Eating whatever within calorie limit?

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Replies

  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
    the only thing with eating whatever you want - when i eat 2 eggs in the morning, it fills me up more till lunchtime. when i eat a bowl of cold cereal with milk, i get hungry mid morning. so with some foods, i tend to be hungrier sooner, which will make me eat more, and then it will not be as good for me on my diet.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    AllOutof_Bubblegum wrote: »
    mehreen_xo wrote: »
    Sooo I've read a LOT of Internet woo in the past and have believe a lot of it for a while till I got onto mfp and was totally taken aback!

    There's one thing I just cannot seem to get my head around is that you can eat literally ANYTHING as long as you're in a deficit. I'm someone who absolutely lovessssss chocolate and feel like I need a bit every day. I'm so scared to save enough calories for a chocolate bar and have one every day. I feel like I'd gain sooo much weight!
    Please someone tell me they have something bad everyday and have lost weight!!

    The only "bad" food you can eat is the food that's over your calorie goal.

    Or food that has spoiled. ;)
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    the only thing with eating whatever you want - when i eat 2 eggs in the morning, it fills me up more till lunchtime. when i eat a bowl of cold cereal with milk, i get hungry mid morning. so with some foods, i tend to be hungrier sooner, which will make me eat more, and then it will not be as good for me on my diet.

    To be fair, the food doesn't make you eat more. You make you eat more. You choose what goes in your mouth, you can also choose to not eat even if you're hungry!
  • Locolady98
    Locolady98 Posts: 92 Member
    Like everyone else is saying... yes, BUT.... Keep in mind, there's a difference between weight loss and being healthy. Extreme example: People with cancer can have sudden weight loss as an early warning sign. That is not an indication of good health!

    For me, health and fitness includes being at a healthy weight, but the bigger picture includes vibrant health, great energy, and being strong and healthy! That means eating mostly healthy stuff. It doesn't mean I can never have chocolate, junk food, etc... BUT... - for me, I avoid that stuff anyway, because it triggers compulsive eating for me. That's a food addiction. I have a food addiction, I'm aware of it, so I "just say no" to my junk food triggers. Not everyone has that worry.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    Wtn_Gurl wrote: »
    ... with some foods, i tend to be hungrier sooner, which will make me eat more, and then it will not be as good for me on my diet.

    To be fair, the food doesn't make you eat more. You make you eat more. You choose what goes in your mouth, you can also choose to not eat even if you're hungry!

    Indeed one chooses what to put in one's mouth but why make that choice harder? Some things give me the munchies (e.g. diet sodas) so I avoid them. When I want a snack, I consider not only how it tastes but how it will make me feel in terms of hunger pangs. I've been learning that something sweet, like fruit, in the evening will make me want to continue eating. Therefore, I am avoiding sweet things as an evening snack and going for savory.

    A sweet treat in the evening doesn't force me to eat more. It does make me want to eat more at that moment. I'm not into self-flagellation so I'll just adjust what I eat when.
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    I lost a lot of weight and improved all my health markers while continuing to eat all the foods I liked, just at the correct calorie amounts. Doing it this way also made this whole thing realistic and sustainable for me, and I not only hit my weight goals but was also able to then transition into maintenance, where I've now been for several years. My food preferences have changed over time but I still eat what foods I want and haven't cut out anything that I love.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    LadyRaeB wrote: »
    Perhaps you could "earn" your "bad" foods by going to the gym. Work out and burn 300 calories so you feel justified eating a 150 calorie chocolate bar. You'd still have a calorie deficiency and you wouldn't be cutting into your normal healthy diet to do it :smile:

    I eally hate the you have to "earn" your food mentality - it just adds to the negative associations/relationships with food - I can't eat this because its bad, I have to earn my chocolate bar etc

    food is fuel - If you treat it that way - filling up your engine, so you can get the best performance out of your body, so much better
  • ayuri17
    ayuri17 Posts: 21 Member
    I have cake or donuts for breakfast every single day (I keep the portion to under 300 calories and eat well the rest of the day) and have lost weight. It really is all about calories in, calories out. So go ahead and have that bit of chocolate!
  • InkAndApples
    InkAndApples Posts: 201 Member
    Right now I'm drinking a huge bottle of San Miguel because it fits beautifully into my calorie limit.

    The only difference between my eating now and before I started losing weight is I control the amounts I eat. (And I maybe don't have chocolate AND pizza AND beer AND ice cream all in the same meal.... Maybe.)
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,757 Member
    snickerscharlie wrote: »
    AllOutof_Bubblegum wrote: »
    mehreen_xo wrote: »
    Sooo I've read a LOT of Internet woo in the past and have believe a lot of it for a while till I got onto mfp and was totally taken aback!

    There's one thing I just cannot seem to get my head around is that you can eat literally ANYTHING as long as you're in a deficit. I'm someone who absolutely lovessssss chocolate and feel like I need a bit every day. I'm so scared to save enough calories for a chocolate bar and have one every day. I feel like I'd gain sooo much weight!
    Please someone tell me they have something bad everyday and have lost weight!!

    The only "bad" food you can eat is the food that's over your calorie goal.

    Or food that has spoiled. ;)

    You know, I'm all about expiration dates but I've had sandwiches with mayo on them that were left out on a counter over night and nothing's happened so even that...
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,645 Member
    glassyo wrote: »
    snickerscharlie wrote: »
    AllOutof_Bubblegum wrote: »
    mehreen_xo wrote: »
    Sooo I've read a LOT of Internet woo in the past and have believe a lot of it for a while till I got onto mfp and was totally taken aback!

    There's one thing I just cannot seem to get my head around is that you can eat literally ANYTHING as long as you're in a deficit. I'm someone who absolutely lovessssss chocolate and feel like I need a bit every day. I'm so scared to save enough calories for a chocolate bar and have one every day. I feel like I'd gain sooo much weight!
    Please someone tell me they have something bad everyday and have lost weight!!

    The only "bad" food you can eat is the food that's over your calorie goal.

    Or food that has spoiled. ;)

    You know, I'm all about expiration dates but I've had sandwiches with mayo on them that were left out on a counter over night and nothing's happened so even that...

    I used to follow a rule that it hasn't been "sitting out overnight" if I hadn't been to sleep yet. It was risky business in the summers of my youth when the sun would be up for hours before I'd hit the hay, and I was still picking at the previous night's dinner. Still didn't die.
  • dfwesq
    dfwesq Posts: 592 Member
    All the posts focusing just on weight loss ("nutrition is another ballgame" etc.) don't make sense to me. If you're going to work hard at losing weight, why not also put some effort into being healthy enough to enjoy it?

  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    Because it can get overwhelming. Eight months ago, all I was focused on were calories. That doesn't mean my menu was comprised of fast food and candy by ANY stretch, but if I was also dealing with 'Cut calories, raise protein, eat X servings of fruits and veggies, cut this, add that, do this much cardio and this much strength, etc etc...' I would probably have dropped the whole thing.

    As I got used to eating at a deficit, mostly healthy, but making room for occasional high-calorie foods, I started making an effort on protein. Watching my iron. Upping my exercise from a 25-minute walk to 2 hours or an hour on a glider plus strength training every other day.

    But just cutting calories was (and is) the most important thing for me. And it's been proven that even eating a nutrient-poor diet at a deficit improves your health markers.
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    edited July 2017
    dfwesq wrote: »
    All the posts focusing just on weight loss ("nutrition is another ballgame" etc.) don't make sense to me. If you're going to work hard at losing weight, why not also put some effort into being healthy enough to enjoy it?

    I did put a lot of effort into bettering my health-by losing the extra 50lbs that was causing my glucose number to be high. Losing the weight, by just focusing on my calorie intake, was what caused all my health markers to improve into normal ranges. Doing this also allowed me to transition into maintenance without issues.

    After several years of successful maintenance and consistent, great blood tests/Dr. visits, I've started transitioning to a more whole foods, plant based diet. Doing so hasn't changed my weight or my current health though, and only time will tell if eating a 'cleaner' diet will actually do anything positive. Since I was already in excellent health when I started making the switch it will be hard to improve on anything, but I've been bored with maintenance so the dietary changes are giving me something new to play with.

    Most people fail at long term weight loss adherence so why make it any harder than it needs to be by making a bunch of drastic, unsustainable changes when someone is just starting? If I hadn't started out where I did back in my weight loss phase, there's no way I'd be where I'm at today. Back then I was overwhelmed and scared, and I needed to approach this whole thing in a simple way, one that worked with where I was at. That was getting a handle on my calorie intake and it's been the foundation for my success these past 5 years.
  • Sp1tfire
    Sp1tfire Posts: 1,120 Member
    How you'll look and how you'll feel are two different things. You'll lose weight eating whatever as long as you burn more, but you will feel like crap if its all crap devoid of key nutrients. That being said, if you make well-educated choices (including your favorite treats to help you stay sane!) you should feel good mentally and physically and lose weight if you eat less than you burn. Eat that chocolate!
  • Sp1tfire
    Sp1tfire Posts: 1,120 Member
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    LadyRaeB wrote: »
    Perhaps you could "earn" your "bad" foods by going to the gym. Work out and burn 300 calories so you feel justified eating a 150 calorie chocolate bar. You'd still have a calorie deficiency and you wouldn't be cutting into your normal healthy diet to do it :smile:

    I eally hate the you have to "earn" your food mentality - it just adds to the negative associations/relationships with food - I can't eat this because its bad, I have to earn my chocolate bar etc

    food is fuel - If you treat it that way - filling up your engine, so you can get the best performance out of your body, so much better

    I agree wholeheartedly with you deannalfisher. When I tried 'earning' treats at the gym it made me resent the gym and made my relationship with food even worse than it already was. Once I decided to take a smaller portion of x to make room for y my mentality was a lot better.
  • BlueButterfly94
    BlueButterfly94 Posts: 303 Member
    grmrsan wrote: »
    You can definitely eat chocolate cake and not gain weight, as long as you stay under your calorie budget. However, keep in mind that losing weight and staying healthy are not necessarily the same thing. If you budget too many calories towards the cake, you are taking from other healthier and more filling choices. This can cause you to be hungry sooner, and over time feel lousy.
    Absolutely budget for that yummy slice of cake, but make sure you're adding in the healthier and more filling stuff first.

    Sums it up pretty much perfectly.
  • BWA468
    BWA468 Posts: 101 Member
    I have chocolate everynight. I buy a block of Kit Kat and have 2 rows of that. Its quite low calorie compared to ones like Cadbury. I also eat pizza at least once a week (have mentioned that many times on here), cheese, bread, ice cream, KFC, coke/pepsi. If it fits, then have it. 'Healthier' food like veggies are mostly low calorie so you can have more of them but to stick so a calorie goal day in and out you need to have 'naughty' treats for sanity - well I do! :)
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    BWA468 wrote: »
    I have chocolate everynight. I buy a block of Kit Kat and have 2 rows of that. Its quite low calorie compared to ones like Cadbury. I also eat pizza at least once a week (have mentioned that many times on here), cheese, bread, ice cream, KFC, coke/pepsi. If it fits, then have it. 'Healthier' food like veggies are mostly low calorie so you can have more of them but to stick so a calorie goal day in and out you need to have 'naughty' treats for sanity - well I do! :)

    I take my hat off to you for being able to stop at 2 rows of a kitkat :+1:
  • dfwesq
    dfwesq Posts: 592 Member
    InkAndApples wrote: »
    dfwesq wrote: »
    All the posts focusing just on weight loss ("nutrition is another ballgame" etc.) don't make sense to me. If you're going to work hard at losing weight, why not also put some effort into being healthy enough to enjoy it?

    The OP asks a simple question, to which there is a simple answer.

    Incodentally: There's often a false dichotomy set up on these threads. It is possible to eat "whatever" and maintain a good standard of healthfulness. It isn't "perfect clean eating like an actual saint or somesuch" on the one hand and "ZOMG twinkies and beer 4eva!" on the other. You can work hard to be healthy and advocate eating all foods within your calorie goal.
    I'm not addressing OP, or the posts that said treats are OK - I'm addressing the posts that went beyond, by promoting "no need to change anything except calories". The truth is, the average thin person's eating habits aren't that great. The average overweight or obese person's eating habits are probably worse. Obviously, some are eating better than average, and some worse. But scientists and doctors keep warning that the average diet is leading to heart disease, cancer, and other diseases. It's not just the calories - it's the foods themselves. So, with the possible exception of people who are already eating a really healthy diet, I don't think we are doing anyone a favor by telling them "eat whatever you like".

    I'm not sure how anyone could read "put some effort into being healthy" and think it means "make a bunch of sudden, extreme, and unsustainable changes". Weight loss is a gradual process, and during that period, people have the opportunity to make changes. In fact, putting some effort into eating healthier is likely to make people more successful at losing weight, not less. I'm not saying we need to post detailed nutritional advice when people don't ask for it. But by the same token, we shouldn't give bad nutritional advice either.

  • Momepro
    Momepro Posts: 1,509 Member
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    LadyRaeB wrote: »
    Perhaps you could "earn" your "bad" foods by going to the gym. Work out and burn 300 calories so you feel justified eating a 150 calorie chocolate bar. You'd still have a calorie deficiency and you wouldn't be cutting into your normal healthy diet to do it :smile:

    I eally hate the you have to "earn" your food mentality - it just adds to the negative associations/relationships with food - I can't eat this because its bad, I have to earn my chocolate bar etc

    food is fuel - If you treat it that way - filling up your engine, so you can get the best performance out of your body, so much better

    I don't think of it so much as earning your treats, as getting a tip for doing a great job.For me, counting calories the same as I count my pennies seems to work well. Weighing food, making healthy choices and excerising properly are part of the new career of becoming healthy. Extra calories are my paycheck, and extra helping or treat is my tip for a job well done.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    grmrsan wrote: »
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    LadyRaeB wrote: »
    Perhaps you could "earn" your "bad" foods by going to the gym. Work out and burn 300 calories so you feel justified eating a 150 calorie chocolate bar. You'd still have a calorie deficiency and you wouldn't be cutting into your normal healthy diet to do it :smile:

    I eally hate the you have to "earn" your food mentality - it just adds to the negative associations/relationships with food - I can't eat this because its bad, I have to earn my chocolate bar etc

    food is fuel - If you treat it that way - filling up your engine, so you can get the best performance out of your body, so much better

    I don't think of it so much as earning your treats, as getting a tip for doing a great job.For me, counting calories the same as I count my pennies seems to work well. Weighing food, making healthy choices and excerising properly are part of the new career of becoming healthy. Extra calories are my paycheck, and extra helping or treat is my tip for a job well done.

    I agree.

    I prelog my day and 9 times out of 10 I'm a couple hundred over my base calories. Exercise certainly does earn me extra food/treats. If i want to partake in a nice restaurant meal then i definitely have to earn it.
  • SafioraLinnea
    SafioraLinnea Posts: 628 Member
    edited July 2017
    I am 57 pounds down eating what I want but I keep my calories as close to my goal as I humanly can. My natural inclination is to eat mostly nutrient dense ("healthy") food but I can and do budget my calories for treats.

    Thursday is my treat night but I earn those treats with extra exercise on Thursday and leaving space in my daily calories for them. Some Thursdays I have no interest in my usual chips or popcorn so I sit down with a glass of water and a bowl of fruit instead. Regardless, I indulge - within my calorie goal - at least once a week.

    I am a fan of the 80/20 mindset: 80% of my intake is nutrient dense food, 20% is whatever I want regardless of its perceived healthfulness. It just happens to be convenient that I genuinely enjoy many healthy things. I got fat eating mostly nutritious food - just excessive quantities of it.
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