Can you really eat anything and lose?
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a great deal of modern nutrition science is now pointing to protein and fat as the best energy sources, augmented with fiber and nutrient rich fruits and vegetables as being the best way to keep one's insulin levels at bay and decrease the chance of insulin resistance (which can lead to type II diabetes)....
processed, high sugar carbs (everything from soda, fruit juice and alcohol to corn, potatoes, white bread, crackers, bagels, etc.) have a high glycemic index and turn on massive insulin production, which makes you crave more carbs (bad cycle)
our bodies store excess energy as fat in the presence of insulin
can you eat anything and loose weight? probably yes - with the Kcal in, Kcal out theory - but explain to me how poor people are often fat? it's because their Kcal's in are very high in processed carbs (which are the cheapest foods - sadly)
can you eat smarter and loose weight more rapidly? absolutely! - read "Why We Get Fat" it will change your views forever
like someone else posted before - the quality of the calories does matter, for overall health and for the way the body reacts
i am not a scientist, nor nutritionist, but I am well-read on this topic and have put it to use
LolTaubes0 -
This site is filled with people who: 1. Need to lose a few pounds 2. Spend hours a day in a gym 3. Vegetarians 4. Have an ideal BMI, but want a sculpted body 5. Need to lose 100+ pounds 6. Need to lose 10-30 lbs 7. Everyone else in between
That being said, I am a number 5. I joined MFP about 117 days ago. I have lost 75 pounds. Over the last few months I have tried to incorporate healthy foods into my diet. I do eat ice cream, pizza, hot dogs, bread, etc.... I simply count calories for the most part. When I was 75 lbs heavier, I was more unhealthy than I am today. I am halfway to my weight goal, and adding more natural healthy alternatives each week.
If you have 100+ pounds to lose, please don't get discouraged and give up on losing weight because of all of the "negative" things that members have to say. Opinions are like ........, and everyone has one! Even here on MFP. If you choose to lose weight by counting calories and keep ice cream, pizza and taco's in your diet, it's fine! People tend to "split hairs" on here when it comes to calories. Let's say you are allowed 1500 calories a day after putting all your info in. You have a twin with all of the same info and same calories allotted. Do you think that if you eat only fruits, vegetables and beans that total 1500 calories a day, and your twin eats pizza, ice cream and taco's that equal out to 1500 calories a day, that you will lose more weight? If you both have the same activities and consume the same calories, you will both burn the same amount of calories! Granted, you will be healthier because you will be getting all of the nutrients you need and will be taking in less fat, salt, chemicals and etc.. But both of you will still lose weight.
I'm sure that there will be a bunch of "haters" on here that will challenge me on this, but view my diary before you make an *kitten* out of yourselves! Not everything I eat comes fresh out of the garden, and I still lose weight! Like I said, I am adding more healthy, fresh fruits and vegetables every day. After all, I'm not just trying to lose weight, I'm trying to become more healthy, and eating healthy all the time, is my long term goal! I'm not a 20 year old buff "boy" that has yet to face reality, I'm a 43 year old, father of 4 with grandchildren. I'm a 5'10" Army Veteran that never hit 200lbs until I was almost 28 years old. Life happens, I put everything in my life before my own health for years. Now it's time to take care of me, so I can see my grandkids, kids grow up!
I hope that this helped at least one person on here, hopefully I kept you from giving up! Friend me if you would like to get support from a "real" person, trying to change his life to a more healthy one!
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I wanna say no
cause when i want to eat chocolate and drink iced coffee with whipped cream and still stay within my calories I gain weight so the answer is no.
you have to not only look at your calories intake but also look at your sugar, your fat if any of these are red then you ll not lose anything
Uh ... wrong. Unless you defy the rules of science.
Not necessarily. Going from dieting and eating 'clean foods,' as much as I hate that term, to eating junk can definitely cause a boatload of water retention. I mean, think of it like this. When you're dieting, glycogen can be depleted. When you move towards more junk food, glycogen gets repleted. Each molecule of glycogen carries 3 molecules of water.
