Quality of calories

Vickie96

I know that to lose weight it's basically calories in and calories out, however do you find generally find that using your calories on more nutritious foods opposed to using some of them on sugary snacks etc, that you lose weight more consistently?

Intentional_Me

I was literally coming here to ask this!! I thought about chicken Alfredo from pizza hut tonight (Hubby's fav!) And have calories for it but don't know if its still likely to impeed weight loss.

khhregister

I don't think I've noticed a bit of difference in terms of weight loss. But I do just feel better when I eat well (fewer packaged sugary snacks, veggies with every meal). It may be purely psychological - I just feel like I'm taking better care of myself. I don't expect it actually has a big impact on my day-to-day well-being. It's more about keeping all systems go for the long haul.

It is a lot easier for me lose weight when I eat low calorie dense foods like a giant salad or a big pile of roasted veggies in terms of satiety. But I think that's a different question. I just can't seem to think of any real junk foods that are satisfying and large volume and low calorie.

shrcpr

For me, I find that using my calories on more filling foods as opposed to sugary snacks help. I wouldn't necessarily say I eat more nutritious foods (I eat a ton of packaged stuff because I had to cook or prepare food). I find I'm more satisfied and can stay in a consistent deficit if I pay attention to getting in 30-35% of my calories from protein. I don't pay attention to the other macros.

ETA: I still have a treat each day - like 2 squares of Dove dark chocolate or a Skinny Cow ice cream bar. So I don't intentionally avoid sugary things, per se.

californiagirl2012

For performance and sustainability on the deficit, WHAT matters. For simple fat loss calories are all that matters. For those of us who want to be healthy AND trim/fit, what matters tremendously.

85Cardinals

I feel better when I eat good food, in general. More purposeful I guess. That might have peripheral benefits. But I'm not a nazi about it. Gotta have a little fun eating too.

amusedmonkey

I find I lose at the same consistency (save for the times I overdo sodium rich fast food or a lot of starchy foods). I do find myself able to stick with it better when the bulk of my food is nutrient rich, because it's easier to make it low calorie. A low calorie veggie casserole? Easy! Just don't add a lot of oil. A low calorie cheesecake? Not possible, unless you make it with low fat cheese which beats the point of having a cheesecake.

bpetrosky

I treat it like a budget. I focus on the calories primarily, and budget out the macros to Try to get enough in proteins and fats, vegetables and fruits for the bulk of my carbs. Some starchy carbs (pasta, bread, rice) and a little bit for regular treats (ice cream, chocolate, a really good donut, etc).

Budgeting out the treats means I eat less of them, but the fact that I can still have them in the overall context of my day-to-day plan means I'm less tempted to overindulge.

rileysowner

Personal experience has been it makes no difference at all to my loss. I can make a difference in terms of feeling full making sticking with your calorie goal easier, and the nutrition is essential so eating only low nutrient food all the time would be less than helpful. However, occasionally incorporating so called "junk" food can also play an important role in keeping a person from feeling deprived allowing them to stick to their calorie goal long term more effectively.

kommodevaran

My weight fluctuates quite predictably according to calorie intake, but it's so much easier to stick to the right amount of calories with a good mix of nutrient dense and tasty food.

arditarose

I find that I'm less hungry and able to maintain a deficit better if I get a good 80% of my diet from nutrient dense/whole foods. If I need 1400 calories to lose weight and I eat a 500 calorie brownie...I'm going to be a bit hungry the rest of the day while trying to maintain that deficit.

Once I got more lean I also found that the makeup of my macronutrient intake made a difference as to how I look on a day to day basis.

Lounmoun

Vickie96 wrote: »

I know that to lose weight it's basically calories in and calories out, however do you find generally find that using your calories on more nutritious foods opposed to using some of them on sugary snacks etc, that you lose weight more consistently?

No to more weight loss but it is easier to feel satisfied and thus stick to my calorie goal if I am eating plenty of protein and vegetables versus eating more of my calories in cookies or chips.

neldabg

Not at all. During my weight loss phase, I lost weight consistently, no matter what I ate, as long as I stayed in my deficit.
However, by hitting my macros, with a majority of the sources coming from solid foods, I stayed full longer, found it easier to keep a deficit, and performed better during exercise and daily activities.

upoffthemat

I find myself saying "not worth the calories" a lot when looking at certain comfort foods and treats, so yeah I do try to fill my caloric intake with mostly quality nutritious food. That doesn't mean I dont allow for treats, but I do it in moderation.

cerise_noir

Some very calorie foods, for me, are not worth the calories, so I seek or even make lower calorie versions of them. Of course, I eat nutritious foods and snacks... I eat everything that I like in moderation, and I find that keep me happy and full. Deprivation never, ever worked well for me, ever. Weight loss is all about consuming less calories than you need to maintain your current weight.

sonyadilworth

I have an underactive thyroid and found it very difficult to lose weight until I cut out basically all snacks sugary or processed food. I try to eat as clean as I can and finally I'm seeing some weight loss. I am aware though my thyroid is causing the issue here as I'm currently undermedicated.

