Is what you eat really important??
Replies
-
I agree with everything EXCEPT what you said about health being mostly genetic and diets not being important. So many studies have shown that countries with healthier eating habits live longer and have less medical issues. Sure, there are always those isolated cases of the woman who smoked and lived to be 100 or whatever. That does NOT mean that everyone, or even the majority of people who smoke, will live to be anywhere near 100. In fact, it's quite the opposite. There are exceptions to every rule but that doesn't mean those rules don't still stand firm in their legitimacy.The comments so far are ridiculous.
I ate nothing but junk food and posted my diary daily to prove a point. It's all about calories. You know the results? Lost 12lbs and no loss in LBM(Lean body mass)
An issue that can arise is when you eat high sugary foods, you will want more. I say "sugar feeds sugar" if you can stick to your limit eating the junk you mentioned, then do it. People talk about "health."
People eat health and get cancer sometimes, sometimes people eat junk all their lives and live long. Some drink and get liver disease, some drink and live a long life. The oldest women in the world stopped smoking at 101yrs old. How is that for health? Health is mostly genetic. One of the oldest men in the world accredited his long life to drinking bourbon.
Lack of protein?
Another myth, we don't need as much protein as we think. I lowered my protein amount greatly, no loss in muscle mass.0 -
To me, it doesn't matter as long as you eat the right amount of calories. I do feel better when I eat healthy stuff opposed to junk though.0
-
Its simple...calories in and calories out...what works for some people does not necessarily work for others, find what works best for YOU.0
-
Wow- I just have to shake my head at some people! WHY are there such angry, sarcastic people in the world? Anyway ....
TO THE ORIGINAL POSTER!
Quality of food DOES matter - for you health, the proper functioning of your body, the way you feel, for your skin, AND the way you look. You have to find what works for YOU in order to make this whole thing a lifestyle. For me, I personally have found over the years that an 80/20 "rule" works PERFECTLY for me! 80% of the calories I consume daily are from what I consider "healthy" foods. I allow for 20% to be treats, dessert, wine (when I'm not pregnant like I am now!), etc. This has always allowed me to feel satisfied and not like I'm craving anything!
Good luck on your journey to great health! xo0 -
I know that when I eat a healthier diet I feel better physically. I have more energy my mood is better and I am all around BETTER, although I am a chocolate junkie the last 2 months I have been HORRIBLE with my diet, and I could feel it!! This is day 5 of my restart and I feel so much better on a structured plan. I am not saying its perfect I eat my dove chocolates, it keeps me sane
. I have the exercise thing down pat...now I just have to get my diet there. I find that after the first week its so much easier. GOOD LUCK 0 -
If you don't get enough protein, then you can have some issues. Also, eating a variety of different types of vegetables helps you get a variety of nutrients. There are also the issues of eating in a style that doesn't cause you to be hungry. Personally, I try to incorporate all three macro-nutrients at every meal and I have doubled my protein intake. I still don't eat as many veggies as I should, but that's a personal challenge, and I've improved immensely from where I was when I started in July. On the issue of carbs, I try to do a simple carb and a complex one. The simple carb helps you feel fuller quicker, then the complex carb helps me from eating more before the protein and fats finally hit the system. My diet wouldn't work for some people, but I have been doing this long enough now that I can feel the difference when I am not getting enough nutrients versus days when I'm spot-on for a stretch. And it *does* seem to take a stretch of a few days to make a difference.0
-
Of course it's important. Eat healthy but it's ok to treat yourself with whatever you want within reason.0
-
Doesn't really matter on your weight loss. Calories are calories. I've stayed pretty much on my standard diet of the foods I loved and lost 75 lbs. Have added more vegetables just to eat a little healthier but still eat lots of red meat, pastas, bread and even GASP desserts occasionally. Any diet that makes me give up foods that I love will eventually cause me to start binging and fall off the wagon, roll into a ditch, get stuck under a rock and never be able to catch the wagon again. How many people have you known bragging about losing weight on low carb diets just to end up even heavier than before?
If a diet has a name its doomed to failure.0 -
Its all down to how you feel, I've done the spinanch and salmon route, i've done the big meals but no snacking route, i've done the eat junk and work hard in the gym route, if the weight loss is your goal sometimes you have to move between them just to keep going, do what ever keeps you on track.0
-
I agree with everything EXCEPT what you said about health being mostly genetic and diets not being important. So many studies have shown that countries with healthier eating habits live longer and have less medical issues. Sure, there are always those isolated cases of the woman who smoked and lived to be 100 or whatever. That does NOT mean that everyone, or even the majority of people who smoke, will live to be anywhere near 100. In fact, it's quite the opposite. There are exceptions to every rule but that doesn't mean those rules don't still stand firm in their legitimacy.The comments so far are ridiculous.
