Stay Within Caloric Goal including the "bad" stuff.

BarbaraCarr1981

Just wondering if people still end up losing the weight when they have 2-3 days a week where they eat something bad BUT still stay within their caloric goal???

I would like to be reassured from people because this has been happening to me. I try to eat clean but when someone brings something out like cheesecake or something I seem to have no control! I really wanna lose my last 15lbs BUT am I not doing a good enough job??? This is what I do.

Eat 1500 cals a day from each food group, Unfortunately on 2-3 days of the week it includes food from the "bad" food group. Chips, candy, baked goods. I do cardio 3 times a week consisting of badminton, walking and jogging. I also lift heavy universal weights full body workouts every 2nd day of the week.

Please let me know ur thoughts!

Thanks
Barb

Acg67

Just wondering if people still end up losing the weight when they have 2-3 days a week where they eat something bad BUT still stay within their caloric goal???

I would like to be reassured from people because this has been happening to me. I try to eat clean but when someone brings something out like cheesecake or something I seem to have no control! I really wanna lose my last 15lbs BUT am I not doing a good enough job??? This is what I do.

Eat 1500 cals a day from each food group, Unfortunately on 2-3 days of the week it includes food from the "bad" food group. Chips, candy, baked goods. I do cardio 3 times a week consisting of badminton, walking and jogging. I also lift heavy universal weights full body workouts every 2nd day of the week.

Please let me know ur thoughts!

Thanks
Barb

Why are chips, candy and baked goods "bad"? Sure they aren't very nutrient dense, but it would wholly depend on just how much of them you're consuming to make them actually bad for you

rudegyal_b

im eating more chips now than when i was fat

likli71

If you stay within your calorie goal regardless of the nutritional value of the food you will lose weight. Of course it is best to keep in mind the value of the nutrition of the food just for health reasons. I also find that if I eat the junk it is harder to stay within calorie goals because I tend to crave more junk and then blow my calorie range that way. Good luck!

HotMamaByVday

If you stay within your calorie goal regardless of the nutritional value of the food you will lose weight. Of course it is best to keep in mind the value of the nutrition of the food just for health reasons. I also find that if I eat the junk it is harder to stay within calorie goals because I tend to crave more junk and then blow my calorie range that way. Good luck!

this.

Although I find that eating sweets makes me crave more sweets. I try to stay away but don't stress about it too much.

UpEarly

I eat "bad" food every day. Although, I don't personally think it's bad. It fits in my macros and it fits in my calorie goals, so I just see it as "food" - like any and all the other food I eat.

I lost 66 pounds pretty easily and have been maintaining that loss successfully since February now. (I've actually lost a bit of weight beyond my original goal)

Just for example's sake:
On my first day on MFP (April 10, 2011), I had both jellybeans and full-fat black raspberry-dark chocolate ice cream (and a bunch of other "healthy" stuff). Today, I had a cupcake and a little section of coconut-dark chocolate truffle bar (and a bunch of other "healthy" stuff).

I think there is room for treats in a healthy diet!

IndigoFlowers

I eat ice-cream and chocolate more frequently now than I ever did.

..... before I would just eat them once to twice a month in HUGE quantities. Now I learned portion control.

I love me some chocolate, ice cream, French fries, oh and don't forget the cookie dough. If I didn't include stuff like that, I would go crazy!!!

katevarner

I eat dessert almost every day now but only ate it once a month or so when I was overweight. Don't see it as bad, just make sure that if fits into your daily calories and that you are getting sufficient nutrients. Jillian Michaels recommends 80% healthy stuff and 20% treats to keep yourself on track. Doesn't work for everyone, but it's worked for me.

a1schwei

i try to get a balance of 'good' and 'bad' because real life is a balance...my rate of loss is slower than some, but i have been able to lose...it is all about what works best for you...i need regular sweets to keep me from binging

Capt_Apollo

Why are chips, candy and baked goods "bad"? Sure they aren't very nutrient dense, but it would wholly depend on just how much of them you're consuming to make them actually bad for you

this.

i eat "bad" stuff relativly often. it hasn't stopped me.

pandoraw

I eat "bad" food every day. I just do it in moderation. I lose an average of 1.3 lb per week.
When I started this journey I was eating about 20% good food and 80% not as good food.
Now I eat about 50% good. My goal is to eat 80% good eventually.

GoMizzou99

I still consumed alcoholic beverages the entire time I lost my 75 pounds...I just counted the "empty" calories as part of my daily allowance. That probably slowed me down a bit, but I still lost it all in 18 months...or just about a pound per week. A nice healthy pace.

I also love pretzels and dip, as well as pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, spice cake, carrot cake, bagels & cream cheese, (long list could continue), etc.

Moderation is the key...not complete elimination.

