Aside from health benefits, does it matter WHAT you eat as long as within your Cals ?
megisabel
Posts: 3 Member
I'm enjoying the freedom of war what you like as long as you don't exceed calorie goal.
From a purely weight loss point of me , does what you spend your Cals on matter?
Today I've had milkybar, 2 lattes, chicken wrap and oven chips - I'm within my calorie allowance (I have also had turkey with lots of veg for lunch) !
From a purely weight loss point of me , does what you spend your Cals on matter?
Today I've had milkybar, 2 lattes, chicken wrap and oven chips - I'm within my calorie allowance (I have also had turkey with lots of veg for lunch) !
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Replies
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For weight loss? No, calories are calories. Many people find that certain types of foods fill them up more than others do and this makes it easier for them to stay on plan.0
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Purely from a weight loss standpoint, the only thing that matters is calories. Nutrition on the other hand, is a different matter.0
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No. Just make sure to get your micronutrient RDAs and hit your fat and protein minimums to avoid health problems.0
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The type of food can make a difference. It all comes down to calories absorbed, but the amount of absorbed calories can make a difference with different foods.0
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As long as you aren't having more trouble staying at your calorie goal due to food choice, it shouldn't matter for weight loss.0
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Yes it matters to me
If it doesn't taste great it's not worth wasting calories on
Overall my diet has to hit my protein goals ...be adequately nutritious with a wide range of vegetables and home cooked foods and be delicious0 -
Only thing to add is; remember salt will make you retain water. Don't be surprised if you gain weight after a salty week even if you stayed within calories.0
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The amount of weight you lose will be strictly determined by the amount of calories you eat vs the amount of calories you burn regardless of the source of those calories.
That said, fat and protein are essential for health and body composition (more protein helps to maintain muscle during weight loss so that more of the weight lost is actually from fat) which will affect what you actually look like after the weight is gone.0 -
You also have to consider the thermodynamics of macronutrients. Also, quality food can increase energy and mood which has the possibility and also studies that have revealed that it helps lead to an increase in tdee0
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pinggolfer96 wrote: »You also have to consider the thermodynamics of macronutrients. Also, quality food can increase energy and mood which has the possibility and also studies that have revealed that it helps lead to an increase in tdee
Do you mean thermogenic effect of macros? It's negligible, really.
I'd love to see these studies on how what you eat can increase TDEE. Links, please?0 -
Isn't that one of the main points in losing weights though to be healthier? If not
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Well that depends.....if you just want to lose weight then eat what you want and stay in your cals......but if you want to preserve muscle and lose fat or if you want to become a healthier version of your older self then yes it does matter!! You are what you eat after all!!0
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Why would you choose to eat a diet that you consider not healthy? I am not sayign that what you are eating is or is not healthy, but if you see it as not healthy, wouldn't this be a bigger problem than whether you can lose weight?0
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Others have already answered your question OP, but just to reiterate:
From an energy perspective, a calorie is just a calorie., which is what matters for weight loss. Stay within your calories but don't strive for perfection every single day. Weekly averages are good too.
From a nutritional perspective, foods can vary widely in both macro and micronutrients, which is what matters for overall health. Eat a balanced, nutrient dense diet.
From a satiety perspective, some foods are more filling than others. That can vary based on individual preferences, for me, protein and carbs are filling, fats, not so much. Eat foods that fill you up
From a satisfaction perspective, I think it is important to leave room for the treats you enjoy to encourage long term adherence. Don't cut out everything that makes you happy. Restricting too much can often leave to binges or giving up
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Sometimes people make it harder on themselves by having somewhat unreasonable standards for what is healthy (I used to do that) and then feeling upset and like they are messing up if they can't live up to them. It can be easier to make it simple and say "I will focus on calories now."
My personal view is that for a lot of people focusing on calories will result in them eating a pretty healthy overall diet, since lean protein and vegetables and fruit and whole grains and legumes tend to be more filling than some lower nutrient / higher cal options, so the latter get eaten less often. It's possible to have a diet that focuses only on calories and is way off on protein such that you are losing more muscle mass than you otherwise would, but most people probably get their numbers within a range where it doesn't make that much difference (especially if they have a whole lot to lose, when just losing weight is the healthiest thing, no matter what the diet).0 -
I'm not losing weight simply to lose weight. I'm losing weight to improve my health. Therefore, I prioritize nutritious foods.0
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I don't mean to create a firestorm of epic proportions but some things about the notion of "a calorie is a calorie" I can deal with easily yet in another sense it doesn't make total sense. IE...if it eat a lean chicken breast vs the same calorie content of a homemade piece of Italian Bread...would i not with no exercise or anything have a lower net calorie impact for just the mere digestion of that food?
We need a calorie deficit. Calorie vs Calorie deficit required...Check. However....the body treats nutrients differently. Protein requires more energy to digest thus less net calories. Simple sugars containing fructose vs glucose are not treated the same by the body. Higher fructose foods tend to spike insulin etc etc.
The point being....creating a calorie deficit with the best food choices it would seem can lead to a more efficient "fat" loss result.
