Can I really Eat Whatever I WANT?

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katiely95
katiely95 Posts: 63 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey all!

This may be an extremely stupid question, but I just wanted clarification....

So, I can eat whatever I want within my calorie range (including fried food, sugary food, etc) and still lose weight?

The only reason I'm asking is because I've really hit a plateau. Over the holidays, I had one day of over indulging, without exercising, and the weight has stuck with me no matter what I do. I've even been eating under my calorie range the last few days, as well as working out but I am still not going back to the weight I was before.... But, I've been filling my calories mostly with fast-ish food, because I've been lazy.

Is this my problem?
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Replies

  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    katiely95 wrote: »
    This may be an extremely stupid question, but I just wanted clarification....

    So, I can eat whatever I want within my calorie range (including fried food, sugary food, etc) and still lose weight?

    Speaking purely in terms of weight loss, yes - calorie deficit is the only thing that matters. Google "Twinkie Diet".

    When you throw overall health, body composition, athletic performance, etc. into the mix, what you eat matters more.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    Do you weigh all your food? If not, you are likely eating more than you think you are.
  • katiely95
    katiely95 Posts: 63 Member
    edited December 2015
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    If I cook my own food, I do. I don't usually weigh restaurant stuff, if I'm out. I just go by whatever the calorie amount says!
  • L_Master
    L_Master Posts: 354 Member
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    Yes, you can eat whatever you want and lose weight. It may not be healthy but you will lose weight.

    That said, it sounds like you're looking at weight loss over a couple days. Even with an aggressive deficit scale weight can take it's time to change. I've had a couple times where I have literally 'gained" weight over 4-7 day periods, each day similar to or higher than the previous one even when I was running between a 750-1000 kcal/day deficit. Then usually sometime later I would have a day or two where I dropped scale weight like mad, losing 3-4 lbs from one day to the next and holding there, confirming my deficit.

    Weight loss is really a long term game. It's not inherently complicated, but if you're looking for day to day results it's going to be very frustrating. It's something that has to be thought of on a weeks/months/years time scale...and if you truly want to be successful it needs to be thought of not as "going on a diet" but really as a permanent lifestyle change to be healthier. Most people approach weight loss as a "let's diet down, get lean, diet done" type process and once they hit goal switch back to their old eating which...got them in trouble to begin with.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,089 Member
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    For weight loss, sure you could eat 1500 cals of cookies or 1500 cals of whole foods and you would still lost weight ( Google the Twinkie diet )
    Obviously I wouldn't recommend it though. For overall health, I would pick a diet that is well balanced. I personally eat a wide variety of foods daily , a well balanced diet I also include treats and snacks in with my well balanced diet. Every night I eat a serving of ice cream , I've done this through my entire weight loss process and have continued through my maintenance. I've been maintaining for 2+ yrs so far and still love my ice cream every night.
    Weight loss comes down to a calorie deficit, how you choose to create your deficit is your business. As Long as you eat at a deficit, you will lose weight ( just be sure to use a food scale to be as accurate as possible)
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
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    Sounds like your worrying about nothing. A few days of no weight loss isn't anything to be concerned about.

    Calling it a plateau is a bit extreme, plateau are more 3 to 6 months of no weight loss.

    But yeah weight loss is about calories so eat what you want. But high salt etc may cause water retention.

    But weight loss probably shouldn't be your only goal, weight loss and health are better goals so you should get enough of each macro and vitamins and minerals.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    katiely95 wrote: »
    If I cook my own food, I do. I don't usually weigh restaurant stuff, if I'm out. I just go by whatever the calorie amount says!

    There is the problem right there.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    Weight loss/gain is about calories.
    Health is about where you get those calories.

    To take extreme examples, go to your food diary & enter 2 oz of olive oil.
    Then on the next line, enter broccoli. Play with the weight of broccoli until the calories match that of olive oil.
    Could you even eat that much broccoli in a day? (Never mind what it would do to your digestive tract!)
    But it's pretty easy to have the oil, and you wouldn't feel full. You'd probably still want to eat.
    Neither would be healthy.
    But whether you're eating oil or broccoli, as long as calories in are less than calories out, you'll lose weight.