Lovestoscrapbook

I eat "bad" stuff but always make sure that it is within my daily limit. I also cut down on portion sizes so if I have a treat that doesn't necessarily provide any nutritional value, I try to eat just a few bites versus the full size. Many times I will get a dessert to go and then eat a third or half one day and then save the rest to eat over the next 2 days. That way I don't feel deprived and it is within my daily lmits but I also have something to look forward to after a long walk.

jennfranklin

I feel like it is ok every once in a while. We all do it! Unless you are super obsessive about it! Enjoy it, just in moderation! I just find when I have a little treat it leaves less room for the more nutritious stuff!

MoreBean13

I don't believe in demonizing food and classifying it as "bad", but I eat treats pretty regularly and have never had it slow me down in meeting my goals. I try to eat a nutritionally complete diet with plenty of protein, fat and fruit and vegetables, but I allow for treats as needed with extra calories once my nutritional goals are met.

BarbaraCarr1981

Thank you guys! You made a person feel much better today! Thank you! Thank you!

BarbaraCarr1981

I have learned that these "bad" foods are ok to eat BUT they must in moderation. I have to control moderation with these foods! I have been portion controlling healthy foods but not junk food. lol. Oh well, I will start now!

DavPul

This entire thread is based on a false premise. Why does the OP believe people gain weight if they stay under calories but eat "bad" food? What sorcery is this where a person gains weight while eating at goal?

Eat at a deficit, you will not gain weight, period.

BarbaraCarr1981

I thought I would gain weight or not lose because the "bad" food was high in fat. Eating bad puts me over my fat goal. So in turn, I was thinking I would not lose at all or maybe gain some.

MoreBean13

I thought I would gain weight or not lose because the "bad" food was high in fat. Eating bad puts me over my fat goal. So in turn, I was thinking I would not lose at all or maybe gain some.

Fat doesn't make you fat. I intentionally have a relatively high fat diet- 35%. It's satiating and good for thyroid function, amongst other things. If you're high in fatbut still within your calorie goal, it won't make you gain weight.

kaervaak

If what you want to do is lose weight, all that matters is that you maintain a calorie deficit. To prove that, this guy lost 27 lbs eating mostly twinkies and improved most of his health indicators (lowered bad cholesterol and triglycerides).

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

Sarauk2sf

It is only a problem if it puts you over your calorie goal.

BarbaraCarr1981

Perfect. I even have underactive thyroid too! I've been taking pills for 20years for it.

SomeoneSomeplace

I lost 30 pounds eating chips, chocolate, fast food, spinach dip, pizza, donuts... etc. Not every day or all the time but pretty often honestly I'd say I'd eat one of the above at least once a week! I would just fit them in my macros through portion control or exercise. The only issue is sometimes high carb/sugar food make me hungrier which leads to "binge" eating. But overall if you exercise some control you can eat what you want in moderation. It helps if you're younger too and have a good metabolism.

BarbaraCarr1981

Wow! I definately not eat all that stuff all the time. Awesome you could and STILL keep under goals and lose 30lbs. Unfortunatley with me, binge eating happens and it's because Im insulin dependent diabetic!!! I get high blood sugars sometimes and this makes me crave and go crazy over carbs. It really sucks.

delacruz_courtney

You can eat WHATEVER you want, as long as you stay within your calorie limit . That's how I've lost my weight (1850 calories a day).

pamela387

Success here. I don't do "clean" eating and my only goal is to stay under my calorie goal. Making room for treats is part of what's kept me sane.

elleloch

I eat ice-cream and chocolate more frequently now than I ever did.

..... before I would just eat them once to twice a month in HUGE quantities. Now I learned portion control.

I love me some chocolate, ice cream, French fries, oh and don't forget the cookie dough. If I didn't include stuff like that, I would go crazy!!!

All of this. Trust.

I never deprive myself, I just make sure I plan my treats and work around them (and work them off!!)

dwh77tx

I eat dessert almost every day now but only ate it once a month or so when I was overweight. Don't see it as bad, just make sure that if fits into your daily calories and that you are getting sufficient nutrients. Jillian Michaels recommends 80% healthy stuff and 20% treats to keep yourself on track. Doesn't work for everyone, but it's worked for me.

this exactly!!! I eat dessert more often now and I'm maintaining. If I deprive myself I end up eating too much the next time it is time to eat!

pickledginger

Since you're diabetic, you might want to ditch the chips and fries (amazingly bad for blood sugar) and keep the chocolate and cheesecake. :-) And Klondike has a lower-carb ice cream bar out ...

Treats are fine -- necessary, even -- especially if you want to keep going.

There's an article I ran across recently on losing weight with metabolic problems that I liked so much, I put the link on my profile page. I've also run across some helpful articles on glucose control. (Should do something with them, but haven't.) Message me if you want me to dig up the URLs.

Happy scales!