A few questions about food and also exercise

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alishadunham94
alishadunham94 Posts: 26 Member
edited March 2015 in Food and Nutrition
hello... So my friend is telling me I can't lose weight by this like eating what I want I told him I stay under my calorie goal for the day...so is it true? I can't lose weight if I eat anything I want but I don't eat more then the calories I'm allowed a day? I thought it doesn't matter what you eat as long as you don't go over...

Also pertaining to fitness...I walk on treadmill atleast 30 minutes a day before I do some strength training I put the speed on about 4 (I choose a custom workout from the machine to switch it up sometimes like with incline and stuff). Which is a very fast walk almost near running but not actual running...my friend also said I can't lose weight just walking like this he said I need to run to lose weight...because I'm not putting in enough effort and if it hurts means the exercise is working so he said u should run...but when I walk I feel my legs burning just a little bit and I do sweat pretty good so it should be working right? I'm slowly building up to a run like after I get use to one speed i increase it a little more but I'm not in good shape to run yet I'm really overweight and if I try to run Im out of breath and hurting in like less then 30 seconds....yeah one day I'll run but today is not the day you know I have to build up to it...but I just want to know the question I asked about eating anything and this type of exercise is it enough to lose weight?

I know it doesn't happen over night but I'm looking to lose a projected amount of 85 lbs by around Christmas time this year (based on the 2 lbs per week setting) will that likely happen if I stick to what I'm doing? I need some peace of mind

Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Your friend is wrong.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    your friend does not know what he is talking about.

    for strictly weight loss all you need is a calorie deficit. I would say to make sure that you are eating some nutrient dense foods like vegetables, whole grains, etc, but it is perfectly fine to mix in some candy, cookies, ice cream, etc...

    just make sure that you hit your calorie/micro/macro goal for the day...
  • matt6050
    matt6050 Posts: 56 Member
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    yeah, your friend is in serious need of nutrition 101
  • emily9423
    emily9423 Posts: 42 Member
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    In order to lose weight and keep it off you need to make lifestyle changes. Yes technically you could eat whatever you want so long as you create a calorie deficit but it's not healthy and you will probably end up binge eating. Trust me I've been there done that and it's a vicious cycle.

    Be very aware of what you are putting into your body and how it is benefiting you or in some cases, how it is detrimental to you. I used to love junk food but it really does nothing for you so I've found that since cleaning up my diet I have more energy, I feel happier, and I can't even remember the last time I was sick. It's hard to change eating habits but I very rarely crave the junk I used to eat so frequently; it actually makes me sick.

    As for the workout, feeling a burn is okay but if you're feeling true pain don't force yourself to continue as you don't want to cause injuries that will actually end up preventing you from working out. Build up your exercise routine slowly. If you feel winded after your walking routine then just stick with it and keep pushing up the intensity. Try other things like riding a bike, swimming, or the elliptical for example. I've also found that since I've started using the weight machines and performing body weight exercises I'm losing inches and weight far faster than when I did strictly cardio.

    Just keep pushing; don't give up!!
  • Katgan
    Katgan Posts: 22 Member
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    The types of food you eat can make a difference because it can affect your metabolism. Foods that are low fat, artificially sweetened, or highly processed don’t have the right nutritional content per calorie and our bodies adjust.

    As to the walking, I lost 35 pounds at a rate of 1.5 to 2 pounds per week by eating whole foods under my calorie count and walking 5 miles at a pace of 4 mile per hour 4 to 5 days a week.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    Katgan wrote: »
    The types of food you eat can make a difference because it can affect your metabolism. Foods that are low fat, artificially sweetened, or highly processed don’t have the right nutritional content per calorie and our bodies adjust.

    I ate all those things when I initially lost lots of weight (25kg) 7 years ago, continued to after that including getting down to 6% body fat for a body building competition last year. At what point, will my body adjust?

    OP: your friend is clueless.

    Create energy deficit, lose weight.
    Do strength training and eat adequate protein (retain LBM)
    Therefore, lose fat.

    And funnily enough, walking is actually a very popular type of extra activity for bodybuilders. They don't seem to have an issue getting lean :stuck_out_tongue:

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    Your friend is not very smart regarding weight loss
  • zeal26
    zeal26 Posts: 602 Member
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    It doesn't matter what you eat. Last year I lost over 3lb during Easter and I ate ALL the candy, I just kept within my calories.

