Can I eat what I like?

toomuchlatte
toomuchlatte Posts: 18
edited December 22 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi I'm new here and started to diet on Monday this is my 1st day with mfp and have set a goal of 1200 calories a day which to be fair isn't that hard,I'm a big girl at 5ft 2" and weighing 89kg 13st I'd like to weigh 9st so have 4st to loose,my question is can you eat what ever you like as long as its under 1200cal or does it have to be specific foods eg can I have a slice of chocolate cake as long as its within my days cal intake? Thanks in advance xxx
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Replies

  • FerryfieldLad
    FerryfieldLad Posts: 185 Member
    I eat what I like. The limit on calories means I eat what I like in moderation.

    You will soon find you'd rather pass on a peice of cake and instead have more food of the healthier type :tongue:
  • zsaoosh
    zsaoosh Posts: 402 Member
    You need to feed your body good healthy food or it wont function right. 1200 cals is really really low! I would rethink that. Also, if you want cake, eat your cake, just make sure its not every day and everything else is healthy. I eat ice cream like 3 or 4 times a week, eat 1500-1700 cals and work out hard. If you cant eat the rest of your life the way you are now, rethink what can work for you because its a life change, not a "get to my goal" change.
  • 75Juniper
    75Juniper Posts: 376
    I eat whatever I want, just smaller portions and not as often. I do try to choose healthier options of things, but no food is off-limits to me. If I can make it fit in my calorie and macro goals and I truly want it, I'm going to have it.
  • Barkley87
    Barkley87 Posts: 126 Member
    When I started on here I ate what i wanted as long as i was under my calorie goal (and I have a massive sweet tooth so it was a lot of junk). The weight wasn't shifting too easily though so I started eating more fruit, veg, unprocessed meat etc and not only is the weight coming off easier, I feel a lot better too. I'm a short girl too (5ft3), so I'd recommend not giving in to too many temptations.
  • supermoo2
    supermoo2 Posts: 77
    1200 cals is not enough - you should be at around 1500-1600 for weight loss but still being healthy.
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
    Yes you can - but a lot of people on here are trying to eat better and be more healthy for all sorts of reasons - it's up to you to decide whether your target is purely weight loss ( so monitoring calories in v calories out) or attending to nutrition as well.
  • cici1028
    cici1028 Posts: 799 Member
    You might want to make sure that you have enough calories available to meet your goals. 1200 is the absolute bottom of the chart and when you're first starting out, it might be safer to start with 1400 - 1500? It depends on your goals for sure. I would set your MFP goals to 2 pounds a week and adjust for your lifestyle to see what it recommends.

    A slice of chocolate cake will not give you the nutrients you need, but it is delicious. So if you're just starting, I say eat what you like and keep your portions in check to keep the calorie count honest. There will come a point in time where you will actually look at the cake and just walk away. Until then, have it in small portions and within your allotted calories and ENJOY.
  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
    Eat within but close to your goals to lose weight and think of nourishing your body as your primary purpose for food.
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,585 Member
    You will soon find you'd rather pass on a peice of cake and instead have more food of the healthier type

    This!! Though it might take a while to get there, don't expect your tastes to change overnight... and it's fine to have ANYTHING just once in a while :flowerforyou:
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
    Hi I'm new here and started to diet on Monday this is my 1st day with mfp and have set a goal of 1200 calories a day which to be fair isn't that hard,I'm a big girl at 5ft 2" and weighing 89kg 13st I'd like to weigh 9st so have 4st to loose,my question is can you eat what ever you like as long as its under 1200cal or does it have to be specific foods eg can I have a slice of chocolate cake as long as its within my days cal intake? Thanks in advance xxx

    In moderation. Your goal is 1200 calories which is the point at which most experts will agree that you need for basic nutritional health. That being said, WITHOUT EXERCISE, you really don't have a great deal of room for non-nutritional items (such as cake which is loaded with empty calories).. Of course, I do believe that any of us should be able to enjoy a piece of cake (in moderation) now and then but it has to be in moderation. The bulk of what you consume should be nutritious foods... Foods that are going to meet your body's needs ... protein, carbs, some fats, and vitamins which come from various vegetables and fruits. By eating more nutritious foods, you will find that you will be less hungry because your body has what it needs to function... Of course, we all have a desire for that slice of cake or bit of ice cream... Just do it in moderation and add exercise to your routine.
  • sharleengc
    sharleengc Posts: 792 Member
    I eat what I like. I do find I made some changes...like now I don't really eat ground beef or beef at all unless I go out and even then it's rare...mostly turkey or chicken.

    I also found that stuff I used to eat ALL the time (like chips), don't really satisfy me anymore so I don't eat them...But that just sort of changed naturally, I didn't make myself.

    The biggest thing I learned was portions
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    To be perfecty honest I eat what I like. The key is to prepare it all YOURSELF in the kitchen from fresh ingredients. If you didn't cook it, don't eat it (except in moderation of course)
  • MissFit0101
    MissFit0101 Posts: 2,382
    I eat what I like. The limit on calories means I eat what I like in moderation.

