does anyone on here eat what they like but just count calories?

Eating less than you burn is how you lose weight. Doesn't matter if it's from candy or salad.

Focus on nutritional foods first, because you still want to make sure you're fueling your body to work properly. Then work treats in as you can.

I have tried it, but found it much more difficult, not only because it doesn't fill you up but because I found it harder to log and also because I need to be in a "calorie counting framework" to actually lose weight, and when I eat lots of junk, I don't feel like I'm being careful, in which case I go over... I'm aware there will be haters out there who will say that its a way of life, need to eat some foods you enjoy or you will quit, but I know that personally eating cake and sweets etc will make me fall of bandwagon... Yes, I do occasionally, but not too often

I would say most of us do just that.

And before the inevitable strawman is trotted out, no one is suggesting that you make foods like those you listed the bulk of your diet, but it's perfectly acceptable to continue to eat them, in moderation, such that they fit your overall calorie and macro goals.

I haven't cut out any foods that I like-I've lost over 50lbs and have been in maintenance for over two years now. I've also improved my blood work and I'm in excellent health. I eat fast food 2-3 times a week, fried food, sweet stuff, salty stuff, drink alcohol and diet soda etc. I also eat lots of veggies, whole grains, a bit of fruit, eggs, fish etc. I eat all the food, just less of it

catscats222 wrote: »

@ sarajvz
what is the secret to getting that hdl so high? impressive #
do you ex a lot?

I don't exercise at all right now I go in phases with it (mostly walking), but I haven't done anything since the beginning of September when my schedule changed. My last blood work was taken two weeks ago, so exercise wasn't a factor.

I don't really know why my HDL is so high right now-that's the highest its ever been and I'm not eating anything special. Actually, since I've been so busy I've been eating a lot of frozen dinner type things. I have started drinking black tea, but I haven't heard of that affecting cholesterol numbers?

eta: did some quick googling and it does look like black tea can affect cholesterol numbers, but just LDL, not HDL.

cheesyP wrote: »

Like candy,juice,fried foods?

Can you give me advice

Advice about what?

Are you asking if you have to cut those things out to lose weight/be healthy? If so, of course not.

For losing weight, calories are what matters, but what you eat may make it harder or easier to stick to a lower calorie level and still feel satisfied. Many people find it difficult to eat a LOT of higher calorie foods (and not much in the way of lower calorie foods, like lean meats, fruits, and especially vegetables) and still feel satisfied, but that certainly does not mean that one can't feel satisfied/full when still including reasonable amounts of such foods. I typically have a little chocolate or half cup of ice cream or some cheese or other extra (and I might have a higher cal restaurant meal once a week) and never feel hungry as a result. Others will work in their favorites, perhaps wine or beer or candy or fries, etc.

For health/nutrition, you'd want to eat a balanced diet that supplies adequate protein and micronutrients (and certain kinds of healthy fats plus fiber) at a minimum, but you similarly can do that without cutting out stuff, if you don't want to, and you certainly don't need to limit yourself to what people think of as "diet foods."

You also don't have to think about everything right from the beginning. Sometimes it's easier to go in with an overall plan for changing your diet, but for a lot of people it is probably easier to just cut calories and figure out what is the easiest way for them to do that. I looked over my way of eating before getting started and figured out some of the ways I was getting extra calories and decided to change those things. If you feel like you don't know, logging for a while is really illuminating.

Pretty much just chiming in to +1 all the advice you've already gotten.
My approach:

Set MFP to a reasonable calorie deficit/rate of loss
Eat a primarily nutrient dense diet and save room for "treats" if you can fit them in
If you choose to exercise, make sure you eat back at least a portion of those calories

It really is as simple as that. You can still eat the foods you listed... you probably shouldn't eat ONLY the foods you listed.

Yup that's exactly what I do. Which isn't to say the portions and frequencies with which I eat certain foods haven't changed, but that's more from better planning and picking foods I know are filling.

WinoGelato wrote: »

Pretty much just chiming in to +1 all the advice you've already gotten.
My approach:

Set MFP to a reasonable calorie deficit/rate of loss
Eat a primarily nutrient dense diet and save room for "treats" if you can fit them in
If you choose to exercise, make sure you eat back at least a portion of those calories

It really is as simple as that. You can still eat the foods you listed... you probably shouldn't eat ONLY the foods you listed.

^^All of this!