can you undo a bad diet?
slamken1
Posts: 3 Member
all week i eat in a deficit but on the weekend i eat more “junk foods” although still in a deficit. i am then bloated and fatigued for days and i can’t lose weight. is it because i’m eating unhealthy or is there other reasons?
0
Replies
-
Weight management is about calories...if you're eating in a deficit, it doesn't really matter (you will lose weight...ie fat)...but bloat = water retention, which shows on the scale. It doesn't take much water weight to mask small amounts of fat loss. Also, fatigue will affect the CO side of the equation as you will tend to move less in general being fatigued...even simple things like fidgeting and whatnot that we don't really think about burn more calories than not...and fatigue will affect those types of things.
That said, it is possible to undo progress or slow down progress if your weekends are eating into or eliminating your deficit altogether...which would be easy to do if you're eating a lot of "junk" food and your logging isn't particularly accurate.11 -
If you're tracking through the weekends, it shouldn't make that much of a difference. I would relook to see if your calories are accurate. My guess is you're not weighing food or measuring portions.9
-
How do you determine your deficit? Are you using a food scale to make sure you know how much you’re eating? Do you track accurately on weekends also?
I would start there. You might need to evaluate your activity level selection also if you aren’t moving much once you eat the junk and then are tired for days.2 -
Yes. Your body can like some foods better than others.
I love cookies, ice cream and coke.
My body likes lean meats, vegetables, some fruit.
We both like milk.9 -
It’s probably because you’re retaining water due to high sodium foods in the weekend. By the time you shed it, you’re back to another weekend. If you’re in calorie deficit, you should still see an overall net decrease in weight.5
-
When you say you "can't lose weight," do you mean you're not losing any weight at all? If it's been a few weeks of this, then that means you're likely not in a deficit.
If you mean that you are losing weight and then it temporarily stops for a bit following the weekend, but you're still going down overall as a trend, then it's more likely it's the sodium on the weekends.
If the foods you're eating are making you feel fatigued, then you're also possibly moving less on the days following the weekend, which can also complicate your efforts to consistently hit a deficit.
Have you considered still eating the foods you enjoy, but at levels that don't make you feel bloated and fatigued? This seems like the solution that would be ideal from all perspectives.11 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Weight management is about calories...if you're eating in a deficit, it doesn't really matter (you will lose weight...ie fat)...but bloat = water retention, which shows on the scale. It doesn't take much water weight to mask small amounts of fat loss. Also, fatigue will affect the CO side of the equation as you will tend to move less in general being fatigued...even simple things like fidgeting and whatnot that we don't really think about burn more calories than not...and fatigue will affect those types of things.
That said, it is possible to undo progress or slow down progress if your weekends are eating into or eliminating your deficit altogether...which would be easy to do if you're eating a lot of "junk" food and your logging isn't particularly accurate.
All of this...3 -
I agree with the above posters - it is all about calories in and calories out.
That said, I do know there are some foods that cause me to bloat, and retain water, and therefore weigh more. (Because, bluntly, I'm not as regular and it shows). If you're snacking on high salt foods and are not voiding, that will impact the number on the scales.
Ditto if you are not logging accurately. Junk food is sneaky, and portion sizes are deceptively small and/or irregular. I still eat them, but am sad to say that I really cannot eat an entire bag of chips and still have room for other nutritious /satieting foods.
What does your weight trend line look like? Do you weigh daily? on the average is your weight dropping?
This is my past week's numbers: 185.5, 186, 183.4, 184.8, 185.5, 184.5, 183.9. I was frustrated at 186. And elated at 183. LOL
On average, though... my weight last week was 185, and my weight this week is 184.7... so progress is still there.
Just a few things to consider.9 -
can you undo a bad diet? Yes. CICO have you ever heard of the Twinkie diet? http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html
Not recommended, but evidence that CICO when at a caloric deficit will result in weight loss.
Now, you real question of ‘if I eat at a deficit for 5 days and then binge on junk food for 2 days every week, will I lose weight?’
Same issue CICO. If over the course of a week you are at a deficit, then you will lose weight.
Why are you not seeing results? Factors could include:
- you are not actually eating at an overall deficit
- you haven’t given it enough time yet
- Your weekend junk food has too much salt and causing you to retain water
What can you do?
Drink more water
Reduce your junk food
Add vegetables
Weigh and measure and track your food
You can do it!
3 -
There are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings1
-
all week i eat in a deficit but on the weekend i eat more “junk foods” although still in a deficit. i am then bloated and fatigued for days and i can’t lose weight. is it because i’m eating unhealthy or is there other reasons?
You are exactly what you said. Bloated. Processed junky foods tend to do that when coming off of a clean diet. Just stick to your diet and it'll shed with time.3 -
jessienani wrote: »all week i eat in a deficit but on the weekend i eat more “junk foods” although still in a deficit. i am then bloated and fatigued for days and i can’t lose weight. is it because i’m eating unhealthy or is there other reasons?
You are exactly what you said. Bloated. Processed junky foods tend to do that when coming off of a clean diet. Just stick to your diet and it'll shed with time.
Has nothing to do with processed vs. clean food. What is clean food anyway?
People bloat for all sorts of reasons. Hey, I can eat raw veggies and bloat. Are they not clean then?
Holding onto water weight can be caused by more sodium in the diet, but can also be caused by a higher amount of carbs than usual, or by having more food waste in the digestive tract. And all of this is temporary.9 -
Try a minor elimination diet.
Don't eat those processed food for a couple of weeks and see how you feel (usually elimination diet should be 4 weeks of in not wrong, there is a nutritionist here he can help with it).
It might be excessive salt, some ingredients your body doesn't like, you are actually eating more than you think... Many reasons.4 -
all week i eat in a deficit but on the weekend i eat more “junk foods” although still in a deficit. i am then bloated and fatigued for days and i can’t lose weight. is it because i’m eating unhealthy or is there other reasons?
Calorie deficit for weight loss
Calorie deficit + micro/macro adherence + exercise for overall health
2 -
jessienani wrote: »all week i eat in a deficit but on the weekend i eat more “junk foods” although still in a deficit. i am then bloated and fatigued for days and i can’t lose weight. is it because i’m eating unhealthy or is there other reasons?
You are exactly what you said. Bloated. Processed junky foods tend to do that when coming off of a clean diet. Just stick to your diet and it'll shed with time.
How are you defining processed foods? All foods are processed in some way.
6 -
If your not loosing weight your not in a deficit.0
-
jacobnevison wrote: »If your not loosing weight your not in a deficit.
Agreed
I have done eaten more junk foods on the weekend while maintaining a deficit before. It usually looks something like: Monday is consistently a higher weight, Friday is consisitently my lowest weight in a week, the trend over time if going down.
It is hard to spot the trend over time with a plan like this if you havent been at it for several week.1 -
all week i eat in a deficit but on the weekend i eat more “junk foods” although still in a deficit. i am then bloated and fatigued for days and i can’t lose weight. is it because i’m eating unhealthy or is there other reasons?
There could be a lot of reasons why you are feeling low energy. That would be a good question for your doctor. It would be good to find out if you are deficient in anything. The common things are Vitamin D and/or Iron.
(I am in no way suggesting you take any supplements)0 -
if you are in a deficit, you will lose weight.
doesn't matter if its kale or oreos.
a bad diet, even if within a deficit, can make you feel like garbage.
i eat out, eat cookies, eat chips, etc ... all on the regular, and still lose weight consistently. But I dont make it a primary part of my diet. I fit it in, where and when i can.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 387 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 901 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.2K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions