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Eating "junk" and losing weight?

ashleylmp

I see SO many people on here who have their diaries open and eat more than half of their calories from what's considered "junk" food. What's the deal with this?! I realize I'm the one with 150 pounds left to lose, but wouldn't these people be losing more if they would eat fruits and vegetables at every meal? I'm striving for 75% fresh food. Is that maybe unrealistic? And there are people losing .5 pounds per week but eating candy, chips, etc. Would it not make a difference if they'd eat real food instead? Maybe I'm just confused!

Replies

wormy80

bump

hablondi

Reality is that there is no such thing as junk food.

I am sorry, but I would have to disagree. Foods that are full of chemicals, preservatives, gmos, etc are what I would consider "junk food." Yes, you can lose weight eating these, but our bodies were not made to process these unnatural foods.

hilarytwilary

Here's a video that describes how the QUALITY of calories matters:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U36XJaETbh8

A calorie is not a calorie, as far as health is concerned. Period. With maybe a few exceptions, chemically processed crap is NOT food. It does not nourish.

JessHealthKick

Has anyone seen how hot-dogs are made? Has anyone seen what sort of junk they put in margarine, salami, sausage, etc....???? ANYONE????

I feel privileged to live in a small country, that I can buy fresh meat, fruit and vegetables in the market, and groceries, only 10 minutes away from my home and by foot!

The worst category meat plus bones are chopped then minced, lard and spices added, and some other chemicals, so you can eat "lovely" crap food. I get sick after eating sausage, or deep fried pancake with salami (I take 1 bite and feel sick to my stomack!)

I have to post this again: The worst category meat plus bones are chopped then minced, lard and spices added, and some other chemicals, so you can eat "lovely" crap food.

Do you get it????? You might as well eat from the dumpster, no difference!

Good luck!

aaah me too! I sometimes spoil myself with a hamburg (hamburger patty with rice here in Japan) but that is the furthest my body can go. Sausages make me feel pretty bad, can't stand anything too oily/fatty (unless it's fish of course!) and can't believe I used to eat maccas regularly a few years ago.

Songbirdcw

I'm probably one of these people you're talking about. I never cut out anything when I was losing weight, and I'm not about to cut it out now that I'm maintaining. So yes, you see cupcakes and slurpees and pizza and burgers in my diary on a regular basis. However, I do try and focus on eating mostly healthy food, hitting my macros and overall calorie goal. I refuse to assign food labels such as "good" or "bad" or "junk". If at the end of the day I have the carbs and calories left over to enjoy a slurpee, I'm going to have the slurpee, and enjoy every sip of it.

As for how quickly I lost, I lost my weight at an average pace of just over a pound a week, exactly as fast as I wanted to lose it.

Exactly why I have been struggling with opening my diary. Judgement! At the end of the day, do what works for you. If you see on someone's ticker that they have still managed to lose a significant amount of weight then what diference does it make to you? If you don't see them as someone that can assist you with your weightloss journey unfriend them. I'm also in maintenance like the the person above and if I have the cals to go for something I want...I will! You never know where someone is in their weightloss journey. Everyone's goals are different.

jonnythan

Reality is that there is no such thing as junk food.

I am sorry, but I would have to disagree. Foods that are full of chemicals, preservatives, gmos, etc are what I would consider "junk food." Yes, you can lose weight eating these, but our bodies were not made to process these unnatural foods.

This is completely nonsensical. My head hit the desk when I read "our bodies were not made to process [gmos]."

geebusuk

Here's a video that describes how the QUALITY of calories matters: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U36XJaETbh8

A calorie is not a calorie, as far as health is concerned. Period. With maybe a few exceptions, chemically processed crap is NOT food. It does not nourish.

EEEUUUURGGHHHHH that kind of video makes me itch.

Massively ignores so many realities.

Biology DOES work like and IS 'math'.

It's just that the video intentionally ignores half the equation.
We still dont' know all the variables in the equation.

harvo

I saw "eating junk" and had to visit...now that I am disappointed my the subject matter I am going to get me some cheesecake...

jonnythan

Does anyone have any actual scientific evidence that eating "junk" food, in the context of an active lifestyle with healthy body composition, is actually worse in any measurable way than eating "healthy" food?

The problem we face is that the people who exercise a lot and maintain healthy body composition, by and large, avoid fast food and frozen food. It's what we call a "confounding" factor. There's no actual causation between fast food and ill health, it's just correlated with ill health because people who eat fast food in general do not take care of their bodies.

As far as I know, there has not been established any causative link between these demonized foods and any measure of poor health. And, as far as I know, there's no actual reason to suspect there would be other than "the nutrition and fitness industry has told me about how bad these foods are over and over since I was a baby."

tbgree00

I'm trying to "clean up" my eating and make better choices but I will still have Girl Scout cookies or go out to eat. I try to plan for the big meals and make them something to look forward to. For me it is more sustainable to plan a bigger meal out every couple weeks and a few small indulgences through the week than just to eat whatever as long as I'm in my calorie range. I'm not sure if I'm doing it right but I'm losing consistently with my method without suffering.

KarenJanine

chocolate covered cheesecake squares.

I need this recipe please!

Lesa_Sass

90% of disease in the United States is directly due to poor nutrition choices. I am not eating to be thin, I am eating so I will be on a boat waiting my turn to parasail in the Caribbean when I am in my 80s instead of sitting in a dr office or surrounded by family dying in hospice.

I also believe there is no such thing as junk food. There is junk, and there is food.

For some reason people seem bound and determined to hold on to their MSG and Red Dye number 7 then they come onto facebook asking me to pray for them because they contracted some horrible disease. With all the information out there stating how dangerous processed and refined food is, I wonder why people wait until they have a heart attack or are diagnosed with cancer before they start cutting crap out of their diet.

wahmx3

I'm not willing to cut out anything that I won't cut out for the rest of my life. It's not sustainable. I eat my fair share of fruit & veg and other healthy foods, but I eat junk too.

Exactly how I feel!

jonnythan

90% of disease in the United States is directly due to poor nutrition choices.

I agree. But "poor nutrition" choices really means "too many calories" and not a whole lot more.

It's obesity that is the core problem. People who manage their weight and get a lot of exercise, but eat processed food, are not the ones getting sick and dying at rates many times that of the general population.

Heart disease, diabetes, and the other major diseases caused by "poor nutrition choices" are a result of obesity and lack of exercise.

JessHealthKick

90% of disease in the United States is directly due to poor nutrition choices.

I agree. But "poor nutrition" choices really means "too many calories" and not a whole lot more.

It's obesity that is the core problem. People who manage their weight and get a lot of exercise, but eat processed food, are not the ones getting sick and dying at rates many times that of the general population.

Heart disease, diabetes, and the other major diseases caused by "poor nutrition choices" are a result of obesity and lack of exercise.

I have watched so many health programs outlining the negative outcomes of too much salt, too much this and too much that - it puts you off. It's not just about your weight, but also your composition. If women are low on iron, they don't menstruate - effectively infertile. Is that healthy?

myofibril

Does anyone have any actual scientific evidence that eating "junk" food, in the context of an active lifestyle with healthy body composition, is actually worse in any measurable way than eating "healthy" food?

The answer to this question will never come...

Lesa_Sass

90% of disease in the United States is directly due to poor nutrition choices.

I agree. But "poor nutrition" choices really means "too many calories" and not a whole lot more.

It's obesity that is the core problem. People who manage their weight and get a lot of exercise, but eat processed food, are not the ones getting sick and dying at rates many times that of the general population.

Heart disease, diabetes, and the other major diseases caused by "poor nutrition choices" are a result of obesity and lack of exercise.

Okay, how about you take the free nutrition class available through Coursea and then tell me that. https://class.coursera.org/nutrition-001/

Everything we put into our bodies is either promoting or preventing disease. I am managing a very painful auto immune disease through my diet right now.

