Does it matter what you eat if you're still meeting your calorie goal for the day?
Noelishere
Posts: 22 Member
I've been right on track, losing 6lbs my first month. (Which was great)
I've been introducing foods that aren't known to be healthy (like cocktail sausages wrapped in crescent rolls)
I've been tracking everything and I haven't gone over but will eating bad foods hurt my progress?
This has been great because it doesn't (feel) like I'm "dieting" so it helps keep me on track.. kind of like having your cake and eating it too!
Tips appreciated
I've been introducing foods that aren't known to be healthy (like cocktail sausages wrapped in crescent rolls)
I've been tracking everything and I haven't gone over but will eating bad foods hurt my progress?
This has been great because it doesn't (feel) like I'm "dieting" so it helps keep me on track.. kind of like having your cake and eating it too!
Tips appreciated
4
Replies
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There are no "bad" foods. All foods can be eaten in moderation. No foods are so great that they can be eaten in unlimited amounts.
Calorie deficit over time is the only thing that creates weightloss.19 -
Think of calories like a budget. I give you $1000 dollars to buy a wardrobe. You go to the store and you know you should focus on tops, pants, and a few accessories. But you walk by the accessories and find purses, scarves, handbags, before you know it- you have spent 600 dollars and don't have the stuff you actually need. You'll have a hard time being clothed if you waste your money all on "extras."
Similarly, diet. "Healthy" foods are a good bang for your buck. They make you feel fuller, provide fiber, and good micro nutrients. Your calorie count can get quite low if you make sure everything you eat is value packed with good stuff per calorie.30 -
There are no "bad" foods - unless of course they make you sick (or are holding you up at gunpoint). Weight loss is caused by eating fewer calories than you expend. Are you getting your protein and fat minimums? Getting in all your macro and micro nutrients? Do you feel good? If so, it sounds like you found a way of eating that's sustainable for you - congratulations! That's a really good indicator you'll be successful!8
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What you are describing is how many of us who have successfully lost weight and maintained that loss have approached this process. Many call it flexible dieting, where there isn't a focus on a particular way of eating, just a general calorie reduction to achieve the deficit needed to lose weight. Of course, nutrition is important and so most people focus on eating mostly nutrient dense foods with treats in moderation.
For myself, I knew if I cut things out of my diet, I would likely not stick with it - so when I first begin on MFP I decided to add things to my lifestyle, rather than cutting things out. More protein, more vegetables, more whole grains, more exercise, more sleep. I found that by prioritizing the things I wanted to add, and not cutting anything out that I enjoyed (other than calories), it naturally prioritized the foods that provided nutrition and satiety but still left a little room for foods/drinks I enjoy in moderation.
PS - try the smokies wrapped in bacon, with a little brown sugar and cayenne pepper sprinkled on top. Stick a toothpick in them, put them in a baking dish, and bake for about 40 minutes till the bacon is crispy. Meat candy. You're welcome.
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Yay I'm so happy! I appreciate you all so much, you guys are so helpful. I've used all the advice given and it's working out great
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There are no "bad" foods - unless of course they make you sick (or are holding you up at gunpoint). Weight loss is caused by eating fewer calories than you expend. Are you getting your protein and fat minimums? Getting in all your macro and micro nutrients? Do you feel good? If so, it sounds like you found a way of eating that's sustainable for you - congratulations! That's a really good indicator you'll be successful!
<blink> What on earth would cause someone to woo this???4 -
The concept that dieting doesn't have to be misery is kind of mind blowing, but what I've come to understand and accept over the past few months here. Certainly there are foods for optimum health and/or training or what not, but when it comes to shedding pounds I have found room for tacos and cheeseburgers, FTW baby!2
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For weight loss: you can definitely eat anything you want as long as you're in a calorie deficit. Like pizza and chocolate for every meal.
For health: You will probably want to make sure you're getting enough vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein and fat to feel good and look good. 0.8 x your body weight in protein (grams) is a good minimum. You have wiggle room with fat and carbs.3 -
As long as it fits within your calorie limit, go for it!! In my opinion, that makes it very doable. I am losing slowly, but I am not depriving myself of anything. When I belonged to weight watchers, we were asked to turn in our journals for a week. I was scolded for putting down foods that were not my usual because we were on vacation. I wrote down fudge, cheese, beer, pizza. It fit within their numbers, but not in the leader's mind. I was honest about what I was eating unlike many others I'm sure.2
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I have only been doing this for a few weeks so you can take my opinion with a grain of salt, but IMO it's nearly impossible to eat an enormous amount of so-called "bad" food if you are accurately tracking and limiting your calories, if by "bad" food you mean stuff like beer or candy or whatever.
What I mean is, if you want to hit your calorie goals and still feel satiated after dinner, you are essentially forced to eat more nutrient-dense foods. I know that I could potentially hit my calorie goal on any given day while only ingesting beer and candy, but I would feel terrible and still be hungry for "real food," so I don't do it.
So the point of all this is, don't worry about "bad" foods. Just measure accurately and eat to meet your calorie goals. If you eat foods that satiate you while staying at your caloric goal, you will almost certainly be getting the nutrients you need.3 -
micahnelson wrote: »Think of calories like a budget. I give you $1000 dollars to buy a wardrobe. You go to the store and you know you should focus on tops, pants, and a few accessories. But you walk by the accessories and find purses, scarves, handbags, before you know it- you have spent 600 dollars and don't have the stuff you actually need. You'll have a hard time being clothed if you waste your money all on "extras."
Similarly, diet. "Healthy" foods are a good bang for your buck. They make you feel fuller, provide fiber, and good micro nutrients. Your calorie count can get quite low if you make sure everything you eat is value packed with good stuff per calorie.
I like this analogy, might have to steal it sometime. Also +1 for BSG avatar.1 -
Someone's Wooing the crap outta this thread for no reason! OP,you can eat what you want as long as it fits your calories for the day,I've lost while not giving up my daily donut,weekly pizza and weekly lunches out with my daughter4
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There are no "bad" foods - unless of course they make you sick (or are holding you up at gunpoint). Weight loss is caused by eating fewer calories than you expend. Are you getting your protein and fat minimums? Getting in all your macro and micro nutrients? Do you feel good? If so, it sounds like you found a way of eating that's sustainable for you - congratulations! That's a really good indicator you'll be successful!
<blink> What on earth would cause someone to woo this???
Why is this woo? mph323 states CICO is the way to lose weight. The he/she goes on to ask about macro and micro nutrients in a way that supports CICO. Are we so CICOized that we aren't allowed to talk about other health concepts? Macro-nutrients are real things and from what I have researched, can have their ratio adjusted to align with and support individual bodies and goals.
There always seems to be this CICO is all mentality and when people of good will ask sincere questions, it should be ok to have a dialog that extends past CICO without puritan responses. Sorry if this seems overkill on the reply, but I see so much of this when browsing the threads.3 -
Re: all the woos. Someone clearly can't take anything nuanced.
The nuanced answer is
1. you can eat anything and lose weight as long as the calories you eat are fewer than the calories you expend;
2. weight as shown on the scale often varies due to water retention which is affected by exercise, hormones, sodium consumption, etc.; and
3. to remain healthy long term requires eating a diet that meets nutritional needs.
9 -
Also regarding the woos - if someone has such strong feelings about weight loss and food selection it would be nice to understand exactly what points are an issue and what their own personal philosophy is. Wooing a bunch of common sense posts without any context or explanation is a really ineffective way to get a point across.2
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So, I will chime in. To be concise (y'all might want to sit down - I am not 'concise' too very often):
1. Essentially, Calories In vs Calories Out.
2. Be within 5% of your Caloric goals daily
3. Consider tracking everyday but using those daily entries as data points along the week's graph!
4. Give more focus to your weekly total
5. You need to know your maintenance calories (and keep in mind that will change slightly)
6. If you are trying to loose weight, then you want to be in a caloric deficit (depending on your goals, between 100 and 500 calories a day, generally speaking)
7. If you are trying to gain weight, then you want to be in a caloric surplus (depending on your goals, between 100 and 500 calories a day, generally speaking)
8. I follow something called Flexible Dieting
9. I follow something called Intermittent Fasting
10. Some would suggest to also track your macros (Protein, Carbs, Fats). If you do, then be within 10% of your macro goals daily.
11. If you are going to track macros, pay special attention to Protein (this is usually a constant) and make up the difference with some Carb | Fat ratio that works for you.
12. The key is adherence. So, put yourself in a position to succeed long term with this.
I am sure that I could add some more, but since I was #12 in high school and college I will stop there!2 -
Also regarding the woos - if someone has such strong feelings about weight loss and food selection it would be nice to understand exactly what points are an issue and what their own personal philosophy is. Wooing a bunch of common sense posts without any context or explanation is a really ineffective way to get a point across.
It's been happening a lot lately. Methinks it might be because of a certain woo-button thread...4 -
stevencloser wrote: »Also regarding the woos - if someone has such strong feelings about weight loss and food selection it would be nice to understand exactly what points are an issue and what their own personal philosophy is. Wooing a bunch of common sense posts without any context or explanation is a really ineffective way to get a point across.
It's been happening a lot lately. Methinks it might be because of a certain woo-button thread...
Do you have a link? TIA!0 -
Nope I've lost 31 pounds eating out almost every day, and indulging in sweets as well. All that is needed is eating at a caloric deficit.0
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Lesscookies1 wrote: »Nope I've lost 31 pounds eating out almost every day, and indulging in sweets as well. All that is needed is eating at a caloric deficit.
I think everyone agrees with that Lesscookies1. It should be ok to say, once we agree that eating in a caloric deficit is 100% required to lose weight, that there are other aspects of losing weight worthy of discussion.1 -
OP if what you are eating puts you at caloric deficit while giving you adequate nutrition to be long-term sustainable and keeping you satisfied in terms of hunger then that is really all you need. Doesn't matter at all if there are hot-dogs in there.
Longer answer would be that if over time you find yourself struggling to stay satisfied and not feel hungry or you are not getting enough nutrition then the first things you might want to cast a critical eye on in your diet are those things that are high calorie and low satiety which tends to be the "junk" foods.1 -
greenlizard72 wrote: »There are no "bad" foods - unless of course they make you sick (or are holding you up at gunpoint). Weight loss is caused by eating fewer calories than you expend. Are you getting your protein and fat minimums? Getting in all your macro and micro nutrients? Do you feel good? If so, it sounds like you found a way of eating that's sustainable for you - congratulations! That's a really good indicator you'll be successful!
<blink> What on earth would cause someone to woo this???
Why is this woo? mph323 states CICO is the way to lose weight. The he/she goes on to ask about macro and micro nutrients in a way that supports CICO. Are we so CICOized that we aren't allowed to talk about other health concepts? Macro-nutrients are real things and from what I have researched, can have their ratio adjusted to align with and support individual bodies and goals.
There always seems to be this CICO is all mentality and when people of good will ask sincere questions, it should be ok to have a dialog that extends past CICO without puritan responses. Sorry if this seems overkill on the reply, but I see so much of this when browsing the threads.
I saw the woos and didn't think they were coming from someone who is pro CICO, although I guess only the mods or the powers that be know. More woo those giving the kind of advice that is considered not woo to protest the woo button?
(In other words, I think stevencloser is likely correct.)
Eh, oh well.
Anyway, lots of good advice in this thread.0 -
There are no "bad" foods - unless of course they make you sick (or are holding you up at gunpoint). Weight loss is caused by eating fewer calories than you expend. Are you getting your protein and fat minimums? Getting in all your macro and micro nutrients? Do you feel good? If so, it sounds like you found a way of eating that's sustainable for you - congratulations! That's a really good indicator you'll be successful!
<blink> What on earth would cause someone to woo this???
Woo was purposefully given two official meanings: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10570889/new-community-reaction-woo#latest
There was a lengthy discussion about changing this:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10598644/get-rid-of-the-woo-button/p10 -
You burn the most calories digesting protein. You can still lost weight by being at a deficit but high protein seems to be best as about 20% of the calories are used to digest it.5
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micahnelson wrote: »Think of calories like a budget. I give you $1000 dollars to buy a wardrobe. You go to the store and you know you should focus on tops, pants, and a few accessories. But you walk by the accessories and find purses, scarves, handbags, before you know it- you have spent 600 dollars and don't have the stuff you actually need. You'll have a hard time being clothed if you waste your money all on "extras."
Similarly, diet. "Healthy" foods are a good bang for your buck. They make you feel fuller, provide fiber, and good micro nutrients. Your calorie count can get quite low if you make sure everything you eat is value packed with good stuff per calorie.
Agreed. I couldn't possibly feel full if I spent a lot of my calorie budget on hyper-palatable foods.
I do still eat pizza, but I have less than I used to, and have it with a large salad. I've been meaning to make pigs-in-a-blanket, and would pair this with broccoli.0 -
For health it's good to eat a variety of foods. For weight loss, the only thing that matters is a calorie deficit.0
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There are no bad foods. Now, you may be eating more calories than you think. Make sure you use a kitchen scale to weight your non-liquid foods. You'd be amazed at how calories add up when you either eyeball your portions or use measuring scoops.
My biggest thing is that, while there are no bad foods, there are foods you can eat more of and consume fewer calories. A lot of us on here are volume eaters. I like calorie dense meals that are also huge, just comprised of lower calorie foods, because that's way more satiating to me than eating smaller portions that are calorie dense, if that makes sense.0 -
greenlizard72 wrote: »Lesscookies1 wrote: »Nope I've lost 31 pounds eating out almost every day, and indulging in sweets as well. All that is needed is eating at a caloric deficit.
I think everyone agrees with that Lesscookies1. It should be ok to say, once we agree that eating in a caloric deficit is 100% required to lose weight, that there are other aspects of losing weight worthy of discussion.
But given that the OP specifically asked if it is ok to include what they describe as "bad foods" or if it will hurt their progress, then I'm not sure it's safe to say that everyone knows it's ok to eat any food as long as you're in a deficit and you'll still lose weight.
With so much misinformation about diet and weight loss and in particular a trend toward demonizing certain foods or ingredients, and/or promoting the completely arbitrary "clean eating" approach, it's helpful to let posters who believe they MUST eat exclusively "healthy" foods in order to be successful that that simply isn't the case.
And please note that many, many posters add the caveat that while a calorie deficit is the only requirement for weight loss and you can achieve this eating any foods you like, that eating a balanced diet that focuses on nutrition is important for overall health. That said, chiming in with examples of things that many of us eat regularly and still lose weight is probably good affirmation for the OP.4
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