Is what you eat really important??

anaboneana
anaboneana Posts: 195 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello everyone! I know this sounds like a ridiculous question, but I'm curious... Does what you eat really matter? I've heard that you can lose/maintain weight by eating a certain number of calories. But what about the source of those calories? I mean... I tend to feel better when I eat veggies/fruits, staying away from junk food. But I feel that, as long as I stay within my daily limit, I can have a splurge of chocolate, cookies, candy, whatever. Is that inhibiting me from losing weight? Will it eventually cause me to gain? Like I said, I enjoy fruits and veggies (eating healthy, in general) but sometimes I don't feel so bad about eating crap. And that confuses me. Any advice?
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Replies

  • GreyEyes21
    GreyEyes21 Posts: 241 Member
    Yes what you eat is very important. Fats and suggars add to a saggy belly and other limbs post-weight loss. Complex carbs and lots of lean protein aid in great weight loss! Sodium will keep water in your system and you will always have a layer of fat/water between your skin and muscles. Drink at least 8 C water to rid of excess fat in your system.

    You have to work out too not just eat healthy or you will end up saggy and thin not lean and thin.
  • godsrocks2000
    godsrocks2000 Posts: 7
    The answer is yes eating junk is not good and can hold the weight loss up but we all are human. If you consume junk on a daily basis then thats no good. I only consume things like pizza and cookies on very rare events, but I am a health freak bodybuilder and thats not for everyone. here is what i recommend for my clients:

    Breakfast-shake

    2hours later- snack high protein/fiber- low cholesterol/fat

    Lunch- Eat your whole carbs here, protein(fish, chicken,ect.) veggies

    2hours later- snack high protein/fiber- low cholesterol/fat

    2hours later- snack fruit and veggies

    Shake after workout or for dinner if you prefer

    No carbs after 4pm most people are not active enough to burn them!

    Dinner- protein(fish, chicken,ect.) veggies(salads are great)

    Drink plenty of water through out the day, your body cannot rid itself of useless fats and toxins without it. I suggest at least a glass every time you eat.

    This plan is solid. the body maintains a high level of metabolism by eating often. I know its opposite of what you would think but it's how the body works. Replacing milk with almond milk is also a great idea. If you would like I could recommend some great nutritional shakes. I promise you if you followed this for 30 days you would be amazed on how you feel and the fat loss.

    Dave
  • Julicat6
    Julicat6 Posts: 231 Member
    It is, to an extent. If all your calories come from processed, lower nutrition foods, it will be hard to maintain long-term. However, there is no reason to cut out all treats. I think 80/20 is a good guideline for most people. 80% healthy, whole foods 20% whatever floats your boat and helps keep you on track. I count flavored coffee creamer in my 20% as well as pasta, pizza, most candy, any bread or baked good that isn't whole grain, etc. I count 1 oz or less of Dark Chocolate in with my healthy 80% as it has health benefits. I've lost 5lbs since joining MFP and I certainly have treats and don't feel guilty as long as it is just that, a treat, not a pattern of crappy eating.
  • monicamcisaac
    monicamcisaac Posts: 35 Member
    People eat health and get cancer sometimes, sometimes people eat junk all their lives and live long. Some drink and get liver disease, some drink and live a long life.

    People also walk out in front of buses, some live some die. But you wouldn't walk out in front of a bus on purpose would you?

    Sure, you can lose weight eating what you want if you stick to the calorie amount but eating too much sugar and processed food can cause you to store fat on your belly, which is bad for heart health.
  • Marc713
    Marc713 Posts: 328 Member

    Lack of protein?
    Another myth, we don't need as much protein as we think. I lowered my protein amount greatly, no loss in muscle mass.

    You surely didn't gain any, which most people actually TRY to do.

    Clearly your workouts, if doing any at all, aren't very strenuous. Try doing crossfit or some really hard core high intensity interval training while eating a trashy diet. You will gas out and your body will not be fueled well enough to sustain a prolonged period of intense physical activity.

    Food is essentially fuel for your body. You eat like crap, you may not gain weight, but you will surely lower the performance in which you can perform physically.
  • tom463
    tom463 Posts: 1 Member
    Consider this, "If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got"
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
    The comments so far are ridiculous.

    I ate nothing but junk food and posted my diary daily to prove a point. It's all about calories. You know the results? Lost 12lbs and no loss in LBM(Lean body mass)

    An issue that can arise is when you eat high sugary foods, you will want more. I say "sugar feeds sugar" if you can stick to your limit eating the junk you mentioned, then do it. People talk about "health."

    People eat health and get cancer sometimes, sometimes people eat junk all their lives and live long. Some drink and get liver disease, some drink and live a long life. The oldest women in the world stopped smoking at 101yrs old. How is that for health? Health is mostly genetic. One of the oldest men in the world accredited his long life to drinking bourbon.

    Lack of protein?
    Another myth, we don't need as much protein as we think. I lowered my protein amount greatly, no loss in muscle mass.

    And how long did this expirement last? How did you measure you're LBM before and after the expirement? Did you test yourself for nutritional deficiencies before and after said expirement?

    Healthy foods DO make a difference. You may still be losing weight due to a calorie deficit but I can guarantee you're not feeling as healthy, satiated, and energised as the person who is losing weight with healthier options. While you still may lose weight due to a calorie deficit you will be lacking in micronutrients due to a lack of veg in your diet. As for protien, the AMOUNT of protein varies from study to study BUT protein consistently shows to AID weight loss for a number of reasons.

    1 )Protein ingestion stimulates thermogenisis (so a significant portion of calories are given off as heat)
    2) Protein helps to maintain LBM which is especially important while on a calorie deficit
    3) Protein is the most effective nutrient for "switching off hunger signals" so it helps people from overeating.
  • Kagami_Taiga
    Kagami_Taiga Posts: 124 Member
    People eat health and get cancer sometimes, sometimes people eat junk all their lives and live long. Some drink and get liver disease, some drink and live a long life.

    People also walk out in front of buses, some live some die. But you wouldn't walk out in front of a bus on purpose would you?

    Sure, you can lose weight eating what you want if you stick to the calorie amount but eating too much sugar and processed food can cause you to store fat on your belly, which is bad for heart health.

    What is "too much?" Eating sugar and fat doesn't cause weight gain. Eating more calories than you burn does.

    That bus comment is different, depends on how the person was hit, and how fast the bus was moving.

    Eating too much sugar on a regular basis can cause fat to amass around the outside of the heart.
  • Corsetopia
    Corsetopia Posts: 307 Member
    My experimenting hasn't been months at a time, but I have had more of a loss eating clean for 2 weeks than eating whatever I wanted for 2 weeks and keeping under my calorie goal. The difference in amount wasn't that significant, no, the small difference could make a lot of difference for some people. Also, I see that if I up my protein intake I see the scale move a bit more. Again - I'm NOT an expert, just my two cents.
  • Kagami_Taiga
    Kagami_Taiga Posts: 124 Member
    What you eat is VERY and probably THE MOST important thing.

    Some person posted that he ate junk food and still lost weight. But that's surely not the way to go. I think herion users lose weight too, do you want a hit of that to help you? Basically what I'm trying to say is, what you eat is important, for health reasons and not just weight loss. You don't want to be thin but really unfit.

    For instance, in "supersize me", you can see how eating junk raises your mood (blood sugars/hormones) but also can crash your energy levels very soon. If you only cut/cut down on only one thing, I'd recommend you cut sugar. Sugar is just pure, refined and empty calories. Also, a reason why people are against junk food, refined carbs. They digest quickly instead of giving you a longer slowly released flow of energy.
  • R_is_for_Rachel
    R_is_for_Rachel Posts: 381 Member
    i think a really useful way to think about healthy foods vs junk foods is that you generally get more food to eat when you eat healthier!
    i was looking at salads yesterday and one with a salad cream included was almost 200 cal and the other without dressing was 15 cal!
    so same with junk! a Mc Donalds will probably be your entire days allowance one meal, whereas with healthier foods those calories go a long way.
    So i generally eat healthy foods, but a few small chocolates along the way to sate my sweet tooth :D
  • loopingcaterpillar
    loopingcaterpillar Posts: 156 Member
    when i was young i was thin, but not very healthy. i had aching joints and fatigue. i recommend good foods. (my goal here is to sort out good amounts. and up my exercise)
  • Kagami_Taiga
    Kagami_Taiga Posts: 124 Member
    The amount of protein people need is highly over rated. I know vegans who have good size. Yes protein is the highest thermionic food. It has a thermogenic effect of 30%. So if you eat 100 calories of it, you burn 30 calories. Your better off not eating those 100 calories in the first place.

    So why don't you just not eat anything and lose a lot more weight? Vegans can still eat protein and a tonne of it. You're forgetting there are vegetarian sources of protein aren't you?

    Can't believe there's someone out there that defends junk food and is slating protein.

    Also, about your lettuce vs protein thing, you'll digest that lettuce pretty quickly, pee most of the most out, then be hungry again.
  • Kagami_Taiga
    Kagami_Taiga Posts: 124 Member
    People eat health and get cancer sometimes, sometimes people eat junk all their lives and live long. Some drink and get liver disease, some drink and live a long life.

    People also walk out in front of buses, some live some die. But you wouldn't walk out in front of a bus on purpose would you?

    Sure, you can lose weight eating what you want if you stick to the calorie amount but eating too much sugar and processed food can cause you to store fat on your belly, which is bad for heart health.

    What is "too much?" Eating sugar and fat doesn't cause weight gain. Eating more calories than you burn does.

