I am not convinced...

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  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,732 Member
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    This professor lost 27 pounds in two months eating nothing but Twinkies, Oreos, Doritos, Li'l Debbies, and other assorted chips and snack cakes in order to prove the point: for weight loss, it truly is calories in / calories out. For optimal health, there's a lot more to it, involving macro and micro nutrients. However, you could eat table sugar and nothing but table sugar and still lose weight, as long as you maintain a deficit. You'll feel like crap and probably lose muscle from the lack of protein and all sorts of things from lack of fats and fat soluble vitamins, and lots of other ill effects...but you most certainly would still lose weight.

    http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/
  • gpoliver
    gpoliver Posts: 87 Member
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    I havent read all the comments so i may be redundant here, but YES it does work. I work shift work (maybe as a nurse you do as well?) so fast food is just a part of my life. And Taco Bell is a must in my life too! (ha ha) and yet I still managed to lose about 45 lbs. Going for round two and again, I cannot seem to cut fast food from my diet. What I have learned is that the cleaner and healthier I eat the more I get to eat (25 tomatoes vs two potato chips) so I learned to get my craving kicks from a mixture of fast food, good fats (avocadoes are THE BOMB!!!!! Can eat those all day long!) and then work in those calories if I feel the need for an in n out cheeseburger (California thing but those are amazing too!). Plus I find that weight training and muscle building really is the best way to eat alot more of what I want. I dont need to have such a strict diet when I weight train, and I still see and feel the lbs come off.
  • PapaChanoli
    PapaChanoli Posts: 178 Member
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    This professor lost 27 pounds in two months eating nothing but Twinkies, Oreos, Doritos, Li'l Debbies, and other assorted chips and snack cakes in order to prove the point: for weight loss, it truly is calories in / calories out. For optimal health, there's a lot more to it, involving macro and micro nutrients. However, you could eat table sugar and nothing but table sugar and still lose weight, as long as you maintain a deficit. You'll feel like crap and probably lose muscle from the lack of protein and all sorts of things from lack of fats and fat soluble vitamins, and lots of other ill effects...but you most certainly would still lose weight.

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

    Ugh. I would be tired of it on the first day. That definitely proves the point though.

    Fad diets are for making money. Eating in a deficit is how it's been done for all time, whether it was by choice or not.
  • cincysweetheart
    cincysweetheart Posts: 892 Member
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    I believe in moderation in all things. I have no idea what "clean eating" really means, since it seems like everyone has different ideas. That being said… I find that I feel better, feel fuller, and stay satisfied longer if I'm eating healthier. Examples: Just this past weekend, I was in the mood for something different than my usual chicken, veggies, or salad. I had a boxed dinner in my cupboard that hasn't been touched since I started this journey… but it sounded good to me that day and I figured I could fit it into my calorie goals so long as I portioned it out. Which I did. And I was hungry like an hour later. It did absolutely nothing to satisfy me. It tasted good. But that was all. One evening a couple of weeks ago, I was with my family and they decided to do Wendy's for dinner. I chose a grilled chicken sandwich and water… no fries or soda. It tasted good. And I felt absolutely lousy afterwards. My body did not like the fast food. And it wasn't even a greasy, high calorie choice… but I could tell the difference in how it made me feel.

    I am such a believer in moderation that I would never advocate cutting out the treats or fast food entirely. It's supposed to be a lifestyle change and I think cutting those things out entirely makes it into a "diet." But I was glad I had the experiences I did, because it allowed me to see how much better I feel when I'm eating healthier. It makes it easier for me to WANT to make this a lifestyle change.
  • LessHeavyVeggie
    LessHeavyVeggie Posts: 208 Member
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    I think It's all about balance. In terms of weight loss 1500cals of cake a day will have the same effect as 1500cals of 'clean eating' (whatever that means) but the cake won't fill you up and won't give you the nutrients. I tend to eat 'healthily' throughout the way (try to get good balabce of macros, lots of veggies etc - although I like veggies anyway) but most evenings after dinner I use whatever remaining calories I have left to have a small treat of some kind.

