Losing weight with unhealthy food
Replies
-
FloralBlossom wrote: »The problem here is you will become deprived of key nutrients and vitamins while have excess lipids in your blood causing high cholesterol.
Also a calorie is not a calorie. While the key to weight loss is calories in vs calories out there is also something called an empty calorie, which gives you no nutritional benefit. Also while eating just "junk food" or empty calories at a calorie deficit will make you lose muscle, not fat. Even if you are excersizing your body doesn't have the nutrients it need to build muscle. So when you lose weight you will still look bigger than you actually weight because you will have excess fat on your body from all the junk food.FloralBlossom wrote: »The problem here is you will become deprived of key nutrients and vitamins while have excess lipids in your blood causing high cholesterol.
Also a calorie is not a calorie. While the key to weight loss is calories in vs calories out there is also something called an empty calorie, which gives you no nutritional benefit. Also while eating just "junk food" or empty calories at a calorie deficit will make you lose muscle, not fat. Even if you are excersizing your body doesn't have the nutrients it need to build muscle. So when you lose weight you will still look bigger than you actually weight because you will have excess fat on your body from all the junk food.
How is a food that has protein, fat and carbs something that provides no nutritional benefit?
1 -
Thanks OP, I had pizza tonight for dinner!2
-
-
FloralBlossom wrote: »The problem here is you will become deprived of key nutrients and vitamins while have excess lipids in your blood causing high cholesterol.
Also a calorie is not a calorie. While the key to weight loss is calories in vs calories out there is also something called an empty calorie, which gives you no nutritional benefit. Also while eating just "junk food" or empty calories at a calorie deficit will make you lose muscle, not fat. Even if you are excersizing your body doesn't have the nutrients it need to build muscle. So when you lose weight you will still look bigger than you actually weight because you will have excess fat on your body from all the junk food.
Not if, as the OP said, he is eating well generally, but only occasionally indulging in the frozen pizza.2 -
FloralBlossom wrote: »The problem here is you will become deprived of key nutrients and vitamins while have excess lipids in your blood causing high cholesterol.
Also a calorie is not a calorie. While the key to weight loss is calories in vs calories out there is also something called an empty calorie, which gives you no nutritional benefit. Also while eating just "junk food" or empty calories at a calorie deficit will make you lose muscle, not fat. Even if you are excersizing your body doesn't have the nutrients it need to build muscle. So when you lose weight you will still look bigger than you actually weight because you will have excess fat on your body from all the junk food.
"Empty calories" is a meaningless phrase. Foods are composed of macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats), which all have caloric values (4 cal/g for protein/carbs, 9 cal/g for fat). Foods also contain micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). There is nothing you can eat which is calorific which has "no nutritional benefit". If, hypothetically, one was forced into a situation where they could eat nothing but Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Big Macs and candy bars, the nutrients within those "empty calories" would sustain life. Optimally? That's another topic. But those foods would provide the nutrients necessary to continue living.
The "empty calories making you lose muscle instead of fat" and "excess fat on your body from all the junk food" is fearmongering and completely misstates the principles of physiology as well. If one is in a caloric deficit, they lose both fat and muscle, regardless of the composition of their diet. The ratio can be altered somewhat by macro composition (and strength training), but never to the point of losing exclusively muscle (*or* exclusively fat).
It's also not a binary situation. The OP didn't state that he was living exclusively on junk food - he said he has frozen pizza and other junk foods once in a while, but also stated that he eats other 'healthy' foods. Your muscles aren't going to fall off and turn you into a pile of blubber because you occasionally indulge in less nutritionally dense foods.
As always, the answer to the question lies in context and dosage. But the answer to the OP's original question is that, speaking purely in terms of weight loss, a caloric deficit is all that matters. When taking body composition, workout performance and overall/general health into consideration, macros and micros matter.5 -
It's just bread. With stuff on it. It will not break your weight loss plan.
Like many things, it's a calorie hog, so if you were to eat it every day you'd find you were using up all your calories on it and still feeling hungry, so that might make it difficult to stick to your goals. But it's easy enough to make it work once a week or whatever.
Eat your pizza. One reason your cravings might be so strong is because you're telling yourself you "shouldn't". The forbidden is always more attractive. Have some pizza every so often and it will stop being a crazy temptation and become what it is - just food.1 -
I find that i can still eat junk and lose weight if i watch my calories, however i get a bit of a pot belly! So you might lose weight however you might still not be happy with your shape0
-
First of all, ignore the hippies and the soccer moms.
If your only concern is to lose weight, then yes, you can achieve it with crap food, because what matters for weight loss is calories in vs calories out, so you can set your daily calorie intake for weight loss(for example) to 1500kcal, eat 3 pizzas (let's pretend each one is 500kcal) and still lose the weight.
3 -
I don't understand the hate for pizza. A sandwich with some type of meat, vegetables and cheese is fine but the same stuff shaped into a pizza is not? A caprese salad with bread on the size is fine and healthy but a pizza is not? It appears the same "healthy" ingredients magically lose their nutrients when they are shaped into a pizza.
