Will this work?

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So I'm looking to lose weight and I've been told that all you need is a simple caloric deficit. Is this true? So I know it's not healthy but even if I decided to eat at Mc Donalds everyday, I'd still lose weight as long as it's below my daily maintenance goal?

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  • selina884
    selina884 Posts: 826 Member
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    this is correct :)
  • blvdblvdvlvd9
    blvdblvdvlvd9 Posts: 2 Member
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    :D Thanks!
  • RelevantGains
    RelevantGains Posts: 83 Member
    edited August 2016
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    Exactly right. And that exact thing has been done before :) "Healthy" is sort of an ambiguous term. If someone were obese, getting down to a healthy weight would be much more beneficial than getting all their vitamins in.

    http://www.today.com/health/man-loses-56-pounds-after-eating-only-mcdonalds-six-months-2D79329158
  • abadvat
    abadvat Posts: 1,241 Member
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    Correct - deficit will hinder weight loss.
    You can eat McD and still loose weight however be contious of how many calories you have.
    I am currently on a deficit at 2300 - considering I am always hungry i focus mostly on whole / "clean" / "healthy" choice as this will ensure good quantities of food in your plate.
    At the moment when I head upwards with my calories i will start fitting my macros with what i am in the mood for.
    I still have burgers and pizza and loose weight but on 2300 calories you need to make choices....
  • RelevantGains
    RelevantGains Posts: 83 Member
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    ^^^ That's the important thing. If you eat a big mac, you might be at your calorie limit for the day and be starving the rest of the day. That's not something you'd be able to keep up long term.
  • Sirick86
    Sirick86 Posts: 23 Member
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    Very true, for example, I had pizza twice last week but managed to stay in my caloric range along with my cardio every day and still managed to drop and hold off 3lbs that week. I also eat alot of taco bell beefy nacho grillers, and they're actually not that bad for you and taste amazing lol. I just wouldn't do it every day, my body is usually stuffed with chicken breast and broccoli lol
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited August 2016
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    You would, but you would also be so hungry (if we are talking about eating the "typical McD fare", and not always picking salads, fruit, water, eggs and chicken breast) that you couldn't do it for any length of time to see any discernible results.

    The thing is, as pp have stated, that "healthy eating" is such a vague term. Trying to eat healthy has been the downfall for millions of people. There is no "right" way to eat. What you need, is enough of everything and not too much of anything, of calories, macronutrients, micronutrients, antioxidants, other things we haven't discovered yet, and of course flavor. Because you have to stick to your allotted calories for a long, long time. If it's dreadful, or just not quite right for you, you will turn to the things you ate before, in an eating pattern that made you overweight. So, find a way to eat that is enjoyable for you, something that you want to stick to because you like it - but also provides you with (that's right) enough of everything and not too much of anything. This can be achieved in an indefinite number of ways. You may have to go through a bit of trial and error. Gather knowledge about nutrition. But don't let anybody tell you how you should eat.
  • abadvat
    abadvat Posts: 1,241 Member
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    btw - you can get further knowledge on eating burgers and loosing weight by looking up "flexible dieting" and "IIFYM".
    It doesn't mean life is burgers and pop tarts but it gives you the notions of CICO and macro nutrients.