Put simply, tissue mass is predicated on energy balance. And I know that's what you're implying. But weight entails other variables that can rise in the face of an energy deficit.
Water retention is not the same as weight gain.
Huh? I believe you mean water is not the same as tissue gain. But that's something that I never implied. Water retention most definitely leads to weight gain... acute or not.0 -
Honestly providing individuals are able to moderate their intake of crack (or any other illegal recreational drug for that matter) then sure, they can take that one hit every so often. If people develop addictions, serious addictions where they'll do anything for the hit (be it drugs or food) then you have to rethink everything, but if you are able to control yourself and understand the difference between planning to take a hit to keep yourself ticking over and indulging a little bit every now and then and you're perfectly happy with the potential consequences then go for it.
Each must find the way that suits them best. For some it means cutting everything out, but for many in this thread it means realising that painting various foods in the same light as the boogeyman, to be avoided at all costs, just doesn't work for them. For a lot of people sustainable changes must be made, and sustainability can be found in seeing that the harm in consuming "unhealthy" food in small amounts is negligible.
However it is slightly hyperbolic to compare various illegal and highly addictive drugs to unhealthy food, that smells a little like the all too frequent scaremongering.
Great comment! :happy:0 -
I did. I'm not going to deny myself. Although, since I got pregnant, I think I've been eating considerably better than I had been. Most of my fruits and vegetables had been frozen. I just couldn't keep up with fresh fruits/veggies. They would go bad before I could eat them. But then, I had a power outage and lost and entire freezer and fridge full of food. I can't go afford to go through that again. So when I got my fridge emptied, I told myself that I'm going to shop small, just enough to eat for 2-3 days at a time and eat fresher. And I have been! I still eat whatever I want though. If I want pizza, I will have pizza. If I want ice cream, I will eat it. I eat everything I want to eat and keep it within my goals. But, once a week, I have a "high calorie" day where I don't feel guilty about going well over my calorie allowance. And I still lose weight.0
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...because since fruits and veg are less calorific, you can eat more and stay in your limit. Bottom line, I find healthy foods keep me on track since I feel fuller, more energized and healthy.
thissss x 100!!! However, I also think occasional treats are ok, and help keep me on track also because I'm not completely deprived of the experience of those not-good-for-you-but-oh-so-delicious foods. but those treats are logged and counted against my calorie "budget".0 -
I wanna say no
cause when i want to eat chocolate and drink iced coffee with whipped cream and still stay within my calories I gain weight so the answer is no.
you have to not only look at your calories intake but also look at your sugar, your fat if any of these are red then you ll not lose anything
Uh ... wrong. Unless you defy the rules of science.
Not necessarily. Going from dieting and eating 'clean foods,' as much as I hate that term, to eating junk can definitely cause a boatload of water retention. I mean, think of it like this. When you're dieting, glycogen can be depleted. When you move towards more junk food, glycogen gets repleted. Each molecule of glycogen carries 3 molecules of water.
Put simply, tissue mass is predicated on energy balance. And I know that's what you're implying. But weight entails other variables that can rise in the face of an energy deficit.
Water retention is not the same as weight gain.
Huh? I believe you mean water is not the same as tissue gain. But that's something that I never implied. Water retention most definitely leads to weight gain... acute or not.
Water retention may lead to a higher number on the scale for a day, but it does not lead to actual permanent weight gain.0 -
I'm fairly certain you can in moderation.But also, track your fat, sugars, sodium for a more rounded healthful approach. I always have calories left over at the end of the day but my goal is to be within my cholesterol, sugars, and sodium levels too.0
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most people who have a lot to lose can... but once you get down to a 20-15 range, i venture to say that its a whole new story!0
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I wanna say no
cause when i want to eat chocolate and drink iced coffee with whipped cream and still stay within my calories I gain weight so the answer is no.
you have to not only look at your calories intake but also look at your sugar, your fat if any of these are red then you ll not lose anything
Uh ... wrong. Unless you defy the rules of science.