OP your weight loss should be fine unless you overdo it on the calories. Have a few "junky" days if you want, or introduce smaller portions within your regular diet.5 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »I don't understand the hate for pizza. A sandwich with some type of meat, vegetables and cheese is fine but the same stuff shaped into a pizza is not? A caprese salad with bread on the size is fine and healthy but a pizza is not? It appears the same "healthy" ingredients magically lose their nutrients when they are shaped into a pizza.
OP your weight loss should be fine unless you overdo it on the calories. Have a few "junky" days if you want, or introduce smaller portions within your regular diet.
Your comment made me laugh. Thanks to all the pizza lovers in here, glad to know there's so many of you out there and I'm not alone
0 -
Not really.beatyfamily1 wrote: »Be aware you are setting yourself up for health problems down the road if this is a consistent thing.
Go to a penitentiary. The food there is the LOWEST quality you can get. And inmates eat them day in and day out for YEARS. They aren't dying from health issues. It's more likely from prison life and incidents with other inmates.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
0 -
Because melted cheese has more calories....DUH.amusedmonkey wrote: »I don't understand the hate for pizza. A sandwich with some type of meat, vegetables and cheese is fine but the same stuff shaped into a pizza is not? A caprese salad with bread on the size is fine and healthy but a pizza is not? It appears the same "healthy" ingredients magically lose their nutrients when they are shaped into a pizza.
OP your weight loss should be fine unless you overdo it on the calories. Have a few "junky" days if you want, or introduce smaller portions within your regular diet.
2 -
Dorian1988 wrote: »beatyfamily1 wrote: »Dorian1988 wrote: »Packerjohn wrote: »Or why not have a diet that consists mainly of nutritionally dense food and suitable calories?
I'm very much aware of what I'm supposed to do. But sometimes I just fall pray to the ever growing cravings.
Chances are you're body is craving something more nutritious, but are mistaking them for junk food. It's okay to indulge in pizza once in a while, just don't go overboard with it.
No trust me I'm not mistaking anything. After 2 weeks of diet I'm having enough healthy food, fill full, but the junk food cravings are stronger than ever. It's simply a self distructive desire induced mostly by out society (comercials everywhere, they get into your mind without you realising)
Dude, you're fine. You need fats (even saturated fats) and many people tend to cut way down on these when dieting. Rather than it being advertising those cravings may be coming from the right place. If you're under your calories goal and otherwise getting the nutrients (protein and micronutrients) you need, then you are doing no harm. If you're not getting enough fats or even saturated fats then you may actually be doing good. In any event, you're fine.0 -
OP - I'm glad to see this thread has been helpful to you! Add me to the group of people who eat pizza regularly. Just about every Saturday night I have a couple of slices of pizza as a part of my dinner. Sometimes I might go 100 cal over, but I usually pay more attention to my weekly calorie deficit - as long as I'm 100 cal under on a different day it all works out.
I also wouldn't call pizza empty calories. It might not be as nutritionally dense as a salad, but if all I ate was salad all the time I would also have issues. Pizza and salad and everything else can all be part of a balanced diet and be healthy.
Now if I eat pizza with cheese and don't have any of my Lactaid pills, then I'm in for trouble... 0 -
It's simply a self distructive desire induced mostly by out society (comercials everywhere, they get into your mind without you realising)
You're blaming your indulgences on commercials? Do you own one of every car? A pantry full of maxi-pads? If not, then you can obviously resist their influence.
Commercials aren't your or society's problems.
I don't agree with this. I'm glad this poster doesn't seem to fall prey to enticing commercials but not everyone is so lucky to have the willpower this person seems to have.
But to the OP, don't feel guilty eating the things you love if you are still staying within your calorie goal and continuing to lose weight. What makes any weight loss attempt a success is making changes to our diet that can be sustained for a long period of time. The reason so many people lose weight just to gain it back is bc they look at it as a diet. Something that is over when they reach their goal. It's never over entirely. And who wants to go the rest of their lives without pizza??!!! Not me! So yeah... I'm right there with you, I eat pizza and other unhealthy food but like you I'm keeping to my calorie deficit and making great progress.0 -
louisepaul16 wrote: »beatyfamily1 wrote: »Be aware you are setting yourself up for health problems down the road if this is a consistent thing.
for eating frozen pizza? really?
interesting.
If frozen pizza is all you eat, then of course! Pizza is great for an occasional thing, once a week, or once every 2 weeks as a not so healthy meal, but you can't really compare a frozen pizza with a salad, or salmon and broccoli can you now?
There is a lot of fat in pizza, sugar, and additives and preservatives, it's certainly not the food of champions now is it?
My salad would probably have just as many calories & fat (not healthy calories - cheese, dressing etc) and I couldn't just eat salmon & broccoli wouldn't be enough there to sustain me for long.0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions