1,200 - but what if you're eating good food?

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Replies

  • catb58
    catb58 Posts: 239 Member
    Most MFP posters don't think that there is any difference between potato chips and spinach. Nothing is good or bad. The other day someone was arguing that deluxe pizza is probably more healthy than baked chicken breast.

    As far as weight loss goes, they're right. You can and will lose weight on a calorie deficit, even if all you eat is pizza and ice cream. You can eat a lot more food if it's healthy food, though.

    Many people suggest that making junk food 1/5 of your diet is the best plan.

    You should ask your doctor.

    Than decide what you want.

    Who's most? :huh:
    The ones who routinely say that there is no good or bad food. Most threads end up with a majority of people falling into that category. Often, they will actually deny that junk food exists. No such thing.

    Deluxe pizza is more healthy than baked chicken breast - that sort of thing.

    In for the hyperbole.

    Scoot over!

    Got my boots on. So I'm ready for it to get piled deep...
  • DamePiglet
    DamePiglet Posts: 3,730 Member
    If someone put potato chips on one table and spinach on the other and said, "Point to the one that is bad for you," you would have a hard time with that? You'd say, "There are no bad foods! I can't pick!"

    Or would you point to the chips, knowing that they are not good for you?

    Chips are not bad for you.
    Unless they are Kale chips. They are so sad they hurt my heart.

    But kale chips are NATURAL! They're UNPROCESSED! 'cause FREEZE DRIED!
  • kuntinsaigars
    kuntinsaigars Posts: 4
    Yea , only if its home made low fat ice cream :)
  • daniellekunkel1
    daniellekunkel1 Posts: 24
    First of all, the title of this post would make more sense if it said, "1,200-but what if you're eating bad food?," because 1.200 calories is not enough calories for a person's body to function efficiently. Secondly, where the hell are you getting your protein if you're trying to completely cut-out meat and dairy products? I know there are other ways to incorporate protein into your diet, but do you? Fruit and veggies aren't going to suffice. Third, your metabolism is going to go to *kitten* if you're not eating enough, and at some point, you're going to reach starvation mode and completely counteract all of your efforts to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Lastly, I don't know you, and I don't know if my opinion will matter to you at all or why I'm even responding to this post in the first place, except that I'm currently recovering from an eating disorder, and it's some tough *kitten*. You don't want to end up where I did. It's mentally draining as well as physically, obviously. Do yourself a favor and feed your body what it needs. Don't deprive yourself. Consider exercising if you aren't. At least then you won't feel so uncomfortable with having to eat "so much" because FOOD IS FUEL.
  • eaglelakebill
    eaglelakebill Posts: 120 Member
    Poor OP just asked a question and the trolls went to war!
    Lol
  • DamePiglet
    DamePiglet Posts: 3,730 Member
    Poor OP just asked a question and the trolls went to war!
    Lol

    Poor OP just asked a question and you came in here with nothing of value to add to the discussion. LOL

    But here's a bizarre gif as a reward for you
    Funny-weird-gif-eye-dancing-sausage.gif
  • Icandoityayme
    Icandoityayme Posts: 312 Member
    1200 worked for me the first couple of months but after that I got dizzy with headaches and just plain felt sick. I also was at a plateau for a couple weeks and wasn't losing anything and couldn't figure out why. I bumped mine up to 1400 and now I am back to losing weight and I am not feeling sick anymore. It may work for some people, but for me it turned out 1200 wasn't enough. I know a lot of people start with 1200 and I can't really tell somebody not to because they are going to do what they want anyway, but I am thinking now that unless you have some health issue that requires that low of calories, I wouldn't go that far down. That's just me though.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    I will be delighted when I no longer people saying, "Donuts and ice cream aren't bad for you! There are no bad foods! There are no good foods, It's just a matter of calories!"
    Weight loss is just a matter of calories. Health isn't. Satiety isn't.

    There is not a universally bad or good food. To many, "good food" is good tasting food, or they don't attach such adjectives to foods. To you, good food is low cal, high nutrient, low fat, apparently. That's ok but that's your 'good', not a universal 'good'.