    Now, if you have a teaspoon of oil to saute several cups of a colorful mix of vegetables, add a diced chicken
    breast, and maybe 1/2 cup (before cooking) of pasta, you've got a filling & nutritious meal that doesn't use your
    whole day's calorie allotment.
  • incisron
    incisron Posts: 550 Member
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    If you're eating a deficit (I think its good to try to weigh and measure food to be sure) then it may be the sodium that's keeping the scale up. Fast and frozen foods have a ton of it.
  • incisron
    incisron Posts: 550 Member
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    I immediatelywent up a pound after eating a chicken biscuit and cookies weeks back. It was water weight, though.
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
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    katiely95 wrote: »

    ...I can eat whatever I want within my calorie range (including fried food, sugary food, etc) and still lose weight?....

    Yes.

  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    From your profile:

    *Starting weight: 152 (January 1st, 2015)
    *Current Weight: 125.6
    *Goal Weight: 113.5

    How tall are you?
  • katiely95
    katiely95 Posts: 63 Member
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    5'4.
    Orphia wrote: »
    From your profile:

    *Starting weight: 152 (January 1st, 2015)
    *Current Weight: 125.6
    *Goal Weight: 113.5

    How tall are you?

    I'm 5'4.

    I'm trying to get to a point where I am comfortable. It's still within the healthy range...
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
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    At 5'4" 125lb, if you are struggling to eat at a deficit (i.e. not losing weight) and aren't happy with your current look, maybe it is time to shift priorities. Instead of focusing on weight, try lifting weights and recomping your body.

    Also, as others noted, you can't look at the daily scale reading. You have to look at the overall trend. Even losing at 2lb/week I've had 14 day stretches where I go up and down over the same 0.5lb. Fluctuations in water weight are significantly larger than the 0.15lb of fat you lost over the last 24hr.
  • ultrahoon
    ultrahoon Posts: 467 Member
    edited December 2015
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    katiely95 wrote: »
    If I cook my own food, I do. I don't usually weigh restaurant stuff, if I'm out. I just go by whatever the calorie amount says!

    Your food diary reveals this isn't quite true, there are homemade chicken breasts with no weight noted, cups of veg and other things instead of weights for them, and a few generic entries instead of specific brands. Tightening up your logging may well reveal you are eating more than you think, because you are logging very very few calories. You seem to be very concerned with eating too much (you have many 900 calorie days with quick adds that round it up to 1k), but 1k is a rather low amount of calories for someone who doesn't eat very nutritionally dense food.

    It doesn't really look like your food diary is very honest and accurate, but if it is, then what you are doing is unlikely to be sustainable, and could impact your health. Nettting under 1k calories consistently per day is a not a good idea.
  • Of_Monsters_and_Meat
    Of_Monsters_and_Meat Posts: 1,022 Member
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    Sounds like water retention. This all has happened in the last 4? days ago. You need to look at a larger time frame, like a month.
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
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    Yes, calories in vs calories out. However, fast food is usually loaded with sodium, so water retention could be a factor. Also, with your stats, I second the suggestion to look at body recomposition. This is an awesome thread:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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    Of_Monsters_and_Meat wrote: »
    Sounds like water retention. This all has happened in the last 4? days ago. You need to look at a larger time frame, like a month.

    +1 and yes, you really can eat anything you want as long as its not TOO much! its all about CICO :smile:
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    edited December 2015
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    nordlead2005 wrote: »
    At 5'4" 125lb, if you are struggling to eat at a deficit (i.e. not losing weight) and aren't happy with your current look, maybe it is time to shift priorities. Instead of focusing on weight, try lifting weights and recomping your body.

    Also, as others noted, you can't look at the daily scale reading. You have to look at the overall trend. Even losing at 2lb/week I've had 14 day stretches where I go up and down over the same 0.5lb. Fluctuations in water weight are significantly larger than the 0.15lb of fat you lost over the last 24hr.

    This. You are at a healthy weight. Perhaps shift focus. You can make yourself nuts trying to get to an arbitrary LOW number on a scale. Focus on being healthy and fit.

    ETA: if your diary (minus christmas) is typical for you, you're going to find it tough to get and stay at a weight you want AND looking and feeling the way you want.
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
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    Yes and no. You will lose weight eating junk within your deficit, but it's a lot harder. Junk food is more calorie-dense, so it's easier to overindulge. It also doesn't fill you up as well as vegetables, lean meats and whole grains. That said, no having rules makes the deficit a lot easier to stick to.

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