    You will soon find you'd rather pass on a peice of cake and instead have more food of the healthier type :tongue:

    This.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    1200 is fine. Listen to your body.

    If you've never tracked before, you'll find out quickly than you can eat a lot more food of the healthy sort, by volume, than cake. And you might choose the volume over the concentrated calories. Or not. But you can eat what you want within your calorie goals. You also might find you feel deprived and hungry with a lot of empty calories in that 1200. Or not. Just listen to your body. You might find you like new things, now that you know the caloric 'cost' of things.
  • ldg323
    ldg323 Posts: 101 Member
    You will soon find you'd rather pass on a peice of cake and instead have more food of the healthier type

    This!! Though it might take a while to get there, don't expect your tastes to change overnight... and it's fine to have ANYTHING just once in a while :flowerforyou:

    I can't wait until this happens to me! I can't walk by a piece of anything chocolate without wanting to grab it!
  • missjewl
    missjewl Posts: 214 Member
    You can eat really anything... just use common sense! If you want a treat have it but dont over indulge ... have a small piece to curb your craving a let be just that. Im a huge chocolate lover... so i found cadbury dark chocolate and i'll have a couple of squares just to get my fill. As long as i stay with my daily calorie target im happy!
  • MoveTheMountain
    MoveTheMountain Posts: 764
    Hi I'm new here and started to diet on Monday this is my 1st day with mfp and have set a goal of 1200 calories a day which to be fair isn't that hard,I'm a big girl at 5ft 2" and weighing 89kg 13st I'd like to weigh 9st so have 4st to loose,my question is can you eat what ever you like as long as its under 1200cal or does it have to be specific foods eg can I have a slice of chocolate cake as long as its within my days cal intake? Thanks in advance xxx

    The short answer is yes, but if you take that logic to its absurd conclusion, it starts to fall apart: e.g., 1200 calories a day of chocolate cake might result in weight loss, but it will probably also result in diabetes and a host of other physical problems.

    And I agree with others that 1200 calories is probably not enough, certainly not if you're exercising in any regular sort of way. You're not giving your body the energy it needs to keep going, or the building blocks it needs to heal itself. You'll feel lots better if you figure out your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), and calculate your calories from either that or your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). Look here:

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    Assuming that you eat mostly healthy food, and the question is, do I have to give up all the fun dessert stuff completely, the answer is no, but just accept that your health progression will be slower than if you did. Most likely, it will probably be an evolution - slowly but surely, especially once you start seeing and feeling improvements - you'll start craving the bad stuff less and the good stuff more. Recently, I ditched diet soda and artificial sweeteners, two of the last items on my 'crap food but I don't want to give it up' list. (But yeah, I'll still have a small ice cream cone from time to time... I just work it into my calorie plan, and make sure I don't miss the next day's workout.)
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    You can eat whatever you want and lose weight, as long as you don't go over your calories. Of course you know you aren't going to be healthy if you eat nothing but junk. But a piece of cake is fine.

    One thing to keep in mind - 1200 calories is a decent amount of food if it's mostly vegetables and lean meats. If you eat a lot of junk food you will blow through the 1200 pretty quickly and not feel full.
  • MoveTheMountain
    MoveTheMountain Posts: 764
    You will soon find you'd rather pass on a peice of cake and instead have more food of the healthier type

    This!! Though it might take a while to get there, don't expect your tastes to change overnight... and it's fine to have ANYTHING just once in a while :flowerforyou:

    I can't wait until this happens to me! I can't walk by a piece of anything chocolate without wanting to grab it!

    I doubt I'll ever be able to walk by without some part of me wanting it - and for me, it's brownies. Man, I will never ever *not* want to eat a good brownie. But the other part of your brain kicks in and says, 'yeah, but that's gonna make me feel like crap,' and then it's just a matter of which side of your brain wins the dialog. Or maybe you compromise and just have a really small piece, etc.

    For the same reason that I can't have a TV in my bedroom (because it will end up staying on alllll night), I try to limit the amount of junk food in the house, so that's it's just a little bit harder to give in to the urges when they hit. Of course, I have a 7yo, so a totally junk free house really isn't in the cards, but every little bit helps.
  • Coliepie717
    Coliepie717 Posts: 21
    When I first started I was at 1200 calories also and I was always going over, which discouraged me and I gave up. When I decided to start over, I changed my calorie intake to 1500 which is much easier to stay under. I eat what I want but in moderation and I have one "splurge" day a week. I try not to go totally crazy, but I let myself have more of something or something that I would not have eatne during the week. Good luck to you!
  • kgprice11
    kgprice11 Posts: 749 Member
    You can eat what you want it all is about moderation.
  • Papillon22
    Papillon22 Posts: 1,160 Member
    Hi and welcome!
    Like others have said, everything in moderation is better than cutting something you like out, because in the end, you are going to feel deprived and might start overeating.

    As for 1200 calories, I think it might be too low. I'd suggest going to http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/ and calculating your bmr. That's the minimum number of calories you should eat every day so your body can work properly. Even if you think you can do well eating 1200, it might not be healthy.

    Good luck!
  • reneeot
    reneeot Posts: 773 Member
    many can eat what they like and lose weight staying in their caloric range. But not everyone.

