It's ok to indulge once in a while, right?

I disagree. If you eat 1 hamburger and it has 500 calories and then you go home and eat 500 calories worth of salad those calories are different. And yes have different fat content.

Using MFP helps me take a good look at what I'm putting in my body. I still eat what I want but now I am more balanced throughout my day. If I decide to eat a burger today for lunch, I balance it out with light healthy low cal,sodium,and carb all day. I know some foods (Hostess Apple Pie over 400 calories) is a no no. It robs my whole day of calories but IF I did want one I would share it or take a nibble. So I really haven't eliminated anything.

I disagree. If you eat 1 hamburger and it has 500 calories and then you go home and eat 500 calories worth of salad those calories are different. And yes have different fat content.

You are 100% correct. The salad is no good for you because it lacks fat and protein... things that are essential to the human body. Meanwhile, the hamburger has fat and protein in the burger, also the cheese, plus you'll get carbs from the bun and the tomato...

Plus, imagine how much lettuce you'd need to eat to get 500 calories. And if you could do that, think of the poop you'd take...

I'm not in any way saying you shouldn't eat fat and should only eat salad. I'm just saying the calories are different because of what made them up content wise. That's all

What are they made of? Yoga mats? Toxins?

The only thing eating out hurts is my wallet. I count every calorie, and so I've been losing weight. It doesn't matter what types of foods I eat.

I also try to eat chocolate every day because it's delicious. At least 1-2 times a month I eat 3,000 calories in one day. It happens. I'm somehow still losing weight. It's magic!

No the outcome would not be the same. My point is 300 calories from mc Donald's are def different From 300 calories of salad because of the content in those calories. The fat, sodium and sugar levels will be all different and there for results will vary.

If food A has more fat and more sugar than food B, food A has more calories.

One food might have a better nutritional profile, but 300 calories is 300 calories.

Yes this. This is where a lot of people get confused and you summed it up nicely.

I've only removed from my diet what I think isn't worth the calories for the level of satiety it provides - fried foods, croissants, juice, soda, alcohol, that's pretty much it.

A calorie is a calorie whether it's from salad or a burger. It's purely a measurement of energy or heat.
The nutrients may be very different but that's a not the discussion. We are talking about energy from food.

Okay. This makes sense to me.

There is nothing I have eliminated from my diet for the sake of fitness or weight loss, there are simply more factors than just taste and convenience going into my eating decisions.

However, some of you are very misguided... a caloric deficit is the ONLY thing necessary for weight loss. You can eat all your calories in candy if you want to and you will lose weight. The reasons for making healthier choices are based in your HEALTH not your WEIGHT. If you eat a 500-calorie salad (assuming it has protein and a fat in it) you will be more satisfied, have more energy, and have less diet-related /health/ issues than you would if you ate a 500-calorie brownie sundae or a greasy fast food cheeseburger. Making healthier eating choices makes it easier to eat at a deficit, because you're getting the right nutrients.

Guys, remember that weight loss is only your relationship with gravity - making a truly healthy lifestyle change and losing pounds are not the same thing!

ETA: Dietary fat does not make you fat. Sodium does not make you fat. A caloric surplus is what makes you gain fat.

Yeah... I think that was everyone's point. You can have the salad and have a treat and STILL be on point for weightloss AND health. It's not ALL OR NOTHING.

As long as you're in your calorie goal, go right ahead! I regularly have chocolate, pizza, fried chicken, etc. but I diligently track everything I eat and make sure it fits within my calorie "budget". And... as a matter of fact, my weight loss has sped up ever since I upped by calories by 200/day (from 1200 to 1400). My body doesn't think it's being starved anymore, so it's letting go of weight more readily. It's awesome to get to eat more AND lose weight twice as quickly!

You could test it out for yourself. if eating a certain treat makes you gain weight, then dont eat it or dont eat it as much. I think a person can have a treat if they look at the overall affect over a month or a few weeks. usually it wont hurt. If you scrutinize the scale every day, (weigh yourself every day), then probably you will see disaster as it might make a higher weight on the scale show up the next day. and even if that happens, usually any weight gain will go away if you resume your normal weighty loss foods, it may take a couple days for it to go down. I'm just speaking at how stuff like this affects me.. usually it takes about 2-3 days for my excess eating to go down. That is why people weigh themselves once a week because during the week even if you eat 100% perfectly, you still have fluctuations in weight due to water weight retention, hormones, etc. etc.

I think if you can eat that one thing, and not let it become a habit where you are falling off the wagon, and are eating it constantly, then its ok. but if it feeds an addiction, where you gotta have more and cant stop, then dont eat it. Eating the food that made you fat and seeing what kind of control you have over it, can tell you how much you can indulge in it or not.

i do tests all the time to see how food affects my weight. that way i can adjust it week to week.