We are pleased to announce that as of March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!
"You can eat whaver you want, as long as you eat at a deficit" is true, but it's garbage advice.
Replies
-
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
To be fair food will dry or freeze without human intervention under the right conditions.
That's true, but what most humans are eating isn't food that has just somehow dried or frozen. There is usually prep and equipment involved.0 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »Houses are not natural. I sleep naked in the woods because I don't want cancer.
I think cavemen lived in natural houses. Maybe you should try paleo.
10 -
janejellyroll wrote: »
That's true, but what most humans are eating isn't food that has just somehow dried or frozen. There is usually prep and equipment involved.
To be fair, that is quite true. Now lucky we are.1 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »Houses are not natural. I sleep naked in the woods because I don't want cancer.
Pictures or it didn't happen.9 -
southernoregongrape wrote: »
I agree. Even health/nutrition researchers are changing the definition of healthy.
Eggs are bad. Eggs are good.
Eat high carb/low protein. Eat high protein/low carb.
Coffee is bad. Coffee is good.
Eat low fat. Eat high fat.
Don't eat saturated fat/cholesterol. Saturated fat/cholesterol may not be bad for you.
Don't eat white carbs, gluten. Eat only clean foods (This one personally drives me nuts).
One of the latest is don't eat food with chemicals in it. Good luck with that.
I pretty much lurk here and enjoy watching the "food war" threads.
Can anyone explain a few things to me?
How can there be such a thing as junk food. What does that mean? I always thought food was food. Never once occurred to me that some of it was junk.
I did know that some stuff that looked like food was poison to humans. But we were taught early on what wild foods were safe to eat and what not to touch.
Is junk food the homemade root beer that mama used to make or the ice cream that daddy spent lots of time cranking? Is it the fast food hamburger vs the homemade one?
Another thing that I find interesting is how highly organic foods are rated. All our produce on the farm was organic. We could not afford to buy pesticides nor fertilizer. So we aged cow s**t until it cooled off enough to be spread on the garden/berries, and ate around the worms in the fruits and veggies.
I am not a fan of produce that is shipped in from far away, not because I think it is less nutritious, but because I believe that vine/tree etc. tastes better.
Back to lurker status. Thanks
This, so much this.
Reality is that good food vs. bad food wars are First World problem borne out of privilege. Some people would cut off their arm for ANY food. Maybe we should all noodle on that thought for awhile and be grateful for what we have.
Homemade root beer with homemade vanilla ice cream sounds amazing...yum...5 -
I think what the OP--and me, for that matter--are reacting to are the many responses you see on here when someone new asks something like, "Am I allowed to eat carbs?" or they freak out because they had a donut. The responses often come across as if the person who asked the question is completely clueless and you see a humorous string about all of the many unconventionally "diet-friendly" foods people here eat and still lose weight. It's not always obvious from those responses that the people offering them meant "on occasion" OR can lose on a very high calorie level. I think the truth is, we all need to find foods that fill us up, and for many of us, that's primarily going to entail the kinds of foods found in many diet books: high protein, vegetables and fruits. Not to the exclusion of splurges, but as the primary staples.
5 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »
You imply that they remain uneaten long enough to get stale in the first place. That's silly.
Gosh, what was I thinking?!?3 -
storyjorie wrote: »I think what the OP--and me, for that matter--are reacting to are the many responses you see on here when someone new asks something like, "Am I allowed to eat carbs?" or they freak out because they had a donut. The responses often come across as if the person who asked the question is completely clueless and you see a humorous string about all of the many unconventionally "diet-friendly" foods people here eat and still lose weight. It's not always obvious from those responses that the people offering them meant "on occasion" OR can lose on a very high calorie level. I think the truth is, we all need to find foods that fill us up, and for many of us, that's primarily going to entail the kinds of foods found in many diet books: high protein, vegetables and fruits. Not to the exclusion of splurges, but as the primary staples.
People need to use basic common sense...10 -
storyjorie wrote: »I think what the OP--and me, for that matter--are reacting to are the many responses you see on here when someone new asks something like, "Am I allowed to eat carbs?" or they freak out because they had a donut. The responses often come across as if the person who asked the question is completely clueless and you see a humorous string about all of the many unconventionally "diet-friendly" foods people here eat and still lose weight. It's not always obvious from those responses that the people offering them meant "on occasion" OR can lose on a very high calorie level. I think the truth is, we all need to find foods that fill us up, and for many of us, that's primarily going to entail the kinds of foods found in many diet books: high protein, vegetables and fruits. Not to the exclusion of splurges, but as the primary staples.
