math imo. Our bodies all don't work the same way. What works for others, might not work for u or vice versa. So it can't be only simple math.

    I absolutely agree with this.

    Now, when I read the original post from the OP I felt it was aimed at the people on here who act as absolutists. They start acting like one scoop of ice cream or one potato chip and it's all over....and that no one should ever eat another unhealthy thing ever again. Those people annoy me. What has worked for me is moderation. I eat clean and healthy 75% of the time or more, but I do allow myself the occasional indulgence. A piece of chocolate here, a cookie there....it's working me.
  • davidsgirl145
    davidsgirl145 Posts: 162 Member
    Take a lesson from the carrot cake. It is both a vegetable and delicious dessert! I shall strive to keep this balance! :bigsmile:
  • mnlght535
    mnlght535 Posts: 84
    LOL mmmm carrot cake is so yummy but it is packed full of calories....anyone have a healthier carrot cake recipe they want to share...see what you have started with the whole carrot cake thing haha :laugh:
  • davidsgirl145
    davidsgirl145 Posts: 162 Member
    replace the oil with applesauce... that helps a Ton with the calorie load and tastes great! that's about all i can do. LOL
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    Every morning I wake up and I smoke a cigarette. And for breakfast I eat five strips of bacon. And for lunch a bacon sandwich. And for a mid day snack...BACON. A WHOLE DAMN PLATE. and I usually drink my dinner. Now according to all those flat belly experts, I shoulda took a dirt nap 30 years ago! Just goes to show ya.

    Hehehe, I lost a heap of weight on the Jack Daniels and Nicotine plan some years back. Nutrients consisted mostly of pot noodles and the occasional doner kebab. Exercise was a lot of walking.

    Was I thin? Hell yes.

    Did I look healthy? Hell yes.

    Was I healthy, was it sustainable, did I learn anything about decent nutrition? Hell no!

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