Is it ok to eat junk food if you don't put on weight?

Question

I exercise every night (Boxing, Gym, Swimming) and I go for a long run every weekend, I don't drink much and don't smoke. I drink loads of water

however

My addiction is junk food - I go to the chippy twice a week, chinese once a week, Macdonalds for lunch once a week, crisps and chocolate bars on regular basis, love fizzy drinks (I try and eat a bit of fruit and veggies as well though but not much) but I never put on any weight and am below my BMI index.

Should I carry on enjoying my fast metabolism & eating junk or am I doing any other damage to my health even though I never put on any weight? If I am doing damage is there any way to cure this powerful addiction?

Answer 1

What people seem to foget here is that there is a phrase that goes

"Everything in moderation".

I see no reason to ban junk completely from your diet and NEVER eat it. I also see no reason to eat it every day.

Why not just once a week or once a fortnight?

I'm very much like you. Have a good metabolism, don't put on weight, am very active (Right now am nearly 9 months pregnant but when not pregnant I do about 12 hours of dance classes a week plus performances, walk everywhere and exercise). I
never put weight on, indeed I've bearely put any on during my pregnancy.

Plus if you are very active you have higher than average energy requirements and a diet of fresh fruit and veg and porridge alone isn't going to be enough. I've often needed a choc bar before a long dance performance for the energy.

Yes there's energy in pasta, porridge etc but it fills up your stomach and takes a long time to empty into your bowel - and it can make you feel really heavy, sick and bloated if you try to dance or work out with a stomach full of food. It takes a long time to get into your system and often if you're exercising a lot an energy drink or bar of chocolate is what you need for a quick burst of energy.

This is not the same as a office worker who sits on their ar.se all day at a computer. They don't need that sort of quick fix and can get their energy from slow release sources as their gut has more time and freedom to digest slowly.

I also like "junk" food - I eat chocolate all the time and sweets, crisps etc. But I don't eat McDonalds every day nor do I eat chips or takeaways every day. I eat them once a week maybe, or a bit less and try to eat fruit and vegetables as well.

Some "junk" food is actually not that bad for you - I'm a vegetarian and a vegetable topped pizza ins't going to do you any harm. Also things like Subway sandwiches (Vegiie Delite! Mmmmm!) made with fresh salad ingredients are fine. Or if you go for a Chinese, have something like stir fried vegetables and rice. That has plenty of vitamins in because its made from Veg!

People tend to be very ignorant on this subject and have knee jerk reactions. They either think its OK to eat junk all day every day or think you have to ban it completely and never ever touch it. Presumably this is just another example of common sense going out the window and people listening to the nanny state and not using their own heads.

Everything in moderation!

Try cutting down a bit. Just have one takeaway a week (and try the healthier option like stir friend or curried veg - have a jacket potato from the chippy instead of chips) and swap McDonalds for Subway or something a bit less greasy. Try to make sure you get all your fruit and vegetables in as well. Or at least take a vitamin supplement.

Ignore the faddy eaters and fanatics. I nearly died of Anorexia as a teen and I've seen what food obsessions can do to you. Use your common sense and balance your diet rather than thinking you have to "cut things out" completely.

Answer 2

Personally if I were you I'd cut down on the amount of junk food that you are having. Okay its not harming you now but as you get older you never know.

Because you do some much exercise your body isn't effected by all the junk food that you eat because you are burning it up, but if you get an injury and can't train but carry on eating in this way that is when you are going to start having problems and start to gain weight. So for now why don't you cut down on the chocolate, crisps, fizzy drinks and the MacDonald's and try eating healthier alternatives and balance your diet more. It would be wrong to suggest that you completely stop with the junk food, (although that would be a lot better for you) so why not go down to having just one junk food meal a week, instead of so many a week. By doing this I reckon that not only you body will benefit from this, but you will also find that you save yourself more money. Start taking a pack lunch to work, or if you don't want to do that grab a sandwich from the deli or go into M&S and get a nice healhier option from there. This is only a suggestion, but I think that it the long term your body will thank you for it

Answer 3

Just because you don't have weight problems, doesn't mean you aren't damaging your health. The problems with junk food is that they contain high levels of saturated fats, salts and sugars, and are low in the vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients the body needs.

