Processed foods

Sugar makes us fat and it is addictive.

I know I am sooo fat from snorting lines of sugar

Where you ever fat? A lot of the people like myself who did gain a lot of weight in the past did so largely because of over eating sugary food.

I was fat. That has nothing to do with science other than the mental aspect of overeating and eating to fullness. satiation of processed foods along with sedentary lifestyle is a huge factor of why this happens. Sugar is not addictive

I too eat more sugar than I did when I got fat. I never really ate ice cream and pop tarts. Now I do.

By now the OP has discovered that you can't come on these boards and ask a question without being very specific. I hope in all of these responses she took away something useful.

Let's get real though. I have 1600 calories a day to "spend" on food. How I spend my calories is entirely up to to me. I could eat pop tarts for breakfast and wash it down with a can of coke. I could eat a fast food hamburger, large fry and large coke and I'd be done for the day. I've used up all my calories and it's 1:00 in the afternoon. And please don't tell me to hit the gym because I do. Six days a week, two of which are spent with a sadistic trainer. Is the food I ate evil? No. Is it the most nutritious food I could have eaten? Again..no. So instead I choose to eat like I did today and most days. A diet that is a realistic marriage of convenience (notice I did not use the term PROCESSED) food and fresh fruit, produce and healthy fat. I get to eat a much greater abundance of food, spread out over the entire day which makes me happier than not eating anything else to eat after 1:00 in the afternoon, And, I feel good knowing that I ate food with a bigger nutritional bang for it's buck than that fast food lunch I skipped.

Now, unless you don't believe that eating fruits, veggies and good sources of lean protein is healthier for you, than you can feel free to argue against how I chose to eat. Maybe you think that paying attention to the food we eat has absolutely no connection to health whatsoever. That the importance of antioxidants and vitamins in food is just a bunch of voodoo science propagated by the beet industry. That's cool. You eat what you eat and I'll eat what I want.

In regards to the OP's question. Why don't you tell us what convenience foods you would like to eliminate from your diet and those of us who have successfully eliminated them from our own can offer you some alternatives.

Fresh produce. Look up the "Clean 15" and "Dirty Dozen" to find which produce is strongly recommended to buy organic.
Whole wheat (look at the ingredients, the less ingredients the better), sprouted wheat, raw nuts/seeds (if you can get those sprouted too)....learn what you're eating. The first place you should look is the ingredients list, truly.

If you eat meat/dairy/fish...buy those organic or wild caught...always.

By now the OP has discovered that you can't come on these boards and ask a question without being very specific. I hope in all of these responses she took away something useful.

Let's get real though. I have 1600 calories a day to "spend" on food. How I spend my calories is entirely up to to me. I could eat pop tarts for breakfast and wash it down with a can of coke. I could eat a fast food hamburger, large fry and large coke and I'd be done for the day. I've used up all my calories and it's 1:00 in the afternoon. And please don't tell me to hit the gym because I do. Six days a week, two of which are spent with a sadistic trainer. Is the food I ate evil? No. Is it the most nutritious food I could have eaten? Again..no. So instead I choose to eat like I did today and most days. A diet that is a realistic marriage of convenience (notice I did not use the term PROCESSED) food and fresh fruit, produce and healthy fat. I get to eat a much greater abundance of food, spread out over the entire day which makes me happier than not eating anything else to eat after 1:00 in the afternoon, And, I feel good knowing that I ate food with a bigger nutritional bang for it's buck than that fast food lunch I skipped.

Now, unless you don't believe that eating fruits, veggies and good sources of lean protein is healthier for you, than you can feel free to argue against how I chose to eat. Maybe you think that paying attention to the food we eat has absolutely no connection to health whatsoever. That the importance of antioxidants and vitamins in food is just a bunch of voodoo science propagated by the beet industry. That's cool. You eat what you eat and I'll eat what I want.

In regards to the OP's question. Why don't you tell us what convenience foods you would like to eliminate from your diet and those of us who have successfully eliminated them from our own can offer you some alternatives.

