Can you eat ANYTHING?

kgirlhart wrote: »

I lost 70 pounds eating whatever I wanted and staying at my calorie goal. I did find that some foods did not keep me full as well as others so what I want to eat has changed a bit. But I still eat out, both fast food and sit down restaurants, and I still eat processed foods and sweets. I just eat them in moderation and have portion sizes that are appropriate for me.

So then you are not really eating "whatever you want". You've had to change what you "want" to make it work.

Yes. The cold hard fact is a big yes. Of course there are other considerations, like if you want pizza, ice cream, burger, fries, pecan pie, and Churros in your usual quantities all in one day, most people dieting wouldn't manage that unless they eat just a nibble of everything, or if something is so unmanageable it always gets out of control. Something needs to be restricted, be it the serving size or the frequency. It works brilliantly though once you iron out the kinks.

I have eaten more chocolate last week than the entire last 3 months combined and had pizza twice this week when normally I only have it like once every few months. I've lost weight, and as a bonus, I tallied my micronutrient averages for the last 7 days today and I'm spot for nearly every single one of them. Even if you include less nutritious foods, and even if you eat more of them than usual, you can still have a pretty nutritious diet if you're active enough to earn enough calories and have decently nutritious foods when you aren't having junk.

naturallykinky wrote: »

I was wondering has anyone been able to eat anything (junk food included) stay within the suggested calories and still lose weight?

Yes I eat what I want every day and have lost weight because I watch my calorie intake.
I prelog my food and adjust portion sizes to fit my goals. I look at calories first then meeting my protein goal. I try to eat several servings of vegetables or fruits a day. I generally have 100-300 calories for snacks.
I pair higher calorie foods with more lower calorie vegetables. 1-2 slices of pizza with a salad for example.
I reduce calories in foods by using less cheese, less oil, lower fat milk, thinner crust for pizza. I might skip rice or bread if it doesn't fit well that day but another day I fit it in.
I don't try to have doughnuts, stuffed crust pizza, fried chicken, bacon cheeseburger and a peanut butter shake all in one day when my calorie goal is 1200-1400. That is common sense.

lorrpb wrote: »

kgirlhart wrote: »

I lost 70 pounds eating whatever I wanted and staying at my calorie goal. I did find that some foods did not keep me full as well as others so what I want to eat has changed a bit. But I still eat out, both fast food and sit down restaurants, and I still eat processed foods and sweets. I just eat them in moderation and have portion sizes that are appropriate for me.

So then you are not really eating "whatever you want". You've had to change what you "want" to make it work.

If I lived in a magical world where I could eat anything and be healthy and not gain weight, I would probably eat a somewhat different diet than I do now (not enormously different in that I'd still eat vegetables and get plenty of protein and so on, but different).

Living in the real world where those things matter, what I WANT is affected by my calorie budget and satiety and nutritional concerns. But that does not mean I don't eat what I want. Also, no foods are off limits, although some will rarely be chosen or chosen in smaller amounts than otherwise.

I'd say you can eat "anything" you want and lose if you are willing/able to control how often you eat it or how much you eat. Some things will be more difficult to fit in than others.

Yep! Maintaining, living life, and being healthy while doing it!

I haven't found this to be true. Carbs and sweets are major triggers for me and make it too hard for me to stay within my calorie goal. In an ideal world, sure, all calories are equal. In my world? A snickers bar and a bowl of ice-cream that equals my calorie goal isn't sustainable. Junky, processed foods can only be a "sometimes food" for me. Not only do they seem to make me hungrier, they make me lethargic. For some reason, I always end up staying up later when I eat something like that and don't sleep as well. Why? No idea. Not a scientist. Don't have real answers but I have (finally) figured out that I do best eating mostly foods that come from plants and animals.

thetrishwarp wrote: »

You can eat any food, just not any quantity.

Yep. This has taken me years to learn.