I don't want to just drop the number on the scale..who cares...i want to drop "FAT" stores in my body between the muscle and my skin! and that i believe takes more than the simplified approach of "eat any damn old thing you want" just be in deficit theory.
DISCLAIMER: that statement is JUST a statement and not aimed at anyone individually or collectively on MFP! no need for the "no one said to eat anything you want" type responses. Far more interested in how to create the best body possible during the weight loss journey type discussions. I personally assume thats really what most people are looking for.
I read some of the posts that just keep seem to be resonating the concept of eat anything just be in a deficit and I feel like its missing the forest for the trees. for me...this is about overall health which involves less body fat % with maximum muscle tone kept intact.
I could be nuts. *shrugs*0 -
Tomk652015 wrote: »I don't mean to create a firestorm of epic proportions but some things about the notion of "a calorie is a calorie" I can deal with easily yet in another sense it doesn't make total sense. IE...if it eat a lean chicken breast vs the same calorie content of a homemade piece of Italian Bread...would i not with no exercise or anything have a lower net calorie impact for just the mere digestion of that food?
We need a calorie deficit. Calorie vs Calorie deficit required...Check. However....the body treats nutrients differently. Protein requires more energy to digest thus less net calories. Simple sugars containing fructose vs glucose are not treated the same by the body. Higher fructose foods tend to spike insulin etc etc.
The point being....creating a calorie deficit with the best food choices it would seem can lead to a more efficient "fat" loss result.
I don't want to just drop the number on the scale..who cares...i want to drop "FAT" stores in my body between the muscle and my skin! and that i believe takes more than the simplified approach of "eat any damn old thing you want" just be in deficit theory.
DISCLAIMER: that statement is JUST a statement and not aimed at anyone individually or collectively on MFP! no need for the "no one said to eat anything you want" type responses. Far more interested in how to create the best body possible during the weight loss journey type discussions. I personally assume thats really what most people are looking for.
I read some of the posts that just keep seem to be resonating the concept of eat anything just be in a deficit and I feel like its missing the forest for the trees. for me...this is about overall health which involves less body fat % with maximum muscle tone kept intact.
I could be nuts. *shrugs*
Majoring in the minors when the calories are all estimates is a bit nuts
Dropping fat is eating at defecit, preserving muscle is eating at defecit, monitoring protein, following progressive resistance0 -
Tomk652015 wrote: »I don't mean to create a firestorm of epic proportions but some things about the notion of "a calorie is a calorie" I can deal with easily yet in another sense it doesn't make total sense. IE...if it eat a lean chicken breast vs the same calorie content of a homemade piece of Italian Bread...would i not with no exercise or anything have a lower net calorie impact for just the mere digestion of that food?
We need a calorie deficit. Calorie vs Calorie deficit required...Check. However....the body treats nutrients differently. Protein requires more energy to digest thus less net calories. Simple sugars containing fructose vs glucose are not treated the same by the body. Higher fructose foods tend to spike insulin etc etc.
The point being....creating a calorie deficit with the best food choices it would seem can lead to a more efficient "fat" loss result.
I don't want to just drop the number on the scale..who cares...i want to drop "FAT" stores in my body between the muscle and my skin! and that i believe takes more than the simplified approach of "eat any damn old thing you want" just be in deficit theory.
DISCLAIMER: that statement is JUST a statement and not aimed at anyone individually or collectively on MFP! no need for the "no one said to eat anything you want" type responses. Far more interested in how to create the best body possible during the weight loss journey type discussions. I personally assume thats really what most people are looking for.
I read some of the posts that just keep seem to be resonating the concept of eat anything just be in a deficit and I feel like its missing the forest for the trees. for me...this is about overall health which involves less body fat % with maximum muscle tone kept intact.
I could be nuts. *shrugs*
You said you don't want the "no one said eat anything you want" comments, but your entire post seems to imply that's what you think people are recommending. Focusing just on the scale, not on nutrition, body composition, etc.
I don't know many people who sit down and say, "hmm, should I eat chicken or bread today?" When they are planning their day. People might say, "well, I'm low on protein, so instead of having bread with dinner maybe I should have a little more chicken, or only one piece of bread instead of two". Same thing with the "broccoli vs Doritos" straw man that is often raised. Have the chicken, a piece of bread, and some veggies. Isn't that what most people eat for dinner? Not a singular thing?
If you eat a balanced diet, focusing on a variety of foods, the impacts of how those calories from different sources are processed in the body are negligible. Directionally correct is good enough for the vast majority of the population.0 -
what keeps popping up in my head is that i read a post the other day about the HS science teacher that ate nothing but McDonalds and dropped weight and improved his health markers etc... I wish he would have grabbed the shop teacher and made him eat lean protein, complex carbs and healthy fats for the same time frame at the same calorie level and compared the two final outcomes in some real scientific manner. Perhaps those type studies are out there I just never looked.0
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Tomk652015 wrote: »what keeps popping up in my head is that i read a post the other day about the HS science teacher that ate nothing but McDonalds and dropped weight and improved his health markers etc... I wish he would have grabbed the shop teacher and made him eat lean protein, complex carbs and healthy fats for the same time frame at the same calorie level and compared the two final outcomes in some real scientific manner. Perhaps those type studies are out there I just never looked.