Vickie96

Thank you all for your answers, I completely get the nutrient dense food helps satiety etc! I was just curious as to whether eating cleaner foods makes a difference to weight loss

amusedmonkey

Vickie96 wrote: »

Thank you all for your answers, I completely get the nutrient dense food helps satiety etc! I was just curious as to whether eating cleaner foods makes a difference to weight loss

That would be a no. No practical difference between the two, unless your non-clean foods happen to be high in calories with a high margin of logging error.

lauraesh0384

I eat some kind of "junk food" at least once daily. It helps keep me sane and I haven't had any issue losing weight.

JenRainbow1

I wonder about sugar. If I have a banana it will tell me I've gone over my sugar when I've had one cup of tea with one sugar (I used to have two so this is good for me), and I think it's healhy sugar. I guess it doesn't matter it's still sugar

Unknown

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zyxst

Vickie96 wrote: »

I know that to lose weight it's basically calories in and calories out, however do you find generally find that using your calories on more nutritious foods opposed to using some of them on sugary snacks etc, that you lose weight more consistently?

No.

MissusMoon

Honestly, I just make sure I'm not limiting anything so I don't feel like I'm missing out. Keeps me sane. Some days are super nutritious, some days are not so much.

snickerscharlie

JenRainbow1 wrote: »

I wonder about sugar. If I have a banana it will tell me I've gone over my sugar when I've had one cup of tea with one sugar (I used to have two so this is good for me), and I think it's healhy sugar. I guess it doesn't matter it's still sugar

Yes, sugar is sugar, regardless of the source. Sugar from a banana is not 'better' than sugar from your cup of tea.

cerise_noir

JenRainbow1 wrote: »

I wonder about sugar. If I have a banana it will tell me I've gone over my sugar when I've had one cup of tea with one sugar (I used to have two so this is good for me), and I think it's healhy sugar. I guess it doesn't matter it's still sugar

snickerscharlie wrote: »

JenRainbow1 wrote: »

I wonder about sugar. If I have a banana it will tell me I've gone over my sugar when I've had one cup of tea with one sugar (I used to have two so this is good for me), and I think it's healhy sugar. I guess it doesn't matter it's still sugar

Yes, sugar is sugar, regardless of the source. Sugar from a banana is not 'better' than sugar from your cup of tea.

This... and going over sugar goal does not mean you'll gain weight. Going over calories (not the weight loss calories, but your own maintenance calories) consistently will cause weight gain, even if you don't consume added sugar.

TR0berts

The biggest difference you may see is some extra water retention if you eat something(s) that are high in carbs and/or sodium. So, your weight may go up a couple of pounds, but it's not fat that you've put on. And the water will/should flush out in a few days, provided you don't keep eating high carb/sodium foods.

eta: Of course, you can eat high amounts of carbs and/or sodium through whole foods, too.

snowflake954

OP--the people responding on this thread are point on, in my opinion. (I better add, so far, because you never know who may tune in)

cbelc2

I get better nutrition for my 1200 calories when I eat more nutritious food.

WinDeez

Everything comes down to calorie in/calorie out unless you have a medical condition.

For the past three weeks, I've only eaten fast food and down 2-3x large (diet) sodas everyday. However, I lost one pound (potentially more because of water retention due to high sodium intake) and look significantly leaner.

Just to clarify. I'm only talking about weight loss, not about being healthy which is different. You can still be skinny as heck and have diabetes and high blood pressure.

SLLRunner

Vickie96 wrote: »

I know that to lose weight it's basically calories in and calories out, however do you find generally find that using your calories on more nutritious foods opposed to using some of them on sugary snacks etc, that you lose weight more consistently?

I find more nutritious dense foods keep me full longer and I eat less overall, therefore decreasing my calorie intake. Quality of food speaks to nutrition, quantity is what determines weight loss.

VividVegan

If all that matters is weight loss then by all means CICO. If your goal however is to feel energized, look lean, and firm up then the type of calories do matter. I speak from experience when I used to go by CICO only and ended up skinny-fat. Now I eat nutritionally dense foods, have more energy and mass, increased my resistance training, and have leaned up.