Eating "junk" and losing weight?
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Subjective. I haven't been sick in over 3 years. Get a cold maybe once a year. Immune system, arteries, blood lipid profiles, cholesterol, all excellent. And I eat "junk food" DAILY. Not a lot, but something is there once a day. Oh and the feared diet soda too.Here's the thing: losing weight is about calories in/calories out and balanced macros, but BEING HEALTHY is different. It's about clean foods, not eating processed garbage, etc. Your immune system, your arteries, etc. will thank you. I can guarantee that since I started eating more whole foods/fewer processed things that I get sick WAY less. I'm averaging one cold a year now, and getting over it much faster, whereas before, I'd get colds/flu at least three times a year and maybe more. You can't work out when you're sick. Not only that, I don't think it's good to develop a "junk food palate"...your mind/body will start to crave garbagey foods, and on days when you can't work out for whatever reason you're going to feel cruddy because you've been eating crud. The old adage that "you are what you eat" applies here.
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Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Does anyone have any actual scientific evidence that eating "junk" food, in the context of an active lifestyle with healthy body composition, is actually worse in any measurable way than eating "healthy" food?
The answer to this question will never come...
Seriously? Yes, there are hundreds upon thousands of studies on this.
ou will have to narrow the field rather than say "junk food" let's take one of the biggest offenders "Partially Hydrogenated Oils" (trans fat) named because they add hydrogen back into the oil which is a pretty way of saying it turns unsaturated fatty acids into saturated ones. Basically it makes foods last for ever on shelves, because that is what food is supposed to do right? Be loaded with chemicals to last forever?
Don't take my word for it National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine said that trans fats shouldn't be consumed at all. The Food and Drug Administration says that intake should be as low as possible. (source http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/02/08/what-exactly-does-it-mean-when-foods-are-hydrogenated-and-what-risks-can-it-pose.htm) Need more reason not to consume very much? Trans fats raise your bad (LDL) cholesterol levels and lower your good (HDL) cholesterol levels. Eating trans fats increases your risk of developing heart disease and stroke. It’s also associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
There is one "junk food" which other would you like to know about?
Trans fat is trans fat no matter what food it's in.
Trans fat is a macronutrient.
Macronutrient control is the issue.
uhhhh nooo Fat is a macro, and no one said fat was bad for you.
..... Yes. Trans fat is a macronutrient.
While trans fat "technically" has fat in it.. Most are man made and not a beneficial fat, nor is it a good way to get fat in your diet. So no, no one in their right mind will say be sure to get your TRANS FAT macro nutrient.
A molecule that contains calories is, by definition, a macronutrient. Trans fat is a type of fat. Glucose is a type of carbohydrate. Glucose and trans fats are macronutrients.
Fat is a category of macronutrient hat includes saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, trans fat, etc. Look at this nice big list of macronutrients which includes all of the ones mentioned above:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_macronutrients
Yeah I don't need to read Wikipedia I already said it falls under the FAT umbrella, that is not really the point.. Point is there far superior fat macros to choose from, you do NOT need trans fat in your diet.. I am honestly quite shocked that people are saying you NEED it .. Especially someone who post there whole resume in their signature should know better.
I can drink a cup of high fructose corn syrup and say I got my carbs for the day, but it is ignorance to say that is the best option to meet that macro need in your diet, But hell do whatever you want.
^^^THIS^^^0 -
I really couldn't care less what any individual chooses to put in his/her body. What I strongly disagree with is the opinion that it does not matter what you eat "as long as it fits your macros". It most certainly DOES matter. The posters who say that they normally eat mostly good food and indulge once in a while, are probably going to be okay. But those who ignore nutrition and just focus on calories alone, are doing their bodies a disservice. And it is not a good thing to propose.
