Does it matter what i eat as long as i burn it off

salgalruns

I hear what you're saying with the calorie counts, but it sounds to me like your goal is actually just to lose weight, not to get into a healthy lifestyle. For me, I was aiming for the lifestyle change - not only the working out, but also the nutritional choices. Even with moderation, the on-the-go foods weren't agreeing with my system anymore. Plus, I wanted to rely on nutrition first and pondered the following - what if I was unable to work out due to illness or injury? Would I be able to rely on my ability to control my food?

While the pounds CAN come off if you watch your portions (aka calorie counting) and you work out, you may still be putting unheathy stuff into your body which can have adverse effects. Perhaps try the healthy choices more often, or at least make healthier substitutions whenever possible.

emnk5308

Is that good Fuel for your body? =/
When working out everyday you have to feed yourself good. Eating that stuff often and working out.. you might feel sick =/

VorJoshigan

Ive been working out everyday for no less than 35 minutes i do eat chips and cake and pizza i know im not supose too at all but when i do i dont over do it but when im done It stresses me out because i feel like im throwing all my hard work away .Idk how that works.

I predict the following if this thread gets going:
_________________
Yes it totally matters.
No it doesn't matter at all.
Yes it matters a little bit.
No
Yes
No
Absolutely because Taubes said so
Taubes is an idiot, Calories in < Calories out = weight loss
nuh uh!
Yeah huh!
etc. ad nauseum
__________________

Everybody is different. For me personally, I do better when I eliminate sugar altogether. The more I eat sugar, the more I want it. I have a much higher chance of pigging out if I eat sugar. I was 200 lbs overweight when i started, so your mileage will definitely vary.

With regard to burning it off, the science is pretty clear. Cardio is a waste of your time for weight loss. It's probably great for your heart and lots of other things, but it doesn't help most people lose weight. One study I saw said that 60 minutes of intermittent sprinting in a week was as effective as 7 hours of cardio for fat loss.

Good luck! It's hard, but you can do it.

NoAdditives

I think all things are ok in moderation...I'm sure you'll see faster/better results if you eat totally clean, but I also think we are human, and life should be enjoyed...as long as it is in moderation and fits you calorie goals, don't feel bad.

I agree with this. I do my best to eat healthy foods at least 70-80% of the time. I never feel bad about indulging, I just make sure it doesn't happen every day.

Ardanassac

It does matter what you eat. What kind of pizza are you eating? Opt for something lean and healthy. A margarita pizza with wheat crust and soy cheese from the health food section of the grocery store is A LOT healthier and cheaper than let's say Pizza Hut, Papa Johns, Dominos, or Donatos. A slice of cake made from a recipe from the diabetic cookbooks is a lot healthier than a slice of cake at your friend's birthday party. When you're trying to get fit and lead a healthier life, the first few months are the most difficult and it's so easy to get off track. "Just say no". If sweets are your poison, just say NO! It's a lot easier to say no to other people than to yourself. Practice makes perfect. Is it okay to have your favorite foods every once and a while? Yes, in moderation but NOT during those first few critical months. But ALWAYS opt for something HEALTHIER. You want that pizza? Work for it, make it yourself and make healthy choices as you make it. You want that cake? Make healthier choices! Find out how many calories it is, and work it off BEFORE you eat it. After your workout, ask yourself if all that hard work was really worth throwing away on junk food. It's a decision you HAVE TO MAKE YOURSELF!!! You can ask us... Some of us are going to say yes, so will say no... AND ME... I will challenge you! In anything and everything you do, you have to ask yourself... IS IT WORTH IT? Good luck! I hope that you will make the right decision.

kmm7309

No, it doesn't matter. Eat whatever you want.

But I will tell you what happened to me. When I ate like that (constantly), I was always hungry trying to stay under my calories. I was irritable. I did my exercises and I earned my food. But I binged a lot. I still lost weight. I craved food all the time, even if I wasn't hungry.

Then I cleaned up a bit (not totally). Tried eating less processed food, and better stuff for me. I don't crave chocolate or pizza or burgers or pies or anything that I used to "just barely fit" into my calories. I'm happier than ever because those foods don't define me.

Now I'm not saying I eat a huge salad every day. I just substitute good for bad when I can, and avoid the bad, greasy stuff. Not even because I'm dieting (anymore), but because I don't even have an appetite for it.

c_wall87

Im only going to say this once....SUGAR IS THE DEVIL!!!!!!!
Anytime a person eats over 30g of sugar in a meal (this applies to male and female) the body will begin to produce insulin which SLOWS DOWN the fat burning process you worked so hard for to a complete crawl. Ever eat ahigh sugar meal and get that 2:30 feeling and feel bloated??? Guess why!?! Your body is freaking out!! All that bloating is not water weight its caused by your body stopping the fat burn in its tracks!!!! What was fat about to be burned is now stored IMMEDIATELY due to high insulin levels!

blonde71

I just think you'll get out of something what you put into it.

^^^^^This.

Ardanassac

TRUTH

Of course it matters.
Optimal health is not earned by accident.
The cleaner you eat, the better your health.
And everybody knows this, but people like to justify their poor eating.
If all you want is mere weight loss, eat whatever. Start smoking as it's fabulous appetite suppression .
Again, great health is an achievement you earn through proper nutrition - not eating anything and everything so long as the calories are right.

jsidel126

- YOU CAN'T OUT EXERCISE A BAD DIET...
- 30 min of aerobics can burn 200 - 300 cal. A full sugar soda/energy drink can easily erase this in less than 5 min.
- Eat cleaner foods...You wont have to exercise as much (when you decide to take a break as we all do)...
- Lower calorie foods allow you to eat more to stay full and most do not have sugars/salts that encourage one to eat more than needed to satisfy hunger. Eat until you are full/satisfied as opposed to eat until the package is empty.

Dragonflybjm63

a treat is a treat, it's something you wouldnot get to have very often. i think its great that you dont go overboard, however wouldnt it be of a greater benefit to your body if what you ate contained nutrient, vitamins,minerals and kept you feeling satisfied. would we put cordial in the petrol tank instead of fuel and expect it to perform well. I have wine on most w/ends and yes i get active but the sulphur in it interfers with my ability to loose weight, and the calories are in my range but i know i took 2 steps forward and 1 step back. So to me I think it matters

davert123

for me its a matter of science :-) You need to eat enough nutrients for your body e.g. (protein, vitamins, minerals). To do this we consume food that has carbs and fat in. After that if we have any additional calories left they can be eaten any way you like. But it would also be worth considering that eating too much fat is bad for you and for some people eating sugar is bad as well. Its up to us all to find out what works. If you are not eating too much fat already then pizza is fine, if you are eating quite a bit of fat then statistically eating pizza can be detrimental even when we don’t want it to be ;-). I think as people have said moderation is the key. Please don’t think I’m on my high horse – I’m bad at watching my overall mix of food as well as well but I’m determined to move myself to a more healthy diet. Good luck whatever you do.

davert123

Im only going to say this once....SUGAR IS THE DEVIL!!!!!!!
Anytime a person eats over 30g of sugar in a meal (this applies to male and female) the body will begin to produce insulin which SLOWS DOWN the fat burning process you worked so hard for to a complete crawl. Ever eat ahigh sugar meal and get that 2:30 feeling and feel bloated??? Guess why!?! Your body is freaking out!! All that bloating is not water weight its caused by your body stopping the fat burn in its tracks!!!! What was fat about to be burned is now stored IMMEDIATELY due to high insulin levels!

Also sugar can be very adictive so when we have a little bit we can get a craving for more - I leave it alone whenever I can which is the vast amount of the time :-)

dougt333

It's impossible to be perfect, so just do the best you can. I would say follow two main rules. If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it.
And avoid food, if you don't know where it came from whenever you can. If you really want to study how differnt foods effect the body then read the book "The Complete book of food and nutrition." Also, sugar and processed flours are not meant to be consumed by people. Avoid them like their poisen (because they are)

bsharrah

I hear the phrase "its ok in moderation" thrown out a lot. I agree with the statement but the problem I see is what people consider "in moderation" will differ depending on their perspective. For me, pizza in moderation means 1-2 slices (depending on the pizza and what is on it) about once in a month while others may think 3-4 slices once a week is ok. Pizza, cake, and chips have a huge number of calories so do not assume you can just "burn them off". A "very good" cardio workout may burn off a couple slices, but closer to just one. It is these kinds of foods that really take their toll. Even if you don't see weight gain you can certainly hinder your progress depending on your definition of "moderation".

One thing I learned, which I wish I knew so much earlier in life, is that diet is everything. You can exercise everyday to burn x number of calories, but if you aren't eating a healthy diet consistently, you are just peeing in the wind.

Kara_xxx

I predict the following if this thread gets going:
_________________
Yes it totally matters.
No it doesn't matter at all.
Yes it matters a little bit.
No
Yes
No
Absolutely because Taubes said so
Taubes is an idiot, Calories in < Calories out = weight loss
nuh uh!
Yeah huh!
etc. ad nauseum
__________________

:laugh:

Kara_xxx

I hear the phrase "its ok in moderation" thrown out a lot. I agree with the statement but the problem I see is what people consider "in moderation" will differ depending on their perspective. For me, pizza in moderation means 1-2 slices (depending on the pizza and what is on it) about once in a month while others may think 3-4 slices once a week is ok. Pizza, cake, and chips have a huge number of calories so do not assume you can just "burn them off". A "very good" cardio workout may burn off a couple slices, but closer to just one. It is these kinds of foods that really take their toll. Even if you don't see weight gain you can certainly hinder your progress depending on your definition of "moderation".

One thing I learned, which I wish I knew so much earlier in life, is that diet is everything. You can exercise everyday to burn x number of calories, but if you aren't eating a healthy diet consistently, you are just peeing in the wind.

That's a very good point.

Some people who used to eat a bag of doughnuts a day, might think it's "moderation" just to have 2 a day... but in my eyes it would be far from "moderate" to have this rubbish on a daily basis at all.... they're still sugarly crap of zero nutritional value, but I guess in their eyes it's progress not to eat the whole bag anymore.

I guess people are different. Some people prefer to completely cut something out (e.g. "no more coke for me") and some people prefer to slowly reduce something until they reach a level that they think is ok for them.

beachlover317

YES, as a matter of fact, it DOES matter.

faramouse

I tend to eat a lot of take away and junk food, but I'm keeping track of just how much I'm actually consuming per meal (no upsizing etc) However I also walk at least 45 mins a day to commute to work, PLUS around an hour of dedicated exercise when I get home. I think it's more important to actually enjoy life than deprive yourself of simple pleasures just to be thin. Just be sensible about it

holpan11

I find that in order to lose weight exercise AND eating well (healthy food) with the occasional treat granted, is so much better than just exercise alone.