Can you really eat a burger?

mraudit2000
mraudit2000 Posts: 69 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I have been doing this for a while and having great success. I have been doing P90 6 days a week and staying constantly at or below my calorie intake goals. Yesterday at work, a person told me that I could eat a cheeseburger if it fit within my calorie intake. Of course I started craving a nice burger but thought that was not a good idea?

So I ask this question; can you really eat anything you want as long as you stay within your calorie allowance?
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Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    I eat burgers at least once a week. And have been for a long time. It really is about CICO when it comes to weight loss.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • AmazonMayan
    AmazonMayan Posts: 1,168 Member
    edited March 2015
    That's one of the things I have only occasionally because of number of calories. Make it a quality burger. Know the calories. Enjoy

    Oh and yes anything if it fits.....although I do feel better overall physically if I mostly eat really nutritious food and keep high calorie/less nutritious items in moderation
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Yes

    That's not to say eat nothing but Frosted Flakes, pizza, cookies, and cheeseburgers all day every day. A lot of people who tout "clean eating" think those of us who don't only do this. We still focus on nutrients, but a treat in moderation that fits your calories/macros is also good.
  • honeybee_kisses
    honeybee_kisses Posts: 172 Member
    Of course! As long as it's accounted for and it doesn't push you over your calorie limit you can eat whatever you like. Of course, I'm not suggesting you should eat a cheeseburger every day but if you fancy it now and again then have it!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    If it fits within your calorie goal, you won't gain weight on a cheeseburger just because it's a cheeseburger.

    For overall health, it is important to get all the nutrients you need.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    Hell yea you can eat a burger. it's a fantastic source of protein, fats and carbs. I do this frequently.

    And pending medical conditions/allergies, you can fit anything you like into a solid diet. Ideally, I aim to get 80-90% of my foods from nutrient dense resources, while still eating chocolate or other sweets.

    Feel free to look at my diary you want to see the variety.
  • jnv7594
    jnv7594 Posts: 983 Member
    edited March 2015
    mraudit2000 wrote: »
    So I ask this question; can you really eat anything you want as long as you stay within your calorie allowance?

    Yes...It's not what you eat. It's how much you eat. I eat cheeseburgers all the time, sometimes with bacon if I have room in my calories. I've lost 75 pounds.

  • loconnor466
    loconnor466 Posts: 215 Member
    MMM, cheeseburger! I love a good quality burger that I make at home. I won't eat one out, god knows what it is made of! Not sure if I agree that you can "eat anything you want" as long as it is in calorie range. I personally stay away from "junk food". But you can find a way to eat what you enjoy if it is in your calorie allowance. Burgers, pizza, beer, etc. This is a lifestyle change, not a diet. I am not going the rest of my life without a cheeseburger!
  • SilverRose89
    SilverRose89 Posts: 447 Member
    mraudit2000 wrote: »
    So I ask this question; can you really eat anything you want as long as you stay within your calorie allowance?

    Yep!

    Of course some choices are 'better' for health. Some choices are 'better' because they fill you up better. But even these things don't matter so much if you're only having them in moderation, anyway.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Sure. If you want a burger eat a burger. if you want a healthier burger, eat a healthier burger. Assuming you aren't eating low carb, then yes, you can eat a burger if you want and if it fits your calories. I personally wouldn't tweak the rest of my day (eliminating other healthy meals and snacks) to make it fit very often, but if it naturally fits in a healthy day, sure!

  • TCO76
    TCO76 Posts: 242 Member
    Life without a cheeseburger? Ever.......I shan't not.

