More calories = more energy?

Options
healthy491
healthy491 Posts: 384 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Weird question but I couldnt find a good answer for it on Google.
If something has more calories , lets say , A pizza or cake , does it mean it will give you more energy and keep you fuller for longer ? Therefore does a pizza give you more energy or keep you more full than a salad ?

Replies

  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
    Options
    Calories are the measure of energy that the fuel provides. Fuel has to be burned to provide energy. Eating pizza is not likely to make you feel energetic, but it is a fuel source.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Options
    healthy491 wrote: »
    Weird question but I couldnt find a good answer for it on Google.
    If something has more calories , lets say , A pizza or cake , does it mean it will give you more energy and keep you fuller for longer ? Therefore does a pizza give you more energy or keep you more full than a salad ?

    200 cals of pizza and 200 cals of salad is the same energy wise... the macros may affect how you feel though
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited November 2016
    Options
    Fuelling the body right definately is a factor towards the amount of energy we have. But the calories with carbs are inclined to only fuel us temporarily - I have plenty of energy in general but that will take a dip if I haven't eaten enough protein/fat/fibre.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,938 Member
    Options
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    healthy491 wrote: »
    Weird question but I couldnt find a good answer for it on Google.
    If something has more calories , lets say , A pizza or cake , does it mean it will give you more energy and keep you fuller for longer ? Therefore does a pizza give you more energy or keep you more full than a salad ?

    200 cals of pizza and 200 cals of salad is the same energy wise... the macros may affect how you feel though

    It's like the question ... which is heavier, a ton of lead or a ton of feathers?

  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    Options
    I kinda get what you are asking. While others are correct that 200 cals is 200 cals, I think you are just asking if a pizza for dinner will keep you from getting hungry sooner than a salad for dinner.

    The answer is it depends on which one leaves you hungry sooner. And it may be different for different people.

    For me, yeah pizza leaves me fuller longer. But the calories are more as well. Not going to lose weight that way.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Options
    healthy491 wrote: »
    Weird question but I couldnt find a good answer for it on Google.
    If something has more calories , lets say , A pizza or cake , does it mean it will give you more energy and keep you fuller for longer ? Therefore does a pizza give you more energy or keep you more full than a salad ?

    Protein, fat & fiber are filling. Different combinations for different people.

    Would a salad be filling for me? Not unless it had protein & fat.

    Cake is never filling for me, but that doesn't mean I never eat it. It's important to know calories and portion sizes for ALL foods, so I can keep the weight off.

    You want a balance - foods that are nutritious & filling AND foods that help you stay the course.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    Options
    Quality matters not just quantity. Macros matter too.

    Technically pizza and cake have more calories than some other foods, but for me they make me feel sluggish and not energetic because they are mostly refined carbohydrates and fat and very little protein and micronutrients like vitamins or antioxidants.

    It would be better to eat the same amount of calories but foods like complex carbs (potato, sweet potato, brown rice, etc), fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, lean meats, high protein dairy foods, etc.

    Fiber and water and protein fill me up and give me energy much better than just calories and sugar and fat do. If I have a healthy breakfast of Greek yogurt and fresh fruit and a protein bar that keeps me full a lot longer than if I have the same amount of calories of macaroni and cheese for preakfast (I've actually tried this, so I know).
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
    Options
    I think this is a really good question. There are three different things mixed up here:

    1. How much energy is in the food (calories). This is a measure of energy, in a real sense, that you can use to do stuff, but your body is generally keener to store it rather than spend it, which brings us on to:

    2. Your feeling of being "energetic". This doesn't have much to do with how much energy you have stored, or fat people would never get tired. Rather, it's a measure of how keen your body is at that moment to SPEND energy. Kids are always energetic because their bodies are growing and need to put on muscle and bone, and you can only do that by moving, so as soon as they take in some calories it's SPEND SPEND SPEND! Adult bodies are more conservative and like to save up energy, so an adult is more likely to feel sleepy after meals, and be more lethargic generally. All sorts of things affect this.

    3. Your feeling of being full. This is your body attempting to judge if it has taken in enough food - in terms of calories, yes, but also protein, fat, fibre, vitamins and minerals. I think it's actually a pretty sophisticated system, but not well adapted to the modern diet, so can be fooled by things like refined carbs, where you get a lot of calories with very little if the kind of stuff your body uses to gauge calorie intake, like fibre and fat. So it needs a little help in terms of a decent understanding of nutrition, and deliberately increasing your intake of these filling foods.
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    edited November 2016
    Options
    As a general rule, we can say that consuming too few calories will lead to a reduction in energy level. We see this a lot in people who chronically undereat. Their general activity level plummets (usually without them really realizing it) and their NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) drops dramatically.

    But, past the point where that's an issue, it's not often that more calories will necessarily lead to more energy. More calories will help you support a higher energy output (if, for example, you're going on a long hike or bike ride or going to play soccer all afternoon) but they won't tend to make most people feel inherently more energetic.

Categories