Can i really eat ANYTHING?

I was told by a friend that I could eat anything i wanted..candy chips whatever as long as i kept it at my calorie limit and made time for some exericse..sounds too good to be true..is it? Hope everyone is doing well :)

       &nb sp;               &nb sp;               &nb sp;        -Lithium322@yahoo.com

You can eat what ever you want, with in limits and as long as you have a variety of fruits, veg etc.  but eating candy and chips all the time isn't healthy. 

Everything in moderation.

I know the phrase pisses people off but it's true. Eat 80% healthy foods - complex carbs, proteins, dairy, veg, fruit and healthy fats - and 20% "fun" foods. Yes, you can have your cake and eat it - but in moderation. And moderation doesn't mean "a moderate portion" that equals half the cake. ;P Perhaps give this link a read, if you're quite new to calorie counting. It might help. An Unofficial Calorie Count Guide to a Fad-Free 2009

You can eat anything and lose weight pretty much, but your nutrition which is vital, will suffer. You will be thinner, but not in good health. Also eating crap is less satisfying and will leave you with less energy and ....craving more crap. So you likely wont be as successful if you go on this kind of diet.

Think of it this way - you can eat a huge bowl crunchy raw veggies, or half a small bag of potato chips - same amount of calories, but big difference in how full you feel and how healthy you'll be.  Would you choose to eat 4 apples or 4 Hershey's kisses?  Which one would fill you up? 

i agree with the post above, if you are serious about losing weight by calorie counting you will soon find out that having candy or chips has rather high calories but not very filling....there would be nothing worse than eating a little high calorie foods then feeling sooooo hungry the rest of the day cos you eaten your quota for the day...i eat what i know will fill me first then if i have calories left by the end of the day i have a bit of chocolate.

You can eat whatever you want...but it won't necessarily be healthy.

You shouldn't restrict other foods just so you can have a candy bar after lunch. You'd be better off eating 300 calories of a protein rich snack than eating a 300 calorie milky way.

If you really need to eat some candy, try to only have it once a week or less to keep yourself satisfied but also keep you from binging because you feel restricted.

Original Post by clairelaine:

Think of it this way - you can eat a huge bowl crunchy raw veggies, or half a small bag of potato chips - same amount of calories, but big difference in how full you feel and how healthy you'll be.  Would you choose to eat 4 apples or 4 Hershey's kisses?  Which one would fill you up? 

That's a very good way of looking at it!

im going to have to disagree a little bit.  not everyone can just eat whatever they want in their calorie limit and lose weight.  I tried that when i was on weight watchers.  i thought i could eat ice cream as long as i accounted for it in my weight watchers points (basically the same thing as calories).   I didnt lose any weight when i did this.  I am insulin resistant and my body only wants to lose weight when i eat mostly healthy. What I eat matters just as much as how much. I agree with the person who said 80% healthy and 20% fun foods is smart.   Even if you lose weight at first eating small portions of junk food, eventually your body might become worn out and so unhealthy that you end up with hormonal problems or other issues that hinder weight loss.   Eat whole healthy foods 80% of the time, like the other poster said.

If you eat food that is un processed like nuts, fruit, vegetables and etc then you feel look and feel healthier, and your body will function better so it will be easier for you to reach your potentials in life

If you want to eat a bunch of crap then you body will be laden with all those chemicals

Think about it this way; for thousands of years, humans have evolved eating animals they hunted, fruit they picked, fish they caught, and nuts and etc that they got themselves, nothing was processed and there were not man made artificial additives to pro long shelf life or improve the texture of foods.

If you let your taste buds adapt, natural foods like fruits and thickened cream ( yes, cream is just cream ,no additives in most brands) will be nice enough, and you will no longer crave processed biscuits and ice cream that have a million different flavor enhancers and additives in them. We only like those things because we have become accustomed to them.

Ultimately a calorie is a calorie, and you need 3500 of them over what you burn to gain just 1 lbs, but you will be happier if you get the majority of your calories from natural, un processed foods that our bodies actually need.

Yes you can.  This is the mindframe I used when I started losing weight.  Although I like to eat a good amount of food for my calorie intake and the healthier the meal the more food you get to eat.  I dont think anything should be off limits as long as you have a set calorie amount.

The only thing i would add is shooting for a calorie range.  I'm no scientist, but the way I work with my body is to looking at my 7 day average to base my calorie count.  A day is too short of a time for me.  If i'm going to weigh in weekly then what sense does basing my calorie intake on a daily basis.  It's very hard to hit the perfect number of calories each day...without eating the exact same food every day...but over a weeks time,  I can over indulge one day and make up for it the next.  Don't leave out excersice though.  In doing this, I automatically biuild in the zigzag...and my body never goes into starvation mode.  Balance diet, excersice and persistance is my three keys to weight loss.