Does it matter what you eat?

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graemeward84
graemeward84 Posts: 16 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Does it really matter what's you eat when trying to lose weight as long as you eat less than you burn?

For example I'm 6ft5, 283lbs and male, I eat roughly 2700 calls a day but burn off anywhere between 3600-4000 depending on what I do that day. As long as I eat near enough what MFP tells me to eat, does it matter if I eat a bit of chocolate, drink beer etc as well as eating healthy as long as I stay within my 1000cals less for the day and under my sugar / fats etc??

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  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    edited June 2017
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    The quick and simple answer is no, it doesn't matter (speaking purely in terms of weight loss). Google "twinkie diet" for one example. For obese people, losing weight by whatever means often shows a remarkable improvement in health markers.

    With that said, it is a good idea for various reasons (overall health, body composition, workout performance, energy, etc.) to eat a reasonably well-balanced diet. Moderation is the key, there's room for occasional indulgences within the context of the overall diet. (i.e., an occasional beer or two is no big deal - a diet consisting mostly of beer would be a bad idea.)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Excess calories are what causes weight gain, etc...not any particular food.
  • graemeward84
    graemeward84 Posts: 16 Member
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    Yeah I do eat fairly healthy, eat a lot of fresh chicken as I'm a big guy I need more protein than most people wanting to lose. Just wanted reassurance that even though I do eat a bit of junk food most days I'm not doing my weight loss that much damage even though I eat less than I burn

    Thanks for your reply mate, will look at the link
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    edited June 2017
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    Never mind I misread the OP. Carry on.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    edited June 2017
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    ^ nm
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
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    AnvilHead wrote: »
    mph323 wrote: »
    graemeward84 wrote: »
    Does it really matter what's you eat when trying to lose weight as long as you eat less than you burn?

    For example I'm 6ft5, 283lbs and male, I eat roughly 2700 calls a day but burn off anywhere between 3600-4000 depending on what I do that day. As long as I eat near enough what MFP tells me to eat, does it matter if I eat a bit of chocolate, drink beer etc as well as eating healthy as long as I stay within my 1000cals less for the day and under my sugar / fats etc??

    First of all, as a 6'5" male, are you really only eating 1000 calories a day while burning up to 4000? If I have that right - how fast are you losing weight? 1-2 lbs/week? More than that? If you're losing faster than 2 lbs a week, I don't think it's appropriate to give nutrition advice because at that point you are SEVERELY underfeeding and that most definitely needs to be addressed first.

    If you're losing 2 lbs or less a week you're eating more than 1000 calories a day.

    If you are losing appropriately, as long as you're hitting your macros and getting in your micronutrients, it's fine to use whatever calories you have left for anything you want.

    I think you missed something in the second sentence:
    For example I'm 6ft5, 283lbs and male, I eat roughly 2700 calls a day but burn off anywhere between 3600-4000 depending on what I do that day.

    Yeah, not enough coffee - I deleted my post. Thanks :o
  • graemeward84
    graemeward84 Posts: 16 Member
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    Thanks guys for the replies, my second question is, the macros....., I go slightly over on protein some days but am generally slightly under on carbs / sugar / fat / sodium etc....is this fine? I'm probably over thinking it to be honest reading your replies aren't i? Lol cheers guys
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
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    Calories are king for weight-loss. Macros and micros come into play for health, satiety, etc. As in, use your full calories on ONLY pastry (or only skinless chicken breast, for that matter), and you're setting yourself up for malnutrition and bunch of other problems. But you will lose weight and health markers will improve.

    That being said? If you're meeting nutritional requirements, there is nothing magical about chocolate chip cookies (I lie. There's some sorcery involved, or they wouldn't taste so darn good), where eating 150 calories worth will magically 'find' all the weight you lost and glue it back to your hips.
  • graemeward84
    graemeward84 Posts: 16 Member
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    Oh one last question on sodium. MFP recommends I eat 2300mg a day, but I generally only eat 1700 ish a day? Would my weight loss slow down if I upped it to 2200 ish?
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    graemeward84 wrote: »
    Thanks guys for the replies, my second question is, the macros....., I go slightly over on protein some days but am generally slightly under on carbs / sugar / fat / sodium etc....is this fine? I'm probably over thinking it to be honest reading your replies aren't i? Lol cheers guys

    That's probably fine. Just don't go too low on fats, so that you run into issues (you need a certain amount of dietary fat to keep your body running properly). If you're slightly under, as you said, I'm sure you're fine. And I wouldn't worry too much - barring a medical reason to do so - about sugar or sodium.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    edited June 2017
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    graemeward84 wrote: »
    Thanks guys for the replies, my second question is, the macros....., I go slightly over on protein some days but am generally slightly under on carbs / sugar / fat / sodium etc....is this fine? I'm probably over thinking it to be honest reading your replies aren't i? Lol cheers guys

    Don't sweat hitting your macros to the gram, that's majoring in the minors. And people use various macro combinations beyond the default MFP setup, which you can change in your preferences. Here's some great advice on setting them up: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1
  • graemeward84
    graemeward84 Posts: 16 Member
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    Cheers guys, especially anvil for your help, enjoy the rest of your day and take care, your advice has made me enjoy food more and not panic as much
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    For weight loss, no eat whatever you want. You can eat only twinkles and Doritos if you want like the guy who did the Twinkie diet.

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