No More Junk?

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faiths13
faiths13 Posts: 22 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know that having a calorie deficit is important in looking weight, but does it also matter what you eat? Do you have to avoid junk food, etc? I mean basically can you eat whatever you want a still loose weight if you follow the deficit MFP?
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  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    edited August 2016
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    You can eat whatever you want and still lose weight IF you hit your calorie deficit.

    That said if you eat a lot of carb heavy fatty foods with low nutritive value you will struggle a lot more reaching your deficit comfortably than if you substitute in more nutrient rich foods and lean proteins. You have to do you though and discover what works for you personally, no one can tell you that but yourself.

    Bottom line eating at a calorie deficit is what loses you the weight regardless of what you eat....your food choices however influence how easy of a time you have doing that. Its a balance between eating the foods that will give you the nutrition you need, with the foods that will make you feel full with fewer calories which will allow you some of the foods you crave and love. Nothing is off the table.

    Personally, if I want to lose weight I up my protein, lower my carbs and increase my activity level so I can still eat 2000+ calories a day. That way I get my icecream, I get my pizza, I get my hamburgers or whatever else I feel like that day.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    edited August 2016
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    ^ Agree 100% with both of the above.

    Speaking purely in terms of weight loss, you could lose weight eating nothing but "junk food". But when you take overall health, body composition and workout performance into consideration (not to mention satiety and adherence), it makes sense to eat a balanced diet and have the indulgences be the exception rather than the rule.

    When considering individual foods/meals, context and dosage matter. There's no such thing as a "bad food", but there is definitely such a thing as a "bad diet". A piece of candy or a dish of ice cream isn't bad in and of itself, but a diet consisting mostly/entirely of candy and ice cream is. Get what I mean?
  • DetroitDarin
    DetroitDarin Posts: 955 Member
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    Twinkie diet :)http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
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    Weight loss/gain is really about energy balance, so yeah, theoretically you could eat nothing but twinkies. But you'd probably get scurvy.
    The trick is to use the calories you've got to ensure that you get in some solid nutrition as well as calories. Protein, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals etc.
  • daniip_la
    daniip_la Posts: 678 Member
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    I eat some type of "junk food" everyday, usually chips. I just fit it in my calorie goal. I've lost almost 70lbs doing that, and I don't plan on changing because it's sustainable.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    As people said - calories is what matters, but you want to get good nutrition too, or you'll get sick and you'll be hungry a lot.

    But as long as you eat nutritious foods and eat more than 1200 calories, you can typically have 100-200 calories of 'junk' a day.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    faiths13 wrote: »
    I know that having a calorie deficit is important in looking weight, but does it also matter what you eat? Do you have to avoid junk food, etc? I mean basically can you eat whatever you want a still loose weight if you follow the deficit MFP?

    There's a bit of wordsmithing at play here. Yes, you can eat a variety of foods and will lose weight as long as you stay within your calorie deficit.

    No, most people will probably not be able to eat whatever they want, or in the frequency or quantity that they want. Can you still eat burgers? Yes. Will those burgers be bacon double cheeseburgers? Probably only as a rare occurrence unless you have a high TDEE or are one of those people who is willing to save up calories all day for a big meal. Some people may find that what they "want" isn't going to realistically fit into their calorie count without making some cuts elsewhere in their calories, and they may not be willing to do that or it just might not work for them.

    It's all a numbers game. Yes, you can still have junk food, but it may end being that only one junk food item per day fits in order for you to hit your calories and get proper nutrition. Or a much smaller portion than you are used to will fit. The good news is, eventually you get into a groove with your diet and weight loss, and you figure out which foods you really want in your life, and which ones you feel "meh" about.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Just so you know-- there are no rules about what to eat. Eat what you like and what fits into the plan you make for yourself.
    Then modify the plan when you need to :)
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
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    Do what works for you and is sustainable for you.
    For me, all foods in moderation and stay within my calorie allotment. Works so far. Lost over 1/2 of my current body weight and have kept it off for almost 3 years.
  • caradack1985
    caradack1985 Posts: 254 Member
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    Calories are calories, but calorie dense junk food is not going to keep you very satiated. I still eat junk, but I fill up on nutrient dense foods and allot junk around that.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    edited August 2016
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    daniip_la wrote: »
    I eat some type of "junk food" everyday, usually chips. I just fit it in my calorie goal. I've lost almost 70lbs doing that, and I don't plan on changing because it's sustainable.

    and that is the key OP. Weight loss is about sustainability. If you choose something extreme like "I will eat clean which means only lean meat and vegetables" and lean meat and vegetables aren't your favorite foods you are going to be in for an uneccesarily rough time and will likely quit before you make much progress.

    Count your calories, restrict your calories, but don't restrict yourself so much that you avoid entirely things you enjoy eating. I'd recommend to include things like lean protein that are filling without having many calories just so you can fit things in that you love to eat while still being in deficit.

