May be a silly question BUT

bakerseve17
bakerseve17 Posts: 37
in Food and Nutrition
if you do not ask you will never know! lol

okay,so i was discussing with someone how i count calories etc and keep track.

Well they asked me "what if you eat out and you still stay under your calorie intake, will it still affect?"

example; ordering a chicken sandwich from jack in the box it's about 400 calories i believe, will it affect weight loss? even if i stay under my calories? I understand eating healthy is better and i do but it just made me curious.

Replies

  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
    Weight loss is cals in vs. cals out. So yes if you stay with in your goal you will lose whether you eat your calories in one setting or through out the day.
  • ghimm
    ghimm Posts: 38 Member
    The main problem with eating out, even healthy food, is that restaurants tend to use more sodium and sugar. Eating out once in a while isn't a big deal and shouldn't sabotage you, but eating out too often would probably lead holding on to more weight than you'd like.
  • bakerseve17
    bakerseve17 Posts: 37
    oh that's awesome! Thanks.

    it helps since sometimes i'm really busy and have no time to prepare meals and something quick rarely offers much variety on healthier options besides salads! although, i prefer home cooked meals so much better tasting lol :D
  • dunlunicor
    dunlunicor Posts: 189 Member
    Your scale weight will likely be higher the next day than it should be due to water retention, but you will not "hold onto extra weight" in the long term because of sodium intake. Like a previous poster said, it is calories in, calories out. Fast food is not the devil everyone thinks it is. It's perfectly okay to indulge in it every once in a while as long as you do not have a medical condition that limits your intake of sodium.
  • lamos1
    lamos1 Posts: 167 Member
    I agree with the posters above me and I would also like to add, you will get faster results if you eat more healthy than you would if you when out to eat and still stayed within your calories for the day! Weightloss starts in the kitchen, I've seen people say!
  • bakerseve17
    bakerseve17 Posts: 37
    Oh i know, i always ask for the nutritional guides and jeez, even what's 'healthy" is full of sodium and sugars, it's really scary to think that at one point, i wld go for items on the menu that were like 700 calories and just that item, not including fries, sodas!
  • avababy05
    avababy05 Posts: 930 Member
    Since I started eating healthy,the sodium is restaurant food REALLY affects me.I'm thirsty the next 24 hours so I then get depressed by water weight gain. Restaurants that are not fast food can have some healthier choices.If you have to grab something quick,I would stick to salads.Frankly,since mcdonalds started posting calories,I haven't been tempted by anything but a fruit and walnut salad!
  • bakerseve17
    bakerseve17 Posts: 37
    I agree with the posters above me and I would also like to add, you will get faster results if you eat more healthy than you would if you when out to eat and still stayed within your calories for the day! Weightloss starts in the kitchen, I've seen people say!

    yeah ive read articles where it's said that it's 20% exercise and 80% diet. When i started i was eating healthy but wasn't ready (scared) to start working out and i was slowly losing weight but once i began working out, the lbs were just melting off.
  • bakerseve17
    bakerseve17 Posts: 37
    Since I started eating healthy,the sodium is restaurant food REALLY affects me.I'm thirsty the next 24 hours so I then get depressed by water weight gain. Restaurants that are not fast food can have some healthier choices.If you have to grab something quick,I would stick to salads.Frankly,since mcdonalds started posting calories,I haven't been tempted by anything but a fruit and walnut salad!

    Oh sweetie don't get depressed, our weights will fluctuate. Yeah, Sodium & i are not friends. my feet use to swell really bad and i was thinking WHY WHY WHY? well i was on the "diet soda" is better than regular soda, boy was i wrong! so i just gave it all up, i drink only water. yeah everywhere i go i ask for the nutrition guides and HOLY MOLY the calories are insane, it definitely helps me stay away from fast food.
  • jilliew
    jilliew Posts: 255 Member
    I maintain that "losing weight" and "being healthy" are two different things. You can lose weight eating 1200 cal worth of Twinkies a day, but you won't be healthy.

    So yes, if you eat junk food and stay under your calorie goal you'll still loose weight, but making smarter food choices more often will make you healthier, because you'll be getting proper nutrients, vitamins, minerals, etc, etc. That's not to say you can't indulge in crappy food once and a while. Moderation is, as always, the key.
  • bakerseve17
    bakerseve17 Posts: 37
    I maintain that "losing weight" and "being healthy" are two different things. You can lose weight eating 1200 cal worth of Twinkies a day, but you won't be healthy.

    So yes, if you eat junk food and stay under your calorie goal you'll still loose weight, but making smarter food choices more often will make you healthier, because you'll be getting proper nutrients, vitamins, minerals, etc, etc. That's not to say you can't indulge in crappy food once and a while. Moderation is, as always, the key.

    Completely agree! since ive cut out junk food, i feel better! i sleep better, just over all better! & im all for being healthy. :D
  • wannabeloser08
    wannabeloser08 Posts: 86
    Oh i know, i always ask for the nutritional guides and jeez, even what's 'healthy" is full of sodium and sugars, it's really scary to think that at one point, i wld go for items on the menu that were like 700 calories and just that item, not including fries, sodas!

    THIS! I just splurged on Wendy's today and after logging it i couldn't believe it. Nearly 1100 calories for the whole meal, chicken sandwich, fries and diet coke. Now Bueno :( I will definitely be having a can of progresso soup for dinner! That is all i have room for to stay under my goal of 1200 cal a day!
  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
    I maintain that "losing weight" and "being healthy" are two different things. You can lose weight eating 1200 cal worth of Twinkies a day, but you won't be healthy.

    So yes, if you eat junk food and stay under your calorie goal you'll still loose weight, but making smarter food choices more often will make you healthier, because you'll be getting proper nutrients, vitamins, minerals, etc, etc. That's not to say you can't indulge in crappy food once and a while. Moderation is, as always, the key.

    Agreed.

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