Not all about calories

RunRun72

Hi so i am back after a long break and I have some questions.
So , all my friends imply that 100g of something 'unhealthy' ( such as chips ) is not the same as 100g of something 'healthy' ( like chicken ) IN TERMS OF WEIGHT LOSS. So according to them , if I eat 1200 calories of chips , I won' t lose as much as if I ate 1200 calories of chicken , Since the body absorbs the fat from chips much faster. Is this true ? as I am really confused.

Raysie1

You are confusing two things. 100 grams of chips will probably have more calories than 100 grams of chicken. But if you were to eat 100 calories of chips it would be the same, in weight loss terms, as eating 100 calories worth of chicken. A ton of bricks weighs the same as a ton of feathers! But there'd be more feathers.

TavistockToad

in terms of weight loss it makes no difference if its chicken or chips if the calories are the same.

there's a million threads on this if you want to do some reading.

missysippy930

Your friends are incorrect.
Nutritionally not equal but calorically equal. Probably not equal for satisfying your hunger.
Eat less calories than you burn to lose weight, it is a fact.

sytchequeen

well, 100g of chips is probably more calories than 100g of chicken, so that statement is probably correct. You then go to change the goalposts and compare 1200 calories of chips to 1200 calories of chicken - which are the same. A calorie is a calorie.

The nutrients will be different, but that's not your question, right?

malibu927

Not 100 grams, 100 calories. If you eat 1200 calories of chips you’ll lose the same amount as if you eat 1200 calories of chicken. A calorie is just a unit of energy.

But two things. One, you’ll likely feel hungrier eating the chips. And two, neither of these diets would give you adequate nutrition. Have the chicken with veggies and some fat. Have the chips if you choose to. But make sure you’re meeting your nutrient goals along the way.

Poisonedpawn78

Even if absorbing the calories faster was true.. why does that matter? If you fill your gas tank up with 40 liters of gas in 2 minutes or 15 minutes...it still has 40 liters of gas in it.

Calories for weight loss. Nutrition for health.a

fuzzylop72

In terms of fat loss, the source of calories doesn't matter. This has been shown in study after study, so science doesn't agree with your friend.

That said, highly processed food is often less satiating than an equal number of calories from less processed food so adherence to a specific caloric deficit can sometimes be more difficult if you consume a large percentage of your calories in highly processed items and adherence is the biggest factor in success.

concordancia

A few questions:
-Can you stay satisfied on 1200 calories of chips?
-Are you prepared to deal with the consequences of malnutrition?
-If your friends mentioned 100 calories of chips, why would you assume they meant a diet of only chips?
-What do you mean your body absorbs the fat from chips faster??


All that being said, I may have eaten half my allotment in chocolate on Monday, but that was a one off that should have no impact on my overall weightloss, not a diet plan.

tinkerbellang83

RunRun72 wrote: »

Hi so i am back after a long break and I have some questions.
So , all my friends imply that 100g of something 'unhealthy' ( such as chips ) is not the same as 100g of something 'healthy' ( like chicken ) IN TERMS OF WEIGHT LOSS. So according to them , if I eat 1200 calories of chips , I won' t lose as much as if I ate 1200 calories of chicken , Since the body absorbs the fat from chips much faster. Is this true ? as I am really confused.

Are you planning on eating 1200 calories of just chips or just chicken? Seems pretty unlikely and therefore a bit of an odd question. A calorie is just a unit of energy. Dietary fat is not the same thing as body fat.

Overall calorie deficit is key for weight loss, if you're in a deficit your body will burn fat but a balanced nutrient dense diet is going to be healthier and help you maintain muscle whilst you lose body fat.

Dvdgzz

Protein is superior because of the thermic effect. After digestion, your body will only hold onto 3.2 of the 4 calories per gram of protein and it will be closer to the full 4 calories per gram for the chips. Another reason protein is superior is because it is more muscle sparing even if carbs are also muscle sparing. The difference will be negligible with such a low amount(100g) but if you're talking 1000 calories of either, the difference can be significant over a period of time.

When calories and protein are equal, weight loss will also be equal.