    In my humble opinion, For better health overall,it is best to eat as healthy as possible and in moderation things that are the least healthy. :-) I think its importatnt to enjoy food and not feel guilty if you ate a cookie. Now if you ate several cookies....that's another story!
  • clairekeogh42
    clairekeogh42 Posts: 127 Member
    My calorie goal is also 1200 but I earn loads of extra calories by working out at the gym and walking, so I need to eat at least 200-300 of them every day just to feel like I'm getting enough food. If you're going to have chocolate cake make sure you earn it by doing exercise as you cant really have it on 1200 a day. Good luck :smile:
  • toomuchlatte
    toomuchlatte Posts: 18
    Thanks for the replies,I'm not a big cake'oholic LOL and will probebly have a slice once a week or so it was just a example,I have a bigger problem with given up latte and toasted bagels =\,my goal is set at loosing 1.5lbs a week and I was suggested a 1200 calorie diet by mfp,I don't have difficulty sticking to this and am usually under slightly,what I have problems with mainly is I just can't fall in love with fruit,veg and whole grain foods,most food I eat is home cooked but as I have a family of 3 our main foods include rice,meat,potato,cheese, pasta ect...I'm finding it difficult to completely change to blander foods,I do like the 1200 cal limit because if I go over I won't have that big guilt,right now I'm not committing to life changes or anything I'm just taking one day at a time xxx
  • hannahchiarella
    hannahchiarella Posts: 28 Member
    I used to loooove chocolate cake and muffins and icecream and when i started this i thought "yey i can still eat them as long as im within my calories" (which is also 1200) but then (like others have said) i quickly realised that if i have that chocolate cake/icecream then i wont have many calories left for my lunch or dinner so therefore id be putting something in my body that doesnt really give me any nutrients and id rather substitute that for something that does. Dont get me wrong i still enjoy the odd cake etc :-) i just have to reeeeeally want it.
  • toomuchlatte
    toomuchlatte Posts: 18
    Yeah I get that,I'm used to making endless cups of coffee and now I'm like argh that 85cals for that one drink,what shocked me most was that after I ate 1 chocolate digestive I read it had 85cals in it which is a few off a nice bowl of oats porridge! I think 1200cals may be a challenge on somedays but on a average day it's definetly do able xx
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    Thanks for the replies,I'm not a big cake'oholic LOL and will probebly have a slice once a week or so it was just a example,I have a bigger problem with given up latte and toasted bagels =\,my goal is set at loosing 1.5lbs a week and I was suggested a 1200 calorie diet by mfp,I don't have difficulty sticking to this and am usually under slightly,what I have problems with mainly is I just can't fall in love with fruit,veg and whole grain foods,most food I eat is home cooked but as I have a family of 3 our main foods include rice,meat,potato,cheese, pasta ect...I'm finding it difficult to completely change to blander foods,I do like the 1200 cal limit because if I go over I won't have that big guilt,right now I'm not committing to life changes or anything I'm just taking one day at a time xxx

    You might have better luck sticking to it if you find substitutions you like and can imagine having forever. Like instead of giving up the latte and bagel, make it a non-fat latte and a mini bagel, dry. With some fruit or protein, to aid fullness.

    You might fall in love with a few fruit/veg/whole grains if you're persistent in trying them and if you really take stock of your likes. You don't have to have steamed broccoli or salads. Like onions? Tomatoes? Pumpkin? Carrots? Brown rice takes a little time to get used to sometimes but it's actually tastier than white, not more bland. Plus season away! Sweet potatoes are terrific, or white potatoes in moderation without tons of fatty toppings or fried. There are some nice new pasta options like Dreamfields and Barilla Plus. They're less brown than whole wheat but better for you. Also, you can still eat your old favs, just not as much. Cheese is tough. Drier cheeses like parmesan are usually less caloric. Make a little go a long way.
  • cici1028
    cici1028 Posts: 799 Member
    ,most food I eat is home cooked but as I have a family of 3 our main foods include rice,meat,potato,cheese, pasta ect...I'm finding it difficult to completely change to blander foods,I do like the 1200 cal limit because if I go over I won't have that big guilt,right now I'm not committing to life changes or anything I'm just taking one day at a time xxx

    Sounds like a good plan. Healthy food doesn't have to be bland. There are tons of recipes on the internet for good, healthy foods that are filling and delicious. I found a great recipe for honey cashew chicken that tastes better than the version at the Chinese Restaurant and is much better for you.

    It is definitely a one day at a time thing. Just strive to make better choices than you did the day before and you'll get it!
  • lchansen1
    lchansen1 Posts: 22
    Yes, You can eat what you like in moderation and your objective is to eat less.


    But just remember 500 calls for a piece of chocolate cake is not going to fill you nearly as much as a dinner plate of fresh chicken and veggies and salad and rice which if proportioned right is also 500 calls about. Nor does it have as many nutrients. Also, your body metabolism is better off with the stuff I mentioned and you may end up storing a lot of that is in that cake -- hence the moderation.

    If you are working out hard your body will need protein and water and other things to recover. cake has none of that.

    good luck!
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