Did you look at what the science teacher ate? He actually chose the most macro and micro friendly options at McDonalds (yogurt, granola, grilled chicken sandwiches, salads, etc) It was meant to be a rebuttal to Supersize Me in which everything was Big Macs and fries, trying to prove exactly the point you are suggesting...
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Tomk652015 wrote: »IE...if it eat a lean chicken breast vs the same calorie content of a homemade piece of Italian Bread...would i not with no exercise or anything have a lower net calorie impact for just the mere digestion of that food?
If you assume in the context of an overall diet, TEF (the calories related to digestion) isn't going to vary that much. I mean, you could maximize TEF by eating only meat, but that would be a terrible diet and not recommended for other reasons.
I don't think that eating what you want (and I don't assume anyone's what you want is all "junk food") vs. ONLY "healthy" foods (i.e., no cheese or ice cream ever) is going to result in much of a difference as to TEF.
Insulin spiking isn't a bad thing if one is healthy and also if you eat foods in combination it isn't going to be a big difference. I like pasta, so I eat meals made up of pasta (whole wheat when I'm at home), lean meat, and lots and lots of vegetables, with some olive oil, maybe some cheese or olives or pinenuts. Does that meal become unhealthy because pasta?I don't want to just drop the number on the scale..who cares...i want to drop "FAT" stores in my body between the muscle and my skin! and that i believe takes more than the simplified approach of "eat any damn old thing you want" just be in deficit theory.
I did this quite successfully eating an overall healthy but quite varied and not avoiding any foods kind of diet.
For me, eating a healthy diet matters a lot. However, if you have a great deal to lose and are frightened of having to eat a diet you don't like (NOT saying this applies to OP), simply cutting calories to start can be huge. You are still going to mostly lose fat, and losing weight is typically the #1 thing you can do for your health. So much as I think nutrition is important and get impatient that some claim to be unable to eat vegetables, just getting started is the first step and most important.
And, as I said upthread, I think the need to cut calories usually makes most sensible people shift to a more healthful diet anyway, as it's not that easy to stay full if you are really low on protein and veg or eating tons of high cal/low nutrient foods.
I think you are imagining that us saying "it's about calories" is resulting in people choosing to just eat cake or some such, and I don't think that really happens (and anyone who does it knows darn well it's not a good choice and just doesn't care).0 -
I like my booze, who needs food?0
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From a pure weight loss perspective, as others have told you, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. The minor differences in TEF between macros is negligible and, based on what I've seen, negated by the inherent estimates required for the CICO equation.
What I do find, though, is that food choice has an effect on satiety, which can directly affect calorie goal adherence. If I eat a ton of fatty carbs, I am much less likely to graze. I get the same effect with voluminous carbs (like giant salads). Others find higher protein intakes to be more satisfying. In that sense, the "type" of calorie you choose can have an impact on you weight loss. However, that's more of a personal control thing.0 -
Tomk652015 wrote: »I don't mean to create a firestorm of epic proportions but some things about the notion of "a calorie is a calorie" I can deal with easily yet in another sense it doesn't make total sense. IE...if it eat a lean chicken breast vs the same calorie content of a homemade piece of Italian Bread...would i not with no exercise or anything have a lower net calorie impact for just the mere digestion of that food?
We need a calorie deficit. Calorie vs Calorie deficit required...Check. However....the body treats nutrients differently. Protein requires more energy to digest thus less net calories. Simple sugars containing fructose vs glucose are not treated the same by the body. Higher fructose foods tend to spike insulin etc etc.
The point being....creating a calorie deficit with the best food choices it would seem can lead to a more efficient "fat" loss result.
I don't want to just drop the number on the scale..who cares...i want to drop "FAT" stores in my body between the muscle and my skin! and that i believe takes more than the simplified approach of "eat any damn old thing you want" just be in deficit theory.
DISCLAIMER: that statement is JUST a statement and not aimed at anyone individually or collectively on MFP! no need for the "no one said to eat anything you want" type responses. Far more interested in how to create the best body possible during the weight loss journey type discussions. I personally assume thats really what most people are looking for.
I read some of the posts that just keep seem to be resonating the concept of eat anything just be in a deficit and I feel like its missing the forest for the trees. for me...this is about overall health which involves less body fat % with maximum muscle tone kept intact.
I could be nuts. *shrugs*
People already checked the differences in energy needed by digestion.
It's so little you took more energy thinking about it today than it's worth.
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/5/899S.full
Substituting 300 calories of carbs for 300 calories of protein (that's 75 grams protein extra) resulted in 21 calories burned extra.
So if you're eating like the banana girl right now and decide to go the bodybuilding route instead, you'd burn a whole 1% more per day if you're a normal sized guy.0 -
Someone posted this one years ago. It always stuck in my mind as one of those interesting ones.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2897733/
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