Does it matter what I eat?

Options
I'm so clueless when it comes to eating healthy and weight loss stuff, haha.
So, what I'm asking is; Does it matter what I eat as long as those numbers don't turn red? Like the calories, carbs, fat. Will I still lose weight? Let's say for example if I eat twinkies all day just as long as those numbers don't turn red I'll lost weight? (I hate twinkies haha I won't do that:laugh: )

Thanks in advance!:wink:

Replies

  • tlukitsch
    tlukitsch Posts: 1
    Options
    Healthy eating habits should matter whether you are trying to lose weight or not. However if you eat unhealthy and exercise at the same time you will probably just end up maintaining your weight instead of losing it. At least that's what happens with me. You will see better results if you control portion size or as an example eating an apple or carrots or something like that instead of chips with your lunch. I hope that helped :))
  • d_llopez
    d_llopez Posts: 167 Member
    Options
    It does matter. I've been doing really good so I treated myself to a small burger king meal. I think it's fine every now and then. Try to get fresh foods into your diet. You have to factor in salt too because it could hurt u on the scale. GOod luck:)
  • ivyjbres
    ivyjbres Posts: 612 Member
    Options
    Yes, and no. It depends on your goals and your workouts as well as what you eat.

    If you wanted to not work out at all, and just loose weight, and you didn't care if it was fat or muscle, then yes, you could eat anything you wanted and just count calories and loose weight. But you wouldn't be any healthier.

    If you want to just loose fat, then you'll have to work out, and then you'll need protein, and you should go read some topics about that for more detail.

    If you want to loose fat while building muscle, you'll want high protein, low fat and low carb.

    If you want to loose muscle (which is kinda rare, but say your goals have changed and you're trying to go from sporty girl to supermodel), then you'll have to run a ridiculous amount, and you'll want to eat moderate to low protein, but it still has to be lean, and you'll eat moderate carbs. You'll find less info on that, its not very popular.
  • chippywelsh
    chippywelsh Posts: 23 Member
    Options
    Whay you eat is really important, you are young enough to set up a really healthy way of eating which will be so good for you as you get older and unlike all of us over 40s on here desperately trying to offset years of bad habits you'll be laughing!

    There's absolutely loads of great advice on here about eating plenty in order to lose weight - it's a matter of eating good calories not bad ones. If for instance you only ate 1000 calories per day but all in one sugar and fat laden meal - say a take away or McDonalds or something, your body metabolism would slow down and store those bad calories as fat - to say nothing of other things like sugar low afterwards, feeling tired and lethargic, lack of vitamins and minerals giving you bad skin and thin hair.

    : )
  • kittenjazz
    kittenjazz Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    Sigh. Theoretically, Yes, you can eat whatever form of calories so long as you don't go "in the red". Fat loss merely equates to calories in versus calories out.

    So, the calories part is fixed in that calories are just calories, so it doesn't matter what food they come as. Note, metabolism on a biochemical level is the oxidation of glucose in the presence of oxygen in order to produce ATP (energy), water, and carbon dioxide. The cell doesn't differentiate where this source of glucose came from!

    However, the calories out part, we do have a bit of control over in exercising and how we eat. Obviously, exercise just burns more calories quickly. How we eat is a big factor as well. If we eat several small meals throughout the day vs. one big meal, our metabolism (or the rate at which we burn calories) increases since our body doesn't go into "starvation mode". Also, certain foods require more energy to metabolize vs. others - in fact, we even have negative calorie foods that take more energy to digest as compared to their calorie content. Likewise, some foods keep us satiated longer and give a slow steady release of glucose to the bloodstream thus preventing us from overeating while maintaining blood glucose levels (like oatmeal and various soluble fibers). Other foods, rich in insoluble fiber keep our digestive tract clean thus aiding in overall digestion.

    Anyway, my point is: strictly speaking yes,, you can eat whatever and lose weight. Someone somewhere did a 30 day Mcdonalds only diet and lost weight, but overall health should be the major part of any weightloss program. And, to be fit, overall physical health, muscle tone, and weight are important. So, eating healthful seems beneficial.
  • notoriousgtt
    notoriousgtt Posts: 75 Member
    Options

    However, the calories out part, we do have a bit of control over in exercising and how we eat. Obviously, exercise just burns more calories quickly. How we eat is a big factor as well. If we eat several small meals throughout the day vs. one big meal, our metabolism (or the rate at which we burn calories) increases since our body doesn't go into "starvation mode".

    This has proved to be inaccurate at best and a complete falsification at worst. There is very little stand out scientific evidence to suggest that eating small meals more frequently increases metabolism.

    Do a search on this site and you will find this discussed at length.

    As far as starvation mode goes it takes MONTHS of prolonged STARVATION (ie under 1000 cals per day) before the body resorts to that, to say that the body would go into starvation mode because you have 7 hours between lunch and dinner is ridiculous.

    Please don't pedal these myths as facts.
  • jamison77
    jamison77 Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66boOY4xXGU&feature=relmfu check this guys vids out he will show you good nutrition and other helpfull things to lose weight but hes hard core and since ive been following him ive lost 3 pounds in 2 or 3 days of pure fat
  • jamison77
    jamison77 Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    and im not kidding watch his food ideas and fat loss tips! hes great and freeeeeeeeeee! lol