That is not what IIFYM is at all. If it fits your macros" NOT if it fits your calories.0 -
Subjective. I haven't been sick in over 3 years. Get a cold maybe once a year. Immune system, arteries, blood lipid profiles, cholesterol, all excellent. And I eat "junk food" DAILY. Not a lot, but something is there once a day. Oh and the feared diet soda too.Here's the thing: losing weight is about calories in/calories out and balanced macros, but BEING HEALTHY is different. It's about clean foods, not eating processed garbage, etc. Your immune system, your arteries, etc. will thank you. I can guarantee that since I started eating more whole foods/fewer processed things that I get sick WAY less. I'm averaging one cold a year now, and getting over it much faster, whereas before, I'd get colds/flu at least three times a year and maybe more. You can't work out when you're sick. Not only that, I don't think it's good to develop a "junk food palate"...your mind/body will start to crave garbagey foods, and on days when you can't work out for whatever reason you're going to feel cruddy because you've been eating crud. The old adage that "you are what you eat" applies here.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
You may be blessed with the constitution of a horse. Many other people have much more fragile bio-systems that break down under the assault of the chemical stew that processed food represents. Children seem especially affected by food additives.0 -
I really couldn't care less what any individual chooses to put in his/her body. What I strongly disagree with is the opinion that it does not matter what you eat "as long as it fits your macros". It most certainly DOES matter. The posters who say that they normally eat mostly good food and indulge once in a while, are probably going to be okay. But those who ignore nutrition and just focus on calories alone, are doing their bodies a disservice. And it is not a good thing to propose.
That is not what IIFYM is at all. If it fits your macros" NOT if it fits your calories.
Many people here seem to think that they are interchangeable.0 -
I really couldn't care less what any individual chooses to put in his/her body. What I strongly disagree with is the opinion that it does not matter what you eat "as long as it fits your macros". It most certainly DOES matter. The posters who say that they normally eat mostly good food and indulge once in a while, are probably going to be okay. But those who ignore nutrition and just focus on calories alone, are doing their bodies a disservice. And it is not a good thing to propose.
That is not what IIFYM is at all. If it fits your macros" NOT if it fits your calories.
Many people here seem to think that they are interchangeable.
Yeah? Who? I imagine you'll have trouble coming up with names.
Calories are all that matter for weight loss.
Nutrients and exercise, along with weight loss, are what matter for health and body composition.
Organic/processed/fast/whatever makes no inherent difference in either0 -
I heard on NPR once that a professor did a "Twinkies" diet- and lost weight. He kept his calories low and exercised and ate Twinkies- sure he felt lethargic and unhealthy but it does work. I am trying to not modify how I eat because I know that if I am on some weird diet- as soon as I reach my goal and get off said diet I will gain it back. I rather eat how I eat and learn portions, calories, and exercise ratios. Slowly but surely!0
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Eating processed and sugary stuff throws off my system so badly that I start gaining weight almost immediately. I think everyone is different, and some people are lucky enough to be able to just do calorie control and still lose weight. If you're not one of those people, it's okay. We all have to figure out what works for us personally. I find that keeping my blood sugar under control with low glycemic index foods is key to not gaining weight. I stick to eating foods that help regulate my appetite, and sugar seems to make me more hungry in the long run. So it's not that 80 calories of apple and 80 calories of sugar is different from the perspective of energy units, the difference is in both the immediate and long term effects that these food choices have on endocrine system (insulin, leptin, etc.). That's my understanding of it at this point.0
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I really couldn't care less what any individual chooses to put in his/her body. What I strongly disagree with is the opinion that it does not matter what you eat "as long as it fits your macros". It most certainly DOES matter. The posters who say that they normally eat mostly good food and indulge once in a while, are probably going to be okay. But those who ignore nutrition and just focus on calories alone, are doing their bodies a disservice. And it is not a good thing to propose.
That is not what IIFYM is at all. If it fits your macros" NOT if it fits your calories.
Many people here seem to think that they are interchangeable.
No YOU seem to keep thinking that is what they are saying. NOBODY is saying that you should eat nothing but sugar for carbs and oil for fats. Only the source of these nutrients is less important than getting the nutrients. Getting protein and fat from a cheeseburger still gets you protein and fat. You could get them from nuts but it is still protein and fat.0 -
I really couldn't care less what any individual chooses to put in his/her body. What I strongly disagree with is the opinion that it does not matter what you eat "as long as it fits your macros". It most certainly DOES matter. The posters who say that they normally eat mostly good food and indulge once in a while, are probably going to be okay. But those who ignore nutrition and just focus on calories alone, are doing their bodies a disservice. And it is not a good thing to propose.