    Now, personally I find that I do MUCH better when eating a typically ''healthy'' diet because one bar of chocolate to me leads to another the next day, and then a bag of chips and a chocolate bar the next day etc. I also feel like crap if I'm not at sticking as best I can to my carb, protein, fat and fibre goals. But those are control issues, not calorie ones. As long as you are in a deficit you will lose weight.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    Methinks your friend is jealous and trying to discourage you. Banish him/her from your life until you get to your goal weight!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Katgan wrote: »
    The types of food you eat can make a difference because it can affect your metabolism. Foods that are low fat, artificially sweetened, or highly processed don’t have the right nutritional content per calorie and our bodies adjust.

    As to the walking, I lost 35 pounds at a rate of 1.5 to 2 pounds per week by eating whole foods under my calorie count and walking 5 miles at a pace of 4 mile per hour 4 to 5 days a week.
    emily9423 wrote: »
    In order to lose weight and keep it off you need to make lifestyle changes. Yes technically you could eat whatever you want so long as you create a calorie deficit but it's not healthy and you will probably end up binge eating. Trust me I've been there done that and it's a vicious cycle.

    Be very aware of what you are putting into your body and how it is benefiting you or in some cases, how it is detrimental to you. I used to love junk food but it really does nothing for you so I've found that since cleaning up my diet I have more energy, I feel happier, and I can't even remember the last time I was sick. It's hard to change eating habits but I very rarely crave the junk I used to eat so frequently; it actually makes me sick.

    ignore these posts OP….
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    emily9423 wrote: »
    In order to lose weight and keep it off you need to make lifestyle changes. Yes technically you could eat whatever you want so long as you create a calorie deficit but it's not healthy and you will probably end up binge eating. Trust me I've been there done that and it's a vicious cycle.

    Be very aware of what you are putting into your body and how it is benefiting you or in some cases, how it is detrimental to you. I used to love junk food but it really does nothing for you so I've found that since cleaning up my diet I have more energy, I feel happier, and I can't even remember the last time I was sick. It's hard to change eating habits but I very rarely crave the junk I used to eat so frequently; it actually makes me sick.

    As for the workout, feeling a burn is okay but if you're feeling true pain don't force yourself to continue as you don't want to cause injuries that will actually end up preventing you from working out. Build up your exercise routine slowly. If you feel winded after your walking routine then just stick with it and keep pushing up the intensity. Try other things like riding a bike, swimming, or the elliptical for example. I've also found that since I've started using the weight machines and performing body weight exercises I'm losing inches and weight far faster than when I did strictly cardio.

    Just keep pushing; don't give up!!

    what are you defining as junk?

  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
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    It sounds like you are doing exactly what you should do, so congratulations! I was impressed reading through your post, lots of common sense. You're eating at a deficit and working out.

    Running at this point would be foolish. Why, so you can hurt yourself and then get NO activity?!? Walking is awesome, and a 4 speed is actually pretty difficult to maintain for so long. You're even weight training!! In fact, you're getting the recommended amount of moderate exercise for weight loss.

    You should be proud of yourself. It sounds like you're eating sensibly and incorporating treats. You're working out at a level that is difficult but will not cause injury-and you're progressing steadily. You have more sense than most people just starting out! Your friend is just uninformed and spouting common misconceptions. Keep at it. You're doing awesome!
  • alishadunham94
    alishadunham94 Posts: 26 Member
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    Thank you all for the responses they are very helpful for me:) it's good to get some support from even strangers....but as I see it all of us are on MFP because we have goals we all wish to reach...for me I've actually given up a lot of things (I've given up soda...and I used to drink at least 3-4 a day or more it was an addiction! A very bad one!) and I feel like the reason I'm getting good results even though I've only been doing this a little over a month is because of that) I rarely have snacks now which is saying a lot because I am(well was) a major junk food eater and of course if I got bored I would go to the junk like big bags of chips and candy bars like I didn't even care...but now that I see my goal and I really want to get healthy I've cut out those sodas and I rarely have junk food now...sometimes if I have a sweet tooh I will eat like half a candy bar and save the other half for another day and sometimes a bowl of frozen yogurt but I guess when you get in the gym and realize how much effort it is to burn like 400-500 calories you start to realize that maybe that 500 calorie bag of chips or 200 calorie candy bar isn't worth it lol...anyways good luck to all of you on your journeys and thank you so much for the support:) one day when I will reach my goal I will share my story and pictures and hopefully be an inspiration to others that yes it's possible to reach your goals no matter how big they are:) thank you MFP friends
    Sincerely,
    Alisha

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