Staying in range but eating empty calories

sassareno
sassareno Posts: 59 Member
edited September 23 in Food and Nutrition
So, I've been a pretty bad eater today due to lack of time and preparation (and an office environment full of baked goods). So far I've had an everything bagel with butter, coffee with half and half, a pita with chicken breast and veggies, and a donut. That leaves me with about 200 cals left for the day (my daily goal is 1200/day). Plus, I have a really busy evening and I don't have time to get any exercise in.

Even if I can get through the rest of the day without going over my goal (i have low cal soup, and maybe some cottage cheese or yogurt), is my crappy eating still bad for weight loss? Like, let's say I have exactly 1200 cals today, and tomorrow I also have 1200 cals, but much less sugar and carbs... won't my diet for tomorrow be more conducive to weight loss?

I guess that sometimes I wonder about what would happen if I just had 1200 cals/chocolate per day. Besides not getting enough nutrients, what else would happen? I mean, it's not something I want to do. I'm somewhat familiar with the concept of "empty" calories.

Hmm, maybe I'm just feeling gross because I had a bagel AND a donut today. I'm just trying not to say "Eh, **** it, I'm just going to eat whatever I want for the rest of the day because I already fell off the eat-right wagon."

Info? Tips? Advice? Kind words? :-)

Replies

  • gbtesq
    gbtesq Posts: 84 Member
    I'm interested in the answers to your questions, too. I have often times stayed within my calorie range but fail to eat 'healthy.'
  • ProTFitness
    ProTFitness Posts: 1,379 Member
    You need quality calories. WHole grains fruits veggies lean proteins ect. Empty calories will get you no where. If you want to loose body fat then you need to clean the eating up. You can get lots of volume from veggies and little calories.
  • loushep
    loushep Posts: 191
    It's not just the calories that count it's the fat, sugar and sodium content too. I'm no expert but if living on 1200 cals worth of chocolate a day was a good idea trust me i'd be doing it :laugh:
  • casonyamc
    casonyamc Posts: 19
    I haven't gotten into the whole "eating healthy" thing myself. I just watch my portion sizes, make sure I get my workout in, and drink water. It's been working for me so far. Everybody's different. Do what works for you so that you won't be discouraged about losing the weight.
  • jenntinn715
    jenntinn715 Posts: 23 Member
    Great questions! I wonder the same thing. Sometimes at the end of the day I still have 200 calories left and say AWESOME let me eat some ice cream!.....probably not a good idea though : /
  • slp2112
    slp2112 Posts: 107
    From strictly a weight loss standpoint, the answer is no. Google the nutrition professor at Kansas State who lost weight by following a diet of Twinkies, thus proving what we all know (calories in < calories out = weight loss) and you'll see what I mean. The guy dropped 27 pounds in two months eating nothing but junk food.

    However, presumably, you want to not only lose weight but provide your body with the right nutrients so you can feel energetic, healthier, etc. You need carbs for energy, protein to build muscle (and feel fuller), and fat because many of the beneficial elements of vegetables are fat-soluble (and again, for satiety purposes).

    We all have bad days, so I wouldn't preoccupy about today. But in general, well-rounded diets are going to make you physically healthier (and not just skinnier).
  • NikkisNewStart
    NikkisNewStart Posts: 1,075 Member
    Caloric intake is half the battle. You can be thin and be very unhealthy. Nutritional content and exercise in combination work to reduce the fat you don't see... the visceral fat surrounding your internal organs. If your goal is just to be skinny, then don't worry about the quality of the food you eat. If your goal is to be healthy, skinny, and reduce your risk for cancer & heart disease- then try to pay attention to making those calories work for your overall health. Your body will work more efficiently when you give it quality ingredients verses empty calories. By exercising, even if it is 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night (I have 5 kids and a very busy life- trust me) then you are burning fat which allows your muscles to be seen and get stronger... as well as raising your basal metabolic rate. So even when you aren't working out, your body is burning more calories just by being alive... which in turn will lead to greater weight loss. It's a Win-Win situation: a longer life, healthier insides, fat loss, and muscle building. I hope this helps! Good luck!
  • loushep
    loushep Posts: 191
    Hmm, maybe I'm just feeling gross because I had a bagel AND a donut today. I'm just trying not to say "Eh, **** it, I'm just going to eat whatever I want for the rest of the day because I already fell off the eat-right wagon."

    Info? Tips? Advice? Kind words? :-)
    [/quote]

    It's so easy to fall into this trap (i have many times) but you know it's a bad idea so stay strong and look forward to making healthier choices with your calorie allowance tomorrow :smile:
  • sassareno
    sassareno Posts: 59 Member
    You need quality calories. WHole grains fruits veggies lean proteins ect. Empty calories will get you no where. If you want to loose body fat then you need to clean the eating up. You can get lots of volume from veggies and little calories.

    I think I'm just still in the beginning phase of understanding how all the nutrition facts add up and relate to each other. I mean, I understand that whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean proteins, etc. are much better for me than processed, high fat, fried stuff, but I guess I'm just interested in the actual chemistry behind the difference in my body/chemical functions when i eat 1200 cals of healthy stuff as opposed to 1200 cals of crappy food.
  • farmgirl88
    farmgirl88 Posts: 91 Member
    Make whatever calories you do have left count! Pack it full of lean protein (black beans, steak, protein shake, etc.)

    Also, I noticed that you said that you were limiting yourself to 1200 calories a day... this is the minimum you can eat without telling your body to go into starvation mode. And if you're not filling those 1200 calories with whole grains, lots of fruits and veggies, and lots of lean proteins, then you might already be headed for trouble. When your body goes into starvation mode, you are no longer able to lose weight and your body tries getting its nutrients from within. All bad news. My suggestion would be to work toward eating better calories and eating a few hundred more of them a day and then making up for it by making time to work out. You will feel such an amazing difference once you're fueling your body with the right stuff and treating it to a good workout 3 or more times a week!

    Good luck! :)
  • ouryear002
    ouryear002 Posts: 325 Member
    A calorie is a calorie. But-how your body can use that calorie and how you will feel are totally different. "empty" calories are called that because they don't fuel the bus. If you eat 1200 calories of donuts or chocolate, you run out of gas before the day is done, and stay hungry. Think about it-would you be satisfied and full all day eating 4 donuts? But 1200 calories of lean protein, fruits, veggies and whole grains keeps the tank full. Don't beat yourself up-you didn't ruin anything. Just start fresh right now. I can say this because I ate nothing but crappy carbs yesterday, so today is my fresh start! :embarassed:
  • sassareno
    sassareno Posts: 59 Member
    Caloric intake is half the battle. You can be thin and be very unhealthy. Nutritional content and exercise in combination work to reduce the fat you don't see... the visceral fat surrounding your internal organs. If your goal is just to be skinny, then don't worry about the quality of the food you eat. If your goal is to be healthy, skinny, and reduce your risk for cancer & heart disease- then try to pay attention to making those calories work for your overall health. Your body will work more efficiently when you give it quality ingredients verses empty calories. By exercising, even if it is 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night (I have 5 kids and a very busy life- trust me) then you are burning fat which allows your muscles to be seen and get stronger... as well as raising your basal metabolic rate. So even when you aren't working out, your body is burning more calories just by being alive... which in turn will lead to greater weight loss. It's a Win-Win situation: a longer life, healthier insides, fat loss, and muscle building. I hope this helps! Good luck!

