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flower3326
flower3326 Posts: 35 Member
in Food and Nutrition
On a calorie deficit, to loose weight do you have to eat healthy foods,
Or can you eat anything and still loose weight

For example if lunch I have a hotdog with chilli wolf

Dinner salad
Will that work ?

Replies

  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,640 Member
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    flower3326 wrote: »
    On a calorie deficit, to loose weight do you have to eat healthy foods,
    Or can you eat anything and still loose weight

    For example if lunch I have a hotdog with chilli wolf

    Dinner salad
    Will that work ?
    yes that’s fine. As long as you’re in a weekly calorie deficit over time you’ll lose. Having foods like your lunch consistently will make it harder though.

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,618 Member
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    Basically what tomcustombuilder said. You can eat whatever foods you want as long as you stay within your calories. Many people find eating lower calorie foods makes it easier, because you can eat more.
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,984 Member
    edited May 2023
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    Yes, as long as you are in a calorie deficit, you will lose weight, no matter what foods you eat.

    Just be aware that foods that are high in sodium (like hot dogs and canned chili) can cause a temporary increase on the scale. That is due to water weight from the sodium, but it's not fat gain.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,128 Member
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    Weight management = managing calories

    Managing hunger = managing types of food eaten (and frequency of meals,...)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Yes...weight management is about energy balance. Calories are that unit of energy. Your body requires XXXX calories per day to maintain the status quo as per your stats and physical activity. When you consume fewer calories (less energy) than you require, that deficiency of energy has to be reconciled so you burn stored energy (body fat) to make up that difference. When you consume energy in excess of what you need you store that excess energy as body fat.

    That said, and I do have my indulgences here and there, but it tends to be a lot easier to maintain a consistent calorie deficit when you're eating more whole foods and healthful foods. I have a soft spot for Popeye's Chicken and Whataburger and I get those occasionally, but when I do I'm looking at a meal that is easily 1000 calories or more and it's really not that much food volume wise. Conversely, yesterday for example, I had a whole mess of jerk chicken with coconut rice and beans and sauteed spinach and it came in under 500 calories and was a good volume of food w/plenty of quality nutrition that also benefits my health.

    I'd also say that when I'm eating well most of the time I just feel better in general and have more energy...workouts are better and I feel more compelled to do them in the first place. Even just getting outside for some mountain biking or hiking is a lot easier and more appealing when my diet is more or less on point nutritionally. But yeah...I get some Popeyes or Whataburger maybe once per month to scratch that itch

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