Eating whatever you want but staying under calorie limit

Yes.

I don't eat clean. Sometimes I'll go a week without even eating something "healthy" (whatever that is). I eat lots of boxed foods. I try to hit my macros. The rest, I don't care.

Since you are still just starting out, get used to nailing your calories. Don't worry about what foods get you there. Once you have that down pat, start looking at your macros and manipulating your protein/fat/carbs to hit your goals.

Now, here's the catch on that. The days I eat a lot of packaged food, I tend to be a bit hungrier because it has a tendency to be calorie dense foods. You might find that eating fresher foods keep you fuller. However, for weight loss in and of itself, it doesn't matter.

Yes.

I don't eat clean. Sometimes I'll go a week without even eating something "healthy" (whatever that is). I eat lots of boxed foods. I try to hit my macros. The rest, I don't care.

Since you are still just starting out, get used to nailing your calories. Don't worry about what foods get you there. Once you have that down pat, start looking at your macros and manipulating your protein/fat/carbs to hit your goals.

Now, here's the catch on that. The days I eat a lot of packaged food, I tend to be a bit hungrier because it has a tendency to be calorie dense foods. You might find that eating fresher foods keep you fuller. However, for weight loss in and of itself, it doesn't matter.

Thanks for the answer, you made me feel alot better. It's so hard for me to eat clean all the time, so when I eat something that isn't clean I freak out and feel all down on myself, even if my calories allow it.

I eat so "dirty" it would make you cringe. :laugh: Hasn't hurt my weight loss at all. I love food. I love food so much I got really, really fat. I LIKE that gross packaged processed stuff too. Now, I just eat less of it. If it kills me, at least it will taste good going down.

I think I developed a crush on you right this second. :laugh: Awesome!!!

As long as you're taking in fewer calories than you're eating, you're going to lose weight.
It's good to try to get the nice nutrients like protein, fats, etc. and too much sodium will often make you retain water, but strictly speaking... Yep. Calorie deficit is king.

I don't eat clean.

Welcome to the awesomeness of MFP.

I always see people talking about how if you don't eat clean you wont get good results, so that always freaked me out. So as long as I only eat the calories I'm allowed to have in a day, I'll still lose weight? That's like music to my ears, I hardly ever go over and never feel starving so thats great to hear

Yes.

Yes.

I don't eat clean. Sometimes I'll go a week without even eating something "healthy" (whatever that is). I eat lots of boxed foods. I try to hit my macros. The rest, I don't care.

Since you are still just starting out, get used to nailing your calories. Don't worry about what foods get you there. Once you have that down pat, start looking at your macros and manipulating your protein/fat/carbs to hit your goals.

Now, here's the catch on that. The days I eat a lot of packaged food, I tend to be a bit hungrier because it has a tendency to be calorie dense foods. You might find that eating fresher foods keep you fuller. However, for weight loss in and of itself, it doesn't matter.

Thanks for the answer, you made me feel alot better. It's so hard for me to eat clean all the time, so when I eat something that isn't clean I freak out and feel all down on myself, even if my calories allow it.

I eat so "dirty" it would make you cringe. :laugh: Hasn't hurt my weight loss at all. I love food. I love food so much I got really, really fat. I LIKE that gross packaged processed stuff too. Now, I just eat less of it. If it kills me, at least it will taste good going down.

I think I developed a crush on you right this second. :laugh: Awesome!!!

:flowerforyou: :smooched:

It all comes down to calorie deficit. "Clean eaters" and paleo dieters are all in a deficit because they are eating low calorie foods. That is it. The only thing I worry about is getting my protein quota in. After that I eat whatever the heck I want.

Yes.

I don't eat clean. Sometimes I'll go a week without even eating something "healthy" (whatever that is). I eat lots of boxed foods. I try to hit my macros. The rest, I don't care.

Since you are still just starting out, get used to nailing your calories. Don't worry about what foods get you there. Once you have that down pat, start looking at your macros and manipulating your protein/fat/carbs to hit your goals.

Now, here's the catch on that. The days I eat a lot of packaged food, I tend to be a bit hungrier because it has a tendency to be calorie dense foods. You might find that eating fresher foods keep you fuller. However, for weight loss in and of itself, it doesn't matter.

Thanks for the answer, you made me feel alot better. It's so hard for me to eat clean all the time, so when I eat something that isn't clean I freak out and feel all down on myself, even if my calories allow it.

I eat so "dirty" it would make you cringe. :laugh: Hasn't hurt my weight loss at all. I love food. I love food so much I got really, really fat. I LIKE that gross packaged processed stuff too. Now, I just eat less of it. If it kills me, at least it will taste good going down.

I think I developed a crush on you right this second. :laugh: Awesome!!!

Ahhh! You guys made my night! :-) I'm right there with ya!

*like*

If all that matters is weight loss, then yes, calorie deficit will get you there. Healthy nutrition is another issue.