You're missing a bit of the point here. No one here is saying eat sweets all day long or don't eat fruit and veggies. That said, there are some famous cases of people living on some pretty interesting things and surviving just fine. The truth is we are omnivores and unlike what a lot of people want to argue, if we are designed to eat anything, we are designed to eat everything. And the truth is that when it comes down to the details of nutrition, the anti-"processed" foods crowd tends to oversimplify things to the point where they're just wrong.

Take that argument that one shouldn't eat canned or jarred food. What about a can or jar of tomato sauce, or for that matter, canned tomatoes? There is nothing wrong with either of those so long as you take a look at the ingredients list and the nutrition content fits what you need. Canned salmon? Canned octopus, tuna, sardines, etc.? Olives are heavily processed and also come in a jar or can. Heck, you can't even eat olives in their natural state.

Now on to unrefrigerated boxed food as one of the above posters mentioned. I think most of us would agree that keeping sugary cereal to a minimum is a positive, but shredded wheat also comes in a box and isn't refrigerated. Is that bad? Then what about dried pasta? Or crackers? Again, it depends on what is in that specific brand or type of food.

Then on to sugary cereal, ice cream, Oreos and all the other things people are eating but love to complain about. Eat them in moderation. The simple problem with obesity isn't a matter of what people are eating, but how much. Learn to cook and grocery shop, and learn to manage your diet. It just isn't that hard but it certainly isn't as simple as saying "don't eat processed foods" or "don't eat sugar." I am currently cutting and netting about 1700 many days and yet still fit in ice cream. Life doesn't have to be bland.

And finally, for the vast majority of people out there trying to lose weight, it really is as easy as simply eating fewer calories. Your argument is essentially that you need to eat "clean" to be full and come under your calories goal. That is fine. Just understand that at the end of the day losing weight is all about calories. Body composition takes plenty of protein, and overall health obviously is more complicated (but not nearly as complicated as many make it sound), but weight loss is extremely simple. I see people on these boards all the time who are frustrated because they're eating "clean" and not losing weight. It's calories, calories, calories.

I too eat more sugar than I did when I got fat. I never really ate ice cream and pop tarts. Now I do.

QFT - Me too. I very rarely ate ice cream when I was fat. I eat a pint a day now.

Cheers to that. I'm fitting in a 1 1/2 cups of chocolate ice cream tonight and washing it down with a shot of whiskey. I'll still net less than 1700 calories and knock my macros out of the park.

By now the OP has discovered that you can't come on these boards and ask a question without being very specific. I hope in all of these responses she took away something useful.

Let's get real though. I have 1600 calories a day to "spend" on food. How I spend my calories is entirely up to to me. I could eat pop tarts for breakfast and wash it down with a can of coke. I could eat a fast food hamburger, large fry and large coke and I'd be done for the day. I've used up all my calories and it's 1:00 in the afternoon. And please don't tell me to hit the gym because I do. Six days a week, two of which are spent with a sadistic trainer. Is the food I ate evil? No. Is it the most nutritious food I could have eaten? Again..no. So instead I choose to eat like I did today and most days. A diet that is a realistic marriage of convenience (notice I did not use the term PROCESSED) food and fresh fruit, produce and healthy fat. I get to eat a much greater abundance of food, spread out over the entire day which makes me happier than not eating anything else to eat after 1:00 in the afternoon, And, I feel good knowing that I ate food with a bigger nutritional bang for it's buck than that fast food lunch I skipped.

Now, unless you don't believe that eating fruits, veggies and good sources of lean protein is healthier for you, than you can feel free to argue against how I chose to eat. Maybe you think that paying attention to the food we eat has absolutely no connection to health whatsoever. That the importance of antioxidants and vitamins in food is just a bunch of voodoo science propagated by the beet industry. That's cool. You eat what you eat and I'll eat what I want.

