Another calorie question....

kaseyrose87

I don't really understand the whole calorie thing very well. I have had a bad day today and haven't eaten regularly when I should, didn't plan my meals, went out for lunch at a pancake restaurant and got subway for dinner. After eating all this I have barely made half my reccomended calorie intake. So, this got me thinking. If I ate junk food such as a block of chocolate for breakfast lunch and dinner but didn't go over my calories for the day, what would happen? Would I gain weight?

refinedredbird

If you eat less calories than you burn, you will lose weight no matter what it is. The idea is that you should be eating food that meets your body's needs for proper energy and function. Food is your fuel and what you eat will affect your health. A "skinny" person does not mean they are healthy.

mikejholmes

If you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight, (assuming you don't have any metabolic conditions) regardless of the content of those calories.

If you DID manage to subsist entirely on chocolate, your body would have a hard time building muscle, and you'd be seriously vitamin deficient, and generally very unhealthy. Your dentist would likely love you. :laugh:

So to answer your question, yes, weight gain/loss is 100% about calorie surplus/deficit respectively.

However, MOST people are actually much more interested in FAT loss, even if they call it weight loss. And the best way to burn fat, is to lift heavy weights. That will help build muscle, and help burn fat, helping to reveal the muscle (what most people call "toning"). From there, you need to decide if you want to lose fat while losing weight (for example, a 5'2 woman who weights 300# probably wants to lose fat AND weight), then lift while eating in a deficit. (From your profile picture, I'm guessing this doesn't apply to you, but for general interest....) And a 6'4 woman who is 130# might want/need to gain weight, so she should lift and eat a surplus.

Too much detail, or does that make sense?

bcattoes

So, this got me thinking. If I ate junk food such as a block of chocolate for breakfast lunch and dinner but didn't go over my calories for the day, what would happen? Would I gain weight?

No, but you'd probably be lacking in nutrition. If one were to eat only junk, a daily multivitamin would be a good idea. And if your diet was very low protein, you'd risk losing a lot of muscle as you lost fat.

Eating a well balanced diet is more for your health than weight loss.

kaseyrose87

Thanks for your replies. So if my daily calories were 1600 for example and at the end of the day I was at 1500 could I eat a biscuit or chocolate worth 100cal and this would not effect my goal of fat loss? Thnx

bcattoes

Thanks for your replies. So if my daily calories were 1600 for example and at the end of the day I was at 1500 could I eat a biscuit or chocolate worth 100cal and this would not effect my goal of fat loss? Thnx

Correct. It is important to pay attention to your nutrients as well. Make sure you are eating enough protein and fat and enough veggies and fruit to get your micronutrients, but yes, having a 100 calories treat of whatever you like will not throw you off track.

corgicake

Yep, calories are calories for the most part. My go-to foods for getting those extra calories in are things like potatoes and corn dogs. Healthy? Okay, the potatoes aren't that bad but there's nothing redeeming about a corn dog aside from that they're tasty and hitting that calorie tally means more energy for tomorrow.