Calories vs macros?

immahappyhappyhorse

Just wondering, which is more important to stick to for weight loss? (I know both are important but out of curiosity) if I ate 1500 calories of junk like processed food vs 1500 calories of clean food, will there be a difference in the weight lost? How important exactly are macros in terms of losing body fat?

(This is a hypothetical question that I'm curious about, of course I understand that eating 1500kcal junk will have adverse health effects in the long term. Just out of plain curiosity!)

deannalfisher

calories are king for weight loss - people find different macro percentages to be more satiating

you want to have enough protein to maintain muscle mass (the current recommendation for an active individual is .6-.8g/lb body weight) and enough fat for daily functions (.3-.6g/lb body weight) - other than that - its up to you

TavistockToad

calories for weight loss

macros for health & satiety

WinoGelato

TavistockToad wrote: »

calories for weight loss

macros for health & satiety

strawman examples good for nothing

FIFY

janejellyroll

Eating within specific macro nutrient ranges doesn't equal "eating clean" or avoiding processed food. You could eat to specific macro goals and still include processed foods in your diet.

All foods are made of macronutrients.

Scottgriesser

Estimated calories per macro per any number of sources:
Carb=4cal per gram
Protein= 4cal per gram
Fat=9cal per gram

So you see...macros are calories. Check your labels and try it out. You will find it to be extremely close.

To answer your question, the only thing that matters for weight loss is calories. Eat at a caloric deficit in any way you so please, and watch the scale go down. If it doesn't, you are not at a deficit.

I'd highly suggest going the balanced diet route, though...

apullum

1500 calories are 1500 calories, regardless of what foods/macros they came from.

"Clean" is a broad term that means a lot of different things to different people. It does not have anything to do with weight loss. The degree to which food is processed or not processed also doesn't have anything to do with weight loss.

If you eat 1500 calories of sugary or carb-heavy food, you probably won't feel as good as you would if you ate 1500 calories of a well-balanced diet. You might not get enough protein to preserve muscle mass, or you might not feel very satisfied. You might also put yourself at risk for various deficiencies, depending on your specific eating habits. But if eating 1500 calories puts you in a calorie deficit, then you will lose weight.