Weight loss with junk food

FitnessBree__

I know I'm being very dumb here...but I'm just a little confused and interested about nutrition. (Before I ask this don't think I'm saying I WANT to eat junk..I eat very clean and love it..I'm never even tempted to eat a big mac or anything.)
Anyway as an experiment I added onto MFP that all I ate today was KFC and Mcdonalds but put it so that I was still under my daily calorie goal by about 300cals. With this day of junk, it still said I was eating "too few calories" and would have lost a significant amount by january..that's where I'm confused. If I entered for the entire day a craaaaap load of fruit veggies and fish and went OVER my limit by 300cals..it would tell me I'm eating too many and would gain weight. Realistically..would one lose weight through eating junk if it was under their calorie limit?? Or is this where MFP isn't totally reliable?

Rockmyskinnyjeans

Watch the movie "Fat Head". It's a documentary. It can be done, but you have to exercise and be committed to stay in a caloric range, as well. It's really not something I'd recommend, but obviously, it can be done.

farrari17

Weight loss is simple. You have to intake less calories that you use. It's the first law stuff. Just like an engine. So you could theoretically lose weight by doing exactly what you're doing. However, you'll find that you may not feel as great. Look at your macronutrients, and if you're over in any of them, you may reconsider your diet, because you want to keep the ratios close to about what they have for you, because your body does use each type differently, although it will eventually break down all of them into glucose for the cells to use.

I would advise talking to a dietitian or nutritionist if you want to lose weight and eat healthy. As a nutrition student currently, I think it's fascinating, and after my talk with a dietitian, I decided to go into my current field of study. I'm not qualified though to make any actual remarks on nutrition yet, and if that's true for me, then it's certainly true for at least 90% of the people on the forums giving advice. They can help you out and explain a lot more. Don't take advise from people here without consulting a dietitian, people on here are full of crap, but they want to help a lot.

Taratruex

You can certainly lose weight eating 1200 calories of KFC and McDonald's. But you will be severely unhealthy with all of the fat/sodium that is used to make those foods. It may get you losing weight but to much fat and sodium will leave you with high cholesterol and high blood pressure among other things.

n_rockey

Yes, you can lose that way. It's all about calories in vs. calories out to lose weight. That being said you would probably feel like you were starving all of the time if you actually managed to eat like that for very long and stay within your calories. Not to mention that you wouldn't see nearly as many of the health benefits that should come along with weight loss when done correctly.

maryjay52

i look at eating like i do putting gas in a car. if you put in watered down gas or gas with oil in it in your car then your car will not work right..actually eventually it will either not work or break down. then you have to fix it which takes time and money. sure you are putting fuel in the car but its the wrong kind.

the same goes for your body. you can eat 1200 calories of junk food or 1200 calories of healthy food. which one do you think would make your body not work or break down eventually?

3foldchord

While "Calories In < Calories Out " is the basic formula, I, personally have very limited success with this formula when the caloric deficit is solely from eating less, but if my caloric deficit comes from exercizing I do much better with weight loss.

I assume MFP just uses a formula based on numbers, not food types. So, if your numbers are less than your predicted amount needed to maintain, then MFP will deduce a loss. Wieght loss, even at it's best, is not linear for most. Some weeks you will lose more and some weeks less, even at the same deficit. I wish it were more straight forward. "If you eat exactly 355 calories under maintanace a day, you will lose exactly 0.8 pounds per week." ... But it seems to be more of a wiggly-wobbly guesstimates somewhere on the loss-spectrum.

Helloitsdan

You can lose "weight" eating anything.
You can have great body composition eating mostly clean though.

tnloser1970

Weight loss is simple. You have to intake less calories that you use. It's the first law stuff. Just like an engine. So you could theoretically lose weight by doing exactly what you're doing. However, you'll find that you may not feel as great. Look at your macronutrients, and if you're over in any of them, you may reconsider your diet, because you want to keep the ratios close to about what they have for you, because your body does use each type differently, although it will eventually break down all of them into glucose for the cells to use.

I would advise talking to a dietitian or nutritionist if you want to lose weight and eat healthy. As a nutrition student currently, I think it's fascinating, and after my talk with a dietitian, I decided to go into my current field of study. I'm not qualified though to make any actual remarks on nutrition yet, and if that's true for me, then it's certainly true for at least 90% of the people on the forums giving advice. They can help you out and explain a lot more. Don't take advise from people here without consulting a dietitian, people on here are full of crap, but they want to help a lot.