I lost all my weight eating what ever I wanted. I am maintaining by doing the same. I feel better if I throw in some kind of balance of "good for you foods" but as for the scale it doesn't matter as long as I'm under!

Here's my dilemma. For my entire life, I've always eaten whatever I wanted, and never worked out. 4 weeks ago I started FocusT25. The 2nd week, I lost 4lbs and and inch in my waist. The 3rd week I missed my double day workout, and went out for dinner and drinks. I measured myself, and I hadn't gained or lost anything. This week will be my 4th week, I am finding it's super easy for me to workout, and I love to do it, and I hate that I missed my workouts last week. I always stay under or at my calorie limit. The big dilemma for me is eating healthy 100% of the time. So my question is, as long as I'm staying under or at my calorie limit, and workout 5 times a week, can I eat whatever i like and can I still lose weight and have good results as long as I work out and stay within my calories?

Of course you'll lose weight.
Think about healthy eating as something to work towards. Mainly because its good for you and when you are older it will matter more. ie. I have poor bone density because I didn't consider nutrition through my life.
Having said that don't put yourself under too much pressure to be perfect, that's how we fail.

I do not eat clean. Its totally impossible for me lol.An old doctor many years ago told me a 1000 calories are a thousand calories ,I know there are healthy calories and unhealthy but oh well . So if having a really unclean day And I want 1000 calories of chocolate so be it .

As silly as it seems, and maybe it comes from trying to teach a 3-year old about nutrition, but Cookie Monster had a song "A Cookie Is A Sometimes Food." Nutrition dense foods are "all the time foods." Silly and simple.

Yes, you can have the cookie, or the McDonald's or the pizza or whatever your cravings may be, but make sure that the majority of your diet is comprised of nutritious foods (doesn't need to be clean, boxed and packaged foods can be quite nutritious, and pizza is generally quite nutritious just a bit high in calories).

Just try to not work yourself up over it all.

I make it a priority to get a certain amount of dairy, protein and fruits and veggies per day. After that, every thing else is fair game as long as I'm under my calorie goal.

Enjoy.

Yes.

I don't eat clean. Sometimes I'll go a week without even eating something "healthy" (whatever that is). I eat lots of boxed foods. I try to hit my macros. The rest, I don't care.

Since you are still just starting out, get used to nailing your calories. Don't worry about what foods get you there. Once you have that down pat, start looking at your macros and manipulating your protein/fat/carbs to hit your goals.

Now, here's the catch on that. The days I eat a lot of packaged food, I tend to be a bit hungrier because it has a tendency to be calorie dense foods. You might find that eating fresher foods keep you fuller. However, for weight loss in and of itself, it doesn't matter.

^^^ This.

The main benefit of eating "clean" is that you're consuming nutrient dense foods, so you get more bang for your buck, usually fewer calories and higher macro- and micronutrients. If you compare processed chicken tenders to raw chicken breasts, you'll probably notice that they're higher in fat and lower in protein. Is this the end of the world? No. Is that in any way unhealthy? No.

IIFYM - If It Fits Your Macros. Totally agree that when you're just getting your feet wet, you should focus primarily on meeting your calorie goal. Once you're comfortable with how much you should be eating, proper portions, etc, then, you can focus more on your macros (carbs/fat/protein). The principle of IIFYM is that you eat whatever foods you want, so long as you're meeting your nutritional needs. Because that's all that really matters at the end of the day. Eat at a deficit, and you'll lose weight. The rest affects your overall health, performance, etc.

First, make sure you're eating at an appropriate calorie goal:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

Some more reads that will help you:
http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/#nutrients
http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/#cleandirty
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/817188-iifym
http://iifym.com/eating-clean-vs-knowing-wtf-you-are-doing/
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/841305-corn-used-my-man-parts-as-a-speedbag
http://evidencemag.com/yoda-fat-loss/
http://evidencemag.com/flexible-dieting-steps/

Most importantly, don't feel like you're going to fail if you don't stick to a rigid plan of eating only what's "healthy" and exercising x days a week. If you stick around, you'll hear time and time again, this isn't a diet; it's a lifestyle change. You should be focusing on forming habits that you can sustain for the rest of your life. Don't swear off foods that you don't intend to give up for life. Don't beat yourself up if you don't have the time or motivation to work out as often as you set out to. Don't panic if you're going out with friends or celebrating a holiday. Some days you're going to go over. Some days you're not going to want to get out of bed to squeeze in that workout. ENJOY yourself. But be conscious of what and how much you eat and set attainable goals for yourself. You can lose weight, eating at a deficit, without exercise, though doing so will allow you to eat more and you'll be much happier with your final result, both in your appearance and your abilities.

Also, be patient. It sounds like you're already making progress, but don't be discouraged if you don't see results as quickly as you'd like. Don't let your success be determined by the number on the scale. That number's going to fluctuate. Often. Sometimes several pounds in a day. Measure your results over several weeks or months and pay attention to the trend. If you're accurate in your logging and maintain a deficit, you'll lose weight.