Can you really eat anything and lose?

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  • tuiccim
    tuiccim Posts: 689 Member
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    Yes, you can. But, let's look at some comparisons...

    400cals.jpg

    compare.jpg

    Yes, you can eat junk. In the end though, you will be hungry, bloated, and unsatisfied. This will make you more likely to binge. You can always have things in moderation.
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
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    Yes, you can but... compare these meal days.
    Breakfast - One Pop Tart or... 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1 T flax seed, Splenda, 1 cup water, 1 cup coffee, 1 T sugar free Creamer

    Lunch - Pizza or... 2 slices whole wheat Healthy Life bread, 6 slices turkey, 2 tsp spicy mustard, half an avocado, romaine lettuce, 14 mini carrots (the big ones), 1/2 cup cauliflower, 1 apple

    Dinner - Velveeta shells and cheese with broccoli - or 2 grilled Tilapia fillets (or chicken) One whole red bell pepper, 1/2 red onion- All grilled, plus 3/4 cup brown rice

    Snacks - 2 mini candy bars or....Dannon light and fit, sugar free vanilla yogurt with 1 T flax seed and 1/2 or 1 cup fruit

    You tell me which meals would keep you full and nourish your body! Yes, it's easier to eat food that easy to prepare but it's full of 'bad' calories, sodium - which will make you retain water, make you feel like you're starving and possibly raise your blood pressure. You're better off to eat healthy food to nourish your body and MAKE ROOM for treats by moderately cutting cals in all 3 meals and exercising. It's not a DIET. It really is a lifestyle change and no 'diet' will maintain your weightloss once you stop. You have to LEARN how to eat correctly, move more and KNOW how many calories are going in and out.
  • zora182
    zora182 Posts: 31 Member
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    I have :smile:
  • shellsrenee01
    shellsrenee01 Posts: 357 Member
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    So far so good for me. It's the only way I'll stick to this. I do make changes in how MUCH I eat of what I want, though. Instead of drinking 5-6 sodas a day, I'll limit it to 1 or 2.

    I also have my calories set at -2 lbs/loss a week because I usually end up going over by a few hundred calories. When it is set low, and I go over, I actually end up eating the calories for a -1 lb/loss or so. It works out well because I don't feel deprived of what I want to eat, I don't have binges, and the weight has kept moving in the right direction.

    Find what works best for you because that's going to be the foundation that will keep you going or cause you to fall off completely.
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
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    It depends on what you want to eat. :drinker:
  • ChubsterBones
    ChubsterBones Posts: 8
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    My hard work is permanent, because I didn't replace the foods I love. I continued to eat them in moderation and can continue to eat them for the rest of my life.

    This, pretty much. Before I joined MFP I lost 25lbs by still eating what I wanted, but paying extra attention to my body and what it actually wanted. The frequency at which I consumed them dropped significantly as I started to understand that instead of grabbing something as soon as the craving hit I should take the time to think about what i'm craving and why. I want to instill long-term changes with a great amount of flexibility in terms of what I do/do not eat and an understanding that a little of what you fancy does you very little harm providing you do not let what you fancy control what you eat on a regular basis.

    I also try not to let my calorie budget dictate my life. If I go over i'm over, if I go under i'm under, what matters to me is that i'm not eating for the sake of eating or starving for the sake of weight loss. If i'm hungry, i'll eat, but only after asking myself whether or not i'm hungry or reaching for food because i'm stressed/upset/bored. I may be losing at a slower rate than my obsessively calorie counting and now strictly vegan friend, but i've always been a tortoise so I see no reason to try and be a hare now.
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
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    I ate a chocolate-dipped mint ice cream cone for breakfast. Blood work is great, blood pressure is generally 106/60 and pulse sits around 80 to 85. I went on a 2-mile road run yesterday, despite 96 degree heat, and feel great this morning. In six months, I've lowered my body fat almost 10 percent. So, well, I'll just leave it at that.
  • nellyett
    nellyett Posts: 436 Member
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    please i urge anyone on this thread to watch the documentary called "fat head" last i checked it was on netflix.
    essentially yes you can eat anything and lose weight!!