    It's like arguing who's the prettiest woman or best singer. It's subjective.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Dont know what you arguing about , but i always look at "quality of kcal" I wish get maximum benefits of every kcal i intake.And there are healthy and unhealthy food in my opinion.

    And you have the right to your opinion, no matter how wrong it is.
  • akgreen324
    akgreen324 Posts: 74 Member
    Hahah I just had this discussion on my wall. Add me to see what my friends said!!:flowerforyou:
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    Poor OP just asked a question and the trolls went to war!
    Lol

    Poor OP just asked a question and you came in here with nothing of value to add to the discussion. LOL

    But here's a bizarre gif as a reward for you
    Funny-weird-gif-eye-dancing-sausage.gif

    I cannot stop staring at this gif.
  • hearthwood
    hearthwood Posts: 794 Member
    A calorie is a calorie regardless if it comes from carrots or cookies, protein, fat or carbs. So if you're suggesting that you can consume more calories, because you're eating healthier--NOT.

    I watched one of my fat shows, where this guy goes to the doctor, and the doctor told him to lose weight, and he said well all I do is eat oranges all day long. The doctor said--"Then you're eating too many oranges."
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Hahah I just had this discussion on my wall. Add me to see what my friends said!!:flowerforyou:

    Sounds like a trick...lol.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    Poor OP just asked a question and the trolls went to war!
    Lol

    Poor OP just asked a question and you came in here with nothing of value to add to the discussion. LOL

    But here's a bizarre gif as a reward for you
    Funny-weird-gif-eye-dancing-sausage.gif

    I cannot stop staring at this gif.
    Bizarre is an understatement. FREAKY!!!!

    I know right?! I mean why is that hot dog just lying there????
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    Poor OP just asked a question and the trolls went to war!
    Lol

    Poor OP just asked a question and you came in here with nothing of value to add to the discussion. LOL

    But here's a bizarre gif as a reward for you
    Funny-weird-gif-eye-dancing-sausage.gif

    I cannot stop staring at this gif.
    Bizarre is an understatement. FREAKY!!!!

    I know right?! I mean why is that hot dog just lying there????
    Probably because it would be even more weird if the hot dog were also dancing, duh.
    Sorry I forgot to fire up my sarcasm siren :)
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    Poor OP just asked a question and the trolls went to war!
    Lol

    Poor OP just asked a question and you came in here with nothing of value to add to the discussion. LOL

    But here's a bizarre gif as a reward for you
    Funny-weird-gif-eye-dancing-sausage.gif

    I cannot stop staring at this gif.
    Bizarre is an understatement. FREAKY!!!!

    I know right?! I mean why is that hot dog just lying there????
    Probably because it would be even more weird if the hot dog were also dancing, duh.

    The hot dog doesn't bother me so much as the freakishly long arms on the dancer. And the fact that I think she has better dance moves than me.
  • lemonsurprise
    lemonsurprise Posts: 255 Member
    First of all, the title of this post would make more sense if it said, "1,200-but what if you're eating bad food?," because 1.200 calories is not enough calories for a person's body to function efficiently. Secondly, where the hell are you getting your protein if you're trying to completely cut-out meat and dairy products? I know there are other ways to incorporate protein into your diet, but do you? Fruit and veggies aren't going to suffice. Third, your metabolism is going to go to *kitten* if you're not eating enough, and at some point, you're going to reach starvation mode and completely counteract all of your efforts to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Lastly, I don't know you, and I don't know if my opinion will matter to you at all or why I'm even responding to this post in the first place, except that I'm currently recovering from an eating disorder, and it's some tough *kitten*. You don't want to end up where I did. It's mentally draining as well as physically, obviously. Do yourself a favor and feed your body what it needs. Don't deprive yourself. Consider exercising if you aren't. At least then you won't feel so uncomfortable with having to eat "so much" because FOOD IS FUEL.