I ate nothing but junk food and posted my diary daily to prove a point. It's all about calories. You know the results? Lost 12lbs and no loss in LBM(Lean body mass)
An issue that can arise is when you eat high sugary foods, you will want more. I say "sugar feeds sugar" if you can stick to your limit eating the junk you mentioned, then do it. People talk about "health."
People eat health and get cancer sometimes, sometimes people eat junk all their lives and live long. Some drink and get liver disease, some drink and live a long life. The oldest women in the world stopped smoking at 101yrs old. How is that for health? Health is mostly genetic. One of the oldest men in the world accredited his long life to drinking bourbon.
Lack of protein?
Another myth, we don't need as much protein as we think. I lowered my protein amount greatly, no loss in muscle mass.
Well said. I don't always agree with you, Angie, but I agree with this comment. :flowerforyou:
Pu_239:
Also, I am one of those persons with the "rare opportunity" to gain LBM while in a deficit. That generally requires the person to be extremely obese, doing strength training, and eating plenty of protein. I am *so* glad that I learned that early on and try to educate others when I have the chance.
It is also interesting that you mention sugar because in addition to doubling my protein intake, I put sugar back in my diet. I avoided eating any sugar, except fruits, in the beginning because I believed the myth that you have to cut it out of your diet. So we are like mirror-imaging each other. :laugh:
I work very hard at deliberately tearing my muscle fibers, so there is no way that I'm not putting extra protein in my body to rebuild the muscles and help them grow. I have been using the same online calculator to figure my body fat/lbm with my measurements. According to that (which I am sure is not totally accurate, but close and showing a trend) I have decreased my body fat by 10% and gained 11 pounds of lean body mass. Obviously, I have not gained 11 pounds of muscle in three and a half months, but the point is the trend. Also, since I bumped up my protein intake, I can feel a big difference in how I feel on rest days.
But also, I believe that the macro ratio can and, in some cases should, be different for different people. I am 50/25/25 with a high enough calorie allowance to give me at least 72 grams of protein (my bare minimum) and in some cases, like yesterday), I can hit 97 grams of protein on a rest day with a lower calorie total. :drinker:0 -
eat healthy = lengthen your life
eat crap = shorten your life0 -
Wow- I just have to shake my head at some people! WHY are there such angry, sarcastic people in the world? Anyway ....
TO THE ORIGINAL POSTER!
Quality of food DOES matter - for you health, the proper functioning of your body, the way you feel, for your skin, AND the way you look. You have to find what works for YOU in order to make this whole thing a lifestyle. For me, I personally have found over the years that an 80/20 "rule" works PERFECTLY for me! 80% of the calories I consume daily are from what I consider "healthy" foods. I allow for 20% to be treats, dessert, wine (when I'm not pregnant like I am now!), etc. This has always allowed me to feel satisfied and not like I'm craving anything!
Good luck on your journey to great health! xo
Exactly what I said on page one before all the Craziness about Calorie in/ calorie out. Sure, calorie deficit is what matters to drop weight, but if you eat crap all the time you will feel that way too. Food is fuel, but it is also fun and enjoyable. We should be able to be fit and healthy and have treats in moderation. I swear it's people who get hung up on one idea and think it's the only way, and that no other way works, that make people who are just starting, just give up.0 -
Generally:
Calories ----> change in weight
Macronutrients ---> change in body composition
Micros
> health
Somewhat of a sweeping generalization since there's some crossover.
As far as food selection goes, my opinion is that people spend far too much time worrying about whether a food item is good or bad, or paleo or not paleo, or clean or not clean, or high gi or low gi, or whatever other label they can stick on it. And a good portion of these people would do themselves a favor by deciding whether or not they
a) can fit the food item into their daily intake of calories/macros
b) want to eat it.
So, should you totally ignore food selection? Of course not, that's silly. But you should try to balance having some common sense without becoming OCD about every damn thing that passes your lips.
Eat lots of fruits and veggies and animals and fish and good fats, and then have some treats too because you're human and enjoying your food is actually *GASP* a normal behavior.0 -
It sounds as if what you are doing is absolutely fine. Getting your fruits and veggies in and enjoying a treat here and there for enjoyment/sanity's sake. Make sure you get enough proteins and fats also.
