Eating Bad Food But Under Calorie Goal

Sure, lots of people do. Moderation is the key. Pick a day each week where you allow yourself to have "junk". I wouldn't make it part of your everyday diet though. Your goal here is get healthy and you've seen for yourself that the "junk" causes you to lose less weight.

for some people the whole calories in - calories out works for them...so it doesn't matter really what they eat...

if you cut out processed and junk food - especially ones with sugar and higher carbs it will allow your body to work better, use the nutrients better and you will probably not only see a decrease in weight, but also an increase in energy levels, better skin, nails, hair,

Personally, I think that you should try to eat the "good" food as much as possible but incorporate "bad" food into your diet sometimes so that you don't crave it too much and throw in the towel completely. I agree that moderation is key.

What I personally find difficult is to determine what really is good food and bad food. I feel like there are some people on this site who believe that others shouldn't eat any (fill in the blank here - fast food, carbs, meat, pasta, sugar, etc.) EVER).

Sometimes I'll feel like I have a good day, and I'll get a comment on my diary that says that I ate too much of x, y, or z. Don't get me wrong - I am a person who wants honest feedback on her journal... Please, bring it. I appreciate it. I'm just trying to workout for myself what is good vs. what is bad.

You could eat only Twinkies and still lose weight. I wouldn't recommend it though

I think it depends on how often you eat junk food.
I love junk food, and I allow myself to eat it if I'm really craving it & I still lose weight, however, mostly I'd rather eat 6 meals a day of healthy food than one meal of junk food.

I have found since joining MFP that I lose 0.5 a week if I stay within my set calories, whether I eat junk or healthy food.
But I FEEL different depending on what I eat! Going overboard on my fat, sugar, and sodium makes me feel sluggish. Loading up on fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, and lean protein gives me more energy. So that's what I shoot for!
I don't mind "falling off the wagon" every now and then (had bangers and mash and then a burger and fries this weekend!) But I'm always ready to climb back on afterwards when I feel all bleh, and I remember "Oh, yeah, THIS is why I eat healthy foods."

ETA--I also really like to eat! I can eat MORE food when it's healthy (healthy foods are usually lower in calories) as opposed to LESS food when it's junk. I'm going to opt for more food whenever possible, thanks!

I still eat some junk food, but definitely less than before. I find that keeping track of what I eat has helped me realize how bad some junk food is for you. I notice the more weight I lose, the less attractive junk food sounds. When a cookie has 200 calories or more, I I know I have to run for 20 -30 minutes just to burn that cookie off, it doesn't look so appetizing. But I still eat some junk food, because I am losing weight, and it is a diet I can live with.

This:

I personally can't eat junk food and lose weight. Not because I don't think it can be done because I agree with a lot of the above posters...as long as you are in a calorie defecit than you will lose. But the reason I CAN'T is because of the number of calories I am allowed to eat, I can't eat junk food and be full. "Healthy" whole foods (not processed, "junk" food) keeps me full and I can eat a lot more. Not to mention the benefits of much better looking skin, loads of energy, and a better sense of well-being :happy: Do whatever works for you. Try slowly making changes.

edited to add: this doesn't mean I don't have a day or meal reserved for eating whatever.

I allow myself to have a "treat" food on days where i go to the gym and burn off the calories before/after i eat it. Your body needs to have cheat days like weekends where you allow yourself to have bad food to give your metabolism a bit of a shock! I drink and eat what i want at weekends (not to excess) and can still stay in shape aslong as i eat healthy through the week and go to the gym. enjoy having treats! (:

I try to maintain a balance and keep it within my allowed calorie intake. I am more aware of the nutritional content so, I try not to go aboard.

I eat junk food sometimes...Hubby bought me Almond Roca for Valentines Day and it just calls my name..:-) I do lose weight faster if I don't eat it at all and of course we all want the fastest results but the question is "do you plan to never eat junk food again?". If you're goal is to lead a healthy eating lifestyle, then you have to learn to eat what you want in moderation. You can't cut everything out because as soon as you hit your target weight, you're going to gooble up all the goodies in sight and start putting the weight back on.

My suggestion is, eat well balanced meals within your calorie goal and if you have a few calories to spare and you are craving junk, then go for it. If the serving size of what you're eating is, let's say, 3 pieces of candy then eat just 1 and see if that curbs the craving. If I'm going to eat junk, I always try to eat it in the middle of the day and not late at night. I really don't know if that matters but for some reason I feel better about it...:-)

I have done that before only to make up calories that I needed because I worked out sooooo hard ! BUT don't feel good afterwards...I just would feel better if I eat healthier things.. Sometimes those healthier choices are not there for me to eat (

I would say sometimes is ok, but don't make a habit of it! Good luck!

Of course a lot of people are going to say don't eat junk food, however if you are saying that you are under your calorie goal and normally with less junk food you lose more weight with essentially the same calorie consumption, it would leave me to believe that you are burning less calories when you eat more junk food. It might not even be that noticeable, but if you are less energetic, even by a small amount, then it could add up over time.

Another possibility might be that you are underestimating the calories you are consuming. If the junk food you eat has a lot of fat, then it is easy to be off by quite a bit in your estimation if you don't know the nutritional information.

I try to avoid it, it dosent fill me up and i just want to eat more and more.

I LOVE junk food!!! But it always makes me feel very different - lethargic, ravenous for more junk, and then major belly upset. It's been a slooooooooow change for me to make healthier choices though. Not something I could do overnight. But I've learned the less processed, the better I feel and the more energy I have.

I still need dessert after lunch and dinner, but I've tried to swap out for healthy alternatives. Recently I just made a low cal, low carb, high protein cheesecake and have been happy as a pig in mud indulging in that every night. nom nom nom...

Find alternatives and take it one day at a time. There are some GREAT recipe sites out there that inspired and helped me. Favorite right now: skinnytaste.com

Good Luck!

Share your recipe please!!