Does WHAT I eat matter?
 

I'm a junk food girl.
My two favorite foods? Tater Tots and cheesecake. With my handy dandy calorie counter app (that allows me 1400 calories a day) I don't restrict myself from certain foods. If I can spend the calories or think it's worth it, I'll eat that cheeseburger. I'll have half of that cheesecake. Or I'll eat those 2 oz. of potato chips.
My question is, does it really matter what I eat as long as I stay under the calories I'm allotted? I don't feel like eating these high-density foods is leaving me unable to eat food.
For instance, 1 tablespoon of canned funfetti frosting is 70 calories. If I feel like I'm about to binge, I carefully measure out a tablespoon and let myself have it, and it works great.
Yesterday, I had two slices of pizza for 300 calories.
I'm also eating healthy, I'm eating dried cranberries, almonds, spinach, lettuce, lots of legumes and all my oils are good healthy oils. Obviously, it's rare that I'm able to chow down on an entire piece of cheesecake, but is there any reason why I shouldn't have some of it?
I feel like restricting myself from things like candy will just make me want to binge. I'm very honest with the amounts that I eat on my calorie tracker.
The only thing I almost completely kicked is my diet soda habit, but I do let myself have 16 oz. once or twice a week, but I used to drink it like water.

I am losing weight and I'm taking my multivitamin.

Yes, I am making a lifestyle change as well, just to clarify. It just may not be quite as drastic as some of the people on here, and the reason for that is simply because I'm young and I think it's a part of youth to be able to eat pizza and not feel totally guilty about it. But many of my habits have changed, I feel like I'm eating very reasonably, like a normal teenage girl eats, but in less amounts.

I want to keep making it clear that I am eating healthy as well, plenty of fruit and veggies and skinless boneless chicken breasts, but I still like to eat sorbet and candy and tater tots (if I can spend the calories) and pasta and pizza.

Am I losing out on something by doing this? I feel like it controls my binging.

I am with you. That is what I love most about calorie counting, absolutely nothing is off limits provided I stay within my calorie allowance currently 1,440. If I want to eat 1,440 calories of ice cream I can. Of course if I do that I can eat nothing else that day so I have not done that. I often eat pizza and smaller amounts of ice cream. This freedom keeps me from feeling deprived and rebelling against my eating plan. This is a great way for me to eat.

Look, for weight loss it is going to work. My diet started out pretty much just by cutting down on what I was already eating.

But fast forward a year and I am eating completely different and healthier foods. What's the difference? Well, I can eat more and still lose weight (mostly). And I get other health benefits beyond weight loss. For example, my hair, eyes and skin look and feel better from eating a more balanced diet. I am also off BP medication and cholesterol medication.

So do what works but keep an open mind to making positive changes. I did and it worked wonders!

Sounds like you are finding a healthy balance. If measuring out a treat is helping you control bingeing that is great.

Having a planned treat on the weekend keeps me on plan during the week and is working well for me.

Wishing you continued success :sunny:

Great comment from Ian

I believe in the calories eaten vs. calories burned idea. Although I know that certain foods slow down my already damaged metabolism, like dairy and alcohol. If I only ate 1800 calories worth of wine and cheese each day, I'd not be losing as quickly as if I had 3 nutritious meals with fruits, veggies etc and moderate wine. Not to mention I'd be sick as a dog from heartburn and other not-so-fun digestive issues!!! But that's my body. I always make allowances for things I love so that I don't feel deprived.

To answer your question "Does it matter what I eat," yes, it does matter what you eat, and if you were eating nothing but junk food, there would be a reason to be concerned because the quality of food you eat matters to your health. However, it sounds like you eat healthy foods. You just choose also to have some treats within your calorie limits, and if that's working for you, I don't see any reason to change it.

From the sounds of it, you've found a nice balance. The habits you will maintain are the habits you can live with.

What you are doing sounds totally reasonable. I'm impressed that you can stop at two slices of pizza or one spoonful of frosting. To stop my bingeing, I had to cut those things out completely because I could never stop at just two slices. So good for you!

The only thing I would suggest is to keep an eye on how your body feels after eating certain foods. You may discover that certain foods slow down your weight loss or make you feel sluggish after eating.

That sounds like a good plan. Moderating yourself around the more junky food, while still enjoying it and fitting in more veggies and fruit is a maintainable plan. I've lost weight the day after eating Mcdonalds, Pizza Hut, etc... because it was within my calorie count.

However, it's good to try and balance the junk with healthy food. Like, if I have pasta, I have a side salad so I'll feel full and eat less pasta. But it sounds like you already fit in plenty of healthy food with your plan!

I lost over 100 lbs having pizza almost every week. It is amusing because I'd have a whoosh in weight the day after I ate pizza. The pizza started being sausage with veggies and then eventually just became a veggie pizza. I also started eating 3-4 slices (half a medium) to 2-3 slices and then eventually 2 slices. I eventually gave up the pizza because I gave up the cheese but it was an interesting phenomenon.

(and my confession is I never cared much for pizza before my weight loss efforts but we found a nice local place with a non-oily crust that was delicious and they had a ton of different vegetable toppings)

My 'vice' is still eating out a lot. But my regular meals have gotten a lot healthier. Eating out isn't something I have wanted to give up. But it is working out in my overall lifestyle now. And I do make better eating out choices.

I will say my focus is on health first and weight is related to that. You could probably lose weight on an all 'junk' diet. But that person would not be healthy.

BTW, I know the OP was not describing an all junk diet.

I think allowed, counted and planned for treats are fine.

Friday night is pizza night at our house. I buy one large Chicago Town stuffed crust pepperoni pizza from the supermarket. Of it I have a third, which is just under 600 calories, which is still okay for a main meal. And there is none left when everyone has finished so no temptation.

However if I was at pizza hut and we ordered a large pizza, it would be far larger than the one I buy, and I would be hard-pressed to resist eating more than my 600 calories, so eating out is difficult.

Well, the proof's in the pudding, isn't it? Your system seems to be working for you both physically and mentally. It has also worked very well for me in the past: I lost 30 to 50 pounds on several occasions without restricting any foods and allowing myself regular treats. I regained the weight not because the system didn't work, but because I began overeating again. I've now been maintaining a 50-pound loss for over two years with no off-limit foods. (For example: last night I went out with a friend and had a fancy coffee with two types of liqueur and a mountain of whipped cream.) The difference is that I don't pig out as frequently and compensate for it when I do.

Freelance

p.s. I don't consider cheesecake junk food. It has cream cheese and eggs, right?

I got to goal in 2011 eating small servings of pizza, ice cream, and whatever else I wanted. Of course, I gained half of it back in 2013 when I through "suggested serving sizes" to the wind. This time I'm incorporating more whole foods (and making a big green smoothie once a day) but will also eat small amounts of junk as long as it fits into my calorie allowance.

Really only you can answer that by experimenting. Are you feeling good? Are your skin/hair/nails feeling and looking healthy? Do you have a lot of energy to do the things you want to do? Is the weight coming off the way you want it?