Are all calories equal?

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tijlab86
tijlab86 Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm sure this is a stupid question but I was wondering if someone could answer

Is 1500 calories worth of sweets and 1500 of say chicken breast the same. I.e if I ate 1500 calories of sweets or if I ate 1500 calories of chicken would u still lose the same amount of weight if there were no other variables?

Replies

  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
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    Yeah sure you'd lose the same amount of weight because when it comes right down to it if you're eating less than your burning, you lose weight. Only difference is the calories worth of sweets are empty calories, you're not getting any real nutrition with those calories vs. chicken breast where you'd be getting protein and other healthy vitamins/minerals, etc.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    As far as weight loss, sure, a calorie is a calorie. Eat at a deficit and you'll lose. As far as nutrition though, absolutely not.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    tijlab86 wrote: »
    I'm sure this is a stupid question but I was wondering if someone could answer

    Is 1500 calories worth of sweets and 1500 of say chicken breast the same. I.e if I ate 1500 calories of sweets or if I ate 1500 calories of chicken would u still lose the same amount of weight if there were no other variables?

    in terms of weight loss yes

    in terms of nutrition no

    a calorie is a unit of measurement, so it's like saying are all cms or all lbs equal .. yes, yes they are
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10181954/is-a-calorie-really-a-calorie/p1
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
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    But why would you want too? Your profile says you want to get healthy for your kid. Losing weight on a deficit of sweets doesn't exactly set a good or healthy example for you kid.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    cushman5279 wrote: »
    But why would you want too? Your profile says you want to get healthy for your kid. Losing weight on a deficit of sweets doesn't exactly set a good or healthy example for you kid.

    that wasn't the question

    how did you read intention in the OP because it was clearly a theoretical question
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
    edited June 2015
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    This is one of those dumb 'are all calories the same' threads that get started once per week that get people bitching about semantics and the philosophical differences in calories.

    OP; do some research and figure it out.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    Yes from an energy standpoint, a calorie is a unit of measure and a calorie is just a calorie, you would lose the same weight in your examples but examples like that are not realistic because I don't know anyone who only eats chicken, or sweets. Both would be pretty miserable, in my opinion.

    I prefer to find a balance of nutrient dense, satiating foods that help me meet my calorie requirements and leave a little room for less nutrient dense foods,(sweets, ice cream, wine, etc).

    Also the search feature in the forums will point you to hundreds or thousands of threads asking the exact same question you did and you can see all the responses there.
  • Wiseandcurious
    Wiseandcurious Posts: 730 Member
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    Why the extreme made up example? If anyone wants to eat 1500 calories of sweets in a day and nothing else, or 1500 calories of chicken breast in a day and nothing else, they might need to consult a psychotherapist.

    Most of the success stories that I've read on this site are of people who knew how to lose sustainably while treating themselves to things like sweets enough not to feel deprived.

    There's even more. I doubt there are statistics or that but I think that if one person lost 100 lbs by eating 1500 calories everything except chicken breast and another did the same eating everything except candy/cake/ice-cream/insert your sweet temptation of choice here, then the latter is more likely to regain a lot of weight back because they never learned how to eat said sweet temptation in moderation.
  • crazyjerseygirl
    crazyjerseygirl Posts: 1,252 Member
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    Think like this. A day is a day. It doesn't matter how you spend that day, in the end you're still a day older.
    But...how you spend that day can add or subtract to the quality of your life.
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    tijlab86 wrote: »
    I'm sure this is a stupid question but I was wondering if someone could answer

    Is 1500 calories worth of sweets and 1500 of say chicken breast the same. I.e if I ate 1500 calories of sweets or if I ate 1500 calories of chicken would u still lose the same amount of weight if there were no other variables?

    in terms of weight loss yes

    in terms of nutrition no

    a calorie is a unit of measurement, so it's like saying are all cms or all lbs equal .. yes, yes they are

    ^^^^ This. This right here.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    tijlab86 wrote: »
    I'm sure this is a stupid question but I was wondering if someone could answer

    Is 1500 calories worth of sweets and 1500 of say chicken breast the same. I.e if I ate 1500 calories of sweets or if I ate 1500 calories of chicken would u still lose the same amount of weight if there were no other variables?

    there is a well known thermic effect of protein which would favour weight loss on the chicken option.

  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
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    cushman5279 wrote: »
    Yeah sure you'd lose the same amount of weight because when it comes right down to it if you're eating less than your burning, you lose weight. Only difference is the calories worth of sweets are empty calories, you're not getting any real nutrition with those calories vs. chicken breast where you'd be getting protein and other healthy vitamins/minerals, etc.

    Empty calories, kinda like that alcohol in your hand. Ironic
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,136 Member
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    eric_sg61 wrote: »
    cushman5279 wrote: »
    Yeah sure you'd lose the same amount of weight because when it comes right down to it if you're eating less than your burning, you lose weight. Only difference is the calories worth of sweets are empty calories, you're not getting any real nutrition with those calories vs. chicken breast where you'd be getting protein and other healthy vitamins/minerals, etc.

    Empty calories, kinda like that alcohol in your hand. Ironic

    gorx36olj15m.gif

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