Really...Can I eat what I want an lose weight?

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  • lynx__13
    lynx__13 Posts: 20 Member
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    I think the Moderation part is KEY. I've been eating generally what I want but paying close attention to portion control and I'm playing sports like floor hockey a couple times a week. Log everything and if you NEED something yummy say like pizza pick the smallest piece and just eat one. Stay under your calories, excericse and see how your body does. :)
  • TiffanyW1014
    TiffanyW1014 Posts: 614 Member
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    Not that this is a good thing but I will have a burger and fries and Taco Bell if I want it. I'm down 75 lbs since June.. Not saying it won't all catch up with me at some point but so far I'm doing ok. I also work out daily somedays harder than others. But I enjoy life and I enjoy food. I don't do this everyday but I will def have my "cheat meals"
  • kristy_estes21
    kristy_estes21 Posts: 434 Member
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    Ehhhh... I don't like the "free for all" attitude of this statement. In theory, yes, you can still lose weight, but that weight is just going to be muscle, which you don't WANT to lose, and you would turn out being "skinny fat" - those are the slim girls who eat cheetos, chocolate ice cream and beer, don't work out much (if ever), and their bodies look really "soft" (no muscle done, and not tightened up). They may have a low number on the scale, but their body fat % is MUCH too high, and when those girls are in bikinis, they suddenly don't look good.

    It is much better to be the person that looks good and is a healthy weight and body fat percentage. In order to do this, diet is KEY. I'm not saying 100% of the time you need to be watching what you eat, things in moderation are fine. But the key is that food DOES matter, 200 calories from grapes vs. 200 calories from french fries does not end up "LOOKING" the same ON your body, if you know what I mean!

    So if you want to LOOK good, and be HEALTHY, with a healthy body fat percentage, not just lose weight, you have to watch what you eat.

    DITTO!!
  • Yaraelizabeth10
    Yaraelizabeth10 Posts: 15 Member
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    Its true!!
    Don't deprive yourself... because then your body/brain rebels...

    I love to eat brownie, so what I do is just get a taste of it..

    MFP all about moderations.. Small portions..


    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods
  • young1726
    young1726 Posts: 347 Member
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    Yes. You can lose weight by eating what you want. We still have pizza nights and McDonalds (or somewhere of the sort) lunches. Eat ice cream and cookies. But...we don't do them very often. I don't deprive myself of the things I like...I just limit them. If I deprived myself of them, I would fail. But now I can go weeks without them, eat them one day and my craving is satisfied for another few weeks. Now I don't even want McDonalds very often anymore...because afterwards I just feel like crap. I think it is important to eat healthy. Plus, you typically get to eat more when you eat healthy! So why not?
  • RiaLucia
    RiaLucia Posts: 121
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    NO!!

    I love chocolate so I eat a small bit everyday but trust me I WANT to eat a full bar everyday, so I'm not exactly eating what I want.... but yes, I'm losing weight. I also workout at least 5 days a week in order to help this weight loss along.

    If I was to eat what I want I'd still be overweight.......

    I would counter that you're actually talking about two different things. You want the chocolate and do not want weight gain or stalled loss. Therefore, by having the chocolate in moderation (this is KEY), you ate something you wanted and you did not do something that would sabotage your goals.
  • ShoeDeahva
    ShoeDeahva Posts: 82 Member
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    Everything in moderation. Read the CNN article below . . .

    http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    It depends.
    Eating all crappy food, but staying under your calories isn't goign to do much for you health wise even though you theoretically would lose weight. What I think that statement tries to convey is that you don't have to completely ban certain foods that you enjoy and never eat them again.
    I still have chocolate or ice cream almost on a daily basis. Just small portions. And if you fill up enough on healthy foods, you don't have room for the junk.
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    And moderation is key. One cookie is not the problem. It's the half a box that is a problem. Try to minimize your processed foods each day and you will be fine.

    http://www.snack-girl.com/ has lots of healthy snack ideas and reviews of snacks that 'look' healthy but really are not.
  • FluttershySweetie
    FluttershySweetie Posts: 216 Member
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    I`m sure you can eat what you want and lose weight.... But I have also seen people at age 30, nice beach body and weighing 120 lbs and have heart attacks because they ate what they wanted (meaning 'junk') but were under calories.... You still have to have a balanced diet. Being skinny doesn`t mean being healthy.... and in the long run healthy is the most important for how ur going to feel and the life your going to live. Once in awhile you can absolutely treat yourself and if you absolutely want that oreo then eat it.... but remember, the rest of the day make it good sound healthy food choices.... exercise, get good lean proteins in to get nice lean muscles, and enjoy your food, take ur time to eat and chew and savour its taste..... healthy foods can taste amazing as well if we take the time to prepare it well. Most processed foods are harmful for our bodies and the rise in cancer is just going up because of these chemicals we`re putting in our bodies.
  • PhoenixRising11
    PhoenixRising11 Posts: 245 Member
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    I've always eaten pretty healthy foods, (not always SUPER healthy) My problem was portion size so I've managed to knock that on the head and in turn have lost weight.
    I've now decided that if I'm gonna lose weight and become healthier again then I might as well do it properly by cutting out unnecessary foods that I don't REALLY REALLY enjoy.
    With things that I absolutely love and couldn't imagine NEVER having them again (like chocolate) I still eat it but in moderation.
  • Pseudocyber
    Pseudocyber Posts: 312 Member
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    I like the way a dietitian put it to me. You're not only retraining your body - you need to retrain your mind. As long as you reinforce bad habits and feed your food addiction, you're delaying you're delaying your mental recovery.

    If you want to get past your carb addiction - whether it's sugar based, or salt based (chips, fries, etc.) - you have to wean yourself off those foods. Not until they're minimized will you eventually stop craving them. If you crave something ... you know what happens.

    How did you get to be as big as an elephant? One bite at a time.
    How do you get to be as trim as a giraffe? One less bite at a time.

    IMHO. :)

    (my vice is beer ... trying to go from 3 or 4 per nite - to 1 or 2 per week).
  • kristy_estes21
    kristy_estes21 Posts: 434 Member
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    To a degree this is true. I allow myself to eat a few cookies here and there. Technically if someone wanted to lose weight on a chocolate chip cookie diet, it could be done. As long as there was a calorie deficiency, you WOULD lose weight. Your body would most likely hate you, you'd be hungry all the time, probably tired and sluggish too, but you would lose weight. I have cheat days every now and then when I find myself really wanting bad food, but I always work out on those days. The more balanced diet you have the easier it will be to lose weight, which is why i try to stick to only one cheat day every now and then, and then get right back to it the next day because it won't throw off all the work I've done that much. For some people cheat days help, other's it makes cravings even worse.

    I agree. I also allow myself a treat every once in a while. As far as your last sentence....SO TRUE!! My friends that eat unhealthy are always telling me, "Just have one piece of chocolate...it's just one, it won't hurt you." I'm not like that though. I CAN'T have just one....I'm the type of person that if I get the taste of it I will want to just keep eating it till I'm sick! This is a huge reason why diet soda is a problem. People think it's okay because it's calorie free, but it also hinders wait loss because it gets that sweet taste in your system and then actually causes you to crave more sweets, if not right away, then later on.
  • RiaLucia
    RiaLucia Posts: 121
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    I just re-read the original post. Does anyone else find it funny that we all immediately, without hesitation, assumed that what she wanted was to eat junk food?

    It's interesting to see the different reactions. I think this topic hits a nerve with some.
  • FearAnLoathing
    FearAnLoathing Posts: 4,852 Member
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    I pretty much eat whatever I want and ive lost
  • Just1forMe
    Just1forMe Posts: 624 Member
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    I say true. Like she said, "As long as it's in moderation." Moderation is a relative term, but I *really* don't think she was asking the question, "Can I eat Oreos and ice cream and junk food every day as long as I am under my calorie goal/limit?"

    Last night I made myself the world's smallest peanutbutter fudge sundae for dessert and still came in with calories to spare. It *can* be done.


    I agree!!! In my opinion, unless you are on a crash diet trying to lose as much weight as possible as fast as possible (totally NOT recommended :), then it not only *can* be done, it *should* be done! No one can avoid all the treats that they have loved in the past forever. Well, even if they could, who would want to (don't lie!)?? I enjoy small portions of special treats almost every day. The rest of my day is made up of lots of healthy choices. I can honestly say I never feel deprived or like this is "too hard" or that I "miss" any particular food. You can retrain your brain to enjoy 2 Oreos as much as 12 :) I personally don't believe in "deprivation dieting"...I've seen too many people who say "I would NEVER eat this or that again" fall off that wagon...HARD!
    Good luck!!
  • sharonuk10
    sharonuk10 Posts: 277
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    I have done this and have lost weight. I believe if you deprive yourself of what you enjoy you will not stick to this. This is more about lifestyle change than about a diet. For me anyway. I see alot of replies here that gives me the impression some people think unless everything you eat is healthy you are not healthy I do not buy that for a minute. Moderation is the key. So unless you plan on going the rest of your life without a piece of cake, chocolate, cookie, burger, fries, etc etc enjoy them in moderation and portion control. Now I am not saying substitute a decent meal for say cake, I am saying IF you have the room to fit in your calories for the day then by all means have a bit of what you fancy. I am over today due to having some peanut butter with an apple. Why because I wanted some peanut butter with my apple and I am having a rest day due to knee and heel pain from walking and jogging.
  • Jovialation
    Jovialation Posts: 7,632 Member
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    ....Depends on what you want to eat
  • SMJohnson27
    SMJohnson27 Posts: 146 Member
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    I would say yes. BUT, you probably are not going to be happy once you reach your goal weight. I started in January and just reduced portion sizes. Stayed within my 1200 calorie goal, eating pizza, candy, lots of pasta, etc. I lost 20 pounds in 8 weeks (without exercise). I am now regretting my choices. I lost inches in the wrong places. I can see my collarbone now, I can feel my hips bones a little bit, my Kim K butt deflated:cry: , but I still look 6 months pregnant:explode: . Eating whatever you want in moderation was not worth it to me. Once I started eating clean, I started losing off my waist area, but since I have to be in a swimsuit in two weeks, I am disappointed with my body, even as close to my goal weight as I am. Do it right, right away, and you will be much happier with your body.
  • JD92
    JD92 Posts: 253 Member
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    i believe you can eat junk food in *moderation* and still lose weight, as long as its not ALL you eat.

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