Can I eat what I want if I stay under my calorie goal?

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  • dare2love81
    dare2love81 Posts: 928 Member
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    Oversimplification, but basically:

    Calories = weight loss
    Macros = energy (carbs), body composition (protein), fats (healthy body functions and hormones)
    Micros = health.

    Well said, Sara. I may add this to my blog as reference. :drinker:
  • Piscesgrl227
    Piscesgrl227 Posts: 8 Member
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    Try juicing the vegetables. I find when I drink a fresh vegetable juice with some fruit added to it, it doesn't taste that bad.
  • madrose0715
    madrose0715 Posts: 463 Member
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    I was facing an 80+ pound loss a year or so ago. I have, over many months, made small changes, little by little. It pays off huge. I am now down 52 pounds. Don't overwhelm yourself. Make little steps each and every day and RECOGNIZE those changes. Eventually, it will snowball on you, a year from now...well, you will be surprised at the difference!
  • t_rog
    t_rog Posts: 363 Member
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    Start off staying under your calories eating what you want to eat. If you're anything like me after a couple of weeks you'll automatically be choosing healthier foods because they fill you up/make you feel better. You may even find you want to eat vegetables, but don't worry about it too much straight away - take it one step at a time :)

    Totally agree with this. Do what you can for now. With time, you'll start getting more creative and exploring more. Incorporating lots of veggies and fruit simply makes this whole process easier, and as someone said, you get to eat more!
  • sPaRkLiNgLYFE
    sPaRkLiNgLYFE Posts: 609
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    i'm glad you asked that question because i've been eating whatever i want while staying within my calorie goal, i'm hoping that if i maintain my exercise regimin i will lose weight.
  • iulia_maddie
    iulia_maddie Posts: 2,780 Member
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    Oversimplification, but basically:

    Calories = weight loss
    Macros = energy (carbs), body composition (protein), fats (healthy body functions and hormones)
    Micros = health.
    Sara gives great advice as always.
    You can eat only chocolate all day and lose weight if you mantain a caloric deficit. Will you be healthy and full? Will your body get all the nutrients it needs? No.
  • JulesAtkinson1
    JulesAtkinson1 Posts: 219 Member
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    I think part of the reason people fail at losing weight is they try to make too many changes at once. It is an all or nothing approach that seldom works.

    It's like
    quitting alcohol cold turkey
    quitting pizza cold turkey
    quitting cheese burgers cold turkey
    quitting chocolate cold turkey
    quitting soda cold turkey
    and on and on and on
    and then forcing yourself to exercise on top of that

    no wonder we fail

    Well said.:drinker:
  • ZHawk1123
    ZHawk1123 Posts: 215
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    Yeah, in theory.

    But if you actually eat healthily, you will feel and look a million times better than you would if you just tried to eat whatever and stay under your calorie goal.
  • RobinvdM
    RobinvdM Posts: 634 Member
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    The basic formula is calories in < calories out. If you want to eat 1500 cals of potato chips you will lose weight. You won't be healthy per se, and youll likely be very hungry, but the only thing that matters is eating less than you burn. If you want to increase that base number, do exercise. Then you get your 1500 plus your workout calories, and who doesn't want that?!

    ETA: 1500 is just a random number.
    PLUS: I eat cookies, wine, fondue, pizza.. it all works if it fits in your budget. I don't ONLY eat that, but I do not like the idea of deprivation for weight loss.
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,735 Member
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    Yeah, in theory.

    But if you actually eat healthily, you will feel and look a million times better than you would if you just tried to eat whatever and stay under your calorie goal.

    so if i eat 35 bananas a day, i'll look and feel a million times better? bananas are a healthy food, are they not??

    weight loss is not about "what", it's about "how much".
    nutrition is about "what".
  • kelfer80
    kelfer80 Posts: 78 Member
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    Yes, but I do feel that we are what we eat! Don't get me wrong I LOVE me some pizza and beer, but I'd kinda like to look more like a carrot than like a pizza :) I also feel like we perform better when we have properly nourished our bodies. At the end of the day it is true if you burn more than you put in you WILL lose!
  • CharRicho
    CharRicho Posts: 389 Member
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    Sure, you can. But you may not be alive to tell the story of it in 30 years.

    Skinny people still have heart attacks, get diabetes, have strokes, get cancer.... because they eat stuff that's crap for them.

    So it really depends if your goal is just to lose weight, or your goal is to actually be healthy. If your goal is to be healthy, get on board with vegetables. Hide them in things, cover them in dip or cheese, put them in smoothies and choke it down. Just get them in you somehow.

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