Is it possible to lose weight but not do it eating healthy?

I have been on a diet for about 5 weeks.
I have lost 13 pounds so far, normally I don't do it healthy, meaning I have atlest 3 cheat days a week.
But I always follow calorie intake, so If I consume 1,000 calories, I atlest burn 700-800 at the gym

Is it fine to lose weight by not eating health foods?

Replies

  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
    You can lose weight as long as you take in less than you expend. If your goal is strictly weight loss, eat all the crap you want.. if you want to be healthy eat healthy foods. Processed foods are full of sodium and will cause you to retain water weight.

    But, why are you eating 1000 calories a day and burning at least 700-800 a day at the gym? That is extremely unhealthy and dangerous regardless of whether you are eating fruits and veggies or fried foods. I take it you don't eat your exercise calories back either. Continuing on this path will cause you injury, malnutrition, and extreme muscle loss.

    Your profile says you are male... you need double the amount of calories you are currently eating.

    Re-evaluate your goals and what you want your health to be like. If this is how you think you need to be to lose weight please go see a doctor and nutritionist.
  • You are right, my Fitness Diet Calculator states that I need to be eating 1,800 calories a day to lose 2 pounds per week.
    I just find it hard to eat enough calories without going over.

    Which is why I guess I need to eat more healthy foods, fill those voids, instead of empty calories.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Healthiest: only eat fruits, veggies, lean proteins and whole grains to stay within a reasonable calorie range and get regular, intense exercise
    Healthy: eat a reasonable amount of calories, including plenty of fruits and vegetables, but also highly processed foods, with any form of exercise.
    Less healthy: above with fewer veggies and no exercise
    Unhealthy: eat within calorie range by going to McDs once a day
    Unhealthiest: eat less calories than your body needs for basic survival and/or burn off almost as many calories as you consume

    The last two, when kept up over time, are likely to end you up in the hospital.
  • Yes, there was someone on Reddit that did a "dirty cut" by only eating pizza he would let himself eat normal food on the weekends but during the week it was only pizza and chocolate milk. He lost weight doing it.

    After I bulk up I'm doing a similar experiment but I'll only be eating french toast.
  • Healthiest: only eat fruits, veggies, lean proteins and whole grains to stay within a reasonable calorie range and get regular, intense exercise
    Healthy: eat a reasonable amount of calories, including plenty of fruits and vegetables, but also highly processed foods, with any form of exercise.
    Less healthy: above with fewer veggies and no exercise
    Unhealthy: eat within calorie range by going to McDs once a day
    Unhealthiest: eat less calories than your body needs for basic survival and/or burn off almost as many calories as you consume

    The last two, when kept up over time, are likely to end you up in the hospital.

    Well I do eat a few fruits, lets say I will eat fruits, drink water, and then maybe eat out at a restaurant or fastfood or such.

    Water
    Fruits
    Fastfood

    Is generally what my diet consist of.
  • Yes, there was someone on Reddit that did a "dirty cut" by only eating pizza he would let himself eat normal food on the weekends but during the week it was only pizza and chocolate milk. He lost weight doing it.

    After I bulk up I'm doing a similar experiment but I'll only be eating french toast.

    Lol, good plan. I really do wanna be healthy not only inside but out, but I just can't fathom letting go all my foods.
  • kingkoopaluv
    kingkoopaluv Posts: 147 Member
    you can eat what ever you want. as long as your cals are below your tdee. But remember there is a thing called heart disease.
  • rocket_ace
    rocket_ace Posts: 380 Member
    yes. eat 1 slice of pizza for breakfast lunch and dinner, and don't eat anything else. that's three slices total for the day (=900 calories or so). continue for a week, and you'll lose some weight for sure (in addition to perhaps other issues developing).
  • refinedredbird
    refinedredbird Posts: 208 Member
    You need to be eating at least 1200 calories minimum for your body to properly function AND eat back your exercise calories. If your settings are based on your TDEE and your settings are lightly active, you should be eating more like 1600+ depending on your size, etc and that would include already your exercise calories. In my opinion, 100 calories or so more than your goal will not dramatically change your weight loss and it is by far better to do so then depriving your body of the necessary calories per day.

    As far as eating healthy or not, weight loss will happen regardless, but honestly, what is the point? Being skinny is great and all, but making sure that my body, the most important tool I own and cannot live without, is functioning healthily and correctly is by far more important.
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
    Yes, there was someone on Reddit that did a "dirty cut" by only eating pizza he would let himself eat normal food on the weekends but during the week it was only pizza and chocolate milk. He lost weight doing it.

    After I bulk up I'm doing a similar experiment but I'll only be eating french toast.

    Lol, good plan. I really do wanna be healthy not only inside but out, but I just can't fathom letting go all my foods.

    If you want to be totally healthy you need to change your diet. Eat healthy foods. You do not have to totally cut out all the foods you used to love and eat. Just eat less of them. Have one cookie instead of four... have one slice of pizza instead of half the pizza... have a small order of fries instead of a large.. etc.
  • LokiOfAsgard
    LokiOfAsgard Posts: 378 Member
    First 20 some lbs I lost was all unhealthily. I mean, literally, I didn't even have 'eat good' days.
    So it's possible, but it might not all be fat.
    It might also be muscle your losing too.

