What you eat vs how much you eat?

seeleylakegirl

I have a friend that says it's not as much about how much you eat, but rather what you eat. I definitely disagree with her. I think what you eat, has to do with your health & how much you eat, has to do with your weight. She is doing the clean eating thing, which, good for her, I just know I could not eat like that for very long.

What does everybody else think???

RunHardBeStrong

I agree with you. I try to eat clean 85-90% of the time just because I know the nutritional benefits and I can eat more that way. But if you're looking to just lose weight then it mainly comes down to cals in vs. cals out.

DenyseMarieL

I think if you are trying lose weight, how much you eat is definitely a factor. Then, with that in mind, what you eat becomes important. You could have that glazed donut for breakfast, or you could have two poached eggs a piece of whole grain bread and a piece of fruit for roughly the same calories. So, simply, the healthier you eat, the more you can eat and the more satisfied you'll be. It's a win-win!

WendyTerry420

I know vegans who eat nothing but natural, whole foods and are overweight. I also know people who are thin as a rail and eat nothing but junk food. It's *definitely* HOW MUCH you eat that makes you fat!

Spartan_Maker

I think it's a bit more nuanced. How much a person eats dictates his or her weight. However, implicit in everyone's goal to "lose weight" is to lose fat while sparing muscle. In order to lose mostly fat, sufficient protein must be consumed for a person's activity level.

jacksonpt

Generally speaking, I agree with you. But there are extremes in both scenarios that aren't good.

MommaKit79

I have to say it is a combination of both! Even too much of a good things isnt good!

You can eat healthy and still eat too many calories then what you should. SO, it is BOTH how MUCH and WHAT you eat.

So, yes, it is WHAT you eat to start and then, it is how much you eat. The healthier you eat, the better it is for your body but, you also still have to watch how MUCH of that you eat as well. So, for the most part, it comes down to CALS IN vs CALS OUT but those CALS IN shouldnt be JUNK or CRAP.

So, your both kinda right!! :-)

SomeoneSomeplace

I have a friend who is Vegan and she eats really really really healthy clean foods all the time. But she also eats ALL THE TIME! And huge portions and she weights about 300. And never exercises. It comes down to how many calories you're consuming, how much fat, carbs, sugar etc... and if you're eating a lot of food, no matter how healthy it is, you're going to gain weight if you're over every day in those categories.

KittieLea

I think it depends on your goals. I made my goal weight so now I focus on lifting and body fat %. I don't keep track of my calories religiously because I eat clean. However, on my journey here, I did focus on calories AND eating clean.
I also feel like if your calorie goal is say, 1500 a day, yet you get there by eating a bunch of crap, you will eventually plateau and/or not be able to maintain your goal. But different things work for different people!
Eating clean throughout the week and having a couple of cheat meals over the weekends helps me balance and stay sane

Pedal_Pusher

My motto is do what works for you............

chivalryder

All I know is that when I switched from having a diet that consisted of nearly all processed foods (frozen meals in a box), to nearly everything being made from scratch in my kitchen/raw foods (not raw meat), I lost 10 lbs in a week.

On top of that, every time I eat some pizza and wings instead of my "clean" diet, my body weight jumps 2-5 lbs over night.

That being said, if you eat 5000 calories of clean, healthy foods, you will still put on weight. It's just a LOT harder to eat 5000 calories of good food over garbage foods, which are usually jam-packed full of calories.

steph1278

I agree that it's more about how much you eat vs. what you eat in regards to weight loss. That said, for overall health, it's better to eat more natural and wholesome foods the majority of the time. I have learned to balance the two as I have progressed in my journey. When I first started, it was more about just cutting back on the portions of the foods that I love. As the weight started to come off, I found myself starting to make better choices food wise. I don't deprive myself of anything because that's not realistic for me. If I want something, I make it work. I regard this as a lifestyle change rather than a diet and this is something that I can live with for the rest of my life.

mbays4147

I don't think it is a matter of how much one eats, it is how active you are. Even if you eat healthy, you have to get your body moving to burn calories and create leaner toner muscles. I would rather weigh more and be strong and toned than skinny and flabby. Muscle weighs more than fat. Inches are what matters. I was eating healthy and working out, but I was just maintaining my weight. Now I know that I have to put out a little more effort in the active department to lose those pounds.

sin485

well i have found that eating smaller portions but eating more often (because before i was eating big meals) has worked out better for me.

firstsip

All I know is that when I switched from having a diet that consisted of nearly all processed foods (frozen meals in a box), to nearly everything being made from scratch in my kitchen/raw foods (not raw meat), I lost 10 lbs in a week.

On top of that, every time I eat some pizza and wings instead of my "clean" diet, my body weight jumps 2-5 lbs over night.

That being said, if you eat 5000 calories of clean, healthy foods, you will still put on weight. It's just a LOT harder to eat 5000 calories of good food over garbage foods, which are usually jam-packed full of calories.

... Your body weight "jump" is from water retention. Processed foods contain tons of sodium.

WendyTerry420

On top of that, every time I eat some pizza and wings instead of my "clean" diet, my body weight jumps 2-5 lbs over night.

Water weight