Viewing the message boards in:

Can I eat whatever I want?

Posts: 74 Member
edited November 2024 in Getting Started
This may be a dumb question, but as long as I stay in my daily calorie defecit, can I eat whatever I want no matter how “unhealthy”?

Welcome!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.
«1

Replies

  • Posts: 14,464 Member
    Here’s a Carl’s Jr burger, no fries, no drink.

    https://www.carlsjr.com/menu/nutritional_calculator

    If you are on a 1500 calorie a day diet this one burger will suck up a full third of your day’s calories. Fat and sizzly, yes. Calorie king, yes.
  • Posts: 4,796 Member
    HarryPro wrote: »
    I find that a lot of people get sticker shock when they first start really looking at the calories in something.

    Yes! I love Fatburger strawberry milkshakes, and before I joined MFP we'd have them maybe once a month or so. Then I discovered one has about 900 calories in it. I've had two in the last 2.5 years!

    But yeah, if I couldn't fit in some treats here and there (or every day, sometimes!) I'd have given up long ago.
  • Posts: 2,072 Member
    To lose weight: yes

    All you have to do is stay in a calorie deficit. Now, a diet of purely junk food will most likely lead to other health problems. Having snacks in moderation along with generally healthy foods is just fine.
  • Posts: 17,890 Member
    It may be the best question you'll be asking this year. So many people (including myself) struggle/have struggled with weight management for years, trying to adhere to all the "good advice" out there, like the good little girls (or boys) we are inside. That is nonsense! To maintain a healthy weight, all we have to do, is not eat too much (too many calories) over time. But to maintain good health, of course we have to eat a healthy diet. But a healthy diet is NOT restrictive. A healthy diet is the opposite, it's balanced and varied, fresh and tasty and delicious. No foods are in themselves unhealthy (or healthy), it's all about balance. No foods are fattening (or aiding weightloss), it's all about portions and frequency. MFP tells you how many calories you should eat to lose, maintain or gain weight. Common sense tells you what to eat. If you're unsure, look up "Harvard Healthy Eating Plate" but please, please, for your own sake, for your own health - stop being the good little girl/boy and use common sense when you read, and adjust to your own preferences and your own real life situation.
  • Posts: 390 Member
    Yes of course! But with that unfortunately bad foods are higher in calories so you won't be able to each as much of those foods and then you'll end up hungry unless you do ALOT of exercise you can give your self some more cals to play with. I have done this a few times if I had a McDonald's I literally could only eat something small if I didn't do exercise :)
  • Posts: 5,283 Member
    There are no 'bad' foods. There are staples, treats, and extremely special treat foods.

    It's about portion control, context and dosage.
    eople would call that "good" food. But if I'd had a larger portion of it, it would have taken me over my calories.
  • Posts: 1,142 Member
    I do and I've lost 40lb in the last 18 months, however, I exercise more and don't have as much as I used to have. I don't deny myself anything and adjust other days if I've gone particularly mad.

    Also, as Danp says, I find myself wanting healthier things nowadays - I could literally eat my own weight in strawberries right now (and that's a lot despite the loss lol) but last year I would have killed for chocolate cake yet last month took the kids out and watched them eat theirs without having some myself.
  • Posts: 8,940 Member
    It is really important to get yourself started and be patient. If you find yourself hungry too often hurry back here and this forum can provide you with some strategies to try. Give yourself time to get it right before worrying about the scale.
  • Posts: 470 Member
    VUA21 wrote: »

    Oh yeah! I know that feeling. I used to love Frappacinos, then I saw the calorie content. I haven't had one in a very long time.

    Now I budget around 200 calories for my evening snacks. Tonight was 2 Tim Tam's at a total of 190 calories, so they fit my calories for the day.

    My aussie friend got me addicted to tim tams. Unfortunately for me it is either like 5+ or none so I save them for special times.
  • Posts: 8,940 Member
    If you're on a 2800 calorie a day diet, this burger will fit in quite neatly without struggle or inconvenience.

    Context matters.

    For a Tall, active person a Fast food burger is just another part of another normal meal. for a less active, more sedentary person it's quite a challenge, but even then, it's still only 1/3 of those calories, and provides a meaningful quantity of your days protein. So it's not that big of a challenge.

    You could also be a person that eats less for the other meals to save a most of the days calories for one meal. My wife who has less to work with than I do can make that burger fit in her dinner.

  • Posts: 470 Member
    Also I have found some greasy delicious foods aren't worth the bother of saving up calories for or doing extra exercise.

    I used to eat delicious poutine nearly weekly before I joined and now it just feels like too much effort to make room for and I don't miss it at all!

    I'd rather spend extra calories of having a bit of wine and chocolate every night and eating at least 2 tablespoons of peanut butter with breakfast.
  • Posts: 1,557 Member
    becky3695 wrote: »

    If you eat clean for a long period of time and decide on the greasy cheese burger -- BE ADVISED, IT IS NOT PRETTY.

    I had eaten very clean for about 5 months. I looked at my husband and said -a burger sounds really good right about now. We went to our favorite tavern and got a burger. I ate half. Before I got home my stomach was in knots. I laid in the fetal position for about 3 hours. I looked at my husband and said - for the love of GOD make the second half of that burger disappear before I get up!

    Round 2 was about 3 months later. I ate a burger and nachos on a Sunday. It messed with my stomach so much I had to call in sick the following Monday. Luckily, my boss had the same experience a few months earlier and understood.

    I do this on purpose now and then just to get things 'moving' when they hadn't been as regular for a bit. It hasn't hit me to the extent it did you, but I don't eat 'clean' all the time, either. Sorry it hit you so hard!
  • Posts: 2,072 Member
    kballsocc wrote: »

    My aussie friend got me addicted to tim tams. Unfortunately for me it is either like 5+ or none so I save them for special times.

    I freeze all my sweet snacks and have them one at a time. It's not too easy to chew through a frozen Tim Tam, so I usually have just one (occasionally 2).
  • Posts: 4,126 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »

    What a great reason not to eat so "clean." I had something similar happen but it wasn't because I was trying to eat a certain way it just kind of happened. I realized my mistake so now I work in more "dirty" food so I don't get sick.

    Yeah, I'm kind of off the wagon at the moment and trying to get back on. I haven't had this issue in quiet a while. LOL. I think a bi weekly pizza makes everything right with the world :D
  • Posts: 1,561 Member
    A few other things.

    I can't (or prefer not to) drink full strength soft drinks anymore. They taste way to sickly and syrupy to me now I much prefer the "diet" version regardless of calories. Gimme a Coke Zero or Pepsi Max any day.

    I also prefer skim milk over the full cream version these days. Tastes really do change.
This discussion has been closed.