Can you really eat anything and lose?

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  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
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    Sure, but calorie-dense foods tend to have a lot of sugar and very little in the way of protein and will cause your blood sugar to spike, then plummet. You will be hungry again very shortly after eating that. So, as someone said, could you eat 1700 calories a day in jelly donuts and still lose weight? The answer is yes, assuming that's below your BMR, but you'd probably still be hungry during the day and would feel like crap.

    You're better off eating less calorie-dense foods (fruits, veggies) and more protein- and fiber-rich foods that will keep you fuller, longer and generally make you feel good by providing necessary vitamins and minerals.

    Admittedly when I started logging on MFP almost a year and a half ago, I ate pretty much whatever I wanted in moderation. As an example, I relied on 100-calorie packs of Cheez-Its, etc., for snacks. I did lose weight, but now I can't even imagine eating one of those packs. I eat Greek yogurt and/or fruit for snacks. Maybe it's because I work out regularly and need proper fuel, but for whatever reason I actually crave "good" foods. I will "cheat," though, so long as it's reasonable and a once-in-a-blue-moon thing, like a birthday. I mean, you have to live your life!
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Check my diary. I don't restrict anything except the number of calories in a day.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
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    Just ask the Nutrition Professor from the University of Kansas and his Twinkie diet.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Yes. I only cut out three things. Pancakes, regular soda and Captain Crunch had to go because they had way too many calories without getting me to my protein and fiber numbers. But the rest of my diet is gigantic hamburgers, pizza, and fast food and I'm extremely satisfied with my progress. Just hit your macros and you'll be fine.
  • SARgirl
    SARgirl Posts: 572 Member
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    Me! It was more about portion control for me. Instead of eating 10 cookies I now eat an actual serving size.
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
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    Yes-if I cravge something, I eat it as long as it's within my calories for the day and most of the time, I get my craving early enough so I can make it work. If I were to make this a diet (which for me it's not, it really is a life style change) then I'd be screwed and wouldn't get anywhere.
  • gypsybree
    gypsybree Posts: 218
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    yes
  • frando
    frando Posts: 583 Member
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    I ate a load of brioche and lost 4lb that week :D

    It's all about counting the calories, I ate them on 'gym' days when I had a surplus of calories and wanted to treat myself. But yes, the whole idea behind MFP is that you can eat what ever you like but only within your allowance.

    Good luck and measure :D
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    I don't live on garbage, but my day to day does include cookies, ice cream, burgers, and such. I just watch my portions and keep to my net calories.

    My diary is open for all to see.

    Same here. This has to be sustainable for me and I can't sustain without the Naughty foods. I did cut out Naughty foods and go "healthy", but I couldn't make it beyond 2 weeks before the b*tch I turned into became too much for myself and everyone around me. If I had the income and no medically restricted diet, I'd eat take-out most of the time. For me, it's calories burned > calories consumed = weight loss.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    Let's say you have 1700 calories a day. I don't think you can eat 1700 calories worth of Jelly donuts and lose weight. I might be wrong but I think you can have a jelly donut now an then. Everything in moderation.

    You absolutely can eat 1700 calories' worth of jelly donuts a day and lose weight. You'll be hungry and miserable and probably die of malnutrition within a couple of months, but then decomposition will set in and you'll lose weight even faster.

    Seriously, though, you can eat complete crap and lose weight as long as you eat small enough quantities of it. The problem is, if you aren't getting proper nutrition, it's not going to be a comfortable way to lose weight and you probably won't be burning most of it as fat. If you're short on protein, for example, there's precious little protein in fat reserves, so your body will start going after muscle and organs.

    Possible? Yes.

    Recommended? No!

    EDIT to add: This does not mean that you can't ever eat a jelly donut. You just have to put treats in their proper place - something you can use your remaining calories on once you are confident that you have used most of them to feed your body what it actually needs. I'd go bat-guano-crazy without a little something for dessert each evening. But it's a LITTLE something, and will get skipped if I'm short on proteins in particular and need to use the calories for my body first.
  • Rubie81
    Rubie81 Posts: 720 Member
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    You definitely can in the short term. Theoretically you could do it in the long term too, but that's much more difficult. Eventually your motivation to count calories will wane. If you don't change the way you eat, then eventually you'll probably gain the weight back.

    Yes, exactly what I was thinking.
  • KeegansMomma
    KeegansMomma Posts: 156
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    Me! It was more about portion control for me. Instead of eating 10 cookies I now eat an actual serving size.

    This is me exactly. Portion control is HUGE for me in my weight loss. I'm working on eating more veggies (and fruits at some point) because I know in the end a cup of broccoli or carrots is better for me than a cup of french fries. Not to mention my almost 5 year old son is becoming very...brave and curious with foods...especially vegetables. My mom had a salad the other night at dinner and he tried a bite of pretty much everything that was in her salad. And last night he ate roast turkey, potatos, carrots, and broccoli with us (rather than a PB&J or grilled cheese). So I know that I now have to work very hard to make veggies a part of my every day diet. :)
  • Howbouto
    Howbouto Posts: 2,121 Member
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    Yes and no.

    Can I personally? No, I have found by eating sugar and junk , I crave more sugar and junk and can not stay under calories.

    Techinically, if you can eat whatever you want and if you are under calories you will lose weight. Good luck on maintaining it.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    I don't do it, but when I was here last year I had a few people on my friends list who ate nothing but garbage and still lost.

    Although it is possible to eat nothing but crap and still lose weight, I don't recommend it because:

    -You'll be malnourished
    -You'll likely be hungrier than if you ate foods with a better nutrient profile
    -You'll probably lose more lean mass than was necessary
    -Your odds of maintaining the loss are very low

    Basically this.
  • ashblonde1
    ashblonde1 Posts: 31
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    There are two issues here the first on is the one asked by the OP.

    That is can you eat whatever you want within your goal and lose weight... like pretty much everyone said 'Yes, you can'. I would add that you can as long as you stay in goal calorie wise as well as carb, protein, fat, sugar and sodium.

    The bigger issue is would you want to eat anything? I think it is important to fuel your body with quality food... surely eating 1200 of Fast Food isn't the way forward, is it?

    I do agree with the other poster that said that you should be able to eat some of the junk you ate before, but regular portion sizes.

    I just don't agree that 1200 calories of jelly donuts or fast food is the way forward for anyone that wants to maintain a healthy lifestyle... at least not on a regular basis anyways.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
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    You can do it to a point. But, as you get closer to your goal, you will look like crap. You will still have a lot of fat and look bad. In order to look better, you will want to start fropping the twinkies and lucky charms, and start eating vegetables and fruits and good things. Then, you will start to see fat disappear and a more healthy body emerge. You will feel a lot better too.
  • oneIT
    oneIT Posts: 388 Member
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    If you want to lose weight, just stop eating and starve yourself. How is eating junk food any better? Both are unhealthy.
    If you want to be healthy and keep the weight off then eat good natural food and get some exercise. I count cals to make sure I am getting enough now.
  • CynGoddess
    CynGoddess Posts: 188 Member
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    -You'll be malnourished
    -You'll likely be hungrier than if you ate foods with a better nutrient profile
    -You'll probably lose more lean mass than was necessary
    -Your odds of maintaining the loss are very low

    Well said
  • kluvit
    kluvit Posts: 435 Member
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    Absolutely! No food is off limits as long as it fits within your macros. I had success focusing only on calories, but some others also watch the other macros such as fat, sugar, and sodium. I called mine the cake and ice cream diet because I worked it out that I was able to save up for angel food cake and ice cream (< 300 calories) after dinner almost every night and still stay within macros to exceed my weightloss goal.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
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    Kind of. If you are hungry, then you will feel unsatisfied, and overeat. If you get too many empty calories and carbs from junk food and not enough of the protein, vitamins, and minerals you need, you will feel like you are starving on a reasonable number of calories. As soon as you eat "good" food, you will feel fuller and more satisfied making the diet something you can actually stick to. I try and eat well most of the time with a liberal sprinkling of pizza, wine, and other "bad" foods. I refuse to be hungry and I refuse to give up all of the food I love. I lost 5lbs in 32 days.

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