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Is the amount of easy access processed food harming dieters health?
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Christine_72 wrote: »
I'm just afraid people will notice I lost weight eating ice cream and donate me to science early.0 -
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Christine_72 wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »cushman5279 wrote: »Just the thought of any meat in a can is gross to me
Same here
Never tried it, and never will!
I'm sure there are tons of people who live on nothing but processed foods, I would hate to see their long term health markers... I just feel better mentally and physically if most of my food is fresh produce.
But why? We always see these comments about how much better it is to eat clean and how one can't be healthy if they eat processed, or they don't care about nutrition if they eat processed foods... As discussed in these threads it is impossible to eat NO processed foods since everything has some level of processing. When people bring up eating things like frozen vegetables, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, skinless chicken breasts and steel cut oats every one says, "that's not what I meant".
But let's change the adjective to ultra processed - things like frozen meals and Hamburger Helper.
Even the canned chicken that the OP asked about. I do enjoy cooking and try to use fresh produce when I can but in a busy working mom so I also rely a lot on convenience foods so let me propose a hypothetical ultra processed day with things that are in my house right now.
Breakfast:
Coffee plus:
Lunch:
Needs more protein:
Snack:
Dinner:
To which I would add 93/7 ground beef (processed) and some sort of frozen vegetable, possibly salad from a bag and:
I will have calories to spare so I will also probably have:
It's from the Southern Hemisphere so I don't know if that makes it better?
So those are all processed foods that are staples in my house. How are they negatively impacting my health markers?
I'm definitely not a clean eater. I have yogurt, whey protein and stuff like that.
What comes to my mind when I say living on processed foods goes something like this:
Breakfast- Poptarts, Froot Loops or a pile of deep fried sludge.
Lunch- Some form of take away or frozen meal
Dinner- Take away, canned meat/foods or frozen dinners.
7 days a week, 365 days a year. Now there is nothing inherintly bad with the above foods in moderation. But for those to be ones sole items of nutrition can not possibly be healthy. I only made a teeny tiny list, but I hope you get what I mean?
And yes, I've jnown people who eat like this... Obese and just generally unhealthy is what they have in common..
Oh I have Poptarts too, I just usually choose savory breakfasts. I used the classic no-no examples of a frozen meal and Hamburger Helper. But still my sample diet is not what people mean when they say a diet of only processed foods?
It seems that no matter what examples someone chooses on these forums it isn't what people mean when they say processed foods are unhealthy. Is that maybe because the people submitting the examples aren't unhealthy, so ergo there must be other worse foods that lead to the bad health sentence?
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Christine_72 wrote: »
Interesting. I never snoop in anyone's diary unless they ask me to. Different strokes for different folks.
My diary is for me. I feel no need to share it with anyone else, unless I am asking for help.
I'm not particularly interested in other peoples diaries either. But when I read posts saying "I eat chocolate, chips and drink booze every day, I make it fit", then I get curious to see how they manage it within their calories in the hopes of getting some pointers, and 9 times out of 10 their diaries are closed :huh:0 -
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Christine_72 wrote: »
I don't really see why this matters. I follow CICO. I have no shame with what I eat. I don't secretly eat "clean" and claim to follow IIFYM. My diary is open to my friends only, as it will continue to be, because that's just what I prefer and I don't need anyone's input. I eat a lot of my own recipes that I enter into the recipe builder, so they won't be much help to anyone anyway.
I agree with Shell. My diary is for me.
ETA, if you're curious, I had Chick Fil A, some frozen pizza, and some cookies today. It fit. No room for booze today, though
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Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »
Interesting. I never snoop in anyone's diary unless they ask me to. Different strokes for different folks.
My diary is for me. I feel no need to share it with anyone else, unless I am asking for help.
I'm not particularly interested in other peoples diaries either. But when I read posts saying "I eat chocolate, chips and drink booze every day, I make it fit", then I get curious to see how they manage it within their calories in the hopes of getting some pointers, and 9 times out of 10 their diaries are closed :huh:
I only snoop when someone asserts that they don't eat processed foods, since I am always curious what they really mean by that, or if someone asks for help as to why they aren't losing, and have the same experience. Do you think maybe that's because the default is a closed diary?0 -
Lovee_Dove7 wrote: »When people say something is working for them, I like to see pics.
I also wonder if they have measures of health like lab tests, for example, that have improved, and if they feel more comfortable and happy.
So many of those who continually pluck the CICO note don't have pics of themselves, and/or current pics, either.
