Junk food in diet OK?

dwightkshrute
dwightkshrute Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I just posted this in another forum but I think it's better suited for this one. Sorry if you already read it elsewhere.

My wife and I recently started a diet plan to lose weight which basically consists of staying around 1,200 calories/day and exercising 3 times per week. What we're wondering is if it's ok to add in some junk food type stuff (chips, pop, ice cream, etc) as long as we end the day at 1,200 calories. What do you guys think?

Replies

  • livelifebreath
    livelifebreath Posts: 14 Member
    I say healthier junk food is better. Eat pop chips instead of chips. Just watch your sodium and sugar because even if your calorie range you won't lose. Drink lots and lots of water.
  • BlueMacaroniArt
    BlueMacaroniArt Posts: 122 Member
    I tend to think it really doesn't matter. 'Bad food' is all relative. But I am more concerned that a 30 yr old male is only eating 1200 calories. Seems like at 1200 you could eat nothing but crap and still lose. Seems way too low...

    Oh but I would suggest if you are going to do it to skip the pop... you might want to save the calories for something that actually fills you up for a while since you are having so few. IMO
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    Would you like to be healthy or just weigh less?

    If the latter then knock yourself out.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    Yes, it's fine.
  • BlueMacaroniArt
    BlueMacaroniArt Posts: 122 Member
    Would you like to be healthy or just weigh less?

    If the latter then knock yourself out.

    Having Ice Cream doesn't make you unhealthy. Possibly eating a gallon of it and nothing else all day would - but that's not what he's saying.
  • VeganZombie13
    VeganZombie13 Posts: 297
    (chips ,<--- Healthy chips maybe but only ONE serving..
    (pop,<
    NOPE to much sugar......
    (ice cream <
    if it's a healthy brand maybe BUT can you eat just one serving??
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,334 Member
    I don't eat the chips anymore. But I will have the flavored rice cakes....and I count them out (I am allowed 18). If you can keep your portions within your numbers, go ahead. But I have stopped eating a lot of the junk and have substituted other snacks like gelatin and sugar free puddings.
  • ZugTheMegasaurus
    ZugTheMegasaurus Posts: 801 Member
    You can, sure. I wouldn't advise making it an everyday thing though. Junk food is going to take a serious chunk out of those 1200 calories you're allowing and it's not particularly satiating or nutritious compared to, say, fruits or vegetables.

    Don't make this about weight alone. Make it about improving your health, lifestyle, and how you feel every day. Weight is only one factor. You can lose weight on junk food, but you might not feel really great. Make it an infrequent thing rather than the norm.
  • LisaDunn01
    LisaDunn01 Posts: 173 Member
    If your ultimate goal is to be healthy (and not just thin), then the answer is NO. The body needs whole foods to heal, repair and nourish. Foods like good quality protein, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, raw nuts, healthy fats. The more one eats a healthy, whole foods diet, the more the cravings for the bad stuff reduce.

    There are lots of healthy ways to satisfy the craving for junk food. For example, when I want ice cream I simply blend 2 frozen bananas, 1 tbsp. raw chocolate powder, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract and... there you go - healthy, delicious chocolate ice cream! I eat cheese-flavored kale chips when I want something crunchy. I eat zucchini spaghetti or spaghetti squash when I want pasta.

    While all the women in my family gained an extraordinary amount of weight (mom, both grandmothers, and sister all gained 45-60 pounds), went on various medications (you name it, they went on them) and had body parts removed (hysterectomy, gall bladder, part of a colon removed, thyroid radiated) by the time they hit their 40's, I am the ONLY one who has been able to maintain a low weight, stay free of medication and has all her body parts at age 46. A clean bill of health every year.

    Simply ask yourself what you want your quality of life to be like as you get older - then the answer "to each junk food or not to eat junk food" is answered.
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
    Lots of choices everyday.
    A diet full of "junk" will not provide the nutrition you need and may supply lots of things that are not good for your body. Hope you're here to do something healthier than just reduce calories.

    For some people it's "all or nothing". That's easier for them. And so for those people it works best to cut out all "junk" food. (Although opinions vary about what's "junk".) If these people have some "forbidden" food, they will often binge.

    For other people (including me), incremental change is easier. For those people, it's easier to make dietary changes gradually. Not eating any of the "forbidden" foods, just cause cravings that eventually cause too much "grazing" or a binge.

    (Personally, I don't believe in forbidding foods -- except for allergies, religious or because you just don't like it.)
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Robin_Bin/view/cravings-282817

    You need to find out which strategy works best for you.

    Good luck!
  • kimothy38
    kimothy38 Posts: 840 Member
    If it's a trigger food for you then I'd say stay away from it! As long as you eat healthily throughout the day and don't skimp on that just so you can eat some junk then go for it. Personally if I deprive myself of something then it becomes more and more important to me.
  • pamperedlinny
    pamperedlinny Posts: 1,688 Member
    I say healthier junk food is better. Eat pop chips instead of chips. Just watch your sodium and sugar because even if your calorie range you won't lose. Drink lots and lots of water.

    This.
    I know for me that carby stuff will stunt my weight loss (I have PCOS). But I still have some things anyway. I feel like if I allow a tiny bit (like actually measuring a serving out and walking away) I won't want the entire thing later.
    And I love popchips, light ice cream and individual chocolate servings (like 2 hershey nuggets).
    I sometimes think the all or nothing people either have incredible will power or will fall horribly. But it's a personal choice. And you could limit some for now and work on getting rid of them a little at a time instead of all at once too.
  • Bevigal
    Bevigal Posts: 66 Member
    I feel that when you make certain foods "forbidden" you are setting yourself up for a fall. I do not deny myself anything but I do make sure the serving is correct and I do not go back for seconds. FORBIDDEN FRUIT IS ALWAYS SWEETER!!!
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
    I respectfully disagree that you can't have some junk food and still be healthy. I incorporate little treats throughout my day ex: mini-peppermint pattie instead of a large one or sugar free pudding instead of regular pudding. My bloodwork from my doc is just about perfect, my blood pressure is actually a tad low, an despite still needing to lose more weight my doc recently told me I'm extremely healthy. Everything in moderation. I don't believe in living in a manner that makes me unhappy... perfectly clean eating and never having junk would make me miserable. And stress /unhappiness takes a bigger toll on the body than the occassional bowl of ice cream.

    The only thing I discourage is thesoda. Liquid calories are usually so high and it doesnt fill/ sit in the belly long.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,333 Member
    I suggest you just try to do it your way and see if it works. Nothing makes mechange or switch things up ...like not losing.

    I've done the reverse of what you're asking about. I tried super healthy things..and ...nothing. no loss. So..it works both ways. all pontificating aside.
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
    Oh... and as some other people have mentioned, there are healthy versions of what many people think of as "junk".

    Dark chocolate adds to my fiber content. Chips can be made of healthy vegetables with little or no oil/fat. Instead of mashed potatoes, try mashed cauliflower. Some frozen desserts are actually very healthy. What some people consider "bad", like fruit, others are trying to add for health reasons.

    I'd rather have the very rich ice cream than a substitute like ice milk. But I'm fine with 1/2 cup occasionally. My favorite is rather rich, and I need to adjust to fit it into my daily allocation, but 1/2 cup of slow or double churned ice cream can even be under 100 calories.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    I try to keep my diet as flexible as possible, so I'm an advocate of the IIFYM (if it fits your macros) approach, at least to a great degree. If you're getting the vitamins/macronutrients you need, it doesn't hurt to indulge a bit. There are a lot of things I eat a lot less of / a lot less often nowadays, but I haven't 100% excluded *anything* from my diet that was there before.

    brb finishing my after-dinner Skinny Cow 100-calorie ice cream bar right now. :bigsmile:
  • raeleek
    raeleek Posts: 414 Member
    Would you like to be healthy or just weigh less?

    If the latter then knock yourself out.

    Having Ice Cream doesn't make you unhealthy. Possibly eating a gallon of it and nothing else all day would - but that's not what he's saying.

    THIS! All the best to people who totally cut the stuff out but unless you have a medical reason not to then enjoy a serving of ice cream or chocolate or whatever your flavor is. This is something you want to do for life not just a quick race to weight loss and then DONE. Do you think you can live with a chip for the rest of your life? If not, learn how to control your portions and enjoy. Also, I agree with the other poster, shouldn't you be eating more calories? Don't cut yourself down too far!

    One of my personal favorites right now is a serving of natural vanilla bean ice cream with a peach. I don't know why but I LOVE it!

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