Eating "junk" but not going over calories?

No. As long as you stay under your calories, you'll be fine. :-)

No, it won't prevent weight loss! If it's high in sodium, it may show up on the scale the next day, but other than that, no.

I eat a little bit of "junk" food every day. Everything in moderation is the key for me.

I have noticed that when I eat junk for a day but stay within my calories it hurts my weight loss and I often gain weight. Sometimes adding something junk-ish in but being good the rest of the day won't hurt as bad, just my experience though....

I'm no expert, but I don't think that eating junk food will stop weight loss - I think it's "calories in < calories out". That doesn't mean that it's good for you to eat junk food, but you'll still lose weight if you're on target with calories. If you eat poorly, you'll become lighter, but more unhealthy.

But still, what exactly did you eat? Recently, I had a large calorie deficit one evening, and I decided to eat a Chili Dog - for old time's sake. Mmmm. Still under calories, so I had no issue with it. I also had other "good" foods that day, as well.

Part of the answer depends on whether your top goal is weight loss exclusively or maximizing your health while attaining and maintaining a healthy weight.

The only cautionary note I would offer is that you would be depriving your body of the vitamins and nutrients it needs/expects within a certain amount of calories and possibly introducing harmful elements such as refined sugars, chemicals sometimes used in processed foods, that can still age you prematurely, contribute to health issues, etc.

If you eat "junk" food occasionally to rarely (1x/week, couple of times a month or less fequently, etc.) there would likely be little impact.

However, if you are looking to eat "junk food" every day or several times a week, I would encourage you to look to see if you can make healther versions of the treats you like, so at least you know what you are consuming verses fast food or processed/packaged items.

Sorry for being a bit of a kill joy on this topic..... just my two cents for what it's worth.

I also agree with szczepj's earlier posting.... trying to eliminate everything at once and making drastic changes may not be the best approach. I think constency is key versus going to extremes, so you'll need to find the balance and the pace of change that works best for you.

There is nothing wrong with having a little indulgence everynow and then, but even if you are under your calories "junk" food can still cause you to gain weight. This happens because of simple sugars. When they enter your body it causes and insulin spike. Insulin plays an extremely large role in storing fat. Whenever insulin is released, glucose stores are stored as glycogen in the liver for energy. This is fine whenever your glycogen stores are depleted after a workout, but if they are full, and insulin is released, the extra glucose will be transported directly into your fat cells.

If you are going to eat "junk" food with high amounts of simple sugars, try to do so after eating a healthy meal. This will not cause an insulin spike nearly as big as if you eat it on an empty stomach.

I agree with sallyh03 in that if you're a sweet-toother (such as I am) making healthier versions of your favorites might be a better option if you know you'll be reaching for the junky snacks fairly regularly. I find that my weekly weight loss is affected by what I eat sometimes, not so much in gaining as in not losing, which is just as frustrating. But then again, I've seen little movement even when I've eaten properly some times so I'm not sure lol.

But yeah, moderation is the key. It's unreasonable to think you'll never enjoy your favorite sweets/snacks/treats ever again in your life, so it's better to learn to eat them in moderation.