Can you eat whatever you want

Options
2»

Replies

  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    Options
    down_w_the_man wrote: »
    I think I read about it in "The End of Overeating". Too lazy to find it, lol. I'm not trying to claim it as an excellent example of scholarly research to back up my claim- obviously I don't remember sample sizes or p values or any of that important stuff. But it's general food for thought.

    It is my opinion and personal experience that You simply won't get the same results eating 2000 calories of cheesecake vs a 2000 calorie "clean" diet of unprocessed, healthy foods, which was OPs original question.

    On the other hand, if your calorie in/calorie burned ratio does come out in a deficit, you can lose weight eating nothing but cheesecake. I mean, the McDonalds CEO was recently in the news for losing 30 lbs or something eating nothing but McDonalds. But there is a limit to how long this works before your body adapts. Mr. CEO went from a morbidly obese man to an obese man. That is great, but I have serious doubts he would ever be able to achieve a normal BMI, much less a "fit" athletic look (which is most people's weight loss goal) eating Only junk food.

    So I guess, "it depends" is the real answer, lol. If you stay in a calorie deficit eating nothing but cheesecake, you will lose weight. Until you don't. At which point, swap the cheesecake for an apple. ;)

    This always comes up with these questions. No one (not even the OP's original question) has suggested eating nothing but cheesecake. Most people will advocate eating a well-balanced diet of mostly nutrient-dense food but say it's okay to have some treats, like cheesecake, if they fit into your calorie allowance. There are literally dozens of people here who have successfully lost significant amounts of weight this way.

    OP, besides what I said above, remember that fat is not necessarily bad for your health. You need a certain amount of fat for organ function, hormone balance, etc. I wouldn't suggest cheesecake on a day when you've had a lot of other high-fat foods (except maybe a special occasion like a birthday or holiday), but if you can make it fit when you want it, there's nothing wrong with it. And it won't significantly slow your weight loss.
  • mcclelland0484
    mcclelland0484 Posts: 55 Member
    Options
    You can typically have larger servings of healthier food and that makes it easier.
  • pili90
    pili90 Posts: 302 Member
    Options
    A cheesecake once in a while will not harm the process, but eating it everyday would get a bit boring.... But yes, for losing weight you only need less calories, but why stop at losing weight, why not also being healthy?

    However keep in mind that if you have any other medical condition, maybe the usual equation won't be as simple as less calories equals weight loss. You may need to change certain things. I, for example, have a bunch of hormonal issues, including insulin resistance, and it does have an impact the kind of calories, not just the number. Still, from time to time, I may have some cheesecake, or the likes, within my calorie limit.. but on everyday basis I do need to keep an eye out for the kinds...
  • Lynzdee18
    Lynzdee18 Posts: 500 Member
    Options
    Not me. But I'm okay with that.
  • Isabelle_1929
    Isabelle_1929 Posts: 233 Member
    Options
    Sure. Although you will be judged big time by the "clean eating /wholesome foods" ayatollahs. Wait for it.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    Options
    I had ice cream this weekend. Of course you can eat whatever you want but you also need to watch the portion. I can have the ice cream or the cheese cake but only a small piece. It is all about potion control.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,672 Member
    Options
    OsricTheKnight wrote: »
    Yes, you can absolutely eat whatever you want and still lose weight. That's what I do and what I think is easiest.

    However, you can't eat whatever you want and control the weight you lose so it's all fat. And it's better to lose fat than muscle. I really liked this visualization:

    how_it_works_muscle_fat1.jpg?resize=580%2C250

    Osric
    Untrue. Lots of lean people eat pizza, burgers, ice cream on "cuts" and lose fat just fine. They also reach their protein goals and do enough resistance training to maintain lean muscle.

    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
    9285851.png

  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
    Options
    Yes and no. Yes, you can eat whatever you want if it fits into your daily calories. Yes, that means if you can fit twinkies and coke into your calories, you could. That doesn't mean you SHOULD, however. You'll discover you can eat a lot more in terms of bulk if you add healthier options into what you eat, but that doesn't mean you have to cut out your favorite foods because they have little to no nutritional value. Just have to eat less of them. I still have 'junk' food, sometimes daily. My normal lunch at work is a salad and breadsticks because *kitten* carbs, buttery garlicly breadsticks are the BOMB. I tend to eat a better dinners when my husband and I cook together because he's got a more limited diet than I do. But we still can go eat out, and sometimes that means wings and cheese fries. I've just learned to eat less overall. That's the only thing you need for weight loss: consuming more calories than you burn. Some people do it by taking in less calories, some by burning a lot more, some with a combination of the two. However you do it is up to you.

Categories