    But you are eating good and exercising some, if I read right. so I think you're off to a good start :)

    But, make sure you're netting at least 1,200 (meaning eat back your exercise calories!) You don't want to eat too little, or you'll hit a plateau that you won't be able to get off, until you up your calories. Plus, you'll have more energy eating more :D
    And you can eat more!! :D
  • petstorekitty
    petstorekitty Posts: 592 Member
    Sure! I lost weight in college by eating pretty much just rice, cereal light beer and tacos.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I just have one question, why would you not want to be healthy?
  • oh_em_gee
    oh_em_gee Posts: 887 Member
    Sure you can. You can lose weight eating lard only. But, your body deserves better.
  • Ahhh yea, my weight is like a roller coaster. I was once 320. Dropped to 289 just for no reason in general because I was still eating like a pig, and went on a diet at some sort at 289 and now I'm 277.

    I will take everything here into my diet, great advice people.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    I'm not sure what "health foods" consist of, but I'm damn sure whatever they are I didn't eat them while losing weight
  • refinedredbird
    refinedredbird Posts: 208 Member
    I'm not sure what "health foods" consist of, but I'm damn sure whatever they are I didn't eat them while losing weight

    "Health foods" and "healthy foods," in my opinion are different. "Health foods" sound like something from Whole Foods that's "organic" and pricey (which is not a bad thing!). "Healthy foods" is what I consider the correct foods necessary for your body and all it's organs to work properly.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    I'm not sure what "health foods" consist of, but I'm damn sure whatever they are I didn't eat them while losing weight

    "Health foods" and "healthy foods," in my opinion are different. "Health foods" sound like something from Whole Foods that's "organic" and pricey (which is not a bad thing!). "Healthy foods" is what I consider the correct foods necessary for your body and all it's organs to work properly.

    I consume neither. I'm glad we cleared that up
  • osualex
    osualex Posts: 409 Member
    Yes, there was someone on Reddit that did a "dirty cut" by only eating pizza he would let himself eat normal food on the weekends but during the week it was only pizza and chocolate milk. He lost weight doing it.

    After I bulk up I'm doing a similar experiment but I'll only be eating french toast.

    I saw that thread. He only ate 4 slices of pizza a day and drank chocolate milk, anyone would lose weight on that diet, and I can't believe people were surprised by it! If any guy only eats a few slices of pizza a day, he'll lose weight. I would and I'd be cranky as hell all the time...I need my food.
  • KittieLea
    KittieLea Posts: 1,156 Member
    Sounds like you need some raspberry ketones.
  • EmmaJean7
    EmmaJean7 Posts: 163 Member
    Eating unhealthy will be reaped later in life. Heart disease/cancer is I think the #1 leading cause in the US of men and women.. and its do to poor health because as a culture we eat crap!
  • lizlkbg
    lizlkbg Posts: 566
    I have been on a diet for about 5 weeks.
    I have lost 13 pounds so far, normally I don't do it healthy, meaning I have atlest 3 cheat days a week.
    But I always follow calorie intake, so If I consume 1,000 calories, I atlest burn 700-800 at the gym

    Is it fine to lose weight by not eating health foods?

    My opinion: you can lose weight this way, but you will not maintain that loss. Your body will be wanting more nutrition, and you will not feel satisfied, which will lead to more cheating.

    Plus, is the result you want to be a skinny, unhealthy person?
  • Yes, there was someone on Reddit that did a "dirty cut" by only eating pizza he would let himself eat normal food on the weekends but during the week it was only pizza and chocolate milk. He lost weight doing it.

    After I bulk up I'm doing a similar experiment but I'll only be eating french toast.

    Lol, good plan. I really do wanna be healthy not only inside but out, but I just can't fathom letting go all my foods.

    If you want to be totally healthy you need to change your diet. Eat healthy foods. You do not have to totally cut out all the foods you used to love and eat. Just eat less of them. Have one cookie instead of four... have one slice of pizza instead of half the pizza... have a small order of fries instead of a large.. etc.
    The point of my future french toast only diet will just be as an experiment and because it'll be funny when I look super cut and people say "you look great, what did you do" and I'll get to reply "I only ate french toast" lol.
  • I have been on a diet for about 5 weeks.
    I have lost 13 pounds so far, normally I don't do it healthy, meaning I have atlest 3 cheat days a week.
    But I always follow calorie intake, so If I consume 1,000 calories, I atlest burn 700-800 at the gym

    Is it fine to lose weight by not eating health foods?

    My opinion: you can lose weight this way, but you will not maintain that loss. Your body will be wanting more nutrition, and you will not feel satisfied, which will lead to more cheating.

    Plus, is the result you want to be a skinny, unhealthy person?

    Not skinny, I actually wanna be kinda buff. Maybe not buff, more cut.
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    The healthyness of food depends greatly on your point of view, and is a largely meaningless term.

    If your diet is causing you to be healhier than you currently are, it is a healthy diet, and everything that you eat as part of that healthy diet is health food. Now you may need to continue to refine your diet over time so it improves/maintains your health.

    But....

    It is possible to eat a terribly unhealthy diet while eating only health food
    It is possible to eat a healhty diet while eating mostly food that is seen as unhealthy

    Face it, aside for a few things like raw carrots and zuccini, there is at least a faction out there that considers everything else unhealthy. And eating a diet of only the foods that are universally agreed apon to be healthy...will kill you fast, it simply doesn't have the macronutrient levels to sustain a human.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Low carbers even have to avid carrots and zucchini.