That is not what IIFYM is at all. If it fits your macros" NOT if it fits your calories.
Many people here seem to think that they are interchangeable.
Yeah? Who? I imagine you'll have trouble coming up with names.
Calories are all that matter for weight loss.
Nutrients and exercise, along with weight loss, are what matter for health and body composition.
Organic/processed/fast/whatever makes no inherent difference in either
I don't choose to come up with names because that would be considered to be an attack on individuals. I don't have any quarrel with what you have written here (except that I would likely disagree with your last statement depending on what exactly you meant by it). There are posts from a number of people which ignore the health aspect (usually from younger people who have not yet learned the dangers of abusing their bodies).0 -
Disagree. Processed foods have long been available in Asia. Their population seems to do just fine. What they are lacking is a population of 60% overweight and obese people.
Subjective. I haven't been sick in over 3 years. Get a cold maybe once a year. Immune system, arteries, blood lipid profiles, cholesterol, all excellent. And I eat "junk food" DAILY. Not a lot, but something is there once a day. Oh and the feared diet soda too.Here's the thing: losing weight is about calories in/calories out and balanced macros, but BEING HEALTHY is different. It's about clean foods, not eating processed garbage, etc. Your immune system, your arteries, etc. will thank you. I can guarantee that since I started eating more whole foods/fewer processed things that I get sick WAY less. I'm averaging one cold a year now, and getting over it much faster, whereas before, I'd get colds/flu at least three times a year and maybe more. You can't work out when you're sick. Not only that, I don't think it's good to develop a "junk food palate"...your mind/body will start to crave garbagey foods, and on days when you can't work out for whatever reason you're going to feel cruddy because you've been eating crud. The old adage that "you are what you eat" applies here.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
You may be blessed with the constitution of a horse. Many other people have much more fragile bio-systems that break down under the assault of the chemical stew that processed food represents. Children seem especially affected by food additives.
No medical organization will dispute that WEIGHT is the number one predictor of health risk.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Here's the thing: losing weight is about calories in/calories out and balanced macros, but BEING HEALTHY is different. It's about clean foods, not eating processed garbage, etc. Your immune system, your arteries, etc. will thank you. I can guarantee that since I started eating more whole foods/fewer processed things that I get sick WAY less. I'm averaging one cold a year now, and getting over it much faster, whereas before, I'd get colds/flu at least three times a year and maybe more. You can't work out when you're sick. Not only that, I don't think it's good to develop a "junk food palate"...your mind/body will start to crave garbagey foods, and on days when you can't work out for whatever reason you're going to feel cruddy because you've been eating crud. The old adage that "you are what you eat" applies here.
Yep.0 -
Disagree. Processed foods have long been available in Asia. Their population seems to do just fine. What they are lacking is a population of 60% overweight and obese people.
Subjective. I haven't been sick in over 3 years. Get a cold maybe once a year. Immune system, arteries, blood lipid profiles, cholesterol, all excellent. And I eat "junk food" DAILY. Not a lot, but something is there once a day. Oh and the feared diet soda too.Here's the thing: losing weight is about calories in/calories out and balanced macros, but BEING HEALTHY is different. It's about clean foods, not eating processed garbage, etc. Your immune system, your arteries, etc. will thank you. I can guarantee that since I started eating more whole foods/fewer processed things that I get sick WAY less. I'm averaging one cold a year now, and getting over it much faster, whereas before, I'd get colds/flu at least three times a year and maybe more. You can't work out when you're sick. Not only that, I don't think it's good to develop a "junk food palate"...your mind/body will start to crave garbagey foods, and on days when you can't work out for whatever reason you're going to feel cruddy because you've been eating crud. The old adage that "you are what you eat" applies here.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
You may be blessed with the constitution of a horse. Many other people have much more fragile bio-systems that break down under the assault of the chemical stew that processed food represents. Children seem especially affected by food additives.