    Thanks! This helped a lot! I really appreciate everything you said. Definitely makes sense.
  • Kate_UK
    Kate_UK Posts: 1,299 Member
    Eating well is the best way to loose weight, not only will you feel so much better but hunger is less likely to strike too. But there was a series of post here around the end of December about a news story of a professer that ate nothing but chocolate, cake etc plus a daily vitamin. He stayed within his calorie goal and lost weigh at the expected rate. I do eat 'naughty' foods, I figure that I'm not going to go through the rest of my life and never eat another chocolate bar or a desert, so counting cals and having the odd treat (as long as I have enough cals to spare) is actually teaching me how to eat these things in moderation.
  • emilysebastian
    emilysebastian Posts: 245 Member
    I just find it's easier to stay in my range by eating healthier foods... you can get more food in if you make healthy choices. I had an "emotional" eating day over the weekend and managed to eat three chocolate chip cookies and stay within my range, but I was STARVING!
    I wouldn't be too hard on yourself though if you go a little over your daily range but eat something really healthy! Maybe your soup & cottage cheese with a piece of fruit?
    Also--if you are drinking enough water, that should help curb your appetite. I aim for half of my body weight in ounces every day... sometimes I get so preoccupied with it, I don't even notice there is a pizza party in the break room or that I have a chocolate granole thin in the desk drawer!
    Good luck, and whatever you can do to increase your willpower among coworkers will help, too :happy:
  • Annybel
    Annybel Posts: 62
    I'm sort of in the same boat. Although mine isn't due to lack of prep time. I had plenty of time I just suck at cooking. I tried a new recipe that I tried for lunch, and it failed horribly. Everything was either burnt or under cooked, or both. So instead I ate some Ramen Noodles. I've done good for 3 days now, and today just has been a bad day.
    I guess if you go over one day it shouldn't hurt you any. When you get home or have time in the evening you could make the meals for the next day and put them in the fridge or freezer if you don't think you'll have time to make them. That's what I plan to do for next week and what I did for tomorrow's breakfast - I got all the prep work done today so that tomorrow I won't have to sweat the prep time and just cook it.
  • anovasjo
    anovasjo Posts: 382 Member
    The issue with eating 1200 calories of junk food per day is that you are getting very little nutrition from these foods.

    Your body needs things like iron, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and proteins to run properly.

    And while you can conceivably lose weight while eating 1200 calories a day, your body will not be healthy and you can suffer some intense deficiencies if you don't eat the correct "types" of foods.

    In other words, you will lose weight but you will get sick.

    Hope this helped.
  • NikkisNewStart
    NikkisNewStart Posts: 1,075 Member
    I think I'm just still in the beginning phase of understanding how all the nutrition facts add up and relate to each other. I mean, I understand that whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean proteins, etc. are much better for me than processed, high fat, fried stuff, but I guess I'm just interested in the actual chemistry behind the difference in my body/chemical functions when i eat 1200 cals of healthy stuff as opposed to 1200 cals of crappy food.

    Allow yourself time to learn! I am still figuring things out as nothing is 1 size fits all when it comes to nutrition and how our bodies work. Every day I learn something new about myself and I have been here for 6 months. Allow yourself time to learn, make mistakes, etc. and realize that is part of the process of figuring it all out. It does not mean you're a failure! The purpose of MFP is to create awareness and making not so good choices is part of the process. Don't quit. Start from this moment and move on. We all trip and fall flat our our faces... trust me- I still do. But the true winners pick themselves up and keep on going! Be a winner!
  • bbsimmons6
    bbsimmons6 Posts: 14 Member
    Just saw this great article someone posted on facebook:
    http://fitbie.msn.com/lose-weight/tips/truth-about-calories
    Good luck!
  • Soooze
    Soooze Posts: 122 Member
    I wish there was a way to 'forward' this thread to a friend! The information is very helpful and she needs to understand how our body really works!
  • sassareno
    sassareno Posts: 59 Member
    Just saw this great article someone posted on facebook:
    http://fitbie.msn.com/lose-weight/tips/truth-about-calories
    Good luck!

    I just read through it. Very helpful, thanks!
  • loushep
    loushep Posts: 191
    I wish there was a way to 'forward' this thread to a friend! The information is very helpful and she needs to understand how our body really works!

    Copy and paste the link to her :smile:
  • somigliana
    somigliana Posts: 314 Member
    My personal view is that if you fill up on empty calories, your body is still going to hunger for the nutrients it needs to run properly, leading to cravings. So I do my best to fill up on whole grains, lean protein, enough good fats and lots of veggies and fruit.

    As a quick analogy, I remember the day a friend filled his car with diesel = bye bye engine.
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