Strayed from the healthy stuff but still under calories...

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guamSUPERgirl90
guamSUPERgirl90 Posts: 255
in Food and Nutrition
When I see some success stories, I hear stories of how they eat in moderation no matter if it is chocolate ice cream or white short grain rice or fried something. Common sense tells me that veggies fruits and proteins are the better way, but if you still eat what you want but stay under you calorie intake, you should see some progress right?

Ok

Now the question is, if I eat either a chocolate bar or a bowl of salad in equal calorie intake, will it affect how I lose weight? Obviously most will choose the salad bowl cause we all want to lose weight, but if losing weight is all about calorie intake, why would it matter? Or doesn't it?

Replies

  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    I don't think it matters much for weight loss (unless you have a specifci intolerance or metabolic disorder in which case you might find better results eating specific foods).
    But, it is going to have an impact on your health if you constantly choose a less nutritious option. I don't think there's anything wrong with having less healthy foods now and again, I just try to keep the balance of healthy choices more often than not.

    And, you'll find that everyone has a different perspective on what's healthy anyway. In my life, white rice is not unhealthy (nor is bread or pasta or other carbs). I wouldn't live on it, but then I wouldn't live on broccoli either.
  • guamSUPERgirl90
    guamSUPERgirl90 Posts: 255
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    Well said Rubybelle.
    white rice is definitely the top of everyones list where Im from. Its been hard to stay on diets cause everywhere you go, everyone is eating local comfort food. But you definitely inspired me to make some changes. :D

    Thank you
  • led6777
    led6777 Posts: 268
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    It's all in balance! You'll have more energy and feel better when you eat "healthy" foods, but you should definitely indulge in your favorites once or twice a day. Moderation is key :) You're awesome!
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
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    yep its all down to balance.

    you can lose weight by eating your calories worth of chocolate, but thats not going to give your body all the nutrition it needs.
    Try and choose healthier options most of the time, and then dont feel bad if you eat something not so healthy!

    What I try and do it get in all my protein, calcium, 5 fruit & veg so thats the 'nutrition' part done, then if I have calories left over they can be used on anything :-)
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    yes and no. i get way more water retention issues when i'm not eating clean foods. it clears up once i eat better which usually means there's huge jumps in weight loss. for instance no weight loss in 1 week but 4 pounds loss in the next week
  • doorknobs3
    doorknobs3 Posts: 9 Member
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    Yes it can matter due to the carbs and sugar content, sugar turns to fat, and that is what you are trying to avoid. On the other hand eating fruits and veggies espically those fruits with fiber takies a lot more energy to burn, thus making them a better choice to reward all your efforts. There are so many different choices to make that special taste bud delight. You can have chocolate too, if you decide make sure it is very dark chocolate the sugar is less and nutritionally it is better. Once in a while is fine if you do not have a problem with sweets or chocolate setting you up for a binge. One suggestion for that special delight with chocolate is a dish of fresh strawberries with dark chocolate grated over the top. The look is special and the calories little and you got both in one bite with no guilt. CALORIES ARE CALORIES but you want to make them work for you.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
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    I eat everything I want, and that includes LOTS OF CARBS (nom nom nom).

    I am at goal, and have actually never weighed more than 12 lbs. more than I do now (except while pregnant).

    You don't have to be crazy, people. Just eat 1 cookie, not 10.
  • chantalm15
    chantalm15 Posts: 31 Member
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    The salad and veggie option has the nutrients and vitamins that chocolate won't be able to provide for your body. A buildup of unhealthy food, such as too much sugar, gets stored as fat which affects the makeup of your body. You might still lose weight from eating the same number of calories but the look of your body might be affected. I definitely indulge in chocolate here in there but usually I find eating the healthier option over the chocolate makes me feel better in the long run!
  • cb2587
    cb2587 Posts: 1
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    The general concensus from people is correct, that it is all about balance. However I think it's vitally important before you embark on a weight loss regime that you get at least a basic understanding of how different foods interact with your body.