This is right. Calories in vs calories out. A person can eat nothing but ice cream and still lose weight. However, your body will suffer other health issues because of it I would believe. A dietition is your best bet on this though

LoraF83

Weight loss is simply calories in, calories out.

You can get fat by eating too much "healthy" food.

Body composition and health are a completely different discussion though. Depending on the results you want and your personal beliefs about nutrition, a different diet/intake might be right for you.

I am not a fan of cutting out any food group or saying that anything is off limits though. The most successful people I know seem to understand the concept of moderation. You can have anything, you just can't have all of it all the time.

nxd10

MFP is a MODEL of the human body that is very simplistic - 3500 calorie deficit = 1 pound of weight loss.

That's not about nutrition or salt or bloat or health.

Is it realistic? Probably not. But it's a useful model for people who want to count calories and use it to help guide better food choices because they use the tools, look at their scale, mirror, and measurements, and adjust the model accordingly.

RobKarmic

A weight loss book that was written by an engineer was one sentence long... "To lose weight, you must eat less calories than you consume." simple as this. people who stop eating foods with specific types of nutrients just because they exist in bad foods are ridiculous eat whatever you want as long as it's below your caloric intake

rml_16

I know I'm being very dumb here...but I'm just a little confused and interested about nutrition. (Before I ask this don't think I'm saying I WANT to eat junk..I eat very clean and love it..I'm never even tempted to eat a big mac or anything.)
Anyway as an experiment I added onto MFP that all I ate today was KFC and Mcdonalds but put it so that I was still under my daily calorie goal by about 300cals. With this day of junk, it still said I was eating "too few calories" and would have lost a significant amount by january..that's where I'm confused. If I entered for the entire day a craaaaap load of fruit veggies and fish and went OVER my limit by 300cals..it would tell me I'm eating too many and would gain weight. Realistically..would one lose weight through eating junk if it was under their calorie limit?? Or is this where MFP isn't totally reliable?

Have you ever heard of the Twinkie Diet that a professor did to test this out. Not only did he lose weight, but his cholesterol, BP and all other health indicators improved.

UsedToBeHusky

Calories in vs. Calories out

But eating junk, whether in a calorie deficit or not, might have more of an impact on body composition and health. All that sodium is sure to lead to hypertension, and insufficient protein is sure to lead to muscle loss. Neither of which are conducive for weight loss.

That being said, it really is okay to have an indulgence once a day. If you eat healthy all day, a Big Mac or a cupcake isn't going to ruin, interfere, or otherwise hinder the benefit you will receive from the other foods.

betoarango

The MFP predictor is a simple Calculator

Current weight-(((calories in - calories out) multiplied by 35 days) divided by 3500)...it is a tool that assumes you are doing your own nutrient and macro managing. You could eat twinkies all day and loose weight

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

You could also gain muscle and the predicted weight would not be read on your scale, as the muscle would compensate for the fat loss.

Rachlmale

you can't eat very much KFC though... which is very sad

BrettPGH

i look at eating like i do putting gas in a car. if you put in watered down gas or gas with oil in it in your car then your car will not work right..actually eventually it will either not work or break down. then you have to fix it which takes time and money. sure you are putting fuel in the car but its the wrong kind.

the same goes for your body. you can eat 1200 calories of junk food or 1200 calories of healthy food. which one do you think would make your body not work or break down eventually?

We're not cars.

It's not that this isn't good advice. YES it is better to eat healthy. But every meal every day does not have to be vegetables and organic, grass fed protein. Moderation. Live a little.

I'm a single guy who doesn't cook much and doesn't like too many vegetables. I still was able to lose weight and get in shape by watching my calories and exercising. Because that's the most important thing. Watch your calories, work out. Live your life. Moderation. No dieting, just a new way of managing your intake.

So instead of eating 1200 calories of junk food (not healthy) or 1200 calories of healthy food (not fun) find a balance. Also just eat more than 1200 calories, especially if you're exercising.

yowla

I have heard people losing weight on the Twinkie diet and the Potato diet. As long as you stay with in your caloires. But you will be hungry. Eating whole clean foods fill you up faster and longer than junk foods.

firstnamekaren

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

This article is just insane! I can't wrap my head around it. It really makes you think if the only thing making people unhealthy is just that we cram too much food in our mouths.

