calories counting vs healthy eating

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sabrekism
sabrekism Posts: 113 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
i guess that line raised some eyebrows lol

im following the calories counting method and its fantastic ...i can eat whatever i want and if i ever overeat....i exercise it :)

however....sadly i dont eat lots of healthy food....my choosing is random

i know healthy food are the better....but i really dont like to eat veggies and fruits and sadly i dont enjoy them more than junk snacks

however my weight loss is goin perfectly and everything is ok and not a single calorie got in other than my planned.

what do u guys think?...i feel guilty not putting healthy choices in

Replies

  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    Make sure you are supplying your body with sufficient nutrients. If your goal is to be "healthy" and you feel guilty- then add variety to your diet. (and hey with more nutritious foods you generally get to consume larger quantities due to their low calorie levels)

    If you are concerned strictly with pounds/"weight loss" Twinkie and Pepsi it up! You will still lose.

    ;)
  • luvmybaby333
    luvmybaby333 Posts: 241
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    It is what it is. Of course most people here are going to encourage you to make healthy food choices. But at the end of the day, if you're losing weight (and losing weight is your goal) then good for you. I'm trying desperately to change my life. But I *have* to take baby steps. If I try to conquer too much at once, then I know I will fail. So for me, *right now*, counting calories and exercising is enough. I'm trying to add a little fresh produce in there and watch my sodium intake (which ANY effort on both counts is way better than how I used to be), but I'm not beating myself up if I don't succeed on those fronts. My main goal at this time is to lose weight. Exercise and a calorie deficit is helping me to accomplish that goal. When you are overweight or obese, you can pretty much guarantee that weighing less is going to make your body healthier. Period. I figure that once I've mastered calorie counting and lost a significant amount of weight, then I might be able to focus on changing other eating habits.

    My thoughts? You have to do what works for you.
  • jb852013
    jb852013 Posts: 116
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    Right now I am not worrying too much about how healthy my food is because the fat I have on my body is pretty unhealthy. I am trying to get used to eating less calories each day no matter what it is that I eat. Once I do that then I am going to worry more about what I am eating. I am taking it one step at a time so that I don't change too much to quickly and fail. However, I am trying to make sure that I eat some fruits and veggies each day.
  • avk9802
    avk9802 Posts: 84 Member
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    I think it's more important to count calories. I forget the name of this doctor who did a study where he ate like 1600 calories of Twinkies a day to see if eating healthy foods or lowering calories was more important. Needless to say, he lost a lot of weight.

    I think if you're trying to tone then watching what kinds of foods you're eating is important but if you're trying to lose weight, I think it's the calorie count.

    =D
  • ctsenos
    ctsenos Posts: 36
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    I have to agree with the previous post. I believe that you will lose no matter what if you keep the calories down. Try the healthy food, you may like it....
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
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    It's true that weight loss is calories in vs. calories out, so technically you can eat whatever you want and as long as you're at a deficit you'll still lose the weight. In that way calorie counting is more important than healthy eating. However, you do need to make sure your body is getting the nutrients it needs to keep it functioning right and keep you feeling your best! Maybe try to at least sneak in a healthy snack or meal every once in a while.

    Another big benefit of eating healthier is that you generally can eat a lot more that way! When I first started on MFP I was like you and continued to eat all the same junk I used to eat, just less of it. But I found I would run out of calories SO quickly and still be hungry, because the stuff I was eating was high in calories for small portions. Now I've started eating a lot better (I don't eat 100% "clean" but it's a huge improvement), and I never feel hungry any more - in fact sometimes I have a hard time getting all my calories in. And I just feel much better overall. Just something to consider!
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    You will lose weight this way (caloric restriction), however, try adding a few veggies that you like and fruit into your diet slowly. They are wonderful for providing your body nutrients that it needs to function at its peak.
  • PodWif
    PodWif Posts: 16
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    I'm glad you posted this, I have been having this same debate with myself and having the guilt associated with not eating has healthy as I should. I lost all of my weight by just calorie counting and I loved it because I didn't feel like I had to give up anything just cut down a lot or really work hard to burn more calories so I could eat what I was craving. Now that I am weight wise where I want to be I've got more calories to eat each day but my picks for those extra daily calories have not been healthy ones. This didn't bother me at first but now I feel guilty when friends and family see my food diary with the extra junk food I am eating.
  • kmille36
    kmille36 Posts: 2
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    Okay, I'm going to speak of the double-edged sword.

    Not all calories are alike. In terms of HEALTH, obviously eating well balanced, nutritous calories are "better for you" in the fact that you get more nutrients. What I do wants to bring up, as a nurse, is the cardiovascular risks of unhealthy foods. Simply eating processed foods w/o proper balanced meals may make you lose weight, but your doing damange to your heart and vessels by only making improper choices.

    I'd say try to balance it out, choke down some of those veggies/fruits and leave the other calories for things you enjoy...your body, and ultimitally yourself later in life will thank you when you have a healthy weight, and better quality of life by avoiding things such as a stroke.
  • jaabee11
    jaabee11 Posts: 322 Member
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    My view is for people like me who have a lot to lose and years of being overweight and making bad choices behind them then one change at a time is about all you can cope with often. I did what your doing and as I've gone along I've gradually introduced some different foods and cut some out. I've made more and more gradual changes as I learnt and gained confidence.
    You do what works for you, the goal is to lose weight & if it's working then fine. I'm positive you will gradually add veggies and fruits, & lots of healthy food but it takes time to change your taste buds.
    It's the same with exercise from my view. I did none before, walking to the letter box was really difficult, so introducing little things one by one and building up is the way for me. Going all gung ho about it all would have had me give up really quickly. I'm in for the long haul so slow but surely wins the race.