No medical organization will dispute that WEIGHT is the number one predictor of health risk.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Nonsense. China, because the Chinese government has declined to have ANY environmental standards, is rapidly becoming an industrial wasteland, and the people are paying dearly for their government's neglect. The government has admitted lately (as they have bowed to the demands of their people for more safeguards on the environment) that there are whole cities that are called "cancer cities". Adiposity may indeed be currently a predictor of long-term health risk but just reducing the body fat without paying attention to what we put in our mouths is being foolhardy. Throughout mankind's history, severe illness and excessive thinness rode together. Terminal cancer patients are generally quite thin.0 -
We're not speaking of ENVIRONMENT here. Environment does affect health greatly, but that doesn't have anything to do with what is being put in their mouths. The address was to "junk food" eating. Are you going to tell us that Asians ONLY eat whole foods? You would be quite wrong in that assumption.
Disagree. Processed foods have long been available in Asia. Their population seems to do just fine. What they are lacking is a population of 60% overweight and obese people.
Subjective. I haven't been sick in over 3 years. Get a cold maybe once a year. Immune system, arteries, blood lipid profiles, cholesterol, all excellent. And I eat "junk food" DAILY. Not a lot, but something is there once a day. Oh and the feared diet soda too.Here's the thing: losing weight is about calories in/calories out and balanced macros, but BEING HEALTHY is different. It's about clean foods, not eating processed garbage, etc. Your immune system, your arteries, etc. will thank you. I can guarantee that since I started eating more whole foods/fewer processed things that I get sick WAY less. I'm averaging one cold a year now, and getting over it much faster, whereas before, I'd get colds/flu at least three times a year and maybe more. You can't work out when you're sick. Not only that, I don't think it's good to develop a "junk food palate"...your mind/body will start to crave garbagey foods, and on days when you can't work out for whatever reason you're going to feel cruddy because you've been eating crud. The old adage that "you are what you eat" applies here.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
You may be blessed with the constitution of a horse. Many other people have much more fragile bio-systems that break down under the assault of the chemical stew that processed food represents. Children seem especially affected by food additives.
No medical organization will dispute that WEIGHT is the number one predictor of health risk.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Nonsense. China, because the Chinese government has declined to have ANY environmental standards, is rapidly becoming an industrial wasteland, and the people are paying dearly for their government's neglect. The government has admitted lately (as they have bowed to the demands of their people for more safeguards on the environment) that there are whole cities that are called "cancer cities". Adiposity may indeed be currently a predictor of long-term health risk but just reducing the body fat without paying attention to what we put in our mouths is being foolhardy. Throughout mankind's history, severe illness and excessive thinness rode together. Terminal cancer patients are generally quite thin.
And the excess thinness you speak of is DUE TO THE ILLNESS, and not always the other way around. Third world thin people aren't dying of cancer..................they're dying of starvation.
You have a tendency to lead off on strawman arguments.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
So just clean foods? Weight, exercise, rest, stress, sleep, environment, risk behavior and genetics don't have anything to do with health?:laugh:Here's the thing: losing weight is about calories in/calories out and balanced macros, but BEING HEALTHY is different. It's about clean foods, not eating processed garbage, etc. Your immune system, your arteries, etc. will thank you. I can guarantee that since I started eating more whole foods/fewer processed things that I get sick WAY less. I'm averaging one cold a year now, and getting over it much faster, whereas before, I'd get colds/flu at least three times a year and maybe more. You can't work out when you're sick. Not only that, I don't think it's good to develop a "junk food palate"...your mind/body will start to crave garbagey foods, and on days when you can't work out for whatever reason you're going to feel cruddy because you've been eating crud. The old adage that "you are what you eat" applies here.
Yep.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
We're not speaking of ENVIRONMENT here. Environment does affect health greatly, but that doesn't have anything to do with what is being put in their mouths. The address was to "junk food" eating. Are you going to tell us that Asians ONLY eat whole foods? You would be quite wrong in that assumption.
Disagree. Processed foods have long been available in Asia. Their population seems to do just fine. What they are lacking is a population of 60% overweight and obese people.
Subjective. I haven't been sick in over 3 years. Get a cold maybe once a year. Immune system, arteries, blood lipid profiles, cholesterol, all excellent. And I eat "junk food" DAILY. Not a lot, but something is there once a day. Oh and the feared diet soda too.Here's the thing: losing weight is about calories in/calories out and balanced macros, but BEING HEALTHY is different. It's about clean foods, not eating processed garbage, etc. Your immune system, your arteries, etc. will thank you. I can guarantee that since I started eating more whole foods/fewer processed things that I get sick WAY less. I'm averaging one cold a year now, and getting over it much faster, whereas before, I'd get colds/flu at least three times a year and maybe more. You can't work out when you're sick. Not only that, I don't think it's good to develop a "junk food palate"...your mind/body will start to crave garbagey foods, and on days when you can't work out for whatever reason you're going to feel cruddy because you've been eating crud. The old adage that "you are what you eat" applies here.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
You may be blessed with the constitution of a horse. Many other people have much more fragile bio-systems that break down under the assault of the chemical stew that processed food represents. Children seem especially affected by food additives.
No medical organization will dispute that WEIGHT is the number one predictor of health risk.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Nonsense. China, because the Chinese government has declined to have ANY environmental standards, is rapidly becoming an industrial wasteland, and the people are paying dearly for their government's neglect. The government has admitted lately (as they have bowed to the demands of their people for more safeguards on the environment) that there are whole cities that are called "cancer cities". Adiposity may indeed be currently a predictor of long-term health risk but just reducing the body fat without paying attention to what we put in our mouths is being foolhardy. Throughout mankind's history, severe illness and excessive thinness rode together. Terminal cancer patients are generally quite thin.
And the excess thinness you speak of is DUE TO THE ILLNESS, and not always the other way around. Third world thin people aren't dying of cancer..................they're dying of starvation.
You have a tendency to lead off on strawman arguments.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
But the environment has a profound effect on the foods we eat and processed food is tainted with many chemicals---some deliberately, some inadvertently. How is it that melamine-laced dairy from China (remember the melamine tainted infant formula of a few years ago?) ended up in chocolate candy here? By the way, there is a major scandal brewing on Chinese food imports. Because they irrigate their crops with heavily polluted groundwater, Chinese foodstuffs are also heavily polluted with industrial waste.0 -
Disagree. Processed foods have long been available in Asia. Their population seems to do just fine. What they are lacking is a population of 60% overweight and obese people.
No medical organization will dispute that WEIGHT is the number one predictor of health risk.
Obesity is rising in China alongside fast food market growth.
There does seem to be some relationship between processed foods and weight.0 -
Disagree. Processed foods have long been available in Asia. Their population seems to do just fine. What they are lacking is a population of 60% overweight and obese people.
No medical organization will dispute that WEIGHT is the number one predictor of health risk.
Obesity is rising in China alongside fast food market growth.
There does seem to be some relationship between processed foods and weight.
The correlation is convenience and price, not the content of the food.
The "processed food" is a confounding factor. The real cause is the increase of caloric intake.
It's the same way coffee is correlated with lung cancer. It turns out that coffee is correlated with smoking, which is the causative factor.0 -
Disagree. Processed foods have long been available in Asia. Their population seems to do just fine. What they are lacking is a population of 60% overweight and obese people.
No medical organization will dispute that WEIGHT is the number one predictor of health risk.
Obesity is rising in China alongside fast food market growth.
There does seem to be some relationship between processed foods and weight.
Easily accessible calorie dense food. "Processed food" (whatever that means) is not the what is causing obesity. Obesity is causing the health risks.0 -
So just clean foods? Weight, exercise, rest, stress, sleep, environment, risk behavior and genetics don't have anything to do with health?:laugh:Here's the thing: losing weight is about calories in/calories out and balanced macros, but BEING HEALTHY is different. It's about clean foods, not eating processed garbage, etc. Your immune system, your arteries, etc. will thank you. I can guarantee that since I started eating more whole foods/fewer processed things that I get sick WAY less. I'm averaging one cold a year now, and getting over it much faster, whereas before, I'd get colds/flu at least three times a year and maybe more. You can't work out when you're sick. Not only that, I don't think it's good to develop a "junk food palate"...your mind/body will start to crave garbagey foods, and on days when you can't work out for whatever reason you're going to feel cruddy because you've been eating crud. The old adage that "you are what you eat" applies here.
Yep.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
No--all of those factors are very important, but is the weight the problem, or are the effects of the other elements causing the excessive adiposity? Why has obesity only been a significant problem in the West since the latter part of the last century? Could one of the answers be the quality of what we put in our mouths?0
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