Calorie Limit ........... Does it matter what foods you eat?

Options
2»

Replies

  • skinnyhopes
    skinnyhopes Posts: 402 Member
    Options
    Another risk of just eating whatever you want within your calorie goal is the dreaded "skinny-fat", in which you lose so much muscle mass that even though you're smaller, you're actually flabbier than when you began.

    The skinny fat thing is true. I say this from experience. I'm thin but really flabby too. So you might want to cut back on junk.
  • cjjones007
    cjjones007 Posts: 602
    Options
    Just wondered....if i stay within my limit that MFP has given me for calories, fat, protien, carbs, soduim, can i basically eat what I like?

    Will i still lose weight?

    this is what my friend does on her weight watchers diet
    Yes, because if you are working to stay within range for Protein, Fat, carbs, Sodium, and Sugar - you are going to find you are still choosing some healthy choices :)
  • NewVonnie
    NewVonnie Posts: 683 Member
    Options
    Just wondered....if i stay within my limit that MFP has given me for calories, fat, protien, carbs, soduim, can i basically eat what I like?

    Will i still lose weight?

    this is what my friend does on her weight watchers diet

    In theory, yes.

    HOWEVER - Eating bad foods will do a few things:
    You will feel STARVING, which could lead to binging and then failure.
    You will not get proper nutrition, which can leave you very tired and not feeling like working out.

    Both of those are terrible when trying to lose weight. You can have little cheats, like a handful of pretzels or a square of chocolate, but for 99% of what goes into your mouth it should be better choices like lean meat, chicken, fish, shellfish, veggies and fruits of any kind.

    Let me know if you want any support of ideas for good foods, snacks or tiny "cheats"

    THIS ^
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Options
    Sure, you can eat whatever you want, but it's best if "what you want" is mostly healthy foods. You'll be more satisfied and have more energy.

    Not every choice has to be perfect. You're not a failure because you ate pizza or wings. As long as a solid 80% of your food is smart, some goodies or junk aren't going to undo that. I've had half a DiGiorno Rising Crust pizza once a week (sometimes more) every week since I started. I just make it fit in my calories by exercising a lot.
  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
    Options
    Yes, but keep in mind that 1400 of calories of McDonald's is not that much food vs 1400 of fruits, veggies, lean meats, whole grains, and low fat dairy.

    But, do what you will.
  • gymmgirl
    gymmgirl Posts: 7 Member
    Options
    Hi Sara! Good job on setting incremental goals and checking off what you've accomplished! You should be proud of yourself : )

    You can get by for a while eating whatever as long as it's in the calorie limits but eventually you will plateau and maybe even run out of energy to maintain your momentum. Quality calories are essential for continuing to push yourself in your workouts as well as keep your bones and other major organs healthy as well. Try to eat more unprocessed foods (translation; veggies, fruits and whole grains). Also don't be afraid to up your protein a little (not much) so you will continue to get stronger for better quality workouts. You have a great plan in place and tracking your progress on MFP is a great way to stay with it! Studies continue to come out that prove people who track their progress stay with their program and see more success.

    Keep up the great work and enjoy yourself!
  • Logicalpoots
    Logicalpoots Posts: 10
    Options
    Let me preface this by very clearly stating that I am still extremely obese, near four-hundred pounds, and everything I say should be taken with a grain of salt AND a spoonful of sugar (Mmm. That's tasty medicine!) until I prove myself further with successful weight loss and better health. Having said that, I have to state that I think the ubiquitous insistence that diet, nutrition, and fitness are all equally necessary for weight loss is at very least overstated, and perhaps even counterproductive, especially where the extremely overweight or morbidly obese are concerned. It should come as a surprise to no one that our plates are already both literally and figuratively overfilled. I am not trying to suggest that nutrition and exercise have no place in weight loss/maintenance efforts. I am however concerned that we may be discouraging weight loss for many, and thereby inhibiting progress toward better overall health with nutritional and fitness excellence combined with caloric restriction. Like the great philosopher Chris Rock once said of those telling him that after getting his G.E.D. he should now go to college: "SLOW DOWN! It should be obvious that high school was already kickin' my a.." So, to answer the question asked by the O.P., "Does it matter what foods you eat?", I would have to answer that in the short term, for weight loss, absolutely positively and without reservation NO IT DOESN'T. Of course, while I was writing this post I was enjoying a very healthful green curry shrimp and scallops with LOTS of vegetables, fairly low fat, low carb and low calorie, and now I'm going for a mile or two walk. What do I know? YMMV.

    Jeff
  • Funnybunnyboo
    Funnybunnyboo Posts: 87
    Options
    with what i have found, over the years of dieting, starving, no carbing, etc...i have learnt an awful lot.
    because i couldnt shift the weight, and i had diabetes, and high cholesterol, and also suffered with blood clots on the lungs, i had become very ill. my doctor, bless him, put me forward for a gastric bypass, and i shall forever thank him for doing that for me-6 stone lighter, i can honestly say these things, and know they were true for me.....
    if you dont learn to control your portion sizes...you will put on weight.
    if you dont control the types of food you eat, you still risk high cholesterol, and diabetes, stroke, hypertension, heart attacks...
    if you dont learn to love some form of excercise, you will put any lost weight back on, plus more, and it will be hardsr to shift.
    if you dont understand what food is really for, you have lost the reason for eating in the 1st place!!
    i did weight watchers...i ut on weight, i did slimming world-which i personally find the best commercial diet out there, and lost weight,as excercise isnt really promoted. i did rosemary conley's low fat regimes...omg boring tasting food, and didnt help, except for the excercise!!
    i did atkins, now for me, that worked brilliantly, but i was living with a mean spirite person, wh would leave all sorts of yummy food around, and i have no will power...so guess what-yup, fell off the diet wagon
    .my point really is this...when you fill up on rubbish food, its a bit like putting 2 star petrol, in a sports car, its not going to go too far before it brakes down, and our bodies are the same-food is nutrition, and good food keeps us going-taste is very important, so a little of what you fancy, will always do you good, but you ant live on it, and eventually, it will show..

    oooppps, soz about the rant,
    hope i didnt bore you too much, and good luck, add me if you want to!!
  • be_kris
    be_kris Posts: 47
    Options

    this is what my friend does on her weight watchers diet

    Then she's not really following Weight Watchers.

    Hehehe, love this response! lol
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
    Options
    Assuming you are hitting all of your macro-nutrient goals, then what you eat really does not matter for weight loss.

    See this thread for more info.

    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=133634471
  • hstallings13
    hstallings13 Posts: 306
    Options
    I'm all about balance. Managing to work in the foods I love in much smaller portions but adding in much more healthy food. I want to be healthy and in shape, but at the same time what is the point if I can't enjoy some of the stuff I truely love. In my opipion its all about the balance :)
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
    Options

    this is what my friend does on her weight watchers diet

    Then she's not really following Weight Watchers.

    Hehehe, love this response! lol

    I'm lost...
  • LisaMarieee
    LisaMarieee Posts: 176 Member
    Options
    I would think that you would want to make a change and eat more healthy food.

    If you eat crap then you will feel like crap and ultimately you will hinder your weight loss goals.
    Well said.

    I used to eat extremely unhealthy before and I felt sluggish all the time. Now I eat healthy foods and I always have a ton of energy and I feel 1000x better. It's fine to treat yourself but generally you should stick to a healthy diet for the most part.
  • Avalonis
    Avalonis Posts: 1,540 Member
    Options
    Let me preface this by very clearly stating that I am still extremely obese, near four-hundred pounds, and everything I say should be taken with a grain of salt AND a spoonful of sugar (Mmm. That's tasty medicine!) until I prove myself further with successful weight loss and better health. Having said that, I have to state that I think the ubiquitous insistence that diet, nutrition, and fitness are all equally necessary for weight loss is at very least overstated, and perhaps even counterproductive, especially where the extremely overweight or morbidly obese are concerned. It should come as a surprise to no one that our plates are already both literally and figuratively overfilled. I am not trying to suggest that nutrition and exercise have no place in weight loss/maintenance efforts. I am however concerned that we may be discouraging weight loss for many, and thereby inhibiting progress toward better overall health with nutritional and fitness excellence combined with caloric restriction. Like the great philosopher Chris Rock once said of those telling him that after getting his G.E.D. he should now go to college: "SLOW DOWN! It should be obvious that high school was already kickin' my a.." So, to answer the question asked by the O.P., "Does it matter what foods you eat?", I would have to answer that in the short term, for weight loss, absolutely positively and without reservation NO IT DOESN'T. Of course, while I was writing this post I was enjoying a very healthful green curry shrimp and scallops with LOTS of vegetables, fairly low fat, low carb and low calorie, and now I'm going for a mile or two walk. What do I know? YMMV.

    Jeff

    As I posted earlier... Technically it doesn't matter, but in practice it DOES because you end up not sticking to your diet because you feel like you are starving all the time. So you (or at least most people) end up binging, and eating more than the calorie restriction they are on.

    Technically, you will lose weight.... while you can stick to it. Good luck when you no longer can. Thats why so many people lose a bunch of weight, and then pack it all back on and then some. They make a temporary diet restriction without changing their eating habits, and then when they finish their diet, they still have no idea how to portion control or make healthy choices.

Categories