I also wonder, what do they mean "working"?? That's a general term.
Do they mean the scale number went down? That's the guaranteed end result of CICO.
But HOW and WHAT you eat is going to produce different results for different people. If a certain picture comes into your mind of what "works" or what "results" you are after, then CICO is ONLY THE STARTING POINT.
The term "processed" and "clean" are also general terms. Whey protein is processed, but I eat it regularly. However, many or most processed foods I am not comfortable including in my diet, including many of the vegetable oils, refined grains, and packaged processed foods. I think they can be harmful to the metabolism.
Can you provide something more convincing than "I think"?0 -
Lovee_Dove7 wrote: »But a scale number is not the only thing I'm looking for, therefore types of foods and macros are important to me.
I assume they are for most people (macros not necessarily, food choice, of course). But what they are is going to depend on individual goals and differences and the like. That said, I see people say "a calorie deficit is what matters for weight loss but food choice matters for nutrition, health, and satiety, of course" every single time this discussion comes up, so I don't get your suggestion that people are only focusing on a scale number. In particular, the usual advice re beneficial protein is substantially higher than the RDA (and I give it too).
Even my comments above about the focus on the label "processed" missing the point didn't at all argue that foods are all the same. The point was that even some ultra processed foods can be beneficial in meeting a goal and NOT contain lots of added sugar (or whatever other ingredients people wish to avoid). You have to look at them individually. The claim that Americans who eat a lot of ultraprocessed foods have less healthful diets isn't because that's a necessary consequence of such foods (which aren't really foods I eat a lot of anyway, other than today, I guess, but I still think it is important to be clear-headed about this), but because the types of such foods that people choose. If people are eating lots of cookies as a disproportionate part of the diet, it really doesn't make a huge difference whether they are store bought or made at home -- it will still result in high calories, probably less desirable macros and nutrition, and lots of added sugar.What does NOT work for me is "eat whatever you want as long as it fits in your macros." Not all foods agree with my system. The metabolism responds to the type of diet you choose, and I think that's a good thing.
Again, I think whether a food agrees with you would be part of whether it was something you want or not, no? It is for me -- nutritional considerations are part of what determines what I want when eating what I want so long as it fits in my macros (although I don't really do IIFYM anyway, since I don't care that much about carb vs. fat percentage). If making dinner I might decide I want one thing vs. another, but the overall nutrition content is going to be relatively similar, since I have a strong idea of what a dinner should contain. I wouldn't decide just to chuck dinner and have cake. Sure, I occasionally have something that doesn't really fit my usual goals (say a margherita pizza) and if so I adjust other meals to make it work. I don't know why you are assuming people don't care about nutrition.
I also don't agree that the metabolism is going to vary much based on food choice (TEF won't be much different unless you go outside of a sensible protein range on one end or the other, IMO), but that's not really the topic of this thread (and neither is IIFYM), so I won't argue about that here.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »
Interesting. I never snoop in anyone's diary unless they ask me to. Different strokes for different folks.
My diary is for me. I feel no need to share it with anyone else, unless I am asking for help.
I'm not particularly interested in other peoples diaries either. But when I read posts saying "I eat chocolate, chips and drink booze every day, I make it fit", then I get curious to see how they manage it within their calories in the hopes of getting some pointers, and 9 times out of 10 their diaries are closed :huh:
I only snoop when someone asserts that they don't eat processed foods, since I am always curious what they really mean by that, or if someone asks for help as to why they aren't losing, and have the same experience. Do you think maybe that's because the default is a closed diary?
I don't know why it's the default. It seems more people prefer it closed than open, each have their own individual reasons.
But I've noticed some of the most vocal and confident cico eat anything you want supporters have closed diaries.
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Christine_72 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »
Interesting. I never snoop in anyone's diary unless they ask me to. Different strokes for different folks.
My diary is for me. I feel no need to share it with anyone else, unless I am asking for help.
I'm not particularly interested in other peoples diaries either. But when I read posts saying "I eat chocolate, chips and drink booze every day, I make it fit", then I get curious to see how they manage it within their calories in the hopes of getting some pointers, and 9 times out of 10 their diaries are closed :huh:
I only snoop when someone asserts that they don't eat processed foods, since I am always curious what they really mean by that, or if someone asks for help as to why they aren't losing, and have the same experience. Do you think maybe that's because the default is a closed diary?
I don't know why it's the default. It seems more people prefer it closed than open, each have their own individual reasons.
