Will cutting junk alone benefit me?

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  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
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    kendahlj wrote: »
    sammiebeatty wrote: »
    Hello,

    I'm new to all of this so making simple changes to start the process.

    I mainly live off chocolate, sandwiches and fast food. By cutting these out completely, should It, along with regular exercise be enough to lose most of the weight, without going on a strict diet?

    Thanks in advance!

    Yes, you will lose weight if you do this.

    Only if in a caloric deficit while doing it.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    kendahlj wrote: »
    sammiebeatty wrote: »
    Hello,

    I'm new to all of this so making simple changes to start the process.

    I mainly live off chocolate, sandwiches and fast food. By cutting these out completely, should It, along with regular exercise be enough to lose most of the weight, without going on a strict diet?

    Thanks in advance!

    Yes, you will lose weight if you do this.

    Only if it results in a calorie deficit.
  • mmarshall74
    mmarshall74 Posts: 183 Member
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    As others said a calorie deficit is the only was to lose weight. However (as in my case), cutting out fast food that tends to be high caloric and low nutrients and replacing it with more nutritious and less calorie dense (healthy fats, lean proteins, high fiber, lower glycemic carbs) will help you create your calorie deficit and get more energy and nutrients out of the food while tends to be more satiating than fast food. Best of luck.
  • angpowers
    angpowers Posts: 83 Member
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    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    Etherealglow wrote: »
    And honestly, you don't want to cut the things you enjoy. Life is too short. If it triggers you to binge or something of that nature, then that is different. But if you like sandwiches, start making smarter choices, swapping for something that perhaps is just as tasty, but more nutritious and/or less calories.

    But if you love certain things, by cutting them completely, you are more likely to go right back to eating them after a short while and with a ferocious appetite for them, leading to gaining any you lose and then some.

    I gave up all those things, things that I LIVED ON and loved, and never looked back. I think it depends on the person, actually.

    ^^ totally agree. If it works for you (meaning, not eating things at all) more power to the person. OP just simply didn't sound like they really wanted to give up junk food except to lose weight. From people I've known, just giving things up simply to lose weight, didn't work out so well, but hey, for some? I'm sure it does :)
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
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    Unfortunately, once convicted of sex related crimes, the infamous Jared of Subway fame lost all credibility. BUT, until the public learned of his predilections, he was the poster boy for eating sandwiches and losing weight. So, it is still possible to lose weight by eating sandwiches and more importantly, by being in a calorie deficit while doing so.
  • sammiebeatty
    sammiebeatty Posts: 10 Member
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    18 days later, no junk, and 9 pounds down. A lot more will power than I ever imagined I had, so yeah, safe to say it's possible!
  • Wicked_Seraph
    Wicked_Seraph Posts: 388 Member
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    YMMV, but I find it easier to simply eat what I like as long as I stay below my calorie goal most of the time.

    I've tried using a very restrictive diet - no sweets, no "junk", and so forth. I lasted about two weeks before I caved and ordered a pizza. This has happened to me several times. I sincerely hope this doesn't happen to you - but many of us have found that telling ourselves "no" on a food group or type often intensifies the craving for it.

    Using CICO and counting calories is the only thing that has worked for me. Allowing myself to eat what I like, and count them, has been the only thing I've been able to stick with; right now, I'm nearing the 7-month mark. By counting calories, I will almost instinctively choose the lower-calorie, healthier option... not for necessarily health-conscious reasons so much as I like to eat (a lot), and healthier fare often allows me to eat more with a smaller dent in my calorie bank. Sometimes I like to save those calories and devour a pint of ice cream. Most of the time, I save my calories so I can eat a reasonably large dinner.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    jmaidan wrote: »
    Im going to break the mould here and say it's not ALL about calorie deficit (although it is undoubtedly very important) I bet that if you replaced those junk calories with the exact same number of healthy, macro balanced calories you would see a benefit.

    Your body is very complex and your endocrine system is affected by what you eat. Insulin spikes are going to play havoc with the way your body burns or stores calories and having a steady amount of low glycemic index calories is going to be a lot better than 1500 calories of burger king and soda
    at 8pm.

    So I would say yes, if you change nothing else but cut the junk you will see a change. But if you control the quality AND quantity of your food that is when you will really see a difference.

    Disclaimer: this post contains large quantities of bro science.

    assuming you are already getting sufficient nutrients, you do not get any additional benefit from going over the RDA on said nutrients.

    you don't get extra credit for extra micros - I forget who said that but that is not my own saying...

    why is it always a false choice between 1500 calories of burger king and nutrients...why can;t one do both?

    If I have BK for breakfast, whole wheat bread, turkey, and fruit for lunch, and fish and vegetables for dinner, and hit my micros, macros, and calories goals, why would that in anyway be bad for me?
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    I'm beginning to think that for some people changing one's diet to a healthier one requires drastic change so that they are basically forced to eat foods they otherwise wouldn't, because they get rid of everything they used to eat and have to learn to like the new foods. I don't really understand it (I don't see why it's hard to eat a basically healthful and calorie appropriate diet without cutting stuff out, even if you rarely eat some of those things or they don't often fit), but it seems to be a thing. Maybe there are two different mindsets, those of us who like to focus on what we do eat and those who prefer to focus on not eating things.

    Also, if you change your diet really drastically and get rid of the foods you used to prefer, a lot of people find they have a hard time figuring out what to eat (so reduce calories drastically) and aren't as attracted to the foods they are eating (so again aren't tempted to eat much).

    IMO this is more often than not a short term change, as you either find a way to overeat on the new foods or find it unsustainable because you have cut out things you really love, but I am sure there are people for whom it works even over time.

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