    I eat chicken breast and vegetables but I don't only eat chicken breast and vegetables, I eat some of my calories from that so I can still eat pizza or icecream and end the day in deficit while feeling full from the whole foods and satisfied from the foods I like. You can do that and be successful, many people have.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    caradack1985 wrote: »
    Calories are calories, but calorie dense junk food is not going to keep you very satiated. I still eat junk, but I fill up on nutrient dense foods and allot junk around that.

    This is a good way to go OP.
  • BridgetHarrington
    BridgetHarrington Posts: 41 Member
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    Penn Jillette lost a ton of weight on only potatoes, later adding a few other things.

    http://nypost.com/2016/07/27/penn-jillettes-magic-weight-loss-secret-potatoes/

    This is not safe, but he was under a doctor's care while he was doing it. He keeps the weight off by eating no grains and no animal products, with cardio and strength training. He felt that he had to just overhaul his whole diet to get back into shape.

    I am losing weight eating less of what I normally do and cutting back on the carbs. Other than chips, I never liked much junk food. I don't like pastries or cakes, can take or leave ice cream and don't care for any other candy except white chocolate. But give me something fried or chips with dip or salsa, and that is my downfall. I'm staying away from all of that until I get to my goal weight. If I crave fried, I cook chicken or fish in the broiler until it gets some crunch. Instead of chips and salsa with dip, I have pork rinds and salsa (very little fat and no carbs) or dip veggies in lower calorie dip or dressing.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    caradack1985 wrote: »
    Calories are calories, but calorie dense junk food is not going to keep you very satiated. I still eat junk, but I fill up on nutrient dense foods and allot junk around that.

    Yup. I try prelogging my day with foods that I know will keep me full and help me hit my protein goal. Then, I see what I have to work with to try and fit in some treats.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    To me junk comes in two varieties 1). Calorie dense foods usually containing sugars or starches 2). foods that lack any basic nutritional content. Often foods in the junk category meet both criteria.
  • flimflam87
    flimflam87 Posts: 41 Member
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    Just about any food that is white, sugar, white flower, white rice, potatoes.... All of these foods use up too many of my calorie allotment while leaving me hungry still. Like one cup of pasta is not gonna fill me up, it takes at least 2 cups! And bam that's 400 calories without adding any meat veg sauce or whatever. So yeah, I could eat the pasta but I'd rather not be starving all day just to do so....
  • Trish1c
    Trish1c Posts: 549 Member
    edited August 2016
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    As I have progressed through this journey I have learned three very important things

    1. Junk doesn't fill me up & keep me satisfied; healthier choices do leave me fuller

    2. Austerity -- being told I can't have something doesn't work for me. But I have learned to eat more sensible portions of things for example 12 chips (1 portion) instead of half the bag

    3. drinking water does help with the cravings
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,841 Member
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    faiths13 wrote: »
    I know that having a calorie deficit is important in looking weight, but does it also matter what you eat? Do you have to avoid junk food, etc? I mean basically can you eat whatever you want a still loose weight if you follow the deficit MFP?

    Your body needs a proper balance of of fats, proteins, and carbs. You might be able to adjust a bit in any one area but getting way too much of any of the three will have some effect on health. But generally, give calories are at or under your goal, your body will lose, maintain, or gain as desired.

    Certainly not recommended overall, but I fit in pizzas, ice cream, beer, and many "bad" foods that too many villianize, and I do well enough.

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    flimflam87 wrote: »
    Like one cup of pasta is not gonna fill me up, it takes at least 2 cups! And bam that's 400 calories without adding any meat veg sauce or whatever. So yeah, I could eat the pasta but I'd rather not be starving all day just to do so....

    But who eats plain pasta? IME, a serving or less (200 or fewer calories, depending) is plenty along with a sauce made up of lean meat and lots of vegetables (which is what I prefer). Fits in a dinner fine, and I'm never hungry afterwards.

    Not saying anyone else should eat pasta, but I find it a convenient (and tasty) fast dinner and a great base for lean meat and vegetables and a little olive oil. IMO, people often just have portion distortion from some restaurant portions or some bad habits of the past and assume they want/need more than they do.

    Of course, I sometimes use winter squash instead as my base (spaghetti squash being the most obvious, but they all work) or a quite small serving of pasta and more other stuff if I need to save calories, but I don't find a full serving of pasta hard to fit if desired. (Another way to save calories is to use roasted potato, as that's fewer calories for quite a lot of food, IMO, when mixed with lean meat and vegetables, but I see you consider that off limits too.)

    Anyway, to get back to OP's question, regardless of whether you consider pasta and potatoes as "junk foods" (I don't, personally), you of course can include them in your diet if you like. I would of course make sure that my diet was made up mostly of foods that helped meet my nutritional goals, but some occasional others (my preferences tend to be ice cream and cheese for those others, but I fit in lots of things that don't make up my day to day diet as seems tasty and appropriate) can certainly be included if you like, and you will still have a good diet.

    Losing weight is about calories.

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