I also challenge you to watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc&feature=youtu.be

jonnythan

Does anyone have any actual scientific evidence that eating "junk" food, in the context of an active lifestyle with healthy body composition, is actually worse in any measurable way than eating "healthy" food?

The answer to this question will never come...

Exactly. People are getting their information from TV and Youtube and "nutritionists" and whatnot. They can't point to any actual data indicating a difference between healthy, active people eating "processed" food versus "whole" food.

Read the scientific literature. Look at causitive factors. Look at the relationships between disease and body fat and sedentary lifestyles.

Body fat and lifestyle are the evils here, not ground beef. Control your body fat and lead an active lifestyle and you will be about as healthy as you can be.

Lesa_Sass

More evidence:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/27/fast-food-health-arteries-beauty_n_2198725.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jan/14/fast-food-child-asthma-allergies

http://www.abc.net.au/health/talkinghealth/factbuster/stories/2009/06/16/2599780.htm#.UTSsNVfoHpo

http://www.good.is/posts/another-reason-to-cut-down-on-junk-food-evidence-suggests-that-alzheimer-s-might-be-another-form-of-diabetes

sunsnstatheart

Does anyone have any actual scientific evidence that eating "junk" food, in the context of an active lifestyle with healthy body composition, is actually worse in any measurable way than eating "healthy" food?

The answer to this question will never come...

Exactly. People are getting their information from TV and Youtube and "nutritionists" and whatnot. They can't point to any actual data indicating a difference between healthy, active people eating "processed" food versus "whole" food.

Read the scientific literature. Look at causitive factors. Look at the relationships between disease and body fat and sedentary lifestyles.

Body fat and lifestyle are the evils here, not ground beef. Control your body fat and lead an active lifestyle and you will be about as healthy as you can be.

You're basically fighting religious zealots. There is no scientific evidence to support their claims, and yet they "believe" and want to proselytize to others based on videos that make unverifiable claims. "Join my cult and you will lead a healthier life."

sunsnstatheart

More evidence:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jan/14/fast-food-child-asthma-allergies

I started reading one of these because it has personal significance, and this is what it actually says:

"The scientists, from New Zealand, Spain, Australia and Germany as well as Nottingham in the UK, say their study could have "major public health significance owing to the rising consumption of fast foods globally" if the link they have found turns out not to be coincidence but causal."

That's a rather large "if." I dealt with the zealots as a child with asthma. Then it was milk and chocolate. Modern medicine and exercise actually did quite a bit for me, not nutrition zealots. Thanks, but no thanks. I don't rely on the popular press for my nutrition information.

jonnythan

More evidence:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/27/fast-food-health-arteries-beauty_n_2198725.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jan/14/fast-food-child-asthma-allergies

http://www.abc.net.au/health/talkinghealth/factbuster/stories/2009/06/16/2599780.htm#.UTSsNVfoHpo

http://www.good.is/posts/another-reason-to-cut-down-on-junk-food-evidence-suggests-that-alzheimer-s-might-be-another-form-of-diabetes

The first link had me rolling my eyes. They compared the effects of a meal with 8 grams of saturated fat to one with twice that much.

The results had nothing to do with the fact that one meal was "fast food." Where was the control group that had a "fast food" meal of equivalent macronutrient ratios to the "Mediterranean" meal?

That's the whole point. It's about nutrients, not whether the food is "whole" or "processed" or "fast" or whatever other buzzwords you attach to it.

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

90% of disease in the United States is directly due to poor nutrition choices.

I agree. But "poor nutrition" choices really means "too many calories" and not a whole lot more.

It's obesity that is the core problem. People who manage their weight and get a lot of exercise, but eat processed food, are not the ones getting sick and dying at rates many times that of the general population.

Heart disease, diabetes, and the other major diseases caused by "poor nutrition choices" are a result of obesity and lack of exercise.

