Does it matter what you eat as long as you don't pass your c

jcolon20
jcolon20 Posts: 2
edited October 6 in Food and Nutrition
I wanna lose atleast 50lbs. I find it hard to believe that as long as i dont go over my calorie count then its ok and i'll still lose weight. Is this possible? I am eating fruits, going to gym 4x/week for 2 hrs and drinking lots of water by the way, but i also want to enjoy certain foods. Is that ok? what is best to stay away from and what is acceptable?
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Replies

  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    Yes it's okay but if you take it to ridiculous levels by eating cake and cookies all day you will have some health issues that may pop up.

    Best bet is to eat whole and minimally processed foods for "most" of your diet and then throw in some junk food here and there to keep you happy.
  • Cold_Steel
    Cold_Steel Posts: 897 Member
    Find what works for you. The only 100% reliable advice you will ever need is in one simple word "moderation."
  • _Bro
    _Bro Posts: 437 Member
    ^Sidesteal is right on point about this..

    A calorie is a calorie.. everything past that is nutrition.
    Nutrition in the long term always matters.
  • rgrange
    rgrange Posts: 236 Member
    as long as you don't go over your calorie limit you'll lose weight. For example, I enjoy alcohol and drink it often, so I make sure to leave room for alcoholic beverages by eating less than I would had I not planned on drinking later.
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
    Think of your calories like money. You can spend your whole weeks paycheck on lottery tickets but when it comes down to the end of the month you can't pay the mortgage. The same thing goes with your body...you can spend your calories on the fun stuff but when it's all said and done your body doesn't get the important nutrients that it needs.

    It's ok to have some fun once in awhile....just budget. :)
  • HartsHeart
    HartsHeart Posts: 49 Member
    I have really enjoyed this thread. I have really learned a lot. Thanks for posting this to the group & thank you all for your answers. :O)
  • MJ7910
    MJ7910 Posts: 1,280 Member
    from personal experience when i first started out i was just eating whatever and felt like i didn't have much energy. i was still below calories. when i started eating nutritious food with protein, vitamins, etc i felt so much better like i had more energy and it has also helped me preserve lean mass and burn fat. helps me keep my endurance for working out too. so that's why i eat good things. sure, in the end, it is about the calories. but i find i can eat a lot of great tasting foods that have good nutrients too.
  • Going4Lean
    Going4Lean Posts: 1,078 Member
    When i was loosing the weight myself I was eating the same things I always ate , but I was having smaller portions.
    I also walked alot and without noticing myself people started telling me i was loosing weight.
  • hdlb123
    hdlb123 Posts: 112 Member
    Technically - No, it doesn't matter what you eat as a long as you stay under your calorie goal.

    But if you eat things that are good for your body, you will feel a whole lot better then if you eat snickers and cheese burgers all day long. And you don't want to be counting calories for the rest of your life, making some healthy changes/choices will help you keep your weight off in the long run.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    I wanna lose atleast 50lbs. I find it hard to believe that as long as i dont go over my calorie count then its ok and i'll still lose weight. Is this possible? I am eating fruits, going to gym 4x/week for 2 hrs and drinking lots of water by the way, but i also want to enjoy certain foods. Is that ok? what is best to stay away from and what is acceptable?
    You have to get in your essentials and vitamins for the body to work efficiently. But once you have and have leftover calories to spare, it basically doesn't matter what you eat to fulfill it.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • ComeAroundSundown
    ComeAroundSundown Posts: 69 Member
    In simple terms, all you need is a caloric deficit to lose weight. Look up the guy who lost 26(?) pounds by eating twinkies every day! Although as the other posters have stated - adequate nutrition is significant. Health isn't solely about being in a healthy weight range :)
  • summer827
    summer827 Posts: 516 Member
    Think of your calories like money. You can spend your whole weeks paycheck on lottery tickets but when it comes down to the end of the month you can't pay the mortgage. The same thing goes with your body...you can spend your calories on the fun stuff but when it's all said and done your body doesn't get the important nutrients that it needs.

    It's ok to have some fun once in awhile....just budget. :)

    Exactly how I think of it! I often "save up" or "earn" calories for something really worthwhile and I don't feel deprived. I never tell myself that there is any one food that I cannot have.
  • anulle2009
    anulle2009 Posts: 580 Member
    I think it will work to a point! I have lost what I have lost watching what I eat but still enjoying the good stuff. But i have hit a block were the weight is not coming off as fast anymore. It gets annoying
  • vxmittyxv
    vxmittyxv Posts: 122 Member
    Think of your calories like money. You can spend your whole weeks paycheck on lottery tickets but when it comes down to the end of the month you can't pay the mortgage. The same thing goes with your body...you can spend your calories on the fun stuff but when it's all said and done your body doesn't get the important nutrients that it needs.