In regards to the OP's question. Why don't you tell us what convenience foods you would like to eliminate from your diet and those of us who have successfully eliminated them from our own can offer you some alternatives.

You're missing a bit of the point here. No one here is saying eat sweets all day long or don't eat fruit and veggies. That said, there are some famous cases of people living on some pretty interesting things and surviving just fine. The truth is we are omnivores and unlike what a lot of people want to argue, if we are designed to eat anything, we are designed to eat everything. And the truth is that when it comes down to the details of nutrition, the anti-"processed" foods crowd tends to oversimplify things to the point where they're just wrong.

Take that argument that one shouldn't eat canned or jarred food. What about a can or jar of tomato sauce, or for that matter, canned tomatoes? There is nothing wrong with either of those so long as you take a look at the ingredients list and the nutrition content fits what you need. Canned salmon? Canned octopus, tuna, sardines, etc.? Olives are heavily processed and also come in a jar or can. Heck, you can't even eat olives in their natural state.

Now on to unrefrigerated boxed food as one of the above posters mentioned. I think most of us would agree that keeping sugary cereal to a minimum is a positive, but shredded wheat also comes in a box and isn't refrigerated. Is that bad? Then what about dried pasta? Or crackers? Again, it depends on what is in that specific brand or type of food.

Then on to sugary cereal, ice cream, Oreos and all the other things people are eating but love to complain about. Eat them in moderation. The simple problem with obesity isn't a matter of what people are eating, but how much. Learn to cook and grocery shop, and learn to manage your diet. It just isn't that hard but it certainly isn't as simple as saying "don't eat processed foods" or "don't eat sugar." I am currently cutting and netting about 1700 many days and yet still fit in ice cream. Life doesn't have to be bland.

And finally, for the vast majority of people out there trying to lose weight, it really is as easy as simply eating fewer calories. Your argument is essentially that you need to eat "clean" to be full and come under your calories goal. That is fine. Just understand that at the end of the day losing weight is all about calories. Body composition takes plenty of protein, and overall health obviously is more complicated (but not nearly as complicated as many make it sound), but weight loss is extremely simple. I see people on these boards all the time who are frustrated because they're eating "clean" and not losing weight. It's calories, calories, calories.

I don't disagree that it's calories that matter when it comes to losing weight. You also have to factor in what you can reasonably live with too. My example of pop tarts and McDonald's may have been extreme but for ME, I'm also trying to eat a healthy, balanced diet WHILE I lose weight. And I also agree that some take the clean eating argument too far but to each his own. I still use certain convenience foods, even cereal. I just buy sprouted whole grain (think grapenuts) instead of fruit loops. There's nothing wrong with lots of the convenience foods that are available. But there is a whole lot wrong with a lot of them too. Will you still lose weight eating them? Absolutely! Like I said, I like to spend my calories on more food because I like to eat a lot. So for me, choosing lower calorie, higher nutritional density foods just makes sense. I also like a glass of wine or a frosty beer on occasion

By now the OP has discovered that you can't come on these boards and ask a question without being very specific. I hope in all of these responses she took away something useful.

Let's get real though. I have 1600 calories a day to "spend" on food. How I spend my calories is entirely up to to me. I could eat pop tarts for breakfast and wash it down with a can of coke. I could eat a fast food hamburger, large fry and large coke and I'd be done for the day. I've used up all my calories and it's 1:00 in the afternoon. And please don't tell me to hit the gym because I do. Six days a week, two of which are spent with a sadistic trainer. Is the food I ate evil? No. Is it the most nutritious food I could have eaten? Again..no. So instead I choose to eat like I did today and most days. A diet that is a realistic marriage of convenience (notice I did not use the term PROCESSED) food and fresh fruit, produce and healthy fat. I get to eat a much greater abundance of food, spread out over the entire day which makes me happier than not eating anything else to eat after 1:00 in the afternoon, And, I feel good knowing that I ate food with a bigger nutritional bang for it's buck than that fast food lunch I skipped.

