Can someone please explain this to me?

Dollfun1

So most people on here seem to agree that weight loss is as simple as calories in, calories out (ex: if you were to eat 1500 calories of Twinkies, VS 1500 calories of vegetables it wouldn't matter-a calorie is a calorie.

On the contrary, a lot of you seem to also believe that weight loss is achieved best by clean eating. I've seen a lot of "90% of my weight loss came from clean eating" type comments. These two statements don't jibe together. Why would clean eating have more gravity than exercise if the equation is really that simple?

Also, why is strength training more effective than cardio? Is it because you burn more anaerobic calories when you're resting if you strength train?

Can someone explain?

You are right, there are many different opinions. From what I have learned in a nutrition class I took (by a certified nutritionist) and what I have researched thus far here is my thought (just mine). To me a calorie is NOT just a calorie when talking about foods. The way your body uses and stores the calories from an apple will not be the same as with the consumption of candy. I have seen people state that they will not eat bananas because of the sugar or an avocado because of the fat. The one thing people neglect to see is that the healthier choice of say an apple vs. the choice of a candy bar are two totally different calories because what you body does with those sugars or fats. Two big things: eating say the apple contains many more health benefits than that of the candy bar AND your body will maintain healthier blood sugar levels whereas the processed sugar from the candy bar will spike your blood sugar and then it will drop drastically and then there is another issue with how our bodies stores the unused sugars from fruit vs. the candy. To sum this up: you get more food for calories when you eat healthier and there is a plethora of benefits for you body and the candy bar or French fries will be just empty calories with a lot less food.

When it comes to cardio vs. strength training (my thoughts are):
Cardio: we need the cardio to get our hearts pumping which is a big plus, to burn calories, to burn fat, and to keep your heart healthy (the list can go on from limiting the chance of different dieses to mental health benefits).

Strength training: many benefits here also, building muscle helps burn fat, tones your body, it is good for your bones, (this list can go on also).

Should you hear someone say they are limiting their cardio or cutting it out to build muscle it could be because they do not want to expel too much energy on cardio so their weight training will not be jeopardized due to the energy expelled during cardio workouts. Not to mention they are still working their bodies and getting their hearts pumping lifting, so they are still from what I see getting the benefits of a cardio workout, like burning calories.

I hope this helps a little.

Good luck to you!

babyluthi

You can lose weight on a calorie deficit eating anything. It doesn't mean your body will be healthy.

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1st GOAL: 100kg (set on 6JUN13)
14kg lost / 21.4 to go
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Ed98043

There is some evidence that the metabolic response to eating processed food versus unprocessed food is markedly different. This study showed that the calories burned digesting a whole wheat and cheddar sandwich are twice as high (20% of the total calories of the sandwich) as those used to digest a white bread and american cheese sandwich (10% of the sandwich calories): http://www.wphna.org/2011_mar_wn6_letters_upp.htm

And those are both processed foods; one is just less processed than the other. So it seems like if you can burn twice as much (or more, if it's completely unprocessed) of your meal just digesting it, you would lose more weight even if you're eating the same number of calories.