Not necessarily. Going from dieting and eating 'clean foods,' as much as I hate that term, to eating junk can definitely cause a boatload of water retention. I mean, think of it like this. When you're dieting, glycogen can be depleted. When you move towards more junk food, glycogen gets repleted. Each molecule of glycogen carries 3 molecules of water.
Put simply, tissue mass is predicated on energy balance. And I know that's what you're implying. But weight entails other variables that can rise in the face of an energy deficit.
Water retention is not the same as weight gain.
Huh? I believe you mean water is not the same as tissue gain. But that's something that I never implied. Water retention most definitely leads to weight gain... acute or not.
Water retention may lead to a higher number on the scale for a day, but it does not lead to actual permanent weight gain.
I'm well aware of this but never suggested anything different. Now that you put the "permanent" qualifier on your statement I can agree with it. How you said it originally though is inaccurate. Seems subtle, I know. But those words mean things.
We're really 'battling' over semantics at this point. You obviously understand. But not everyone does. In fact I started a thread on this forum titled relatively lean people trying to get leaner, or something along those lines. It was one of the most popular threads ever. And the gist of it revolved around the concept of water retention's ability to mask real tissue loss in the face of a deficit... especially in thin people who are eating hypocalorically.
I think it's fine to talk about "science".... assuming you're referring to physics and thermodynamics. But it's more proper to speak about mass or tissue gain/loss than it is weight gain/loss when it comes to energy balance... simply because weight is comprise of variables that aren't necessarily dependent on thermodynamics/energy.
Sorry for nitpicking, but based on the thread I mentioned, plenty of people still don't understand this concept... so I think it's meaningful. You have to remember, as much as we tout the importance of the longer term trends being the important variable, many people are still focused on the short-term fluctuations.0 -
I think you can start out doing this and lose, especially if you have a lot to lose. But once you get down to the last 10 lbs or so it's more about macros and type of food.0
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Yup!!!!! I've lost 17 pounds so far. I've been on MFP for almost three months. Three times I went over my calorie limit for the day. I try not to do that. In the tally of total calorie intake versus calorie burn, I'm not eating the calories I used to. And I still go to McDonald's, Sbarro, Taco Bell, etc. I just can't have as much as I'd like. 0
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I have only been traking my food intake for a few days, but once I push the complete button it says I will gain weight if I continue to eat the way I did for that day. I am within the calories, fat, protein etc that the program said I could have. What up with that?? :sad:0
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I wanna say no
cause when i want to eat chocolate and drink iced coffee with whipped cream and still stay within my calories I gain weight so the answer is no.
you have to not only look at your calories intake but also look at your sugar, your fat if any of these are red then you ll not lose anything
Uh ... wrong. Unless you defy the rules of science.
Not necessarily. Going from dieting and eating 'clean foods,' as much as I hate that term, to eating junk can definitely cause a boatload of water retention. I mean, think of it like this. When you're dieting, glycogen can be depleted. When you move towards more junk food, glycogen gets repleted. Each molecule of glycogen carries 3 molecules of water.
Put simply, tissue mass is predicated on energy balance. And I know that's what you're implying. But weight entails other variables that can rise in the face of an energy deficit.
Water retention is not the same as weight gain.
Huh? I believe you mean water is not the same as tissue gain. But that's something that I never implied. Water retention most definitely leads to weight gain... acute or not.
Water retention may lead to a higher number on the scale for a day, but it does not lead to actual permanent weight gain.
I'm well aware of this but never suggested anything different. Now that you put the "permanent" qualifier on your statement I can agree with it. How you said it originally though is inaccurate. Seems subtle, I know. But those words mean things.
We're really 'battling' over semantics at this point. You obviously understand. But not everyone does. In fact I started a thread on this forum titled relatively lean people trying to get leaner, or something along those lines. It was one of the most popular threads ever. And the gist of it revolved around the concept of water retention's ability to mask real tissue loss in the face of a deficit... especially in thin people who are eating hypocalorically.
I think it's fine to talk about "science".... assuming you're referring to physics and thermodynamics. But it's more proper to speak about mass or tissue gain/loss than it is weight gain/loss when it comes to energy balance... simply because weight is comprise of variables that aren't necessarily dependent on thermodynamics/energy.
Sorry for nitpicking, but based on the thread I mentioned, plenty of people still don't understand this concept... so I think it's meaningful. You have to remember, as much as we tout the importance of the longer term trends being the important variable, many people are still focused on the short-term fluctuations.
No, let's nitpick. Your statement: "if any of these are red then you ll not lose anything"
That is not true.
You then tried to prove it by saying: "When you move towards more junk food, glycogen gets repleted. Each molecule of glycogen carries 3 molecules of water."
Implying that you won't lose anything because of water retention.
What I said was NEVER inaccurate. What you said is still wrong.0 -
I wanna say no
cause when i want to eat chocolate and drink iced coffee with whipped cream and still stay within my calories I gain weight so the answer is no.
you have to not only look at your calories intake but also look at your sugar, your fat if any of these are red then you ll not lose anything
Uh ... wrong. Unless you defy the rules of science.
Not necessarily. Going from dieting and eating 'clean foods,' as much as I hate that term, to eating junk can definitely cause a boatload of water retention. I mean, think of it like this. When you're dieting, glycogen can be depleted. When you move towards more junk food, glycogen gets repleted. Each molecule of glycogen carries 3 molecules of water.
Put simply, tissue mass is predicated on energy balance. And I know that's what you're implying. But weight entails other variables that can rise in the face of an energy deficit.
Water retention is not the same as weight gain.
Huh? I believe you mean water is not the same as tissue gain. But that's something that I never implied. Water retention most definitely leads to weight gain... acute or not.
Water retention may lead to a higher number on the scale for a day, but it does not lead to actual permanent weight gain.
I'm well aware of this but never suggested anything different. Now that you put the "permanent" qualifier on your statement I can agree with it. How you said it originally though is inaccurate. Seems subtle, I know. But those words mean things.
We're really 'battling' over semantics at this point. You obviously understand. But not everyone does. In fact I started a thread on this forum titled relatively lean people trying to get leaner, or something along those lines. It was one of the most popular threads ever. And the gist of it revolved around the concept of water retention's ability to mask real tissue loss in the face of a deficit... especially in thin people who are eating hypocalorically.
I think it's fine to talk about "science".... assuming you're referring to physics and thermodynamics. But it's more proper to speak about mass or tissue gain/loss than it is weight gain/loss when it comes to energy balance... simply because weight is comprise of variables that aren't necessarily dependent on thermodynamics/energy.
Sorry for nitpicking, but based on the thread I mentioned, plenty of people still don't understand this concept... so I think it's meaningful. You have to remember, as much as we tout the importance of the longer term trends being the important variable, many people are still focused on the short-term fluctuations.
No, let's nitpick. Your statement: "if any of these are red then you ll not lose anything"
That is not true.
You then tried to prove it by saying: "When you move towards more junk food, glycogen gets repleted. Each molecule of glycogen carries 3 molecules of water."
Implying that you won't lose anything because of water retention.
What I said was NEVER inaccurate. What you said is still wrong.
I'm sorry, but can you show me where I said, "if any of these are red then you ll not lose anything"?0 -
I wanna say no
cause when i want to eat chocolate and drink iced coffee with whipped cream and still stay within my calories I gain weight so the answer is no.
you have to not only look at your calories intake but also look at your sugar, your fat if any of these are red then you ll not lose anything
Uh ... wrong. Unless you defy the rules of science.
Not necessarily. Going from dieting and eating 'clean foods,' as much as I hate that term, to eating junk can definitely cause a boatload of water retention. I mean, think of it like this. When you're dieting, glycogen can be depleted. When you move towards more junk food, glycogen gets repleted. Each molecule of glycogen carries 3 molecules of water.
Put simply, tissue mass is predicated on energy balance. And I know that's what you're implying. But weight entails other variables that can rise in the face of an energy deficit.
