"Healthy" Eating vs. Eating in Moderation?

Here is my take:

As a performance athlete, I need the right foods in my body to maximize my ability to do what I do best. Sure, I enjoy the occasional treat, but I try to eat clean, whole foods most of the time.

That being said, there is no point in depriving yourself of the things you love. Meaning, this is a lifestyle, not a diet. If you can't live without chocolate, cut back the portions and get some dark chocolate.

I'm sure many here will have helpful advice for you too. Good luck!!

I think you can find a balance that makes eating in moderation a healthy way of eating. Eat 80% whole foods to get what your body needs and the rest should be for you to enjoy. I think when most people say "I lost weight eating cakes, cookies and alcohol," they really mean, "over months/years I lost weight incorporating the foods I love into a balanced and nutritious diet."

Eating in moderation doesn't mean you're not eating healthy. I eat about 2000 calories a day. I'm still eating healthy if 200 calories of that comes from Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

I follow IIFYM. (If it fits you macros.) If I'm meeting my fat, carbs and protein goals, keeping in mind that I like to get several servings of fruit/vegetables a day, I'm eating healthy, even if one of those meals is pepperoni pizza.

When it comes to the consumption, storage (fat) and expenditure of energy, a calorie is a calorie. That's why, when I was going through chemotherapy, the doctor didn't flip out because my diet was mostly cheerios and jelly beans. The dietary priority the doctor gave me was to simply get in whatever calories I could manage to tolerate because eating is not an easy task when you're on chemo. So if you're talking the simple balance of caloric intake and output, calories are calories.

But there's still much to be said for the SOURCE of the calories. If the source provides not only calories but a lot of extra junk, it may negatively affect your health. If the source provides you calroies but no nutritional value, then you may be doing yourself a disservice by consuming a calorie with not additional benefit when you could be eating consuming a calorie accompanied by vitamins, minerals, and other good things. While I could get the calories I needed from cheerios and jelly beans while I was doing chemo, they weren't going to give me proper nutrition, so the doctor recommended I try to consume a couple meal replacement shakes each day to take care of the total nutrition picture, not just caloic intake.

Some places, you'll find that there's a breakdown of calories per gram for various sources. Generally, it seems to be broken down to Fat (9 calories per gram), Protein (4 calories per gram), and Carbohydrates (4 calories per gram). Eating foods with fat is not generally, in and of itself, bad for you. But there is the issue that for that 1 gram of fat, you need to remember you're eating twice the number of calories. That makes it easier to eat more calories when fat's involved.

So generally, when talking calories and your weight, a calorie is a calorie. The issue is what comes WITH the calories.

Many strong opinions......
The big question is
What is your goal?
If all you are concerned about is losing weight, then calories are calories....

Eating healthy can help you control calories....
Green beans don't have many, so you can eat a lot....

Chips make you want more chips and it is hard to stop ...

etc...

The bottom line is to set a goal and find what works for YOU.....

I personally find that by eating 1700 "healthy" calories I lose more weight. This is because if I eat "unhealthy" calories, I can't stop at 1700 calories. For me it's a craving thing - almost like an addiction. If I have an apple with peanut butter to satisfy my sweet tooth, I am satisfied with one apple . If I eat the same calories in chocolate, I find myself craving more and, as I have a serious willpower problem, I can't stop!