    Don't worry, just keep going.
    Good luck
  • wittlelacey
    wittlelacey Posts: 412 Member
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    Haha makes sense to me! I stay within my goal as well, but more often than not that includes a cookie, some ice cream, etc. Today it was a kit kat! I do feel a little guilty, but I'm pretty balanced between "healthy" and "junk". I get a little healthier as I progress because there are healthy-er foods that taste just as good and sometimes better :)

    My latest obsessions: Plantain chips, taste just like Ruffles but totally healthy! Brown sugar instant oatmeal, I'm craving this 24/7 and it's not all that bad for you either! Rice cakes, filling and salty-tasting, but low in calories!

    I'm all for calorie counting in the calories vs. healthy eating, but I don't think it would hurt to combine the two :) Find "healthy" alternatives!
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
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    stay in your calorie goals and there is no reason to feel guilty. you are moving in the right direction and will start losing weight. don't try to force things overnight. for now, focus on portions. keep in your goals. the weight will leave. that, in turn, will push your calorie goal lower and lower ... so slowly work in some better foods.

    at the same time, don't feel guilty for eating ___________. no reason to. do your best. move in the right direction. and get better along the way.


    (just started thoughts on this the other night, and you might be interested in the discussion: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/473746-yes-you-can-eat-normal-food-my-rant )
  • Gt3ch
    Gt3ch Posts: 212 Member
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    No need to feel guilty. No one goes 100% healthy overnight. Just start experimenting with healthier foods to find what you like. Start substituting one at a time. It may seem daunting at first but once there is a routine and a repertoire of go-to healthy foods it becomes much easier. It's also a lot easier to feel satisfied and good with real food.

    You can loose weight eating crap. It isn't healthy and it's harder to do. Your weight loss is working and that's great. But you already know what's better for you in terms of long-term health and prevention.
  • moonlightturk
    moonlightturk Posts: 398
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    I agree with the other posts.. I read an article about a research on this a while ago, not sure where I read it but anyways it basically said that whether you eat junk food or healthy food, if you're good on your calories than you'll still lose weight.

    The importance is that "healthy foods" have less calories then the unhealthy foods, which means you can eat tons more than those junk foods you eat. Another problem with junk food is that it usually makes you hungrier (at least for me).. I'm still going to have my tbsp of nutella though I just can't have a lot.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
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    My latest obsessions: Plantain chips, taste just like Ruffles but totally healthy! Brown sugar instant oatmeal, I'm craving this 24/7 and it's not all that bad for you either! Rice cakes, filling and salty-tasting, but low in calories!

    LOVE rice cakes and brown sugar oatmeal! And I'll have to check out those chips!
  • vvanm
    vvanm Posts: 157
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    I love hamburgers, tacos, pizza, hot dogs, chips, chocolate, and ice cream. I've lost 70 lbs. before joining here. I like to cook fast food at home in a healthier way; it tastes better, feels better avoiding the science experiments they call food, and getting nutrients to keep muscle and not throwing off my brain chemistry is important. And cooking fast food is , well, fast. Lean Beef or turkey burgers stacked with avocado, low fat cheddar, grilled (in Pam) onions, lettuce, tomato, with catsup and mustard or BBQ sauce is my favorite. Pop Chips come in all flavors and go well with everything. You can get them in 100 cal bags at Costco. Hebrew Nat'l Hotdogs fat reduced topped with low fat chili, Dreyer's grand light ice cream @ half the fat is a great dessert. Dark chocolate mini bites are small portion treats. Of course I try to eat more traditional healthful food too, but little substitutions in foods you love can keep you from getting malnourished.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    My latest obsessions: Plantain chips, taste just like Ruffles but totally healthy! Brown sugar instant oatmeal, I'm craving this 24/7 and it's not all that bad for you either! Rice cakes, filling and salty-tasting, but low in calories!

    Plantain chips are amazing.... just sayin'...
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    It really comes down to what your goals are - as long as you are staying within your calorie goals (and logging accurately) then you should be successful losing weight.
    But, for longer term health it would be worth have a good look at your diet and see if you can identify the foods that don't give you much actual nutrition and gradually replace them with a healthier option. You don't have to do all of this at once, I think that just counting cals is a great place to start - but hopefully as you start feeling better about your self, you can consider the health of your body too, not just the look.
  • chanson104
    chanson104 Posts: 859
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    Okay, I'm going to speak of the double-edged sword.

    Not all calories are alike. In terms of HEALTH, obviously eating well balanced, nutritous calories are "better for you" in the fact that you get more nutrients. What I do wants to bring up, as a nurse, is the cardiovascular risks of unhealthy foods. Simply eating processed foods w/o proper balanced meals may make you lose weight, but your doing damange to your heart and vessels by only making improper choices.

    I'd say try to balance it out, choke down some of those veggies/fruits and leave the other calories for things you enjoy...your body, and ultimitally yourself later in life will thank you when you have a healthy weight, and better quality of life by avoiding things such as a stroke.
    ^^^^^^^^
    Agree with this!

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