My method: Do I have enough protein? Yes. Have I had some fruits,veggies and fats from different sources? Yes, Do I have calories left? If yes, then I eat what I want that also allows me to stay within that calorie target.
What you eat does not impact weight loss per se but it does impact body composition and health. As long as you have the latter covered then its all good.0 -
The OP didn't ask about eating crap every single day of her life. of course that wouldn't be good. the OP asked if it really mattered sometimes what you ate. and i don't believe it does. probably better to limit that but if having a little crap keeps you overall eating well and losing, then who cares?
eating crap consistently won't give you the vitamins and nutrients that you need, but i don't think it matters at all if you only do it sometimes. if you can stay within your calories and hell, even within your macros, then what does it matter?
i don't think it does.0 -
I think this is a personal experience thing. If I eat whatever the heck I feel like and just keep my calories down, I dont lose weight. If I eat lots of carbs again I don't lose weight. If I stick to fruits, veggies, and no processed foods I lose weight like crazy but lately I feel like crap and tired. So I have upped my protien and although its only been a couple of days I'm feeling much better. Do what you can and feel comfortable with and change it up to help to see what is going to work for you.0
-
The OP didn't ask about eating crap every single day of her life. of course that wouldn't be good. the OP asked if it really mattered sometimes what you ate. and i don't believe it does. probably better to limit that but if having a little crap keeps you overall eating well and losing, then who cares?
eating crap consistently won't give you the vitamins and nutrients that you need, but i don't think it matters at all if you only do it sometimes. if you can stay within your calories and hell, even within your macros, then what does it matter?
i don't think it does.
Yup, a lot of people missed what the OP was actually asking. As i talked about a few junk food experiments, they where extreme. They are there to make a point, you can lose weight eating junk food. It's not recommended of course. As myself and others have said, find balance. As side steel said "don't be OCD over it. As i said, Don't be neo-nazi over your food.
Ridged regimens cause people to fail
As you said, you ate nothing but junk food in your very first post. Doesn't sound that balanced to me. You can backtrack all you want.0 -
eat healthy = lengthen your life
eat crap = shorten your life
Not always.0 -
The comments so far are ridiculous.
I ate nothing but junk food and posted my diary daily to prove a point. It's all about calories. You know the results? Lost 12lbs and no loss in LBM(Lean body mass)
An issue that can arise is when you eat high sugary foods, you will want more. I say "sugar feeds sugar" if you can stick to your limit eating the junk you mentioned, then do it. People talk about "health."
People eat health and get cancer sometimes, sometimes people eat junk all their lives and live long. Some drink and get liver disease, some drink and live a long life. The oldest women in the world stopped smoking at 101yrs old. How is that for health? Health is mostly genetic. One of the oldest men in the world accredited his long life to drinking bourbon.
Lack of protein?
Another myth, we don't need as much protein as we think. I lowered my protein amount greatly, no loss in muscle mass.
how are your energy levels? When I eat mainly junk I feel like crap....0 -
To the OP, you don't have to eat like a saint all the time. a deficit is a deficit so long as a good portion is healthy. You don't need protein powder or shakes to make it happen, it's all a choice on how you get there.
on to this comment;The comments so far are ridiculous..........I proved it in my diary... <all that fun stuff>
First, I want to congratulate you on your weight loss. 120 lbs since spt '11. It is impressive to have that constant deficit for a little over 2lbs a week.
I went to look at your diary, but it's closed, so I looked at your pics to see what you've got, and here's my opinion.
If you ate healthier, your muscles would be more defined and less 'fatty' looking and leaner. The fat in your abdominal area would be decreased. You would over all look more leaner. what is your fat %, if you care to share? I'm at 137lbs and 33% fat. :grumble: because my health hasn't been that great.
Yes. If you have a deficit, you will lose weight, most especially if you have over 150 lbs to lose. the fewer the pounds, the slower the shed.
However, study after study shows that it is important for life-long health that if you eat a health(ier) diet than constant junk food/processed food, you will be over all healthier. Just because you're in an ideal parameter for weight doesn't mean you're not at a decent risk of a heart attack. It doesn't mean you're not at risk for severe bone loss that will cause easy fractures when you're older. How you eat *now* will dictate your quality of living when you're old.
your bones, eye sight, balance, joints, skin, heart, *liver* and kidney depend on healthy eating habits.