    That bus comment is different, depends on how the person was hit, and how fast the bus was moving.

    Eating too much sugar on a regular basis can cause fat to amass around the outside of the heart.

    Sugar doesn't turn in to fat. So i don't know where you get this from.

    Eat a pound of pure sugar and tell me it doesn't turn into fat.

    Don't know if these mention fat around the heart or not. But they tell ou how good sugar is for humans.

    http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1983542,00.html

    http://www.abc.net.au/health/features/stories/2012/08/30/3578541.htm#.UHpwwGlxte4
  • Kagami_Taiga
    Kagami_Taiga Posts: 124 Member

    It's healthier to be "thin" and eat junk food, than it is to be over weight and eat "healthy food."

    It's also healthier to be thin from whole food that thin from processed junk
  • Craigberrow
    Craigberrow Posts: 42 Member
    Firstly well done on your weight loss, an outstanding effort. But I can't agree with your comment, what you say is true but it's not the full pictiure that you present. The key word here is balance, If the scales tip to far in the wrong direction you can excelerate your chances of most dieases. Just because someone is the exception to the rule you shouldnt promote it as the right way. Exercise, eat well, enjoy yourself (your mind is as important and your health) and have the right attitude. Unlike the person who posted this message :(
  • Kagami_Taiga
    Kagami_Taiga Posts: 124 Member
    A lot of this stuff is inconclusive. Says that there are things that can't be measured and that the professor himself isn't completely convinced.

    Also, he's been having vegetables and protein shakes. PROTEIN shakes, not MCDONALD'S shakes. Seems like your war against protein isn't support by the twinkie challenge, I'm calling it a challenge and not an experiment because nobody in their right minds should be doing it.

    http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html
  • queensturg
    queensturg Posts: 60
    I think a well-balanced diet is really the best way to go. And that can include a bit of junk food, as long as you limit yourself to only a small amount of it ,or just as an occasional treat. I do think that if we cut out our favorite foods completely, that's when we feel deprived and finally end up giving up on healthy diets, so it's better to have a little now and then than to end up giving in at a weak moment and binging. Otherwise, try to get plenty of fruits and veggies each day, as well as enough protein and carbohydrates. Try to start with the healthy foods that you like the most, and it will become easier to change your habits as you start to realize that eating healthy can still mean eating foods that you'll enjoy.
  • Kagami_Taiga
    Kagami_Taiga Posts: 124 Member
    The amount of protein people need is highly over rated. I know vegans who have good size. Yes protein is the highest thermionic food. It has a thermogenic effect of 30%. So if you eat 100 calories of it, you burn 30 calories. Your better off not eating those 100 calories in the first place.

    So why don't you just not eat anything and lose a lot more weight? Vegans can still eat protein and a tonne of it. You're forgetting there are vegetarian sources of protein aren't you?

    Can't believe there's someone out there that defends junk food and is slating protein.

    Also, about your lettuce vs protein thing, you'll digest that lettuce pretty quickly, pee most of the most out, then be hungry again.

    Yes the Person who is certified in NASM CPT(National Academy Of Sports Medicine) and majoring in biochemistry and lost 119lbs stated: That moderate to high levels of protein accelerate aging, and one of the biggest indicators of health is weight.

    Yes there are vegan sources of protein, but 95% of vegans don't even come close to the recommendations of 1.0-1.5g of protein per LBM.

    BTW my LBM(Lean body mass) is 202lbs, higher than average.

    I think you're missing my point, do i recommend eating junk food 100% of the time? No. As I said above you probably won't feel good. Think of someone who is just starting out in weight loss. They think "i have to eliminate all junk food" this is a drastic change. That's like waking up one morning and saying "I am going to run a marathon" without proper training. It doesn't work. You ever eat that donuts or junk food and feel all guilty even if you're under your calories? A lot of people do.
    Why? It's a psychological game. I am saying be moderate about things, don't be neo-nazi about your diet.

    No, the most memorable thing you said was "I ate nothing but junk food and posted my diary daily to prove a point. It's all about calories. You know the results? Lost 12lbs and no loss in LBM(Lean body mass) " NOTHING BUT JUNK FOOD, NOTHING. Also, just because you're certified doesn't mean you're the encyclopaedia on it. It means you know an adequate amount to pass the threshold, likewise with what you're majoring. You've not even completed it and you think you know enough to advocate junk food.

    Someone, I think Socrates, said "that the best wisdom is to know that you know nothing". Not a direct quote, just what I can recall. Another great quote is from Harvey Specter from Suit, "I enjoy a single malt, doesn't mean I pretend I know how to make one."
  • Cazzy34
    Cazzy34 Posts: 159 Member
    *speechless* at some of the above comments....Basically the answer to your question is YES!

    *i'm off to throw my laptop out of the window!!!*

    And we wonder why there is so much obesity!

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