    It's ok to have some fun once in awhile....just budget. :)

    Why is it that everything alot becomes so clear when it is put in terms of money. Just a thought. LOL
  • sandspur2012
    sandspur2012 Posts: 12
    This is very relevant to your question.

    http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    Calories determine how much you lose, macros determine what you lose (and how you look).
  • EricMurano
    EricMurano Posts: 825 Member
    Another thing to think about is satiety. 300 calories of chocolate is a lot smaller in volume than 300 calories of vegetables. You'll feel really full if you eat 300 calories of vegetables than you would the chocolate.
  • EricMurano
    EricMurano Posts: 825 Member
    *double post*
  • capriciousmoon
    capriciousmoon Posts: 1,263 Member
    I think the main problem that comes from eating what people label "junk foods" is because it is easier to underestimate the calories in some of those foods. If you keep a calorie deficit you'll lose weight. It's just best to eat mostly healthy to get proper nutrition and have more energy to exercise.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    I think it comes down to this question -
    do you wana lose weight or do you wanna be healthy?
  • jnhu72
    jnhu72 Posts: 558 Member
    Think of your calories like money. You can spend your whole weeks paycheck on lottery tickets but when it comes down to the end of the month you can't pay the mortgage. The same thing goes with your body...you can spend your calories on the fun stuff but when it's all said and done your body doesn't get the important nutrients that it needs.

    It's ok to have some fun once in awhile....just budget. :)


    That's a great way to put it. I for the most part eat healthy calories, but I occasionally do plan for a meal that isn't healthy. I think of as the "cheat meal", even though I have enough calories put aside for it, so I can indulge but not gain weight.
  • EricMurano
    EricMurano Posts: 825 Member
    I think the main problem that comes from eating what people label "junk foods" is because it is easier to underestimate the calories in some of those foods. If you keep a calorie deficit you'll lose weight. It's just best to eat mostly healthy to get proper nutrition and have more energy to exercise.

    +1!! It's the other side of what I said. You stop eating when you get a certain volume. If there's less calories in the same volume then it's easier to stay in a calorie deficit.

    Also I find when I have a treat then I can't have as big of a dinner as I'd like. It's all about weighing up your options :)
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
    You will lose weight by sticking to your calories even if you only eat junk but to be healthy and have lots of energy you should make good choices on where you get *most* of those calories from.
  • RahBuhBuh
    RahBuhBuh Posts: 585 Member
    Think of your calories like money. You can spend your whole weeks paycheck on lottery tickets but when it comes down to the end of the month you can't pay the mortgage. The same thing goes with your body...you can spend your calories on the fun stuff but when it's all said and done your body doesn't get the important nutrients that it needs.

    It's ok to have some fun once in awhile....just budget. :)

    This. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who "budgets". Also, I have discovered that junk just isn't as filling. 500 calories of cake is just a few bites. 500 calories of a fruit and nut salad will carry me all afternoon.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    I think it comes down to this question -
    do you wana lose weight or do you wanna be healthy?

    you can do both
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    Another thing to think about is satiety. 300 calories of chocolate is a lot smaller in volume than 300 calories of vegetables. You'll feel really full if you eat 300 calories of vegetables than you would the chocolate.

    THIS! I have stopped thinking in terms of calorie content and started thinking interms of calorie density. I cannot finish the volume of broccoli it takes to make up 300 calories, but the 1/16th slice of caramel pecan apple pie I had yesterday was only about three bites for those same 300 calories. When I think of it this way, I gravitate towards foods that are not calorically dense. I do not want to go around feeling like I am starving, and in order to hit my calorie goals, I must avoid high density foods.

    Edited to add: OR I can workout to earn the extra calories needed. Always forget that, but it's totally fine to bust your *kitten* to earn those foods you really want to enjoy!
  • krazyforyou
    krazyforyou Posts: 1,428 Member
    I think it will work to a point! I have lost what I have lost watching what I eat but still enjoying the good stuff. But i have hit a block were the weight is not coming off as fast anymore. It gets annoying
  • krazyforyou
    krazyforyou Posts: 1,428 Member
    Weight loss does get slower the closer you come to goal weight. Dont let that throw you.
  • trefor
    trefor Posts: 2 Member
    I LOVE that analogy...that calories are like your budget!! Blow your pay cheque too early after payday and there's nothing left to pay the bills!
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
    I wanna lose atleast 50lbs. I find it hard to believe that as long as i dont go over my calorie count then its ok and i'll still lose weight. Is this possible? I am eating fruits, going to gym 4x/week for 2 hrs and drinking lots of water by the way, but i also want to enjoy certain foods. Is that ok? what is best to stay away from and what is acceptable?
    Of course it matters what you eat, but enjoy certain unhealthy treats in moderation..

    If you want to be healthy, eat healthy foods: lean meats, whole grains and nuts, fresh fruits and veggies and low fat dairy.
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