Oh, I worded that badly. I meant that most people have their diaries closed to the public because that is the default. Lots of people never even thought about opening it. I only opened mine after it was pointed out to me (although I close it when I'm not logging and have logged poorly for ages -- trying to get back to it).0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »
Interesting. I never snoop in anyone's diary unless they ask me to. Different strokes for different folks.
My diary is for me. I feel no need to share it with anyone else, unless I am asking for help.
I'm not particularly interested in other peoples diaries either. But when I read posts saying "I eat chocolate, chips and drink booze every day, I make it fit", then I get curious to see how they manage it within their calories in the hopes of getting some pointers, and 9 times out of 10 their diaries are closed :huh:
I only snoop when someone asserts that they don't eat processed foods, since I am always curious what they really mean by that, or if someone asks for help as to why they aren't losing, and have the same experience. Do you think maybe that's because the default is a closed diary?
I don't know why it's the default. It seems more people prefer it closed than open, each have their own individual reasons.
Oh, I worded that badly. I meant that most people have their diaries closed to the public because that is the default. Lots of people never even thought about opening it. I only opened mine after it was pointed out to me (although I close it when I'm not logging and have logged poorly for ages -- trying to get back to it).
Yes, I agree. I didn't know it was the default either until someone pointed it out. Just One of the reasons I keep mine open is so people don't have to friend me to see my diary.
I have closed mine before when I was eating badly and just had the diet fatigues, and to be honest, I was embarrassed for anyone to see.
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Sorry I disappeared from this discussion. I managed to highly process my phone in a toilet.
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Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »
Interesting. I never snoop in anyone's diary unless they ask me to. Different strokes for different folks.
My diary is for me. I feel no need to share it with anyone else, unless I am asking for help.
I'm not particularly interested in other peoples diaries either. But when I read posts saying "I eat chocolate, chips and drink booze every day, I make it fit", then I get curious to see how they manage it within their calories in the hopes of getting some pointers, and 9 times out of 10 their diaries are closed :huh:
Mine is open.
I drink a glass of wine maybe 3-4x a week (but not all weeks - only when I'm in Germany)?
I eat pain au chocolat (quite a few - only on my France weeks).
I eat chocolate.
And my logging varies from good to crappy. And it works for me.
Feel free to cruise or critique.
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WinoGelato wrote: »
It's from the Southern Hemisphere so I don't know if that makes it better?
Yes, yes it does. An excellent choice.
Have you tried the 2014 Mud House SB? I'm not a big white wine fan but it is lovely.
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Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »
Interesting. I never snoop in anyone's diary unless they ask me to. Different strokes for different folks.
My diary is for me. I feel no need to share it with anyone else, unless I am asking for help.
I'm not particularly interested in other peoples diaries either. But when I read posts saying "I eat chocolate, chips and drink booze every day, I make it fit", then I get curious to see how they manage it within their calories in the hopes of getting some pointers, and 9 times out of 10 their diaries are closed :huh:
if you are not particularly interested then why are you making such a big deal out of it?0 -
Christine_72 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »
Interesting. I never snoop in anyone's diary unless they ask me to. Different strokes for different folks.
My diary is for me. I feel no need to share it with anyone else, unless I am asking for help.
I'm not particularly interested in other peoples diaries either. But when I read posts saying "I eat chocolate, chips and drink booze every day, I make it fit", then I get curious to see how they manage it within their calories in the hopes of getting some pointers, and 9 times out of 10 their diaries are closed :huh:
I only snoop when someone asserts that they don't eat processed foods, since I am always curious what they really mean by that, or if someone asks for help as to why they aren't losing, and have the same experience. Do you think maybe that's because the default is a closed diary?
I don't know why it's the default. It seems more people prefer it closed than open, each have their own individual reasons.
But I've noticed some of the most vocal and confident cico eat anything you want supporters have closed diaries.
Mine's open and you'll find plenty of processed foods, chocolate and wine. I take a multi vitamin every day as well.
My last physical had perfect blood work. I've never had high blood pressure although my mom and sister both do. I lost >30 lbs and am maintaining that loss. My TDEE as a petite female over 40 is 2200 so my metabolism seems to be ok as well.
But I guess I should inform my body that we are doomed to be unhealthy because of processed foods.
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Lovee_Dove7 wrote: »If you are losing weight, it's because you have a deficit. So what dieter is not CICO?
But a scale number is not the only thing I'm looking for, therefore types of foods and macros are important to me.
I aim to eat the majority of my food as my idea of natural, not processed.
What does NOT work for me is "eat whatever you want as long as it fits in your macros." Not all foods agree with my system. The metabolism responds to the type of diet you choose, and I think that's a good thing.
There's plenty of natural foods that don't agree with some People's metabolisms either. Peanuts, even a lchf food on top of being natural, can straight up kill people whose bodies "don't agree with them".
Also you're going on about how foods are different and all but cut out everything not natural by your Definition even though those processed foods are just as different in their nutrition and ingredients too, just because... Why exactly? Do you think they're inherently Bad for you while natural things are inherently good?0 -
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My diary is open. I don't know how to describe it other than weekdays of eating a bunch of TVP and a bag of frozen vegetables mixed with office snacks.
I don't fit alcohol, mainly because I just do not see whatever it is most people see in it. I'm at a low enough level that - according to epidemological data- I might see some benefit if I started having a single serving every once and a while to daily. Since I don't care for it, I'll just rationalize to myself the data reflects people drinking are probably socializing, rather than a benefit of the alcohol or wine itself.0 -
Lovee_Dove7 wrote: »When people say something is working for them, I like to see pics.
I also wonder if they have measures of health like lab tests, for example, that have improved, and if they feel more comfortable and happy.
So many of those who continually pluck the CICO note don't have pics of themselves, and/or current pics, either.
I also wonder, what do they mean "working"?? That's a general term.
Do they mean the scale number went down? That's the guaranteed end result of CICO.
But HOW and WHAT you eat is going to produce different results for different people. If a certain picture comes into your mind of what "works" or what "results" you are after, then CICO is ONLY THE STARTING POINT.
The term "processed" and "clean" are also general terms. Whey protein is processed, but I eat it regularly. However, many or most processed foods I am not comfortable including in my diet, including many of the vegetable oils, refined grains, and packaged processed foods. I think they can be harmful to the metabolism.
Have you seen this guy's thread? He intentionally ate a diet heavy in junk food to see what would happen.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10348650/cico-still-skeptical-come-inside-for-a-meticulous-log-that-proves-it/p1
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Lovee_Dove7 wrote: »When people say something is working for them, I like to see pics.
I also wonder if they have measures of health like lab tests, for example, that have improved, and if they feel more comfortable and happy.
So many of those who continually pluck the CICO note don't have pics of themselves, and/or current pics, either.
I also wonder, what do they mean "working"?? That's a general term.
Do they mean the scale number went down? That's the guaranteed end result of CICO.
But HOW and WHAT you eat is going to produce different results for different people. If a certain picture comes into your mind of what "works" or what "results" you are after, then CICO is ONLY THE STARTING POINT.
The term "processed" and "clean" are also general terms. Whey protein is processed, but I eat it regularly. However, many or most processed foods I am not comfortable including in my diet, including many of the vegetable oils, refined grains, and packaged processed foods. I think they can be harmful to the metabolism.
Have you seen this guy's thread? He intentionally ate a diet heavy in junk food to see what would happen.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10348650/cico-still-skeptical-come-inside-for-a-meticulous-log-that-proves-it/p1
To be fair, she isn't denying that people lose weight that way. She would probably have a harder timer arguing about his profile picture.
I said in another thread that this these statements look like moving the goalpost. Once someone is forced to acknowledge that you can lose weight from any diet, so long as the calories are low, they want to make it about some intangible, immeasurable thing called health because no one can prove someone is healthy, and people want to preserve their beliefs that something as lofty as being healthy requires sacrifice and denial.1 -
But do you think there's any chance that within 15-20 years things may change if you continue to eat over 3,000 mg of sodium a day on a regular basis?WinoGelato wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »
Interesting. I never snoop in anyone's diary unless they ask me to. Different strokes for different folks.
My diary is for me. I feel no need to share it with anyone else, unless I am asking for help.
I'm not particularly interested in other peoples diaries either. But when I read posts saying "I eat chocolate, chips and drink booze every day, I make it fit", then I get curious to see how they manage it within their calories in the hopes of getting some pointers, and 9 times out of 10 their diaries are closed :huh:
I only snoop when someone asserts that they don't eat processed foods, since I am always curious what they really mean by that, or if someone asks for help as to why they aren't losing, and have the same experience. Do you think maybe that's because the default is a closed diary?
I don't know why it's the default. It seems more people prefer it closed than open, each have their own individual reasons.
But I've noticed some of the most vocal and confident cico eat anything you want supporters have closed diaries.
Mine's open and you'll find plenty of processed foods, chocolate and wine. I take a multi vitamin every day as well.