Now, unless you don't believe that eating fruits, veggies and good sources of lean protein is healthier for you, than you can feel free to argue against how I chose to eat. Maybe you think that paying attention to the food we eat has absolutely no connection to health whatsoever. That the importance of antioxidants and vitamins in food is just a bunch of voodoo science propagated by the beet industry. That's cool. You eat what you eat and I'll eat what I want.

In regards to the OP's question. Why don't you tell us what convenience foods you would like to eliminate from your diet and those of us who have successfully eliminated them from our own can offer you some alternatives.

You're missing a bit of the point here. No one here is saying eat sweets all day long or don't eat fruit and veggies. That said, there are some famous cases of people living on some pretty interesting things and surviving just fine. The truth is we are omnivores and unlike what a lot of people want to argue, if we are designed to eat anything, we are designed to eat everything. And the truth is that when it comes down to the details of nutrition, the anti-"processed" foods crowd tends to oversimplify things to the point where they're just wrong.

Take that argument that one shouldn't eat canned or jarred food. What about a can or jar of tomato sauce, or for that matter, canned tomatoes? There is nothing wrong with either of those so long as you take a look at the ingredients list and the nutrition content fits what you need. Canned salmon? Canned octopus, tuna, sardines, etc.? Olives are heavily processed and also come in a jar or can. Heck, you can't even eat olives in their natural state.

Now on to unrefrigerated boxed food as one of the above posters mentioned. I think most of us would agree that keeping sugary cereal to a minimum is a positive, but shredded wheat also comes in a box and isn't refrigerated. Is that bad? Then what about dried pasta? Or crackers? Again, it depends on what is in that specific brand or type of food.

Then on to sugary cereal, ice cream, Oreos and all the other things people are eating but love to complain about. Eat them in moderation. The simple problem with obesity isn't a matter of what people are eating, but how much. Learn to cook and grocery shop, and learn to manage your diet. It just isn't that hard but it certainly isn't as simple as saying "don't eat processed foods" or "don't eat sugar." I am currently cutting and netting about 1700 many days and yet still fit in ice cream. Life doesn't have to be bland.

And finally, for the vast majority of people out there trying to lose weight, it really is as easy as simply eating fewer calories. Your argument is essentially that you need to eat "clean" to be full and come under your calories goal. That is fine. Just understand that at the end of the day losing weight is all about calories. Body composition takes plenty of protein, and overall health obviously is more complicated (but not nearly as complicated as many make it sound), but weight loss is extremely simple. I see people on these boards all the time who are frustrated because they're eating "clean" and not losing weight. It's calories, calories, calories.

I don't disagree that it's calories that matter when it comes to losing weight. You also have to factor in what you can reasonably live with too. My example of pop tarts and McDonald's may have been extreme but for ME, I'm also trying to eat a healthy, balanced diet WHILE I lose weight. And I also agree that some take the clean eating argument too far but to each his own. I still use certain convenience foods, even cereal. I just buy sprouted whole grain (think grapenuts) instead of fruit loops. There's nothing wrong with lots of the convenience foods that are available. But there is a whole lot wrong with a lot of them too. Will you still lose weight eating them? Absolutely! Like I said, I like to spend my calories on more food because I like to eat a lot. So for me, choosing lower calorie, higher nutritional density foods just makes sense. I also like a glass of wine or a frosty beer on occasion

I'm not arguing against that approach and I'm pretty sure no one else here is either. I will say that white flour and white rice both take way too much guff for the nutrition they actually do provide. And fruit loops taste good on ice cream but I prefer cocoa puffs. Oh, and beer. Beer is good.

shop the outside asiles of your grocery store first. Lots of veggies. I also buy the big bag of birds eye frozen veggies from Wal mart.

And how do the veggies get frozen and bagged? Processing...

I thought so too but a nutritionist told me that unless you eat the fruits or vegetables within 2-3 days of purchase you are better off eating frozen ones as they were frozen quickly after picking.