I have watched so many health programs outlining the negative outcomes of too much salt, too much this and too much that - it puts you off. It's not just about your weight, but also your composition. If women are low on iron, they don't menstruate - effectively infertile. Is that healthy?

You just got me thinking about iron. Just look at the Japanese diet, which sorely lacks beneficial iron and calcium. The infertility rates in Japan are far higher than in the United States. Japan's ranked 203 out of 222 countries with respect to fertility (US is ranked 123), and it is estimated that 1 in 10 couples has at least one partner that has fertility problems.

That's a pretty interesting factoid.

LaurenEileen74

In a perfect world, we'd all eat super healthy and lose weight...In my world, we have this thing called a McChicken, and it's worth a cheat here and there

jonnythan

In a perfect world, we'd all eat super healthy and lose weight...In my world, we have this thing called a McChicken, and it's worth a cheat here and there

Heck yeah McChicken.

harvo

90% of disease in the United States is directly due to poor nutrition choices.

I agree. But "poor nutrition" choices really means "too many calories" and not a whole lot more.

It's obesity that is the core problem. People who manage their weight and get a lot of exercise, but eat processed food, are not the ones getting sick and dying at rates many times that of the general population.

Heart disease, diabetes, and the other major diseases caused by "poor nutrition choices" are a result of obesity and lack of exercise.

I have watched so many health programs outlining the negative outcomes of too much salt, too much this and too much that - it puts you off. It's not just about your weight, but also your composition. If women are low on iron, they don't menstruate - effectively infertile. Is that healthy?

You just got me thinking about iron. Just look at the Japanese diet, which sorely lacks beneficial iron and calcium. The infertility rates in Japan are far higher than in the United States. Japan's ranked 203 out of 222 countries with respect to fertility (US is ranked 123), and it is estimated that 1 in 10 couples has at least one partner that has fertility problems.

That's a pretty interesting factoid.

I believe the Japanese also eat whale meat which, if I remember correctly, is high in Mercury. There are too many factors to say that food is the cause of 90% of health problems. If you work in an area with high smog versus clean air, contaminated water etc.

That being said I believe the less processed the food the easier it is for your body to break down but that is my opinion based on what I experience. Now I am not normal as I am a diabetic that also has chronic pancreatitis so I am supposed to watch what I eat but it has made me more aware of my body and how it acts.

geebusuk

90% of disease in the United States is directly due to poor nutrition choices.

Citation, please.

I also challenge you to watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc&feature=youtu.be

>>Editor's note: This talk is a personal narrative and is not yet backed by larger experimentation.<<

MY anecdotal evidence suggests that exercise can be a big part of general healthiness.

A solution to one particular issue is not a solution for every issue.

ladyraven68

90% of disease in the United States is directly due to poor nutrition choices.

Citation, please.

I also challenge you to watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc&feature=youtu.be

>>Editor's note: This talk is a personal narrative and is not yet backed by larger experimentation.<<

MY anecdotal evidence suggests that exercise can be a big part of general healthiness.

A solution to one particular issue is not a solution for every issue.

Exercise is the biggest part - There is a lot of research going on at the moment into fat fit people.

http://healthland.time.com/2012/09/05/can-you-be-fat-and-fit-or-thin-and-unhealthy/

Shock Horror, Ronaldo eats fast food - how on earth can he play football!

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/never-mind-the-fat-its-being-fit-that-matters-8105027.html

simonsaysso

I'm not willing to cut out anything that I won't cut out for the rest of my life. It's not sustainable. I eat my fair share of fruit & veg and other healthy foods, but I eat junk too.

I am not going to totally cut out my junk food. I would never stay on a plan that didn't let me have some "fun" now and then. I enjoy food and alcohol.

Everything in moderation.

mbelle97

I'm not willing to cut out anything that I won't cut out for the rest of my life. It's not sustainable. I eat my fair share of fruit & veg and other healthy foods, but I eat junk too.

I feel this way too. I don't eat crazy. But I also have a snickers bar when calories/carbs for the day allow. The most important thing to me is sustainablity, this is the rest of my life.