Guilt

katflap10
katflap10 Posts: 8 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have been watching all my calorie intake and normally eat 1200 calories a day, go the gym about 3/4 times a week and am losing weight.

My problem is that sometimes I fancy a treat, for example yesterday I ate some Toffee Popcorn. I weighed out 30g and it came to about 160 calories. In my head I feel like I just shouldnt be eating it and it is going to make me put on weight but even with eating it I am still eating 1200 calories a day, without eating back my exercise calories and I was still under my sugar total.

Would eating something like that really be ok? I know, everything in moderation but does that really work? Does that mean you could have a green salad, no dressing and a chocolate cake and still lose weight? I sat for ages analysing the numbers last night and it just doesnt seem right!

Thoughts would be appreciated

Replies

  • MayMaydoesntrun
    MayMaydoesntrun Posts: 805 Member
    ........
  • mayerel
    mayerel Posts: 254 Member
    http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

    Technically you can eat anything in moderation and still lose weight. I for one, am all about having a "treat" a day because for me, it's unrealistic to deprive myself of the things I want to eat and continue this lifestyle change.

    All things in moderation, and this is a marathon, not a sprint.
  • sarahkittymeow
    sarahkittymeow Posts: 146
    ........

    How helpful of you!

    Anyway OP, I think that you certainly can lose weight while keeping the "bad" snacks in moderation...especially if you said your sugar limit wasn't even reached. I mean, I would only even start to stress if (and when) I eat something that puts me over on sugar or carbs. I think you'll be fine :)

    However, it's still best to try and replace the snacks anytime you have the urge with something that could be healthier for you. That way you can eventually get to the point when you don't eat something "bad" every single day, and can feel fantastic about getting to splurge on something delicious and terrible every few days or so. Personally, I have found that if I let myself have one bad treat a day, that's just not enough help for me because I don't feel satisfied enough and I tend to keep going. But, ironically, once I cut it down to one really sugary, delicious junk food treat every once in a while, I felt satisfied for several days at least since I got to have a real nice little binge and didn't feel bad about doing that every day.
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
    There is losing weight and being healthy. Those can be done at the same time or not.

    If you stay under your calorie goal (provided it is set right), you WILL lose weight, no matter what you eat. Now, if you are eating crap all day than you may not be doing it in a healthy way, but that is a different story. You could technically lose weight if you got up in the morning and ate 1200 cals of that toffee popcorn and that's it all day. You would feel like crap and eventually your body would be very unhappy/unhealthy...but you COULD still lose weight by doing it.

    Obviously, if you are losing weight you should try to do it in a healthy way (and even if you're NOT losing weight, remember, we are building better habits here). However, eating something unhealthy once in awhile is certainly not going to ruin your body and make you unhealthy. Just make sure you aren't doing it all the time...my goal is to only eat healthy cals with my daily allowance, and if I want an unhealthy treat like alcohol, I will burn enough cals through exercise to "make room" for it. :smile:

    You did nothing wrong. Eating an unhealthy treat once in awhile can help you stay sane and keep going. Keep it up! :flowerforyou:
  • shaynak112
    shaynak112 Posts: 751 Member
    160 calories as a "treat" is fine as long as you're eating under your recommended calories for the day. Just keep the 160 calories in mind for the rest of the day :).

    Technically yeah, if you ate only chocolate cake every day but you were under your calories, you'd lose weight. But of course, there are more problems in a situation like that. But it just shows that as long as you're eating healthy foods and only have small treats on occasion, it's fine :)
  • AzhureSnow
    AzhureSnow Posts: 289 Member
    A 160 calorie treat is fine! You will still lose weight. Just make sure the rest of your 1,040 calories are filled with more nutritious stuff. As others have said - being healthy is not always the same as losing weight. Having a BALANCED diet is most important here. Allow yourself a splurge here and there, just don't make it your primary calorie source.
  • sammi402
    sammi402 Posts: 232 Member
    treats make the process easier. You are less likely to get frustrated and binge.
  • Shayztar
    Shayztar Posts: 415 Member
    ........

    ROFL

    I thought the same thing. I guess we're not being helpful to someone new to a diet.

    OP: I would say....yes. If you eat salad all day and then eat a chocolate cake, you will lose weight AS LONG AS YOU STAY WITHIN YOUR CALORIES.

    There is more to it then that, but not much more, really.

    BTW. 1200 calories is too little. Educate yourself by reading about BMR and TDEE and calorie reduction. MFP is great, but 1200 calories is default if you want to lose 1000 lbs in 1 month.

    Best of luck. Sounds like you'll need it. :)
  • ZugTheMegasaurus
    ZugTheMegasaurus Posts: 801 Member
    I have been watching all my calorie intake and normally eat 1200 calories a day, go the gym about 3/4 times a week and am losing weight.

    My problem is that sometimes I fancy a treat, for example yesterday I ate some Toffee Popcorn. I weighed out 30g and it came to about 160 calories. In my head I feel like I just shouldnt be eating it and it is going to make me put on weight but even with eating it I am still eating 1200 calories a day, without eating back my exercise calories and I was still under my sugar total.

    Would eating something like that really be ok? I know, everything in moderation but does that really work?
    I'm pretty sure you just defined "in moderation." Having one serving of that snack is exactly that. Stop beating yourself up for doing absolutely nothing wrong.
  • katflap10
    katflap10 Posts: 8 Member
    Thank you to all the helpful replies, very kind of you all and do feel much better about everything - i have lost nearly 3 stone but dieting intensely so it is reassuring to know I can have my cake and eat it :)
  • katflap10
    katflap10 Posts: 8 Member
    Thank you for your post. I personally found the ...very unhelpful and patronising, if the said person was confused as to my question they didnt need to answer my post.

    I am not new to a diet, have lost nearly three stone and according to my current weight 1200 is the amount of calories MFP has told me to eat in order to continue to lose. I lost the weight by cutting out everything and now I am getting a bit fed up which is why I asked the question.

    #dont judge.

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