Water retention is not the same as weight gain.
Huh? I believe you mean water is not the same as tissue gain. But that's something that I never implied. Water retention most definitely leads to weight gain... acute or not.
Water retention may lead to a higher number on the scale for a day, but it does not lead to actual permanent weight gain.
I'm well aware of this but never suggested anything different. Now that you put the "permanent" qualifier on your statement I can agree with it. How you said it originally though is inaccurate. Seems subtle, I know. But those words mean things.
We're really 'battling' over semantics at this point. You obviously understand. But not everyone does. In fact I started a thread on this forum titled relatively lean people trying to get leaner, or something along those lines. It was one of the most popular threads ever. And the gist of it revolved around the concept of water retention's ability to mask real tissue loss in the face of a deficit... especially in thin people who are eating hypocalorically.
I think it's fine to talk about "science".... assuming you're referring to physics and thermodynamics. But it's more proper to speak about mass or tissue gain/loss than it is weight gain/loss when it comes to energy balance... simply because weight is comprise of variables that aren't necessarily dependent on thermodynamics/energy.
Sorry for nitpicking, but based on the thread I mentioned, plenty of people still don't understand this concept... so I think it's meaningful. You have to remember, as much as we tout the importance of the longer term trends being the important variable, many people are still focused on the short-term fluctuations.
No, let's nitpick. Your statement: "if any of these are red then you ll not lose anything"
That is not true.
You then tried to prove it by saying: "When you move towards more junk food, glycogen gets repleted. Each molecule of glycogen carries 3 molecules of water."
Implying that you won't lose anything because of water retention.
What I said was NEVER inaccurate. What you said is still wrong.
If you want to nitpick, I suggest getting who said what straight before firing off. Just a friendly hint when you decide to try and win Internets.
And your implication about my statement pertaining to glycogen and water is inaccurate. I was not implying that you won't lose anything. My implication was that water weight can and often does mask tissue loss in acute time frames and that since so many around here still focus on the short-term fluctuations in weight, which are mostly due to water flux, we should be more careful with our words when we say things like what you said.
What you said was inaccurate. Well, I'll be nice. We can say it was incomplete. You said:
"Water retention is not the same as weight gain."
If you retain more water, seeing as how water weighs something, it actually does equate to weight gain.
Later on in the conversation you refined (read: changed) your statement to say:
"it does not lead to actual permanent weight gain. "
That I can agree with. And you really should have left it at that.0 -
Sure, but calorie-dense foods tend to have a lot of sugar and very little in the way of protein and will cause your blood sugar to spike, then plummet. You will be hungry again very shortly after eating that. So, as someone said, could you eat 1700 calories a day in jelly donuts and still lose weight? The answer is yes, assuming that's below your BMR, but you'd probably still be hungry during the day and would feel like crap.
You're better off eating less calorie-dense foods (fruits, veggies) and more protein- and fiber-rich foods that will keep you fuller, longer and generally make you feel good by providing necessary vitamins and minerals.
Admittedly when I started logging on MFP almost a year and a half ago, I ate pretty much whatever I wanted in moderation. As an example, I relied on 100-calorie packs of Cheez-Its, etc., for snacks. I did lose weight, but now I can't even imagine eating one of those packs. I eat Greek yogurt and/or fruit for snacks. Maybe it's because I work out regularly and need proper fuel, but for whatever reason I actually crave "good" foods. I will "cheat," though, so long as it's reasonable and a once-in-a-blue-moon thing, like a birthday. I mean, you have to live your life!
^^This is what happened to me too!0 -
I have only been traking my food intake for a few days, but once I push the complete button it says I will gain weight if I continue to eat the way I did for that day. I am within the calories, fat, protein etc that the program said I could have. What up with that?? :sad:
I can't see your diary, but it sounds like you are going over your net calories for the day. You should have a few calories left over (not be red) after counting exercise (if any). The number isn't an exact science anyways, but it should be pointing in the right direction...0
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