    Firstly you need to ask yourself is it really just weight loss your aiming for or is it more specifically the loss of fat? I suspect that for most people it is the latter, in which case the balance that everyone talks about will shift slightly. Yes, realistically you will loose weight if you eat less calories in a day than you burn, but are you noticing the fat dropping off from the areas that you want? Perhaps not....

    When you eat lots of complex carbs, sugars etc and you are not doing enough exercise to burn them all off, your body decides the best way to store this is as fat (and it will do this pretty quickly). So if you are eating lots of unhealthy foods but staying under your calorie count and seeing the pounds drop off what is most likely happening is your body is burning off muscle that is not repairing itself after exercise, or quite possibly a lot of it is through water weight, but unlikely those fatty deposits are shifting. It's also worth bearing in mind that the more muscle mass you have in your body the higher your likely metabolic rate will be.

    So my advice to everyone would be, yes it's ok to eat things like bread, pasta, have the occasional cheat meal where you eat anything you like, even have the occasional chocolate bar but don't make these things part of your daily diet and expect to shift the flab effectively. Do some research and look at your optimal fat, carb and protein intake related to your specific goal. At present I am trying to up my protein to around 100g/day and reduce my carb intake to around 200g/day with about 50g of fat. I'm also trying to ensure that the majority of those fats and carbs are coming from healthier sources (healthy fats and non-complex carbs). If I allow myself a bag of crisps or a chocolate bar at some point throughout the day then maybe I'll compensate by having a healthier lunch and dinner - that's what I mean by shifting that balance.

    Just a couple of side notes also - although I'm sure most of you are aware of this already: 1) eat small meals throughout the day (6 or 7) to make up your calorie count rather than the standard breakfast, lunch and dinner; 2) if you really want to shift the flab, don't bother with long duration monotonous running etc....your very best way to shift fat is through short fast intervals - 20 minutes of hard interval training on the treadmill or good circuit training will beat an hour long run every time!

    Hope some of my input has been helpful.
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
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    Two points in addition to what everyone above is saying:

    1. If you are not getting the nutrients you need, your body may respond by making you hungry, even though you are theoretically fine in terms of calories. Then you are much likelier to cheat on your diet and eat more, and therefore gain weight.
    2. Studies show that humans on a raw food diet inevitably become malnourished. This suggests that, our bodies have a harder time breaking down uncooked foods. So, if you ingest 250 calories of chocolate or 250 calories of fruit, your body is going to absorb more of the calories from the chocolate than from the fruit.
  • suzycav77
    suzycav77 Posts: 189 Member
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    It's all in balance! You'll have more energy and feel better when you eat "healthy" foods, but you should definitely indulge in your favorites once or twice a day. Moderation is key :) You're awesome!





    i totally agree everything in moderation :smile:
  • Melampus
    Melampus Posts: 95 Member
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    If you eat fewer calories than you use then you will loose weight so in that respect it is perfectly possible to loose weight eating chocolate.

    The problem is that chocolate is very calorie dense being full of sugar and fat and has little of the other nutrients you need. If you were to eat your daily calorie allowance eating only chocolate you probably would not feel satisfied in the way you would if you ate healthy food both because the volume of chocolate you would need to reach you calorie allowance would be fairly small and because your body would be craving the other nutrients you have not given it. As such it will be hard to stick to your allowance that way.

    Other people have mentioned muscles and there is an equilibrium going on here. Assuming there is not a shortage of protein your muscles will be maintained at a strength sufficient for what you usually do with them. Start doing a new activity that requires more strength from some of your muscles than they currently have and it is hard at first, getting easier as the muscles build up to cope. Stop doing it and the body will break down the excess muscle for energy. If you disturb that equilibrium by eating too little protein then the muscles will not be able to rebuild properly and you are likely to feel weak because your body cannot maintain the muscle necessary for what you normally do.

    My plan is to eat enough protein and the recommended five portions a day of fruit and vegetables and then adjust the quantity of carbs to stay within my daily allowance.

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