Can you really eat anything and lose?

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  • actbtk80
    actbtk80 Posts: 4 Member
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    Yes, you can eat whatever you want. The amount of calories myfitnesspal gives you is the amount of calories you can eat. It doesnt matter if you eat all fish or all ice cream, as long as you do not go over the calorie limit. You will find, however, that eating all your calories in ice cream will leave you hungry long before the day is over. So, choose your meals wisely, control your portions and stay within your calorie limit. I am amazed at how fast the pounds have fallen off me since I bought a kitchen scale and seriously started to follow myfitnesspal's calorie limit.

    If you are a fast food eater or like to go out to eat frequently, spend a few minutes looking at the food database on this website. Check out the meals that you would usually order and see how many calories you've been eating. That was a huge surprise for me.
  • aldavis55
    aldavis55 Posts: 9
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    Yes and no! You need to ask yourself.... what are your goals, to lose the weight any way you can even if it could be hurting you internally or do you want to make a lifestyle change where you stick to your calorie count with small meals throughout the day eating relatively healthy and a few cheats here and there while gaining optimal health inside and out. Eating the wrong foods have more of a detrimental affect on you! Besides skinny people can be obese! How the scale reads is only a small part of the equation. Body fat % determines whether an individual is obese.
  • BrentJulius
    BrentJulius Posts: 89 Member
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    Yes, of course.. if you are burning more calories than consuming.. but you should take into account 2 things:

    1. Eating high calorie foods that are essentially "empty" will take up a large portion of your alloted calories and leave you starving a few hours later (think Chinese food) with no calories left in your daily allowance, making it very hard to stay on track and you'll probably crack and fall off the wagon for that at least lol

    2. Macronutients are important to body composition. You can lose weight and be what is called skinny-fat, low skeletal muscle to body fat ratio still falling within normal weight range. Also high protein and high fiber foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables will make you feel fuller longer and use more energy (calories) to digest and have a positive impact on insulin sensitivity leading to mch more success in your goals in the long run..
  • dustygn
    dustygn Posts: 28 Member
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    Yup. I know this from experience. I used to eat chocolate (large 250g blocks) every few days as a meal and a half. You need to have mega will power, or just be so lazy you can't be bothered making dinner. Of which I am the later. I'm getting better though, being a pescatarian (normal vegetarian + fish) I guess I better make an effort to eat vegetables. Running helps me lot, allows me to fit in some treats on top of my healthier diet, rather than instead of my diet lol.
  • ash1976
    ash1976 Posts: 41 Member
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    Yes!
  • Britbratkins3
    Britbratkins3 Posts: 53
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    Yes but I don't actually think calories are calories. If I ate 2000 calories in chips vs 2000 calories in fruit, the fruit would actually make you skinnier and weigh less. But of course I strive to be healthy, not just to be a certain number. I mean it would be nice to be skinnier than where I am at, but only if my body naturally wants me to.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    Yes, you can eat anything you want and lose. Lose what? Your health.

    The choices you make define your body.
  • RhonndaJ
    RhonndaJ Posts: 1,615 Member
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    Yup. Thirty pounds in the last three months.

    Edited to clarify. I am striving to eat healthier as well, but I've not denied myself things like chocolate, pizza, fries or other random, not so healthy things.
  • slimlifter
    slimlifter Posts: 61 Member
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    At the moment I can't can't be bothered reading 5 pages, just wanted to add 3 words: Carb Back Loading.

    ;)
  • indygal76
    indygal76 Posts: 283 Member
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    It is all about moderation.
  • dawnwarren71
    dawnwarren71 Posts: 18
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    I am a true lover of food. I have been told lots of Veggies and Proteins. I have gone online and found lots of receipes and just start trying them. I found South Beach does a great job at making yummy food that's low in Calories.
    There is no replacing the white breads, rices and pastas though. That is something we just have to get our bodies used to not having.
    But google low carloie foods or get a South Beach cook book and just start trying you will find LOTS to love!
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    Yes! :) I lost 20 pounds eating more or less anything I wanted. If it fits into your calorie goal and you're not overeating, you can eat or drink ANYTHING and lose. For your health, it's obviously better to fill up some or most of those required calories with healthy food (which I'm trying to do now) but it terms of actual weight loss, the type of food doesn't matter. It's calories in, calories out. Plain and simple.


    This, exactly! :drinker:
  • fatboy235
    fatboy235 Posts: 147 Member
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    You can to a certain point then your body will plateau. I started limiting Carb intake b/w 80 - 100. As long as you stay within the guidelines of MFP you will be ok. I used to go way over my sugar and sodium. By reducing the amount of carbs i've been able to stay under the MFP recommendations.
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,738 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 can eat 1700 calories in donuts and still lose weight. Google the Twinkie Diet. However, you probably won't feel that great.
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,738 Member
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    You can to a certain point then your body will plateau. I started limiting Carb intake b/w 80 - 100. As long as you stay within the guidelines of MFP you will be ok. I used to go way over my sugar and sodium. By reducing the amount of carbs i've been able to stay under the MFP recommendations.

    No, a plateau is not necessarily the outcome. Mixing things up always helps to stop a plateau. If you started out low carb and then plateau, add some carbs--plateau breaks.

    You can eat anything you want and still lose weight.
  • LorryGuthrie
    LorryGuthrie Posts: 113 Member
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    Yep, been doing that all along.

    But I have been trying to eat more protein and fewer carbs (this one is the hardest for me) lately as I have only a few pounds left to lose and that (as expected) has gotten harder.
  • bulbadoof
    bulbadoof Posts: 1,058 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.
    Technically you could lose weight eating only donuts, but a) you wouldn't be very healthy and b) that's like, four donuts and that's all you'd get to eat for the whole day.

    When you're going through your day at a calorie deficit, you're gonna be hungry because your body wants you to eat more. You can naturally eat many more vegetables and lean proteins than you could cheeseburgers and jelly donuts for the same amount of calories.

    You'll feel fuller, have more energy, and experience less cravings if you eat healthy food - you don't have to, but it makes eating at a calorie deficit a whole lot easier.
  • 2hmom
    2hmom Posts: 241 Member
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    Yes,sometimes on weekends I have beer,chips and salsa! I like this life!
  • getninshape56
    getninshape56 Posts: 42 Member
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    Personally, I'm eating within my caloric limits and still having a hard time losing. Interesting to read all the replies.
  • AliceNov2011
    AliceNov2011 Posts: 471 Member
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    When I quit smoking, I didn't replace the cigarettes with fake cigarettes, which would have perpetuated the behavior and kept me on the permanently "missing them" train. I've tried to do that when breaking my bad eating habits, too... replace the bad foods with completely new ones, not fake food substitutes. Today I have friends on MFP who, sadly, are on that hamster wheel and don't get it. Without a seed change in mindset, I don't see how any of our hard work can be permanent... and the cycle continues. Just as I'm not a complete non-smoker (no cravings at all), I am on my way to being a non-junk food eater (no cravings at all).

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