Will sugar make you gain weight even in calorie deficit

I just am craving chocolate so bad but if I have some i feel so guilty, like all my hard work is going to be ruined!!
If my calorie is still as a deficit consuming around 1200 will a bit of chocolate here and there ruin what I have achieved so far?

Replies

  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    As long as you aren't a dog, you should be ok.
  • laele75
    laele75 Posts: 283 Member
    No food will make you gain weight on it's own. Period. You can eat anything so long as it fits into your calorie allocation. Hell, you can even eat outside it once and awhile and do fine.

    What you do not want to do is restrict your calories too much. MFP is designed to make you not have to do the math. You put in how much weight you want to lose, how fast you want to lose it and your lifestyle. Then it tells you how much to eat. It's simple if you let it be.
  • Okay good, I am hoping to change to maintenance level soon but am just too scared it will encourage me to eaters naughty things. I eat healthy and exercise but just want chocolate a lot lately lol if a calorie deficit is all it takes then I'm happy.
  • momzeeee
    momzeeee Posts: 475 Member
    I'm in maintenance and I eat dark chocolate several times a week :)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    I eat whatever I want (candy or chocolate).. calories determine weight loss, not the type of them.
  • onedayatatime12
    onedayatatime12 Posts: 577 Member
    I think it's fine! In fact, dark chocolate is supposedly good for you; just make sure not to go too overboard :P
  • goldylocs37
    goldylocs37 Posts: 108 Member
    Try a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Quest bar and microwave 20 seconds (must microwave). Has 20 grams of protein, 190 calories, and you won't feel bad one bit. It's awesome!
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    No.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    I eat ice cream - real ice cream - almost every single day.

    I regularly eat at double (or more) MFP's recommended sugar intake.

    Now look at my ticker and draw your own conclusions.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    Man I hope not or I have been doing this all wrong... lol :flowerforyou:
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
    You could have a big chunk of cake as long as you make it fit. Heck, you could have the whole cake and still lose weight.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    No. You're welcome.
  • alyhuggan
    alyhuggan Posts: 717 Member
    Man I hope not or I have been doing this all wrong... lol :flowerforyou:
    Thought you were having a laugh then saw your transformation photo, holy cow man! That is a legendary transformation!

    And to the question, no, it's just better not to, 1200 calories is exceptionally low, wasting some of those on chocolate instead of something else doesn't sound like a good idea to me. I barely manage my "5 a day" on 3400 calories, so I'm pretty sure you won't on 1200.
  • pwittek10
    pwittek10 Posts: 723 Member
    I have found, if I eat cookies but still stay in the calories my weight goes up
    I figure it must have something to do with gluten?
  • alyhuggan
    alyhuggan Posts: 717 Member
    I have found, if I eat cookies but still stay in the calories my weight goes up
    I figure it must have something to do with gluten?

    When you eat cookies do you crave and eat other "bad foods"? As you might then intake high amounts of sodium and retain more water. I tend to go a little overboard on my cheat days and I'm pretty sure the scales would say I'm a few pounds more than I am the next day. It looks like you eat a lot of "treats" daily that contain a fair amount of sodium so you might just be retaining more water. Or I could be completely wrong, I'm no nutritional expert so you should probably go find one instead of listening to me :)
  • roxxie25
    roxxie25 Posts: 32 Member
    I actually think that allowing yourself treats that fit within your calorie limit is, at least for me, essential to actually being able to stick with it long enough to meet your weight goals. For me, cutting out entire foods (sugar, white flour) only makes me feel deprived and become obsessed with the thought of eating them. But I am somebody who can only eat just a little bit of junk food/sweets without going crazy binging on it. In fact, I am more likely to binge from pent up deprivation,

    Here is where sugar is impacted by a calorie limit though -- you can only eat so much of it and stay within your calorie goal, because 1200 calories (or even 600 calories, honestly) of something sugary is not that much food and will leave you still hungry but without enough calories remaining to satisfy your hunger and physical need for something more nutritious.

    Final point, I tried several times to loose weight 'just' by cutting out sugar and/or white flour, but I don't think I ever lost a single pound that way. The ONLY thing that works for me is calorie counting
  • Try a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Quest bar and microwave 20 seconds (must microwave). Has 20 grams of protein, 190 calories, and you won't feel bad one bit. It's awesome!


    This!!!!!!!!! These bars rock. I also like mixing vanilla protein powder in plain greek yogurt and adding dark chocolate and coconut.
  • goodtimezzzz
    goodtimezzzz Posts: 640 Member
    no no and nooooooooooo:)
  • SF2514
    SF2514 Posts: 794 Member
    I eat ice cream or a candy bar (sometimes both) every day and I'm still losing. I know it's not the healthiest choice, but if I don't have something sweet at the end of the day I tend to binge the next day.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    Man I hope not or I have been doing this all wrong... lol :flowerforyou:

    There always has to be a show off.. :laugh:
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    No, it's fine.
  • yaseyuku
    yaseyuku Posts: 871 Member
    I eat whatever I want (both healthy things and things like pastas and chocolates and ice creams) within my calories and macros and have been losing weight so far.
  • honeysprinkles
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
    No. The only thing that makes you gain weight are excess calories. Sodium can cause temporary bloating (water weight) but that's it. I don't even track my sugar intake and I lose weight fine!
  • mdepko
    mdepko Posts: 283 Member
    You could eat 1200 calories in Hershey bars and you would still lose weight. Might not be the best way to go about it but, it would work and here's proof:

    http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

    This college professor lost 27 lbs eating twinkies and little debbies.
  • SakuraRose13
    SakuraRose13 Posts: 621 Member
    No but it will make your blood sugar rise which could lead you to feeling hunger later ,especially if it has caffiene in it like chocolate. But otherwise eat sweets if you like there isnt any real point of devoiding yourself of a treat if you have the room in your calories,I for one im not giving up anything i eat like I normally do but try and make more healthy choices ,but If I want a candybar or tiramisu Im going to this isn't a diet Im on its a lifestyle change I dont do diets they are not sustainable for me atleast,I cant be thinking well cant have that anymore whatever I only live once and I eat to live ,not live to eat.
  • JDBLY11
    JDBLY11 Posts: 577 Member
    No, I eat sugar frequently and I still lose weight. I do notice excess sodium seems to give me a temporary weight gain.
  • jordanlell
    jordanlell Posts: 340 Member
    Looks like there's no need to answer the question, seeing as how you seem to already have your answer, but I do feel the need to ask why you're choosing such a low calorie allotment. If your profile pic is of you, you seem to already be at a healthy weight, so I must ask what it is you're trying to achieve at such a drastic deficit?
  • Dcioby73
    Dcioby73 Posts: 18 Member
    I've heard it said that the number of calories you consume dictates your weight, whereas the quality of calories dictates your health.

    I don't think it's wrong, as a once in a while treat, but at 1200 calories a day, in order to have some chocolate treat every day, you would have to give up other nutrient dense, low calorie foods.
  • Looks like there's no need to answer the question, seeing as how you seem to already have your answer, but I do feel the need to ask why you're choosing such a low calorie allotment. If your profile pic is of you, you seem to already be at a healthy weight, so I must ask what it is you're trying to achieve at such a drastic deficit?

    I am changing my account to maintain but slowly, I need to do it slowly other wise I may just go crazy.. I do believe maintenance has been the hardest part for me as doing well for so long makes me scared that ill ruin it all..

    However I have made big lifestyle changes I chose the healthy thing on the menu, say no to takeaways, eat healthy and exercise .. I just can't say no to a bit of chocolate now and then I just wanted to know its okay first :-)