JanaCanada

I think it;s important to start thinking of this as a lifestyle change instead of a diet. Sure, you can lose weight on junk only, if you keep under your daily calories. But is it sustainable for life? At some point, a "junk only" diet will take its toll on your health....it's just a matter of time.

Moderation is key. I respect the vegetarians and vegans, the macro-obesessed and the "clean" eaters....but it simply isn't me. If I'm going to do this for a lifetime, I need to adapt SOME of their ideas into my plan, but I also want an occasional cheeseburger.

Captain_Tightpants

Hey Bree, an easy way to think of it is this:

Weight loss is ENTIRELY in the numbers. Eat less energy than you use per day and you'll lose weight, doesn't matter if you do it on broccoli or big macs.

Health on the other hand, whether you define it as longevity, resistance to chronic disease, just feeling more energetic etc. - that depends on much more than the numbers.

The tricky thing is that other than a few generally-agreed upon factors, what is "healthy" to eat is very debatable.

The agreed upon factors (that I know of) are:

More fruit and vegetables = better
Less (preferably no) trans fat = better
Less red meat = better (but that's not because of saturated fat, no one really knows but I suspect it's a much more complicated interaction of things that link red meat to atherosclerosis.)
More omega 3s = better

Other things you might have heard but that aren't agreed on by the scientific community at all are:

Saturated fat = evil
Cholesterol = evil
Carbohydrates = evil

In my opinion, it's best to just keep it simple. Try to eat more fruit and veg, more water, more natural and less processed, and you'll be doing as good as you can. And a big-mac now and then isn't gonna hurt you one bit either.

A really great book that might help open your eyes about nutritionism and all the fads and falsities that it comes with is "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan.

tigersword

I know I'm being very dumb here...but I'm just a little confused and interested about nutrition. (Before I ask this don't think I'm saying I WANT to eat junk..I eat very clean and love it..I'm never even tempted to eat a big mac or anything.)
Anyway as an experiment I added onto MFP that all I ate today was KFC and Mcdonalds but put it so that I was still under my daily calorie goal by about 300cals. With this day of junk, it still said I was eating "too few calories" and would have lost a significant amount by january..that's where I'm confused. If I entered for the entire day a craaaaap load of fruit veggies and fish and went OVER my limit by 300cals..it would tell me I'm eating too many and would gain weight. Realistically..would one lose weight through eating junk if it was under their calorie limit?? Or is this where MFP isn't totally reliable?

Have you ever heard of the Twinkie Diet that a professor did to test this out. Not only did he lose weight, but his cholesterol, BP and all other health indicators improved.

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

tigersword

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

This article is just insane! I can't wrap my head around it. It really makes you think if the only thing making people unhealthy is just that we cram too much food in our mouths.

That IS the only thing making people unhealthy. 60 years ago people ate foods that some people would consider extremely unhealthy by today's standards (TV dinners were new and extremely popular, processed foods were everywhere, bread for every meal, etc,) and yet the obesity rate was pretty close to nonexistent. Nowadays, instead of doing hard manual labor all day every day, most of us work behind a desk. So not only do we eat more total calories today than we did back then, we burn a lot less calories today than we did back then. Hence, obesity epidemic.

LMick1986

Yep! Many people have done this experiment. Starbucks Diet, Chipotle Diet, McDonalds Diet, Snickers Diet, etc. It can be done, but it's not necessarily fulfilling. Calories out > calories in. Stay in the deficit range, you'll lose the weight. And I'm using "you" as a general term....I know you said that YOU don't do that.

JanaCanada

Regarding the Twinkie diet article, two things really jumped out at me:

"Two-thirds of his total intake came from junk food. He also took a multivitamin pill and drank a protein shake daily. And he ate vegetables, typically a can of green beans or three to four celery stalks."

So obviously, this nutrition professor was smart enough to supplement his junk food diet with vitamins, protein and veggies - the point being that you cannot live on junk food alone.


"Before jumping on the Ding Dong bandwagon, Blatner warned of health concerns. "There are things we can't measure," said Blatner, questioning how the lack of fruits and vegetables could affect long-term health. "How much does that affect the risk for cancer? We can't measure how diet changes affect our health."

Exactly! While the man obviously lost weight - and because he did, his BP & cholesterol naturally improved - the jury's still out on whether his junk food diet damaged vital organs, blood, and muscles, and if this diet - if done permanetly - would lower his life expectancy by putting him at risk for a fatal disease.

rml_16

Regarding the Twinkie diet article, two things really jumped out at me:

"Two-thirds of his total intake came from junk food. He also took a multivitamin pill and drank a protein shake daily. And he ate vegetables, typically a can of green beans or three to four celery stalks."