    In the past I've dieted by completely cutting out things I like and trying to eat a completely different foods from usual - I always get bored with this and give up, resulting in putting whatever I lost back on. Now, I allow myself a daily treat and every so often an 'unhealthy' meal out/drinks and keep it within my calories and I don't feel like I'm dieting - for the first time in my life I'm confident I will see this through to my goal weight and stay there. (eventually - I've got a load road to travel, but this is a life change)

    I've found that although I started out eating my usual foods in smaller quantities, my repertoire has changed gradually over time - veggies have less calories so I'm eating more salad as it's a good low calorie plate filler, I'm eating less bread as it has a lot of calories for a side item, I'm cooking from scratch pretty much all the time as I can control the calories, etc. But none of that was conscious, it just happened over time.
  • louisekerry86
    louisekerry86 Posts: 58
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    I've been cutting out fast food and sweets, crisps etc the last couple of weeks. I feel much better, but I still had pizza last week and was fine, I have what I want once a week/fortnight, then the rest of the time stick to a low GI diet, have been on it for a week now, have cut out sweets etc for two and I've lost 2.5kg :)

    The strangest thing for me is that I've been losing while I've been eating more - I work out 6 days a week, and I've just started logging my food so I'm making sure I'm eating as much as I'm supposed to (I was probably eating between 900-1400 calories a day before), I'm eating around 1,800-2,000 a day for the last little while and I'm losing again :)
  • FaithsFood
    FaithsFood Posts: 15
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    I also try to follow the 80/20 rule. Just the fact that I know I can have a piece of chocolate if I want it stops me from actually craving it most of the time. Whereas in the past when I have tried to completely cut out chocolate/cake/fast food I have ended up not being able to think of anything else and inevitably binging on them!

    It's all about moderation, don't cut out anything completely that you wouldn't want to give up for the rest of your life.
  • TiffieLand
    TiffieLand Posts: 159
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    The thing is that if the only thing you care about is losing weight then just eat whatever but eating foods that give you nutrients that your body need probably better in the long run. You don't need to be totally on one side but just do like 70/30 Junk or something. For me, I actually like fruits, vegetables,etc more than chips,burger. But I too also like to eat junk foods sometimes for fun while out with friends.
  • smask12
    smask12 Posts: 4 Member
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    The only thing I need to do at the moment is lose weight, by losing weight I can start to control other things, I have found the calorie control easier then counting out specific foods altogether. I have to have a high salt diet due to an adrenal condition, so am automatically attracted to 'junk' food as the easy option. I have now moved to make my own fresh food and flavourings I can control.:wink:
  • galprincess
    galprincess Posts: 682 Member
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    I totally get you im a mum of 3 children and my fiancé is a chef which means he doesn't cook at home so a lot falls to me and we are balanced I make jacket potato and grilled meats with veggies and salads etc but life is a bit short the odd burger etc doesn't bhurt I eat chocolate and biscuits and cake not all day everyday and I weigh my portion so it fits I find cutting portion rather than cutting foods works
  • xXBabyBelleXx
    xXBabyBelleXx Posts: 110 Member
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    Heres a post that might help ... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/08/mcdonalds-diet_n_4557698.html

    Im totally into having a balance, so I eat healthy natural food (fruit, whole grains, lean organic meats etc) but also allow my myself the odd bad thing.

    We had a Chinese takeaway last night, I ordered what I liked and kept with-in my calorie limit.

    People who say, you need to give up everything I think are either going to become health feaks or are just kidding themselves..
  • greengoddess0123
    greengoddess0123 Posts: 417 Member
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    My diary would make paleos and vegans pass out. Little Caesar's pizza, Chick-fil-a, Wendys, Taco Bell, potato chips, ice cream, cookies, etc, etc, etc.

    Sometimes I eat healthy food, and sometimes I eat low-calorie "diet" food. I mix it up, depending on the day and how I feel. Having this much freedom to choose and create my day has drastically reduced my urges to binge.

    Yesterday I ate a 1000 calorie lunch of Mexican food (omg yum!), and since I'd had quite a few snacks in the morning already, I had to have a light salad for dinner, but I REGRET NOTHING.

    :laugh:
  • littlekitty3
    littlekitty3 Posts: 265 Member
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    I think the calorie counting is silly. It makes people grumpy. It makes women b!tchy.
    I have personally gotten into this thing where if I recall what it makes me feel post eating (bloated, groggy, foggy headed, ect), I'm probably not going to eat it. Mainly because I enjoy being hyper and energized over what society says with cake and fried food.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    From my perspective, “clean” eating and “junk food” are BS terms. Unless I have sensitivities to or just don’t like certain foods, I eat as I please and don’t have any issues with losing weight. I get my protein from a Burger King Whopper just like I get it from a chicken thigh that I baked in my oven.
  • hoyalawya2003
    hoyalawya2003 Posts: 631 Member
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    I eat taco bell, pizza, ice cream, burgers, regularly but stay in a calorie deficit and lose weight. It's fine if you're not convinced, you can also be not convinced that gravity exists, but gravity doesn't care what you think, it's gonna go ahead and keep holding you down to the earth...

    QFT. I eat fast food at least twice a week, sometimes more. Do I order the same things I did when I weighed 50+ pounds more? Of course not. Do I still sometimes order a quarter pounder with cheese instead of a salad? Yep. Did I just spend the last week having ice cream cake from DQ? Yep. Am I still losing? Yep.
  • PapaChanoli
    PapaChanoli Posts: 178 Member
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    I think the calorie counting is silly. It makes people grumpy. It makes women b!tchy.
    I have personally gotten into this thing where if I recall what it makes me feel post eating (bloated, groggy, foggy headed, ect), I'm probably not going to eat it. Mainly because I enjoy being hyper and energized over what society says with cake and fried food.

    I'd hardly call it silly. Calorie counting in this simplified way is what I'd call brilliant. It makes me happier as I learn just how fulfilling a healthier diet can be without overly restricting myself to mundane food.

    Calorie counting, plus a little knowledge is proving, (has proven) successful for far too many people to write it off as silly.

    But to each his own, I guess.
  • rosie1694
    rosie1694 Posts: 5
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    I work at McDonalds and subsequently I have McDonalds for lunch 3 or 4 times a week. I'm still seeing weight loss results because I don't choose the unhealthiest options on the menu, and when I'm not at work, I eat and exercise well.
    So yeah, I think you can eat fast food in moderation and lose weight, especially if it prevents binging!
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    Yes. Eat what you want in moderation and within your calorie and macro goals.
  • SnicciFit
    SnicciFit Posts: 967 Member
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    So.... before everyone starts caps locking their opinions of what healthy food is and why a Paleo/clean eating diet is so much better....I want to say up front that I totally get that and understand that....I am a nurse....I know what fruits and veggies and whole grains are :D I have tried it before... did it work? Yup... but I must say, that it is not nearly as satisfying or filling to me to eat this way...I get bored... stop eating this way... fall off the wagon... and guess what.... BINGE BINGE BINGE.... so I am trying something new.... eating whatever I want (granted I am cutting sweets...I have to say I have figured out that I waste a TON of calories on that crap) but I am going to stay at my calories... give or take a few... So for example I just had taco bell....I am not convinced I am going to lose weight eating this stuff... I know that it's all about caloric deficit in the end right? But why do I have such a hard time believing this?? Has anyone had the luck with eating the unhealthy American food way? In moderation of course...I am not saying I eat fast food at every meal...I love my chicken/salmon/veggie nights... but something's gotta give... Do I have to do the boring clean eating/Binge eating? That clearly has not in the end helped me on the scale :(

    I think you've answered your own question. If eating "clean" causes you to binge, you're not doing yourself any good (for weight loss, physical health or mental health). Find a happy medium that YOU can live with. Good choices can still be made regarding fast food/junk food.

    ETA: some people who eat "clean" or "paleo" schedule in "cheat" (I hate that word) days or cheat meals. You might try that. Limiting your "non-paleo" foods to one day per week, or 3 meals per week. But, really, it sounds like the IIFYM platform would work better for you than paleo.

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