Eating what you want and losing weight

Maurice1966

****AGREED*****

JuneBPrice

Absolutely agree.

Helloitsdan

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?

shorty35565

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

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

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

Eating what I want works for me! Fortunately, I want to eat a healthy, nutritionally complete diet with occasional treats.

I don't feel good when I eat garbage, so I don't want to eat garbage.

aproc

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Take a lesson from the carrot cake. It is both a vegetable and delicious dessert! I shall strive to keep this balance! :bigsmile:

mnlght535

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

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

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!