can you eat anything within calories given

you can eat what you want.

can you lose weight on eating twinkies all day as long as you stay under your calories..yes..is it healthy? no.

the thing is, that your body likes good fuel. if you give it bad fuel it doesnt want to function as well. if you eat unhealthy nutrition poor foods you'll find yourself more sluggish, tired etc. plus your body needs all those good nutrients to work well. to keep your metabolism fires burning strong.

I think it makes a difference. As the 'good' food fills you for longer? Less bloated? More energy? Craving less sugar/chocolate?

To be honest Im not sure of the exact reasons but I feel better with healthly food.

For the purposes of weight loss I'd say yes. For long term health I'd say no. Everything in moderation though, demonize nothing. There's a difference between eating all your calories in chocolate or eating 200 of chocolate for an occasional snack.

I think it makes a difference. I eat super healthy for the most part, but when I want a "treat" I have something super small, like 1/2 a bar of dark chocolate or a chocolate&peanut butter power bar. There are ways to get sweets in there by not completely splurging on calories. It's all up to you, would you rather reach your daily cal intake with fast foods or lean meats, veggies, and low fat dairy? It's all up to you but the healthy choices will make you feel better all day AND in the long run.

For the purposes of weight loss I'd say yes. For long term health I'd say no. Everything in moderation though, demonize nothing. There's a difference between eating all your calories in chocolate or eating 200 of chocolate for an occasional snack.

yes! good point

This is a very interesting news report. http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

Yes, you can. Most people can't switch from their normal diet to a perfect and healthy diet right away. The fact that you are here and following a plan is a huge start. When I started, I still ate fast food and frozen dinners a LOT. As I started to get used to making better choices and seeing how many calories those things took up, I started to eat better and better. Now, I can't remember the last time I had fast food (I think I've had it once since before Thanksgiving!) and I make almost all of my food from scratch and I cook dinner every night. It isn't the kind of thing that you can just be perfect at right away; there's a learning curve and it takes time.

My advice for someone who has just started is this. First day or two, just eat as you normally would, don't try to cut back. But log *everything.* That way, you will see how many calories/fats/carbs/etc are in the foods you normally eat, and what that kind of eating does to your body. If you typically eat 2000 calories a day, going down to 1200 a day right away is not going to be good for you, because you're going to be starving and discouraged right off the bat. Instead, eat a hundred or so less every day or every few days until you are more used to eating the lower amounts, and you've given yourself some time to see through experimentation which foods you can get the most mileage out of. If you take it slow, it won't be so overwhelming, and you have a much better chance of success.

And there will always be those days where you go to parties or go out with friends. And that's ok! That is part of life, and this is all about your lifestyle, not a "diet." I like to plan out things in advance when I know they are going to happen, and then build the rest of my day around them. So for example, if I know I'm meeting up with friends for dinner some night, I look at the menu to the place the night before or that morning before I eat anything, check out the nutritional information, and decide what I am going to eat. Then, I log it as dinner, and see what I have left for the rest of the day, so that I can eat without going over too much.

By the looks of my diary - it does make a big difference..

Ive been on a '1200 calorie' a day plan - but eating junk food.. for instance burger king..mcd's..

Haven't lost a single pound!!

So stick with the fresh veg, protein and fruit!

It makes no difference where your food sources come form if the macro breakdown is the same. For example, if you are eating 1200 calories, 50% carbs, 25%protein, 25%fat, no matter the sources, you will lose weight just the same. To say otherwise, would not be based in fact that could be backed up in scientific literature.

the thing is, that your body likes good fuel.

That's key right there. Feed yourself the right foods and you'll be amazed at what your body does with them. The wife is always giving me a hard time for eating as much as I do. But what I eat is what my body seems to love (lots of chicken, tuna, salmon, oatmeal, etc).

And like some mentioned, take a minute to learn about macronutrients (aka macros). There's plenty of reference sites out there.

The way I look at it, not every choice has to be perfect and healthy, as long as most of them are.

This weekend, I had a jelly donut, pepperoni pizza, a slice of chocolate cherry cake, and cheddar-bacon-ranch french fries. But NORMALLY, I eat mainly chicken or fish, a ton and a half of veggies, snack on fruit or rice cakes, and drink 96 oz of water a day.

Do the best you can, and don't feel like you failed if you eat something that's "not perfect." Eating it isn't failure. Quitting because you think you failed is failing.

I don't know the science behind what SHOULD happen, but for me the quality of the food makes a huge difference. I've been sticking pretty to1200 calories but I mostly get them from peanut butter, chocolate chips, and cereal. That's a lot of fat and sugar! I haven't lost any weight