My last physical had perfect blood work. I've never had high blood pressure although my mom and sister both do. I lost >30 lbs and am maintaining that loss. My TDEE as a petite female over 40 is 2200 so my metabolism seems to be ok as well.
But I guess I should inform my body that we are doomed to be unhealthy because of processed foods.
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ForecasterJason wrote: »
But do you think there's any chance that within 15-20 years things may change if you continue to eat over 3,000 mg of sodium a day on a regular basis?WinoGelato wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »
Interesting. I never snoop in anyone's diary unless they ask me to. Different strokes for different folks.
My diary is for me. I feel no need to share it with anyone else, unless I am asking for help.
I'm not particularly interested in other peoples diaries either. But when I read posts saying "I eat chocolate, chips and drink booze every day, I make it fit", then I get curious to see how they manage it within their calories in the hopes of getting some pointers, and 9 times out of 10 their diaries are closed :huh:
I only snoop when someone asserts that they don't eat processed foods, since I am always curious what they really mean by that, or if someone asks for help as to why they aren't losing, and have the same experience. Do you think maybe that's because the default is a closed diary?
I don't know why it's the default. It seems more people prefer it closed than open, each have their own individual reasons.
But I've noticed some of the most vocal and confident cico eat anything you want supporters have closed diaries.
Mine's open and you'll find plenty of processed foods, chocolate and wine. I take a multi vitamin every day as well.
My last physical had perfect blood work. I've never had high blood pressure although my mom and sister both do. I lost >30 lbs and am maintaining that loss. My TDEE as a petite female over 40 is 2200 so my metabolism seems to be ok as well.
But I guess I should inform my body that we are doomed to be unhealthy because of processed foods.
There is increasing doubt that the currently promoted restrictions on sodium are valid for otherwise healthy people: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/04/06/more-scientists-doubt-salt-is-as-bad-for-you-as-the-government-says/
Is there a *chance* things may change for her health in 15-20 years if she continues to consume the same amount of salt as the average American? Sure. There's also a chance her health will change if she continue to operate a car regularly or engages in a bunch of other activities.
Asking if there is a chance something could happen doesn't seem like a very useful question. I think you have to look at how likely that chance is because risk is a part of life that we just can't escape. Given the current state of nutritional science, we're all -- to some extent -- taking a chance that what we currently understand to be true may not be true and we are engaging in consumption behaviors that may result in putting our health at risk.0 -
The sodium recommendation is hotly debated and not well supported, especially for people without any high blood pressure or indications of risk: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/04/06/more-scientists-doubt-salt-is-as-bad-for-you-as-the-government-says/
It also depends on lots of other lifestyle factors, like whether you do cardio (I do endurance sports, and lots of people end up supplementing sodium on long runs and rides) and whether you get lots of potassium in your diet.
And some people are just lucky.0 -
Christine_72 wrote: »
CICO/Flex eating/moderation/whatever you want to call it
Lots 'o pics - even before & after pics
I do have a closed diary. I'd be happy to open it, but I'm afraid you'd be incredibly bored, as I haven't logged anything for a couple years now. Cause, yanno, I learned how to eat a modest, sensible, well-balanced diet along the way.0 -
ForecasterJason wrote: »
But do you think there's any chance that within 15-20 years things may change if you continue to eat over 3,000 mg of sodium a day on a regular basis?WinoGelato wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »
Interesting. I never snoop in anyone's diary unless they ask me to. Different strokes for different folks.
My diary is for me. I feel no need to share it with anyone else, unless I am asking for help.
I'm not particularly interested in other peoples diaries either. But when I read posts saying "I eat chocolate, chips and drink booze every day, I make it fit", then I get curious to see how they manage it within their calories in the hopes of getting some pointers, and 9 times out of 10 their diaries are closed :huh:
I only snoop when someone asserts that they don't eat processed foods, since I am always curious what they really mean by that, or if someone asks for help as to why they aren't losing, and have the same experience. Do you think maybe that's because the default is a closed diary?
I don't know why it's the default. It seems more people prefer it closed than open, each have their own individual reasons.
But I've noticed some of the most vocal and confident cico eat anything you want supporters have closed diaries.
Mine's open and you'll find plenty of processed foods, chocolate and wine. I take a multi vitamin every day as well.
My last physical had perfect blood work. I've never had high blood pressure although my mom and sister both do. I lost >30 lbs and am maintaining that loss. My TDEE as a petite female over 40 is 2200 so my metabolism seems to be ok as well.
But I guess I should inform my body that we are doomed to be unhealthy because of processed foods.
But every minor decision you make in life is a risk/reward proposition. Every time you step off the curb onto the street, every time you decide to drive today instead of take the train, every time you walk up to someone in a bar and say hello. If you are going to parse these decisions down to, "Will this maybe cause some kind of harm 15 years from now" you might as well start furnishing the panic room you're going to end up living in.
And again, I think you're generalizing. Not all processed food is high in sodium, or sugar, or anything else. I would say my diet is probably 50% (maybe a little more) what we are generalizing as processed: frozen dinners, waffles, packaged soup, protein bars, deli meat, pretzels and chips, pasta, ice cream, cereal, flavored yogurt, fast food. The rest is fresh meat, eggs, produce, whole grains, dairy etc. And yet the only time I go over my sodium number is when we get take out Chinese. And the only time I ever go over the MFP default for sugar is when I drink a regular soda, which is infrequent. I haven't gotten a cold in three years. I have freakishly low blood pressure, and normal blood glucose levels. I have never been officially overweight, but managed to lose 15 vanity lbs last year. And I'm 43, so it's not like youth is covering over my many sins.
I just think this thread is WAY over-generalizing the type of diet that puts you at some kind of health risk. Just the act of "processing" food does not make it high in sodium, high in sugar, or poisonous to your insides.0 -
ForecasterJason wrote: »
But do you think there's any chance that within 15-20 years things may change if you continue to eat over 3,000 mg of sodium a day on a regular basis?WinoGelato wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »
Interesting. I never snoop in anyone's diary unless they ask me to. Different strokes for different folks.
My diary is for me. I feel no need to share it with anyone else, unless I am asking for help.
I'm not particularly interested in other peoples diaries either. But when I read posts saying "I eat chocolate, chips and drink booze every day, I make it fit", then I get curious to see how they manage it within their calories in the hopes of getting some pointers, and 9 times out of 10 their diaries are closed :huh:
I only snoop when someone asserts that they don't eat processed foods, since I am always curious what they really mean by that, or if someone asks for help as to why they aren't losing, and have the same experience. Do you think maybe that's because the default is a closed diary?
I don't know why it's the default. It seems more people prefer it closed than open, each have their own individual reasons.
But I've noticed some of the most vocal and confident cico eat anything you want supporters have closed diaries.
Mine's open and you'll find plenty of processed foods, chocolate and wine. I take a multi vitamin every day as well.
My last physical had perfect blood work. I've never had high blood pressure although my mom and sister both do. I lost >30 lbs and am maintaining that loss. My TDEE as a petite female over 40 is 2200 so my metabolism seems to be ok as well.
But I guess I should inform my body that we are doomed to be unhealthy because of processed foods.
But every minor decision you make in life is a risk/reward proposition. Every time you step off the curb onto the street, every time you decide to drive today instead of take the train, every time you walk up to someone in a bar and say hello. If you are going to parse these decisions down to, "Will this maybe cause some kind of harm 15 years from now" you might as well start furnishing the panic room you're going to end up living in.
And again, I think you're generalizing. Not all processed food is high in sodium, or sugar, or anything else. I would say my diet is probably 50% (maybe a little more) what we are generalizing as processed: frozen dinners, waffles, packaged soup, protein bars, deli meat, pretzels and chips, pasta, ice cream, cereal, flavored yogurt, fast food. The rest is fresh meat, eggs, produce, whole grains, dairy etc. And yet the only time I go over my sodium number is when we get take out Chinese. And the only time I ever go over the MFP default for sugar is when I drink a regular soda, which is infrequent. I haven't gotten a cold in three years. I have freakishly low blood pressure, and normal blood glucose levels. I have never been officially overweight, but managed to lose 15 vanity lbs last year. And I'm 43, so it's not like youth is covering over my many sins.
I just think this thread is WAY over-generalizing the type of diet that puts you at some kind of health risk. Just the act of "processing" food does not make it high in sodium, high in sugar, or poisonous to your insides.
But do you think there's any chance that within 15-20 years things may change if you continue to step off the curb onto the street on a regular basis?
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I know the main aim of dieting for most of us is to lose weight but what could processed food be doing to our organs? I'm honestly interested in whether being thin but eating these sorts of foods has a detrimental effect on health?
I don't think there is a simple answer to that question. It depends on the over balance of foods, genetics, medical history/problems, etc.
I think that in general, being very overweight/obese while eating whole/minimally processed foods is more likely to cause health problems than being thin and eating a lot of processed foods.0
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