You don't need to be a saint, but junk for the most part *will* kill you. even if you are in a "healthy" parameter as far as weight goes. That's what they mean by "skinny fat" you're skinny, but you have quite a few potential ailments that over weight people do.0 -
What you eat is extremely important. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, etc. are very significant to our overall health. I'm not saying to eat a stalk of celery and an orange for every meal, but you should incorporate fruits and vegetables into meals as often as possible. However, you should treat yourself to healthy sweets and treats such as dark chocolate, home-baked goods, etc. each week. Never deprive yourself.0
-
I think it depends on your body. People who have terrible allergies or health conditions or mental health conditions that prevent them from eating certain/some or all "healthy" foods still usually manage to live fairly healthy lives and even maintain a healthy weight!
After changing up my diet numerous times over the years (yes..to include ONLY eating ramen noodles and taco bell in my "very broke" years), I have learned what works for my body, right now (age has played a part).
My body doesn't react well to simple sugars...I get hungry fast and tend to overdo it. I also tend to develop a "belly" when I my diet consists of a majority carbs. Since cutting out simple sugar and carbs (such as bread, pasta, pizza, etc.)...I have lost 6 lbs in 7 days...ALMOST a lb a day! And my excersize schedule has not really changed...I have been very active with excersize since April.
Some people (like my lil sis) can eat whatever they want, barely excersize, and still not have an ounce of fat on them.
I think health and body fat/weight have 90% to do with genetics and 10% to do with having a healthy lifestyle. But Im no pro...just speaking from 15 years experience fighting with maintaining a healthy body weight.0 -
The comments so far are ridiculous.
I ate nothing but junk food and posted my diary daily to prove a point. It's all about calories. You know the results? Lost 12lbs and no loss in LBM(Lean body mass)
An issue that can arise is when you eat high sugary foods, you will want more. I say "sugar feeds sugar" if you can stick to your limit eating the junk you mentioned, then do it. People talk about "health."
People eat health and get cancer sometimes, sometimes people eat junk all their lives and live long. Some drink and get liver disease, some drink and live a long life. The oldest women in the world stopped smoking at 101yrs old. How is that for health? Health is mostly genetic. One of the oldest men in the world accredited his long life to drinking bourbon.
Lack of protein?
Another myth, we don't need as much protein as we think. I lowered my protein amount greatly, no loss in muscle mass.
how are your energy levels? When I eat mainly junk I feel like crap....
I scrolled through some of my post, I am sure I said I only did it for a month. My energy levels where okay, not great. Yes eating a lot of simple sugars would make you feel groggy and tired.
Exactly, if I eat junk for any elongated period of time (a couple of days to a week... ) I start feeling more lethargic than usual. Not that this had anything to do with weight loss, it was just a curiosity.
I have an aunt that has ate nothing but junk her whole life and she has always been 120 pounds, never overweight in her life. She just did it in moderation.0 -
Thanks, my weight loss wasn't since September. I lost60lbs over the year, and 60 before I started MFP. This is a different account. So the date of my weight loss isn't accurate. I also stalled out for 6 months, but i busted through that.
**This info wasn't made available. 60 in a year is about 1 lbs a week, not so bad.
If you're talking about the picture of my flexing, I was eating pretty clean during that time. That "puffyness" is fat.
There is cleaning eating, and there is a fat/carb/protein ratio, clean eating doesn't really say much.
had nothing to do with diet quality. Fat reduction is about calorie deficit.
No. You can lose fat and/or protein when you lose weight, it's not always just fat.
I will get leaner, I want to lose another 60lbs.
**Good luck with that.
In that picture i probably had about 30% body fat.
**try eating leaner, cardio and strength training more. A 2-3 minute cardio intervals can speed things up in the cal dept.
As I said i only did that experiment for a month, it was last month.
That wasn't indicated when I first read your post, and your diary isn't open.
Skinny fat is higher levels of fat with low muscle mass. They are still fat. A good indicator of cardiovascular risk factors are Waist to hip ratio. Skinny fat people have a bigger waist compared to hips putting them at risk for cardio vascular disease.
Not always. Some people, especially women who's had kids will always have a waist, and if you have overly big thighs, it doesn't say much. Not everyone stores fat in certain areas. It's different for everyone so a whp can't be an across the board measurement.
WHR = Waist To Hip Ratio
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10094583CONCLUSION:
Abdominal deposition of fat assessed by WHR may **MAY** be of strong clinical value for predicting high risk of cardiovascular events.