In effect, by depriving your body of these micronutrients, you can cause damage to your health. There is a school of thought that also believes that our appetite is tied in to the body's need for these micronutrients. If you are not getting enough of them, your body will tell you it's still hungry, so you eat more. If you are largely eating junk food, you still won't be getting enough of the micronutrients you need, but may well be ingesting dangerously large amounts of saturated fats, salts and sugars.

When you are young you can get away with eating like this. I know, because I did. Believe me, at a certain point in your life, your metabolism will slow down, and you will start storing those excess calories. It is better to get into a healthy eating pattern as early in life as you can.

Answer 4

Absolutely not, you are on route for diabetes.

Try eating healthier foods, complex carbohydrates and better protein souces like fish and 'clean' meat like chicken and beef. Eat more beans and loads of fruit and veg.

As this is not a weight issue I'm sure you won't see any change in weight, but what you will see is an increase in energy.

You could go cold turkey and just cut out junk food al together, or you could start substituting and slowly decrease the amount of junk in your diet. But I think the former is the best idea, and as you start to eat better you can have the odd treat, but I bet it will be less pleasing when you have weaned yourself off it.

Answer 5

Firstly, cut out the fizzy drinks. It's recently been shown that they can help contribute to oesteoperosis by removing calcium from the bone and, assuming you're 18+, you'll have a hell of a time replacing it. And, if you're used to being active, oesteoperosis could be the worst thing that could happen to you.

The chocolate etc. can lead to diabetes. No matter how good your metabolism or how fit you are, you can still get it, and then you'll have a hell of a time staying in shape.

Besides all that, you're heart, liver and kidneys may suffer damage.

I'd say, drop the junk, lift the weights.

Answer 6

You have not specified your age. Your gender is not also given. However, in case you are below 30 and below your BMI index, as you say, there is no great harm in taking junk food, once or twice a week, as long as you are not addicted to this, in the sense that you don't make junk food as the only food. However, when you eat plenty of fruits and veggies with fibre content, you need not be bothering much about the junk food.

Answer 7

There is more to junk food than it's tendency to put weight on you. Fats clog your arteries, increase your risk for certain cancers, etc.

You are doing A LOT to ward off your risks by your exercise regimen, but it is not the total answer. Look at Jim Fixx. He was considered one of the great leaders in running, yet he died of a heart attack...while running. The lesser known story was that he had a bad family history of heart disease and ate a horribly unhealthy diet.

So, I guess I say to you...enjoy an OCCASIONAL Big Mac or chocolate bar, but bare in mind that your exercise program and metabolism can only take you so far in protecting your health. If you are not feeding your body the fuel it needs for optimal performance...just like a high performance car that you put bad fuel in...the odds are, that as good as it is, eventually it will start to break down and give you problems

Answer 8

Because your weight is right and you exercise you are in good shape physically but everything you are eating is used to create new cells in your body. You are what you eat. You can't see it but you have damage occuring inside your body from the diet you are consuming. If you cut out the junk you will feel so much better. Try it and feel the difference, there is one.

If you want to live a shorter life and experience health problems down the road continue on eating as you are. The choice is truly yours, and you need to know what is important to you to make your decision. Drinking lots of water is great and I applaude you for your exercise routine. Keep those up!

Answer 9

Basically it's unhealthy, junk food should only be eaten in moderation. The exercise you are doing is obviously burning off all the calories you are consuming - so you assume that your diet is not so bad, but in terms of nutrition it is. You should probably aim to eat the same about of calories, but make sure that they come from 'good', unprocessed foods such as fruit and veg, pasta, rice, whole-grains, lean meat etc. And I'm sure that you would be able to find healthier versions of the types of food you love if you did a little research.

Answer 10

You have a great body. I am a very honest person and you look very good. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. No offence to other people out there, but u look way better than them. u look gorgeous! I never eat junk food. I don't like it. I like chickpea salads, mashed potatoes, baked zucchini, French bread, etc. Honestly, when you start eating healthy, you will get into the habit of it. During my childhood, my mom gave me lots of healthy, nutritious food. I guess I got into the habit. Type in, "yummy fruits," into google images. Fruit doesn't have to be boring. Take a look at those pictures. You can eat low fat yogurt with strawberrys and just spice things up like that.