    I LOVED that movie! It was hilarious!
    Even though he was eating fast food, you'll notice that his diary had a lot of salads on it, and he never ordered fries. Yes, you can eat whatever you want, but he still did everything in moderation keeping within his calories....for example, if he had a double cheeseburger one meal, then it was salad for the next. He would also eat grilled chicken sandwiches, etc.

    Basically the same principal as here....calories in/calories out. Moderation is key. :)
  • geohow11
    geohow11 Posts: 126 Member
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    Just out of curiosity…have any of you lost weight eating anything you wanted but staying with in your calorie limit???

    YES!!!
  • saracatherine89
    saracatherine89 Posts: 291 Member
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    I've had okay experience with eating anything and losing weight. I guess I watch my calories and eat crappy food rather often, just less of it. I will admit that with the obscene amount I exercise, I should be losing more...but I do tend to eat a lot of fatty things although I have made some healthier choices overall. Watching what I eat for lunch has been most effective.
  • BikinimomE
    BikinimomE Posts: 116 Member
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    Calories in vs calories burned. It is a simple biological fact. Question is do you really want to eat only 3 jelly donuts or one McDonald's meal all day? You could do this and yes you will lose weight. But you will be malnourished and on the path to poor health. The number on the scale does not indicate good health and wellness. Food for thought, eh?
  • KCramer12
    KCramer12 Posts: 153 Member
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    Yes i do occasionally have a day were I eat what i want and stay in my cal intake and i have lost and am still losing!
  • geohow11
    geohow11 Posts: 126 Member
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    Yes! :) I lost 20 pounds eating more or less anything I wanted. If it fits into your calorie goal and you're not overeating, you can eat or drink ANYTHING and lose. For your health, it's obviously better to fill up some or most of those required calories with healthy food (which I'm trying to do now) but it terms of actual weight loss, the type of food doesn't matter. It's calories in, calories out. Plain and simple.

    Agreed!
  • slim_photographer
    slim_photographer Posts: 310 Member
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    yes, but you can make it harder or easier on yourself depending on the quality of the fuels you put in your body.
    "You wouldn't water plans with soda, would you?" - Michelle Obama
  • superhippiechik
    superhippiechik Posts: 1,044 Member
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    Yes. It will take forever and you will never be "tight",but I have lost all of my weight like this. Just look at my diary! I have 10 pounds to go and I wonder if I will get there eating like I do.
  • midoswife
    midoswife Posts: 35 Member
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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
  • HypersonicFitNess
    HypersonicFitNess Posts: 1,219 Member
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    NO! You may lose weight in the beginning but in the long run you will not be healthy and the weight loss will cease (garbage in, garbage out). If you are used to eating junk, you do not have to go cold turkey if you feel this will cause you to fail; take it one step at a time replacing junk at each meal with a healthy alternative. Fried chicken for baked or roasted chicken; fries for salad (dressing on the side used sparingly). Try to incorporate lots of vegetables and fruits into your diet and start reading labels. Again, this is going to take some time to transition to a better way of life, but it will be worth it in the end. You will be a leaner, meaner, sexier machine (and a lot more healthier, you won't get sick as often).
  • christimw
    christimw Posts: 183 Member
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    everything in moderation? so if one donut is fine, does that mean one hit (or puff, or whatever you do) of crack will be ok for you to? i mean, it may not be good for you, but in moderation its ok. i'll be fine if i only use it once a week? that's moderation right? of course not, so why is food that is bad for you ok in moderation?

    not being a smart *kitten*, i really don't get it.
  • dexter4564
    dexter4564 Posts: 86 Member
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    Yes, but the foods you want to eat tend to be binge foods, and it's very difficult to not go over your limit if you are eating very small portions of calorie-rich foods because you will feel less full.

    Personally I just eat junk stuff every sunday, and it's working out for me.
  • stroutman81
    stroutman81 Posts: 2,474 Member
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    In very simplified terms, I view things like this. Calories dictate the quantity of weight lost. Nutrients dictate the quality of weight lost.

    If you're solely concerned about the number on the scale, the former is technically all that you need to concern yourself with. If you, like most, are also concerned about health and physique though, the latter needs to be a significant consideration as well.

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