**Imo, this is a weak study. I've read numerous health studies and this one is just meh. There are many many factors i assessing risk for cardiovascular diseases, but that's not the only health issue people with a high fat % have.
I trimmed this up because it was long.
My thoughts are marked with an ** above as there is a lot to sort through.
Yes, you will lose wight if you have a deficit. But there is no point in having a lower weight if you're still unhealthy0 -
First, I want to congratulate you on your weight loss. 120 lbs since spt '11. It is impressive to have that constant deficit for a little over 2lbs a week.
I went to look at your diary, but it's closed, so I looked at your pics to see what you've got, and here's my opinion.
If you ate healthier, your muscles would be more defined and less 'fatty' looking and leaner. The fat in your abdominal area would be decreased. You would over all look more leaner.
"Junk" food doesn't cause you to store fat, and "clean" food does not cause you to burn fat. Rather, eating TOO MUCH of any kind of food causes fat storage.0 -
To me body fat percentage is as important as BMI. I am not going to work this hard to be skinny fat. Also for me calories in /calories burnt only worked so far in my weight loss. I believed in it at first even though I have always tried to eat a healthy diet for my own reasons. I find that what I eat helps me lose but so far I haven't come to the conclusion that one can't have a treat once in a while. In fact what I eat sometimes helps more than exercise. Exercise often stalls out my weight loss even though I keep calories at a deficit. Do I stop exercising? no - as I said I am not working this hard just to become skinny fat. I want my bodyfat % to go down along with my BMI. My main motivation to lose is not how I look but my health so eating healthy just goes with that. An all or nothing attitude doesn't work for me either. To me it is a process of improving over time not being and staying perfect. Can't do that. Yes I try to keep up with studies but it is what works for you. I have done my own experiments and in fact you have to do this. We can calculate our BMR but it is only an estimate. We can estimate our TDEE and again we need to do our own trials to customize our calories goals, macros, micros etc. One persons experiment however laudable doesn't make me conclude that it will apply to me especially when I have experience with my own particular body and several years of information on how I lost or didn't that says different.0
-
Hello everyone! I know this sounds like a ridiculous question, but I'm curious... Does what you eat really matter? I've heard that you can lose/maintain weight by eating a certain number of calories. But what about the source of those calories? I mean... I tend to feel better when I eat veggies/fruits, staying away from junk food. But I feel that, as long as I stay within my daily limit, I can have a splurge of chocolate, cookies, candy, whatever. Is that inhibiting me from losing weight? Will it eventually cause me to gain? Like I said, I enjoy fruits and veggies (eating healthy, in general) but sometimes I don't feel so bad about eating crap. And that confuses me. Any advice?
It's important for health, not for weight loss. You're on the right track, trust your body. 0 -
[/quote]If you ate healthier, your muscles would be more defined and less 'fatty' looking and leaner. The fat in your abdominal area would be decreased. You would over all look more leaner.
i find this to be sort of offensive and more than that, wrong. you don't tone and/or gain muscle by what you eat. you gain muscle by what you do (i.e. strength training). yes, you need to be eating enough protein to facilitate that but come on, telling him that 'the fat in his abdominal area would be decreased' based on what he is eating? that's ridiculous.
the fat in his abdominal area will be decreased because he is eating at a deficit. the lose skin he has after all that will be decreased somewhat by strength training.0 -
If you ate healthier, your muscles would be more defined and less 'fatty' looking and leaner. The fat in your abdominal area would be decreased. You would over all look more leaner. what is your fat %, if you care to share? I'm at 137lbs and 33% fat. :grumble: because my health hasn't been that great.
Yes. If you have a deficit, you will lose weight, most especially if you have over 150 lbs to lose. the fewer the pounds, the slower the shed.
However, study after study shows that it is important for life-long health that if you eat a health(ier) diet than constant junk food/processed food, you will be over all healthier. Just because you're in an ideal parameter for weight doesn't mean you're not at a decent risk of a heart attack. It doesn't mean you're not at risk for severe bone loss that will cause easy fractures when you're older. How you eat *now* will dictate your quality of living when you're old.
your bones, eye sight, balance, joints, skin, heart, *liver* and kidney depend on healthy eating habits.
You don't need to be a saint, but junk for the most part *will* kill you. even if you are in a "healthy" parameter as far as weight goes. That's what they mean by "skinny fat" you're skinny, but you have quite a few potential ailments that over weight people do.
Food is not magic. Just one piece of the pie.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 423 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions