Can I eat whatever as long as I stay under calories?
Msnatalieann
Posts: 56 Member
I'm at the beginning of my journey so I'm starting at -1lb/week so my adorable calories is around 2000 (I'm 300lbs). Does it really matter what I eat as long as I stay under that total? Like I totally had a cheeseburger for lunch, but no fries. I always eat a light breakfast because I'm very "full" in the morning so I have quite a few calories to spare. This question might seem silly but I am losing weight even though I haven't really changed my diet drastically. Obviously I'm eating lower portions, but as far as what I'm eating, that hasn't changed. I know eventually the fat, carbs, sugar and sodium will start to matter. I'm just trying to make it easy so I don't quit. Trying to ease in I guess. I just can't fail again. (For the last three years I've been LITERALLY grossed out by veggies thanks to pregnancy, so I'm currently trying to overcome that silliness)
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Replies
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Yes, but...it may be easier to feel satisfied if you are getting proper nutrition.
For those veggies, have you tried them grilled? Roasted? Hidden in meatloaf?7 -
Yes2
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It doesn't really matter. However, you may find certain foods that do not leave you as satisfied as others. For me personally a bunch of carbs are going to keep me hungry but a nice pork chop and some vegetables will keep me full. So as you continue to count calories you will figure out which foods are best left out and which ones you should incorporate.6
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You can eat whatever you want, just a lot less than you may have been eating. The key is honest, accurate logging, and staying within your daily calorie budget.
Portion control.9 -
Yes, whatever you want that fits in your calorie allotment. Best of luck!9
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Yes for weight loss, no for optimal health, performance, adherence, satiety, body composition14
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Yes. Remember that nutrition is important for health, and certain food choices may make being in a deficit easier for the sake of satiety. For example...I can eat a bagel and stay in a deficit. But for me it is calorie dense and leaves me hungry. So I'll have a big salad instead. The choice/option is still there though.5
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Yes. I am given 1240 calories a day and get exercise calories back. I allow myself a sweet treat or a glass of wine some days. Like today, I had a chicken salad for lunch with a brownie (that I weighed) on the side. I still have 1200 calories left.6
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Yes for weight loss, no for optimal health, performance, adherence, satiety, body composition
Agreed.
If you only care about the number on the scale. Eat whatever you want as long as you stay in a calorie deficit.
However, eating "whatever you want" could potentially have a detrimental effect on how you feel (energy levels), your workouts, body composition, hunger levels/satiety, etc etc.7 -
Pretty much what everyone else said.
I will add the insight that I think the need to pay attention to satiety increases with the more fat you lose and that your approach to easing into it is a good one. Taking baby steps towards transitioning to a better diet when you're starting at 300 pounds is better than diving in head first, trying to make drastic changes, and crashing and burning.
Do start to try to incorporate vegetables in your lif. Look on pinterest for ideas on how to prepare them that might be different to how you have tried them in the past. You have time to work on this while you are still just starting.7 -
Technically, yes. I agree with your approach too, ease into it or it will burn you out. I like to suggest from time-to-time on here that people start with the "low hanging fruit", much like your eat the burger but not the fries example.
1. Stop / cut back drinking calories (soda, alcohol, fruit juices, etc...)
2. Cut back on calorie dense condiments and sauces. (ranch, mayo, dressing)
3. Park a wee bit further from the entrance to where you work, shop, etc..., those extra few calories burned can add up.
See if this works for you and establish a habit, then you can do things like get a food scale and meal prep, incorporate veggies and nutrient dense foods, increase exercise. You got this, keep us in the loop!12 -
Yes. Remember that nutrition is important for health, and certain food choices may make being in a deficit easier for the sake of satiety. For example...I can eat a bagel and stay in a deficit. But for me it is calorie dense and leaves me hungry. So I'll have a big salad instead. The choice/option is still there though.
Whereas I'm the complete opposite and carbs have a very high satiety level for me (a bagel keeps me feeling full for hours). For supper tonight I had a baked sweet potato, corn on the cob, (with 2 tbsp of butter), and 6 oz of blueberries and I'm absolutely stuffed/won't snack at all before bed. If I had a large salad with a chicken breast on top I'd be in the fridge an hour later Lol. Every one of us is different/responds to macros differently-the trick is figuring out what kinds of foods keep you feeling full/satisfied and then working them into your calorie goals
Yes OP, to lose weight the only thing that matters is that you're at the correct calorie deficit for your weight loss goals. This means you don't have to cut out your favorite foods, which makes things more sustainable. However, weight loss aside, focusing on a mostly well rounded, nutrient dense way of eating is also encouraged for overall health.
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For good health it's important to pay attention to nutrition, but the basic principle is that you can lose weight by maintaining a calorie deficit no matter what. For comfort, it's best to find a combination of foods that leave you feeling sated even when you're in a deficit. This is highly individual, so what works for one person won't necessarily work for you.1
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Yes, for weight loss it really does not matter. Cheeseburger, cake, pizza, ice cream...fill in whatever is thought of as a "fattening" food. They're only "fattening" in the sense that they're calorie-dense so could easily push people over their calorie limit. (That's easy to guard against though by simply tracking calories.) There's nothing special about them that makes a person gain weight if there's no calorie surplus going on.
I actually unintentionally lost about 10 pounds when I was a teenager working full-time at McD's one summer. Almost every day for lunch I ate a double cheeseburger (no fries). The job made me more active than I had been, so I lost weight because I must not have been eating enough calories to make up for the added activity. And I was at a normal weight to begin with and not at all looking to lose weight. Even so, the weight fell off even with a double cheeseburger most days (and other free food that my manager would let me take home at the end of my shift).
The vehicle for the calories does not matter for weight loss.
As other have mentioned, it can matter for satiety. I know for me it does. You may not need to mind that though until your calories get dropped to a level where you feel more hungry. And you may not ever need to drop to that level. You're going about this in a great way.
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For instance, yesterday I did my typical weekend working out in the yard having one decent meal at noon and then snacking the rest of the day on a variety of stuff including cake, several fun size chocolate candies, and ice cream.
I logged everything, trusted the exercise database (at least for 'gardening, general') and finished the day within my calorie budget. Advocates of macro counting, database doubting, sugar fearing and whatever other trending diet shibboleth may tut-tut, but I logged a loss this morning, and have lost 1.0 lb since last Monday.6 -
What everyone else has said. The one thing I would add is that calorie dense foods are easy to overeat, especially if you are guesstimating the size of portions instead of measuring and especially weighing. For example an official "tablespoon" by weight of peanut butter is much smaller than what fits in a tablespoon, and if you accidentally eat two tablespoons instead of one it's 100 calories. When you are first starting out and very heavy, it's easy to stay in a deficit, but if you find your weight loss slowing down, check your measurements.3
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Yes. Calories are king. I personally make it a game to eat as much food as I can within my budget. I like quantity.
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MerryMavis1 wrote: »Yes. Remember that nutrition is important for health, and certain food choices may make being in a deficit easier for the sake of satiety. For example...I can eat a bagel and stay in a deficit. But for me it is calorie dense and leaves me hungry. So I'll have a big salad instead. The choice/option is still there though.
Whereas I'm the complete opposite and carbs have a very high satiety level for me (a bagel keeps me feeling full for hours). For supper tonight I had a baked sweet potato, corn on the cob, (with 2 tbsp of butter), and 6 oz of blueberries and I'm absolutely stuffed/won't snack at all before bed. If I had a large salad with a chicken breast on top I'd be in the fridge an hour later Lol. Every one of us is different/responds to macros differently-the trick is figuring out what kinds of foods keep you feeling full/satisfied and then working them into your calorie goals
Yes OP, to lose weight the only thing that matters is that you're at the correct calorie deficit for your weight loss goals. This means you don't have to cut out your favorite foods, which makes things more sustainable. However, weight loss aside, focusing on a mostly well rounded, nutrient dense way of eating is also encouraged for overall health.
Yeah that sounds like hell to me. Everyone has to figure out what way of eating works best for them. I can eat a bagel (and I live in NYC land of giant fresh bagels) and need another one immediately.2 -
Yes, for weight loss, calories are what matter. And for nutrition, eating the things you need is what's important, not avoiding things you've labeled as bad. They're only bad if they're crowding out the things you need. So it's better to focus on adding the things that are missing (veggies, in your case -- or fiber and micro nutrients in veggies, which you may be able to get from other sources, like fruit, legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds) than to worry about the fat, sodium, and sugar in your diet.3
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IIFYM! Yes it will work, but do you want fast results or slow ones? Calorie dense foods during the day could possibly make you Splurge before you go to bed9
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Absolutely! Although, as you get on with your journey, you’ll probably find that sometimes you’re just after more “bulk” than your preferred meal will allow, so you’ll naturally gravitate to less calorie dense foods in order to satisfy your hunger. I still eat everything I ate before I started losing weight, but my veg to meat proportions have dramatically changed, and I’ve ditched pasta in favour of spiralised courgette for most (not all, some are sacred and must be respected) pasta dishes since I get a decent plate then! If I do have pasta, I have the appropriate serving, and load my plate with salad too. All about the bulk!2
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Absolutely! All that matters is that you build something you can stick with and sustain. Any of the restrictive overly involved plans lead to quitting for me. Do what works for you and do not let the noise cancel out your focus and goals. I did weight watchers my first 30 lbs and no exercise. With the weight I had on my body I had plenty of hidden muscle from carrying the extra weight. After that I moved to calories and walking. As time went on I was craving more and more exercise. I do what I call toddler exercise bc I can't do any one thing more than 10 mins, so I bounce around machines. I will say that WW was good for getting me to focus on fresh food....the points plus version not the newer. Do what works! For you!1
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jessereysmith1993 wrote: »IIFYM! Yes it will work, but do you want fast results or slow ones? Calorie dense foods during the day could possibly make you Splurge before you go to bed
I know this for a fact. When I used to miss breakfast, I would pig out all day.3 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »Yes, for weight loss, calories are what matter. And for nutrition, eating the things you need is what's important, not avoiding things you've labeled as bad. They're only bad if they're crowding out the things you need. So it's better to focus on adding the things that are missing (veggies, in your case -- or fiber and micro nutrients in veggies, which you may be able to get from other sources, like fruit, legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds) than to worry about the fat, sodium, and sugar in your diet.
I agree. Right now since i have 2000 cals available, I'm not really crowding out yet but I know if I lower that calorie goal changes would have to be made. I still eat veggies, I just don't eat them I much as I used to. I was a vegetarian for quite a while but for some reason when I had my second baby, my favorite veggies started to gag me. I miss my veggies!0 -
concordancia wrote: »Yes, but...it may be easier to feel satisfied if you are getting proper nutrition.
For those veggies, have you tried them grilled? Roasted? Hidden in meatloaf?
I've tried! I used to devour veggies! This has been the worst thing!0 -
rheddmobile wrote: »What everyone else has said. The one thing I would add is that calorie dense foods are easy to overeat, especially if you are guesstimating the size of portions instead of measuring and especially weighing. For example an official "tablespoon" by weight of peanut butter is much smaller than what fits in a tablespoon, and if you accidentally eat two tablespoons instead of one it's 100 calories. When you are first starting out and very heavy, it's easy to stay in a deficit, but if you find your weight loss slowing down, check your measurements.
I'm pretty good about measuring my food and using a scale. I plan to lower my calories as I get further along. Obviously motivation comes naturally when you start losing weight. But i need it to be easier right now.0 -
Chunkahlunkah wrote: »Yes, for weight loss it really does not matter. Cheeseburger, cake, pizza, ice cream...fill in whatever is thought of as a "fattening" food. They're only "fattening" in the sense that they're calorie-dense so could easily push people over their calorie limit. (That's easy to guard against though by simply tracking calories.) There's nothing special about them that makes a person gain weight if there's no calorie surplus going on.
I actually unintentionally lost about 10 pounds when I was a teenager working full-time at McD's one summer. Almost every day for lunch I ate a double cheeseburger (no fries). The job made me more active than I had been, so I lost weight because I must not have been eating enough calories to make up for the added activity. And I was at a normal weight to begin with and not at all looking to lose weight. Even so, the weight fell off even with a double cheeseburger most days (and other free food that my manager would let me take home at the end of my shift).
The vehicle for the calories does not matter for weight loss.
As other have mentioned, it can matter for satiety. I know for me it does. You may not need to mind that though until your calories get dropped to a level where you feel more hungry. And you may not ever need to drop to that level. You're going about this in a great way.
I do tend to get full easily and I really only struggle with "hunger" (boredom) at night. Thank you for the support!0 -
Yes for weight loss, no for optimal health, performance, adherence, satiety, body composition
Agreed.
If you only care about the number on the scale. Eat whatever you want as long as you stay in a calorie deficit.
However, eating "whatever you want" could potentially have a detrimental effect on how you feel (energy levels), your workouts, body composition, hunger levels/satiety, etc etc.
And i totally understand this. I'm just trying to start out as easily as possible. I'm normally a cold turkey balls to the wall kind of person, but not with dieting.0 -
Yes. Remember that nutrition is important for health, and certain food choices may make being in a deficit easier for the sake of satiety. For example...I can eat a bagel and stay in a deficit. But for me it is calorie dense and leaves me hungry. So I'll have a big salad instead. The choice/option is still there though.
I think about this every time i crave Chinese0 -
you do you and what works best for you. On the start I would really just focus on the amount of calories you eat. My taste actually changed a lot during my journey. The longer I kept paying attention on the amount of calories I put into myself the more I suddenly started craving fresh veggies. Some of my favorite foods are actually celery sticks or a plate full with Spinach. I also started at 330 lbs 2
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