I can eat whatever I want...

I am eatting single servings of eggo waffles, candy, doritos sometimes as snacks/dessert

as long as I hit 1500 cals or less. Im kind of shocked by this with all the success stories about low carb, clean eating, etc I have found the opposite to be true for me in terms of weight loss: I actually lose weight eating some junk food, sugar, etc.

I am eatting single servings of eggo waffles, candy, doritos sometimes as snacks/dessert sometimes instead of healthy alternatives (mostly bc I like that I know the exact calories from the package and also bc it feels like a splurge and keeps me on track) and as long as I stay at or below my cals for the day I seem to still lose weight. Obviously I eat protein and veggies too, but I still eat processed foods and "junk" everyday.
Does anyone else share my experience?

Your body needs nutrition. If large chunk of your daily calories is taken up by nutritionally devoid foods, there is very little left for foods with high nutritional content.

Sure, I love almond croissants. But I try not to have one more than once a week because if I am only consuming 1,300 calories a day, I can't afford 1/3 of them being empty. So even though a croissant keeps me fuller than an equivalent in calories breakfast of yogurt, nuts and fruit.

There is no such thing as "nutritionally devoid foods." How long have you been logging?

There are plenty of "foods" that are deficient in many nutrients except one--carbohydrates. They are nice and we like them, but carbohydrates like table sugar, will NOT promote health.

I'm all for having "junk" every once in a while, and you can lose weight eating whatever you want as long as you have a calorie deficit, it's just how the body works. However, I don't think having junk/processed foods everyday is the best for your body's health and nutrition-wise, you could be eating something much better for you in place of that nutrient deficient food. If it helps you to lose weight initially to continue eating those things I think it's fine, but I think everyone's overall goal should be to be healthier. Just my opinion :flowerforyou:

The "junk" keeps me hungry and craving for more. So I stay away from it. If it works for you then great! I wish I could do it.

This is my problem as well.

If you don't mind, how old are some of you guys that can eat all of that sugar and still feel great and lose/maintain your weight?
Personally, it seems like the older I get, the fewer carbs I can tolerate.
Age: 49

But we have strayed from the original OP that you can eat "NOT spinach" and lose weight. That is no doubt true. But the point that I and others were making is that, yes, you can lose weight, if that is all you care about. BUT health is very important in the long run and eating to maximize it is a good investment for the future. Yes?

My theory on why you are losing, and I could be completely wrong, but generally those who go on a clean diet cut out a lot of fat and proteins from their diet. Like dairy and butter. They arent supplying the body with essential nutrients and as such the body slows down a bit to conserve. I know there are going to be people who say oh no I eat tons of nuts and avocados and I only eat lean raised organic unicorns with the occasional organic baby Pegasus steak.

However, I bet if you look at what you were eating when you were "clean" a majority of it is pretty low in fat.

Besides isn't it more fun to be a dirty junk food eating girl?

Watch the documentary "Fat Head". That guy eats nothing but fast food for weeks and he loses weight. Is it a good idea? Probably not, but like others have said, calories in versus calories out!

Similar to the guy who made the documentary, "Supersize Me" . After a few weeks of eating nothing but McDonald's, his docs begged him to go off of it.

That guy ate a MASSIVE calorie surplus. He ate something like 5000 calories a day. Of course his docs begged him to get off of that "diet."

Point taken, but the point I was trying to make is "junk food in, junky body out".

That's not a valid conclusion to make. "Junk food" doesn't really mean anything anyway. Is a hamburger junk food? What about a grilled chicken sandwich? How about a roast beef sandwich? Macronutrients are macronutrients. Spinach from Subway has the same nutritional value as the kind you buy at the grocery. McDonald's beef is the same as the beef you eat at home, and the buns are the same as the ones you buy at the grocery. Most people won't consider a homemade grilled chicken sandwich to be "junk food" but it is when it's from McD's.

You have to pay attention to the macro content of food. That's what your body cares about. Yes, if you eat bowls of sugar and protein powder and nothing else your health will suffer, but you won't have a "junk body" if you eat fast food. You can, in fact, have an amazing and healthy body even while eating large amounts of fast food.

The human body is literally made of macronutrients and uses macronutrients for energy. It doesn't really matter where those macronutrients come from, other than you want to make sure your'e getting enough micronutrients.

Well, you might have a point if we could be sure that the ingredients used in making fast food were high quality. But, knowing corporate America, we can be sure that profits determine that the lowest quality of ingredients will be used. Of course, we can't even be sure of what is on our store shelves anymore. Tell me, do people really go to Subway and eat spinach? :huh:

Turns out your body doesn't care whether a gram of protein comes from a "quality" source or not. It doesn't even know. Amino acids are amino acids.

And yes, people eat spinach at subway. Double meat roast beef toasted with spinach, tomato, and mustard is awesome.

But we have strayed from the original OP that you can eat "NOT spinach" and lose weight. That is no doubt true. But the point that I and others were making is that, yes, you can lose weight, if that is all you care about. BUT health is very important in the long run and eating to maximize it is a good investment for the future. Yes?

if it is the "same" why is the it double the calories of my home-made ones?

You can make a grilled chicken sandwich at home with 27 g of protein for only 150 calories? Cause the one from McD's is 300. Including the bun.

Did you guys see the post from the other thread about the obesity epidemic with the picture from McD's advertising their "*kitten* Burgers"? Kinda makes you want to stay away from that place. I want to be thin and healthy and live a long time. This is why I eat healthy and clean MOST of the time. Also, less crap I eat, the less I crave it. You really can train your body to love the taste of nutrient dense food. Without all the sugar, salt and processed fat, you can actually taste the food so much better! That said, when they are offering samples of warm white chocolate raspberry brownies right out of the oven, at the "health food store", I may allow myself a sample And I am grateful to be able to do that with no regrets, ditto the nonfat 1 pump mocha, almost daily.

That's not a valid conclusion to make. "Junk food" doesn't really mean anything anyway. Is a hamburger junk food? What about a grilled chicken sandwich? How about a roast beef sandwich? Macronutrients are macronutrients. Spinach from Subway has the same nutritional value as the kind you buy at the grocery. McDonald's beef is the same as the beef you eat at home, and the buns are the same as the ones you buy at the grocery. Most people won't consider a homemade grilled chicken sandwich to be "junk food" but it is when it's from McD's.

Hamburger at home is the same as a fast food hamburger? Really?

I do make burger at home once in a while. I buy a prime cut good quality beef. I can inspect it before I grind it.

I wash it, dry it, and GRIND it myself. So I know what is in it.

I grind up some fresh onion and add spices. I measure the exact amount I need for the portion.

I DO NOT add discarded beef cuts treated with ammonium hydroxide. I do not add preservatives or soy.

I use far less salt.

I do not reuse oil and I clean the pan of grease each time I cook anything.

I do not buy bun in grocery store. Most times I just cut pieces of fresh dark bread from the specialty shop to use as buns.

I put in real cheese.

It is delicious!

I've had great success with my weight loss and I think it's because I haven't cut junk completely out of my diet (that's why I don't crave). I still eat junk, but in small portions and only if I have enough calories left after eating all of the good foods. I pretty much follow the 80/20 rule - 80% healthier foods, 20% crap.

I've cut junk completely out of my diet and I don't crave either. I must work to stay very well-nourished though or the temptations get stronger. When you are young, you don't much think about the long term consequences of bad/empty-calorie-eating. When you get older and sicker you will. Believe me---I have sad experience in that department. Good health is a gift---please don't waste it.