    I get my protein from looooads of other things. Kale, peas, nuts, beans, tofu. I also occasionally drink milk alternatives which have loads in. As does quinoa and I'm sure there's loads more too.
    Secondly, I thought starvation mode didn't work like that? As long as your in deficit you'll loose weight and only plateau when you're not reaching deficit?
    And I don't think I'll develop an eating disorder just from eating 1,200 calories a day. Like I say, I'm eating big meals. An example is a chicken(quorn)wrap (brown), loaded (literally bursting)with loads of different veggies, mayo(light) & lots of different seeds. Then a helping of Cous Cous on the side with stock. Under 400 calories.
    Or I'll have a big helping of mediterranian veg on a jacket potato with quinoa, under 400 cals again.
    I'm not eating tiddly little meals, because id be unhappy!

    I was planning on doing 1200 until I'm out of the obese catagory and then slowly increasing it but I don't want to get ill in the meantime. I definitely don't feel Ill at the moment, so how long in would I start to feel it if I wasn't getting the correct nutrition?

    Oh, and I barely do any excersise either for the people who were saying about having enough energy. I do 10,000 steps a day and that is it. Well, sometimes 10 mins on arms but my exercise is minimal.
  • IrisFlute
    IrisFlute Posts: 88 Member
    Just another voice to modestly point out that for me, right now, a baseline 1200 calorie diet feels good and seems to work for me. (I've been losing about 1 1/2 pounds per week.) I'm new to the world of dieting, and have been glad of the expertise here and the lively different opinions.

    Here's how 1200 calories works for me:

    I'm 58 years old, in good health except for slightly high blood pressure. I'm 5'8", and came here to drop the 20 lbs I gained in the past 30 years. I want to get down to 135 lb, which is what I weighed in my twenties, because the weight loss will help with blood pressure.

    I find that I do have to eat back some or all of my extra exercise calories because I get too hungry if I don't. So, 1200 is the baseline for the days I'm more sedentary or just puttering around the house. When I'm out biking up and down hills on dirt roads, I burn more and eat more.

    Eating 1200 calories for me means there's zero room for treats. I feel that I need every one of those 1200 calories for nutrient-dense foods. That works OK for me, but I could see that it would be a problem for some folks. It helps to live far away from stores and restaurants; I just don't have as many food temptations. It also helps to live alone, so I'm not responsible for feeding family members. That makes a huge difference.

    My food diary is public, if anyone's interested in what 1200 calories looks like. I weigh and measure and count my food.

    If 1200 calories stops working well for me in the future, I'll change what I'm doing. I just wanted to raise my hand and say, "Dieting is really personal and individual."

    And for me, right now, this plan feels good.
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Here is the issue I have with labeling foods "good" and "bad".

    Putting labels on food and making it an all or nothing approach may set someone up for failure.

    Say I decide to restrict my diet (noun) and cut out all of the "bad" stuff. After some time goes by I start craving some of that "bad" stuff and decide to cave in and have just a little bit. What do you think the reaction is going to be?

    "OMG I'm such a failure!"
    "I feel so guilty for eating something 'bad'!"
    "I might as well give up and just quit trying to lose weight!"

    I would much rather allow myself to have something in moderation than to stress myself out like that and feel miserable if I decide to give in.
  • lemonsurprise
    lemonsurprise Posts: 255 Member
    Here is the issue I have with labeling foods "good" and "bad".

    Putting labels on food and making it an all or nothing approach may set someone up for failure.

    Say I decide to restrict my diet (noun) and cut out all of the "bad" stuff. After some time goes by I start craving some of that "bad" stuff and decide to cave in and have just a little bit. What do you think the reaction is going to be?

    "OMG I'm such a failure!"
    "I feel so guilty for eating something 'bad'!"
    "I might as well give up and just quit trying to lose weight!"

    I would much rather allow myself to have something in moderation than to stress myself out like that and feel miserable if I decide to give in.

    But when I have a little treat, it's like when a shark smells blood. That is then the point that everything goes out the window and it danger zone! But up until I actually put it in my mouth, I have no desire for it. It's easy for me to watch my partner eat a share size chocolate bar and not want it. So I just thought it was best to completely avoid chocolate, crisps, cake etc

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