Is it really all about calories?

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  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    OP - all calories are equal from an energy standpoint; however, they are not all nutritionally the same. So yes, one calorie of carrot = 1 calorie of ice cream; however they do not have the same nutritional profile.

    for straight weight loss you can just reduce your intake and eat whatever you want. however, if you want to be leaner or have advanced body composition goals then you are going to need to micro/macro adherence + structured lifting program + accurate logging/tracking of calories.
  • Luna3386
    Luna3386 Posts: 888 Member
    I have a flat stomach/25 inch waist, with no stretch marks/cellulite etc and I lost my extra weight eating all sorts of processed 'diet' foods, chips/sweets, fast food etc, just in the correct calorie amounts for my weight loss goals. Body composition comes down to genetics, what shape you are (I'm pear shaped) etc. And then exercise can changes things as well, after you get to a lower bf%.

    Also, it took my body about a year after I had hit my goal weight to finally settle down, (I lost another jeans size during that period, while not losing any more weight). You may just need to give it more time as well.

    eta: I've had 3 kids too and I don't have one stretch mark on my stomach. My genetics/shape is what dictates my stomach appearance, not what kinds of foods I eat, (which has been all over the place over the 5 years that I've been at this whole thing).


    eta: for grammar/clarification

    I have 3 kids. I got new stretch marks with every pregnancy. I'm not done losing weight but I know my stomach isn't going to look amazing. That's better than being fat.

    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I 've been in a calorie deficit and I did Lose the weight but I still have an ugly looking stomach. I am thinking its because , even though I lost weight , I ate whatever I wanted ( mostly junk food).

    No, but it might be because you didn't do things that help maintain muscle (eat enough protein, exercise adequately, not have too aggressive a deficit). It also could be because you are someone who just loses weight there last.

    I'd focus on eating enough protein and the right exercise (recomping).

    Eating a nutrient-rich diet is always good, though!

    Yes! Recomping is for when you are at a healthy weight but want to reduce your body fat.
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