    Spartacus
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    Darn. Now I want a cheeseburger.
  • RockstarWilson
    RockstarWilson Posts: 836 Member
    edited March 2015
    Where people go overboard is taking in too many macros at once. Sure, have that 800 calorie burger, but if you are hungry in 4 hours, and you honor that, then where did that food go? Did it get used, or stored? In 4 hours, you would have to be very busy or vety overweight, bc bmr awake is usually in the 100-150 per hour range for people that are within 100 lbs overweight. So, if you are eating again, and the body hasnt fully metabolized that burger, that is where the burger will make you more overweight. It is why chips, hotdogs, ice cream, and soda make people overweight. They just have too much of it and it doesnt get metabolized and used as energy.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    RockstarWilson wrote: »
    Where people go overboard is taking in too many macros at once. Sure, have that 800 calorie burger, but if you are hungry in 4 hours, and you honor that, then where did that food go? Did it get used, or stored? In 4 hours, you would have to be very busy or vety overweight, bc bmr awake is usually in the 100-150 per hour range for people that are within 100 lbs overweight. So, if you are eating again, and the body hasnt fully metabolized that burger, that is where the burger will make you more overweight. It is why chips, hotdogs, ice cream, and soda make people overweight. They just have too much of it and it doesnt get metabolized into energy.

    Are you saying that if I eat chips, ice cream, burgers, or soda and stay within my calorie deficit, my body will still not convert those foods into energy and I will gain weight?
  • TCO76
    TCO76 Posts: 242 Member
    Oh yea I have to say this too. A cheeseburger does not mean a super sized number two..... unless you want to have very few cals to play with later. Some swear by IF but not my thang.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    RockstarWilson wrote: »
    Where people go overboard is taking in too many macros at once. Sure, have that 800 calorie burger, but if you are hungry in 4 hours, and you honor that, then where did that food go? Did it get used, or stored? In 4 hours, you would have to be very busy or vety overweight, bc bmr awake is usually in the 100-150 per hour range for people that are within 100 lbs overweight. So, if you are eating again, and the body hasnt fully metabolized that burger, that is where the burger will make you more overweight. It is why chips, hotdogs, ice cream, and soda make people overweight. They just have too much of it and it doesnt get metabolized and used as energy.
    That is just wrong.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    RockstarWilson wrote: »
    Where people go overboard is taking in too many macros at once. Sure, have that 800 calorie burger, but if you are hungry in 4 hours, and you honor that, then where did that food go? Did it get used, or stored? In 4 hours, you would have to be very busy or vety overweight, bc bmr awake is usually in the 100-150 per hour range for people that are within 100 lbs overweight. So, if you are eating again, and the body hasnt fully metabolized that burger, that is where the burger will make you more overweight. It is why chips, hotdogs, ice cream, and soda make people overweight. They just have too much of it and it doesnt get metabolized and used as energy.

    An 800 calorie burger would actually do a very good job of making me feel full for quite a few hours.....thanks to the protein and fats.

    And chips, hotdogs, ice cream, etc don't make people overweight. Too many calories make people overweight.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    mraudit2000 wrote: »
    So I have been doing this for a while and having great success. I have been doing P90 6 days a week and staying constantly at or below my calorie intake goals. Yesterday at work, a person told me that I could eat a cheeseburger if it fit within my calorie intake. Of course I started craving a nice burger but thought that was not a good idea?

    So I ask this question; can you really eat anything you want as long as you stay within your calorie allowance?

    Yep :smile: its all about CICO as others have already said....enjoy!
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    No, anyone who eats a burger will die.
  • overlook237
    overlook237 Posts: 160 Member
    I try to work whatever I want to eat into my daily calorie allowance so I'm not driving myself crazy with cravings. If I can make it a little bit healthier without sacrificing taste (like - if we're talking about a cheeseburger - swapping a higher fat % meat with a nicely seasoned and grilled lower fat % meat, using a little bit of a good quality cheese instead of a lot of a processed cheese, loading it up with fresh veggies, etc.) I do. And if I can't (in the case of a donut, for instance), then I just enjoy it, try to work it into my calorie allowance by cutting back a bit in the rest of my calories for the day, and if all else fails, simply chalking it up as a treat and getting right back on track with my next meal. I've lost quite a bit of weight, and I don't think there's any food I've completely cut out of my diet. Hope that helps and good luck to you! :)
  • rjmudlax13
    rjmudlax13 Posts: 900 Member
    YES! Why would you no eat burgers? Eat the yummy burger!
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    edited March 2015
    A properly made burger with a veggie side is a balanced meal.
  • JGonzo82
    JGonzo82 Posts: 167 Member
    Yes. I eat burgers, pizza, ice cream/milkshakes, cookies, drink beer, etc. If you're in a calorie deficit...you're in a calorie deficit.

