Can I eat whatever I want as long as I stay under my calorie

Pretty much. It's wise to put a little strategy to it, though. If you put good things in your mouth, you get to eat a lot more of them to get to 1200-1300 calories. If you put junk in your mouth, you don't get to eat much, and you'll be hungrier with less energy.

Can I eat whatever I want and still lose weight as long as I stay under my calorie goal? (I want to eat about 1,200 - 1,300 calories daily.)

Yes, but depending on what "whatever you want" is, you might have other issues.

From a scale-weight standpoint though, yes.

Yes, to some extent. However, the greatest gains made are from eating natural foods and eliminating processed foods completely. It took me awhile to figure this out!

Yes, to some extent. However, the greatest gains made are from eating natural foods and eliminating processed foods completely. It took me awhile to figure this out!

exactly... you can lose just staying under goal however the quality of foods you eat will affect how you feel, energy levels etc

Yes. By virtue of registering with this web site, you have asserted that your are at least 18 years of age. Which if you are in the United States, you are legally an adult. No one can compel you to eat a particular food.

So what ever foods are able to legally obtain, feel free to eat.

As far as your health goes, the quality of your food does have an impact on your health and performance. Just as the quality of the petrol you put in your vehicle has an impact on how it performs.

This is a loaded question that will get you a wide variety of responses. Technically, yes, you can eat whatever you want as long as you stay within your limit. But depending on what you eat, it may not be the HEALTHIEST thing you can do. If you eat only 1200 calories worth of candy bars a day, yes, you will lose weight, but it's not healthy because it's empty calories. I would suggest just making small changes toward healthier eating. For example, maybe the first week, you just cut out soda. The next week, maybe focus on eating healthier things for breakfast. The next week, start packing a healthy lunch. And so on... If you try to make a huge, drastic change at once, you may not succeed. But small changes here and there can make a world of difference. You want this to be a lifestyle change, not a diet.

You mention that you plan to only eat 1200-1300 calories. Are you going to exercise? If so, you should eat back your exercise calories. I am 5'4" and started at 210 pounds. I started eating 1200 plus any exercise calories. I was losing, but slowly. Now, I eat 1400 plus exercise calories, and I'm losing at a slightly quicker pace (keep in mind, you want to lose no more than about 2 pounds a week). Some days I eat more than others, too. If your body does not get enough fuel, it will conserve fat instead of shed it. You have to convince your body that you're going to feed it sufficient fuel every day so that it will let go of the fat stores.

Good luck! Feel free to look at my diary if you want to. Nov. 23-27 is not so good; I had gallbladder surgery on the 23rd and didn't log as consistently those few days. Otherwise, though, you might find it helpful.

Okay!
Thank you all sooo much for your answers.

I asked because it is VERY HARD to get in proper food in this crappy place I live in.
I live with my family right now. It's crappy because they only have bad foods here.
Like TV dinners, they bring fast food home for most meals, they don't even have canned foods.
Oh..and they have A LOT of ramen noodles. There ARE some things like protein shakes, but I don't know if they will be good.
I will drink the protein shakes anyway, though. 'cus I will get used to them.

I don't really eat out of boredom or anything. I have trouble making myself eat usually... so this diet shouldn't be that hard for me, I guess.

I ran into the same problem when I moved back in to my mom's pad this last year so I started stopping at the local grocery store a couple times a week and getting my own fresh foods. It can be a pain making separate meals sometimes but if you're in a situation where they have no inclination to change their habits, then just worry about yourself for now. They may come around when they see/smell some of the good stuff you make :flowerforyou:

Oh, trust me... I try. It's a little tiring when they yell no way, don't fill our fridge up with crap we don't eat. s:
I guess they enjoy being unhealthy.

This is exactly why I suggested going to the market a couple times a week like I do, then you just get what you need for a couple of days and don't take up a ton of space in the fridge.

...The "bad" food can cause cravings for more food...

It is funny how I manage to keep forgetting this little tidbit.

You're getting great responses on this thread.