Lose Faster With Healthy Foods?

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Soon2BeSkinny321
Soon2BeSkinny321 Posts: 13 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Have you noticed that you lose weight faster if you're eating all healthy foods like fruits, veggies, lean proteins & whole grain carbs and no junk food then if you just eat whatever you want including junk food, frozen dinners, etc? This is assuming you're staying in your calorie range either way. I've heard that eating the healthy way I just described actually gives you a little bit of a metabolic edge but not sure how true that is.

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  • Soon2BeSkinny321
    Soon2BeSkinny321 Posts: 13 Member
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    I want to eat mostly healthy foods either way just to be healthy, better energy levels, etc but would be added bonus if I knew eating this way is also more likely to lead to faster weight loss.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,226 Member
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    Nope. As long as I maintain my calorie deficit, I lose, no faster or slower with so called "healthy" foods. I do weigh all solids including pre-packaged single serving stuff, and carefully measure all liquids along with confirming the database entries I use. To the best of my knowledge there is no peer reviewed studies that show any metabolic advantage to eating they way you outlined. It is more nutritious, but I know lots of people who eat that way and are extremely fat.
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
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    IDK about a metabolic edge but fruits, vegetable and lean meats are less calorie dense than "junk" food. The advantage of your diet consisting of less calorie dense food is volume. This helps many people be able to adhere better to a lower calorie intake. The other value derived from eating fruit, vegetables and lean meats is that it is easier to reach your macro/micro levels. Theoretically this should give your more energy for activity.

    Other than that...I got nothing.

  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
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    You could also be taking in less sodium, which would cause water loss.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    Diets based around whole foods are more satiating and studies show people spontaneously reduce calories eating a high quality diet. There is also some evidence that less calories are absorbed from some whole foods so the calories might be a tiny bit less for whole foods then what's printed on the label.

    Eating whole foods is clearly advantageous for maintaining a healthy weight but that doesn't mean you need to eat a whole foods diet to lose weight or to lose weight quicker. The size of your deficit is what's going to determine how fast you lose -- whole foods or processed don't matter in that regard.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    You won't lose any faster.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
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    Nope. I was at my highest weight when I ate healthy vegetarian.

    Calories do matter.
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    edited February 2017
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    snowflake954 wrote: »
    You won't lose any faster.

    This. I lost around 50lbs eating all sorts of foods -including 'processed' diet foods, fast food, frozen entrées like Lean Cuisines, chips, cookies, ice cream etc etc. Not only did I lose the extra weight but I also improved all of my health markers and blood work panels. I even normalized a high//prediabetic glucose number. The only thing I focused on was my calorie intake.

    Now I'm one of the very few people who are successfully maintaining the weight loss, and I continue to have excellent feedback from my doctor. My #1 focus continues to be my calorie intake, and then eating a varied and balanced diet that includes all the foods I like.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,741 Member
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    Fiber-rich and protein-rich foods require a tiny amount more energy to metabolize, but it's not enough to make a noticeable difference in your loss rate. For weight loss, it's majoring in the minors. Just eat a nutritious, well-balanced diet, with reasonable macros and plenty of veggies/fruits for health, and hit your calorie goals for weight loss.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    Not really. I am more successful at maintaining a deficit when I don't have calorie dense food around, but that's just because it's not around. If I had all the will power it wouldn't make a difference.

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