  • jessiruthica
    jessiruthica Posts: 412 Member
    If I had to give up burgers (bacon, fries, chocolate, whatever) in order to lose weight, it just wouldn't work for me. In fact, I've given up those things in the past, lost weight and then found it all again. Didn't work. This time I'm just having less of most things rather than cutting anything out. That's something I can do for the rest of my life.
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
    RockstarWilson wrote: »
    Where people go overboard is taking in too many macros at once. Sure, have that 800 calorie burger, but if you are hungry in 4 hours, and you honor that, then where did that food go? Did it get used, or stored? In 4 hours, you would have to be very busy or vety overweight, bc bmr awake is usually in the 100-150 per hour range for people that are within 100 lbs overweight. So, if you are eating again, and the body hasnt fully metabolized that burger, that is where the burger will make you more overweight. It is why chips, hotdogs, ice cream, and soda make people overweight. They just have too much of it and it doesnt get metabolized and used as energy.

    No, when you have too much of something (anything), it gets stored as fat because you're eating more than you burn - so those extra calories don't get burned.

    OP, yes, if you'd like you can eat a cheeseburger. I had one on Sunday - my diary is wide open if you'd like to look at it.

    I like to pre-log my days, because meeting my nutritional goals is important to me. So I try to eat all the fat and protein I need, and the rest of the leftover calories I use at my discretion (like, ice cream last night).

    I've successfully lost 71 pounds so far.
  • navyrigger46
    navyrigger46 Posts: 1,301 Member
    RockstarWilson wrote: »
    Where people go overboard is taking in too many macros at once. Sure, have that 800 calorie burger, but if you are hungry in 4 hours, and you honor that, then where did that food go? Did it get used, or stored? In 4 hours, you would have to be very busy or vety overweight, bc bmr awake is usually in the 100-150 per hour range for people that are within 100 lbs overweight. So, if you are eating again, and the body hasnt fully metabolized that burger, that is where the burger will make you more overweight. It is why chips, hotdogs, ice cream, and soda make people overweight. They just have too much of it and it doesnt get metabolized and used as energy.

    That may be one of the dumbest things I have read all year, and certainly today. Overeating is what makes people fat, not what they eat, but how much. I eat burgers, pizza, hot fogs, chips, ice cream, drink soda, and consume a host of other "junk" food all the time, it doesn't make me fat. BMR doesn't change that much from sleeping to awake, what about those six to 8 hours? The body is constantly working off of intake as well as fat and muscle stores, it's not like there's some magic switch to go from metabolizing freshly consumed food to stored fat.

    Cheese burgers are almost a perfect food, just look at the macro breakdown, you have your carbs, fat, and protein all in a good balance. Eat up.

    Rigger

  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    Well, I ate one last night.
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    (add like 15 calories for some tomato that is further down in the entry but lumped in with my salad stuff).

    So yeah, you can.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    RockstarWilson wrote: »
    Where people go overboard is taking in too many macros at once. Sure, have that 800 calorie burger, but if you are hungry in 4 hours, and you honor that, then where did that food go? Did it get used, or stored? In 4 hours, you would have to be very busy or vety overweight, bc bmr awake is usually in the 100-150 per hour range for people that are within 100 lbs overweight. So, if you are eating again, and the body hasnt fully metabolized that burger, that is where the burger will make you more overweight. It is why chips, hotdogs, ice cream, and soda make people overweight. They just have too much of it and it doesnt get metabolized and used as energy.

    f1cb3213249c849827956a72442401f6.jpg
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    A properly made burger with a veggie side is a balanced meal.

    That is what I ate last night for dinner, although without any salad dresing because I ran out of calories. But then again I haven't regularly used salad dressing in well over 6 years so I don't really miss it when I don't use it.
  • higgins8283801
    higgins8283801 Posts: 844 Member
    I eat cheeseburgers. If I'm at a fast food place, I get it without fries or sometimes without cheese.

    I have lost 50lbs eating the same things I always ate; just less of it.
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