So obviously, this nutrition professor was smart enough to supplement his junk food diet with vitamins, protein and veggies - the point being that you cannot live on junk food alone.


"Before jumping on the Ding Dong bandwagon, Blatner warned of health concerns. "There are things we can't measure," said Blatner, questioning how the lack of fruits and vegetables could affect long-term health. "How much does that affect the risk for cancer? We can't measure how diet changes affect our health."

Exactly! While the man obviously lost weight - and because he did, his BP & cholesterol naturally improved - the jury's still out on whether his junk food diet damaged vital organs, blood, and muscles, and if this diet - if done permanetly - would lower his life expectancy by putting him at risk for a fatal disease.

No one is saying it's an ideal diet. We're just saying, in terms of losing weight, it doesn't matter what you eat, just how much.

Believe me, I have NO INTENTION of going on a junk food diet. I feel better overall and can eat more in terms of volume on healthy food and I like that. Healthy food can be prepared to taste super yummy. Honestly, after years of eating super healthy I find I don't even like the taste of most (not all) junk food anymore.

Though the bleu cheese chips and oinion rings I had on Sunday were quite yummy. :-)

JanaCanada

Regarding the Twinkie diet article, two things really jumped out at me:

"Two-thirds of his total intake came from junk food. He also took a multivitamin pill and drank a protein shake daily. And he ate vegetables, typically a can of green beans or three to four celery stalks."

So obviously, this nutrition professor was smart enough to supplement his junk food diet with vitamins, protein and veggies - the point being that you cannot live on junk food alone.


"Before jumping on the Ding Dong bandwagon, Blatner warned of health concerns. "There are things we can't measure," said Blatner, questioning how the lack of fruits and vegetables could affect long-term health. "How much does that affect the risk for cancer? We can't measure how diet changes affect our health."

Exactly! While the man obviously lost weight - and because he did, his BP & cholesterol naturally improved - the jury's still out on whether his junk food diet damaged vital organs, blood, and muscles, and if this diet - if done permanetly - would lower his life expectancy by putting him at risk for a fatal disease.

No one is saying it's an ideal diet. We're just saying, in terms of losing weight, it doesn't matter what you eat, just how much.

True, and no one is disputing that fact. You will lose weight on junk if it's under your daily calorie allowance. You can lose weight grazing on a pasture, too, but even cows need to supplement that diet. :laugh:

AnvilHead

...I am not a fan of cutting out any food group or saying that anything is off limits though. The most successful people I know seem to understand the concept of moderation. You can have anything, you just can't have all of it all the time.

Perfectly stated. Too many people exhibit polarized "all or nothing" thinking when discussing this topic. There is plenty of gray area between being orthorexic and being a junk food junkie. IMO, a flexible diet is a sustainable diet.

beckajw

I know I'm being very dumb here...but I'm just a little confused and interested about nutrition. (Before I ask this don't think I'm saying I WANT to eat junk..I eat very clean and love it..I'm never even tempted to eat a big mac or anything.)
Anyway as an experiment I added onto MFP that all I ate today was KFC and Mcdonalds but put it so that I was still under my daily calorie goal by about 300cals. With this day of junk, it still said I was eating "too few calories" and would have lost a significant amount by january..that's where I'm confused. If I entered for the entire day a craaaaap load of fruit veggies and fish and went OVER my limit by 300cals..it would tell me I'm eating too many and would gain weight. Realistically..would one lose weight through eating junk if it was under their calorie limit?? Or is this where MFP isn't totally reliable?

You absolutely can lose weight eating only junk food. Search google for the Twinkie diet.

However, you'll probably be hungry and tired.

TheCaren

Calories are calories. I lost 30 pounds on weight watchers eating garbage. If you eat at a deficit, your body doesn't care what it is, you'll lose.

Now, having said that, let me add that nutritionally, I was a train wreck on my weight watchers weight loss plan. So while a calorie is a calorie, wasting it on all junk food is not prudent nutritionally.

GomesDavid

Choosing a diet plan to lose weight can seem complicated, but cutting out junk food can be a simple and effective approach for cutting your calories. Choose low-calorie, nutritious foods instead of high-calorie junk foods to lose weight and develop healthy eating habits to maintain your weight loss. Eat a balanced diet to get the nutrients you need as you lose weight.