And you are more than welcome to chime-in on those threads if you feel more context would be useful. What the OP's intent was or what they're reacting to, I don't know. What I do know is that they posted a thread directed at all users critiquing the way we give advice. Based on experience here, that will never end well.4 -
janejellyroll wrote: »
I take it you disagree, but these are all human innovations to make food last longer, something you said above wasn't natural.
Food should spoil when it spoils, right?
Food preservation techniques are nearly as old as humans. It is only in our present modern society that we can go to the store and buy nothing but fresh foods if we so desire. And I don't. I prefer to buy local, in-season produce and canned/frozen if not in season.
Food preservation techniques work by inactivating the enzymes naturally found in food, thus slowing down degradation of the food. This is done by chemical (salt, vinegar, other chemical preservatives) or mechanical (freezing, canning, drying) means. It does NOT change the original chemical makeup of the food other than extracting water and, in some cases, degradation of water-soluble vitamins.7 -
Why would you assume "Eat whatever you want" means "Eat nothing but junk food"?
Again, for all the threads criticizing this advice, I have NEVER seen someone post that they actually did take this advice to mean "Go ahead and eat all junk food" and now are struggling or failing because they're full of Twinkies and Big Macs by noon and have no calories left. Yet I see time and time again people respond by saying, "You mean I can have a treat every once and awhile and still lose weight? Thank goodness!".
And again again, for every post that just says, "You can eat whatever you want" there are two that follow that say "You can eat whatever you want to lose weight, but obviously you want to eat enough nutritious food for your health". And then someone will chime in to make sure you get enough fiber and protein. And then someone will post that if you eat Keto you'll never get hungry and your skin will glow. And then another will say that cutting out processed food was the only way they could lose weight.
I seriously wonder if there is an alternate MFP universe with all of these threads where newbies are given no info but to stuff their pieholes with poptarts to lose weight and I am just too dense to find it.
WHATEVER implies whatever. People are not providing enough context to that statement and are not being responsible. I have posted several times on various forums and have been met with angry comments...well I eat pizza everyday, or I eat Macdonald's everyday nobody can tell me otherwise! I completely advocate treats from time to time...we're human and what would life be without them...but people tend not to display their true story. I would like to re-highlight the fact that I mentioned previously in this thread that I have taken the liberty of looking at peoples diaries that advocate that you can eat WHATEVER you want and they actually eat a fairly decent diet so why not clarify that I eat healthy most of the time but I indulge as well instead of implying I eat WHATEVER I want. This is all that I am saying...3 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »
I'm sure a medal for not killing them during the teenage years is much more impressive/needed than one for childbirth.
Mine just turned 13 and I am punishing him with glasses to correct his severe farsightedness and braces to straighten his ridiculous overbite. He can thank me later for the hot stud he will turn into by high school.4 -
I just want a triple whopper with bacon and cheese but I saw that video where it sat on a shelf for a long time without spoiling and the fries lasted a year without changing at all.
This is due to it dehydrating too quickly when left out to support mold growth. A home made hamburger would do the same.
http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/the-burger-lab-revisiting-the-myth-of-the-12-year-old-burger-testing-results.html1 -
AntoinetteAngus wrote: »
Preservatives are chemicals to make your food last longer. This is not natural. Food should spoil when it spoils. You should not be injecting it with stuff to make it last longer.
So glad you clarified the following because most people tend to leave it at 'you can eat WHATEVER you want' - 'telling someone they can eat what they want and still lose does not mean that they should eat nothing but junk food'
People have been preserving foods for pretty much ever...they used to salt their meats and hang them to dry...pickling and fermenting foods is age old...my grandma used to do a lot of that.1 -
AntoinetteAngus wrote: »
WHATEVER implies whatever. People are not providing enough context to that statement and are not being responsible. I have posted several times on various forums and have been met with angry comments...well I eat pizza everyday, or I eat Macdonald's everyday nobody can tell me otherwise! I completely advocate treats from time to time...we're human and what would life be without them...but people tend not to display their true story. I would like to re-highlight the fact that I mentioned previously in this thread that I have taken the liberty of looking at peoples diaries that advocate that you can eat WHATEVER you want and they actually eat a fairly decent diet so why not clarify that I eat healthy most of the time but I indulge as well instead of implying I eat WHATEVER I want. This is all that I am saying...
Again, why are you assuming those people aren't eating what they want -- balancing the tastes they like with how certain foods make them feel and how filling they are?
I like to eat tortilla chips, so I eat them regularly. I know from past experience that if I eat 800 calories of tortilla chips it takes too many of my calories for the day, so I'll have 140 calories worth. I'm eating what I want, making common sense decisions on how to balance my taste preferences with my calorie/nutritional goals.7 -
I eat canned vegetables (store-bought, not home-canned) regularly, and I LIKE THEM! Am I going to die?1
-
storyjorie wrote: »I think what the OP--and me, for that matter--are reacting to are the many responses you see on here when someone new asks something like, "Am I allowed to eat carbs?" or they freak out because they had a donut. The responses often come across as if the person who asked the question is completely clueless and you see a humorous string about all of the many unconventionally "diet-friendly" foods people here eat and still lose weight. It's not always obvious from those responses that the people offering them meant "on occasion" OR can lose on a very high calorie level. I think the truth is, we all need to find foods that fill us up, and for many of us, that's primarily going to entail the kinds of foods found in many diet books: high protein, vegetables and fruits. Not to the exclusion of splurges, but as the primary staples.
Can you link us to one of those threads where a new member asks a question and the responses are all highly critical of that person? Because I have to be honest, I've been here for four years and I don't remember seeing a thread where that is the overall tone. Sure, there may be posters who respond with "don't worry, I still eat donuts and I am 6% body fat!" but in some respects, that is actually helpful advice (knowing that you can achieve a Hornsby-like body and still enjoy donuts. Overall though, the threads that I see are filled with people trying to reassure the poster that they didn't totally screw up, that they either aren't off track or aren't off track so far that they can't get back on, and then trying to educate them that it is ok to eat those foods in moderation. If a person does not understand that "moderation" =/= all day, every day.... well again.... Some level of common sense and personal accountability is required to be successful. And why you believe that the person talking about donuts isn't eating an overall balanced, healthy diet, is just something that I am failing to see why that is the default assumption time and again in this thread.8 -
AntoinetteAngus wrote: »
WHATEVER implies whatever. People are not providing enough context to that statement and are not being responsible. I have posted several times on various forums and have been met with angry comments...well I eat pizza everyday, or I eat Macdonald's everyday nobody can tell me otherwise! I completely advocate treats from time to time...we're human and what would life be without them...but people tend not to display their true story. I would like to re-highlight the fact that I mentioned previously in this thread that I have taken the liberty of looking at peoples diaries that advocate that you can eat WHATEVER you want and they actually eat a fairly decent diet so why not clarify that I eat healthy most of the time but I indulge as well instead of implying I eat WHATEVER I want. This is all that I am saying...
Maybe because eating 'whatever' they want includes a wide variety of foods, including both 'good' and 'bad' (if you want to think of it that way) so by saying they eat whatever they want, they aren't misrepresenting anything. Obviously these people have open diaries, and everyone is welcome to do as you did and see for themselves what these self-proclaimed 'eat whatever you want!' people are, in fact, actually eating. And maybe they're just tired of qualifying every.single.statement they make here. My diary is open, and I eat whatever I want. Some days are better than others, but I log them all.7 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »
My Lord. Never struggled? The folks who never struggled are not here. I know they exist, but the old timers giving advice here have all struggled. So now that they've worked through the struggles and figured things out,t hey can't offer insight and advice to those still struggling?
SMH
I'm talking to the one's that attacked his post and suggested it meant something that it didn't or read too much into it, or simply offered their opinion. If you happen to fit that bill, then....take it how you will. SMH to all the posters that took his intentions out of control. And just like you have an opinion, I have one as well.2 -
Salt and sugar were our methods of preserving foods. We would always can enough fruits and veggies to last the winter. And we would store our apples and corn on the cob in the hayloft. Not recommended unless you have barn cats though. We usually had about a dozen.4
-
AntoinetteAngus wrote: »
WHATEVER implies whatever. People are not providing enough context to that statement and are not being responsible. I have posted several times on various forums and have been met with angry comments...well I eat pizza everyday, or I eat Macdonald's everyday nobody can tell me otherwise! I completely advocate treats from time to time...we're human and what would life be without them...but people tend not to display their true story. I would like to re-highlight the fact that I mentioned previously in this thread that I have taken the liberty of looking at peoples diaries that advocate that you can eat WHATEVER you want and they actually eat a fairly decent diet so why not clarify that I eat healthy most of the time but I indulge as well instead of implying I eat WHATEVER I want. This is all that I am saying...
Maybe "WHATEVER" they want is food that meets their nutritional needs and tastes good? Why does eating whatever you want have to be pizza or McDonalds? You seem to think that people only want the treat type food or something. What if they actually want chicken breast and vegetables?9 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »I eat canned vegetables (store-bought, not home-canned) regularly, and I LIKE THEM! Am I going to die?
Probably. Unless you get bitten by a vampire.5 -
Maybe because eating 'whatever' they want includes a wide variety of foods, including both 'good' and 'bad' (if you want to think of it that way) so by saying they eat whatever they want, they aren't misrepresenting anything. Obviously these people have open diaries, and everyone is welcome to do as you did and see for themselves what these self-proclaimed 'eat whatever you want!' people are, in fact, actually eating. And maybe they're just tired of qualifying every.single.statement they make here. My diary is open, and I eat whatever I want. Some days are better than others, but I log them all.
Which is exactly what people have been saying in this thread OVER AND OVER AND OVER. That there is surprise, even shock, that any of us who say "eat whatever you want in a calorie deficit" are ACTUALLY eating a healthy diet, is dumbfounding. Why do people presume that what people want to eat, is nothing but junk food? That people don't want to eat a balanced, healthy diet, with treats mixed in as they fit? Is it because that is the mindset that these people are coming from? They want to eat nothing but pizza, chili cheese fries, and whatever loco rice is? That doesn't even sound good to me at all. God my stomach would hate me.
This thread has made me so dizzy...13 -
I think I have the solution.
Whenever someone (OP, that is) asks a question on the forums, we must first answer that question with a question of our own. That question? "Are you a moron?" Or some semblance thereof. If OP answers "no," then we should be able to provide an abbreviated answer, as to not insult his/her intelligence. Because, if OP has two functioning brain cells, the abbreviated answer really is all that's necessary. If OP answers "yes," then we need to write a (at least) full page answer detailing every possible oddball scenario that could be envisioned, as well as link to all of the stickied (and non-stickied, in some cases) posts that addresses every oddball scenario.
I fully expect someone(s) to complain about this, too.13 -
Jessicamurray1986 wrote: »I agree with OP. The goal shouldn't be centered around getting skinny. It should be eating for health, to nourish your body. Weight loss is very helpful, but skinny people have heart attacks and diabetes.
Guess what Jessica. I've lost 125 lbs. Last Friday I had entire half of a BBQ pizza and three triple chocolate cookies. The week before that I had a giant gyro and dolmas. Before that, went to one of those all you can eat gaucho style Brazilian steakhouses where the men walk around with giant skewers of beef, pork, lamb, and chicken until your eyeballs pop out for my birthday. I've been working these foods into my overall diet. I've not been hungry or miserable doing so. All that "garbage" food IS indeed part of a balanced nutritional diet. You know how I know? Because just 45 minutes ago, my doctor's office called and told me that my A1C levels are normal and my HDL levels (the GOOD cholesterol that, when elevated, REDUCES your risk for heart disease) are also, guess what, that's right, my HDL levels are elevated. No diet induced heart attacks and diabetes for this skinny person.
According to the OP, (and apparently you) I'm a figment of my imagination because this isn't possible. I eat pizza and all you can eat meat (as part of a health diet) and I have healthy test results from my doctor. *repeats until she fades from existence*
10 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »
Then why do so many posts advocating for moderation say "sure, you can have X just maybe not every day?"
Because there are so many thousands of comments on these boards you will easily find "so many" of almost anything if you look for it. Many push making it fit daily, many advocate a cheat day, many advocate saving it for one when you just want it so bad you don't want to resist. You tell me why so many different views, opinions and ways of eating exist. There are many different types of people on these boards is the likely answer.4 -
-
The only foods that I tend to overeat is fruit. I can eat 3-4 pomegranates a day when they are available. Grapes and plums too.2
-
I need it now, wonder if Amazon drone can drop it off at work for me.0
-
Preserving backyard fruit with.........wait for it...................SUGAR. Yay!
It's marmalade, if any one cares.10
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 260.5K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.7K Fitness and Exercise
- 392 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153.1K Motivation and Support
- 8.1K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 4K MyFitnessPal Information
- 16 News and Announcements
- 1.2K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.7K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions