500k of cake vs 500k of pecans

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pinacolada7
pinacolada7 Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hellooo!!! Maybe this question is very basic but I would love if some could explain me. If I am counting calories to loose weight it is the same eating 500 calories in cake than in 500 calories of pecans.

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  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,568 Member
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    Yes and no. It's the same for weight loss, but 500 calories of a meal high in protein and fiber is going to leave you far more satiated than 500 calories of cake. If you're in a deficit, that helps. Also, a more balanced meal helps with meeting your protein goals if you have a high target. If you have the cake instead, you need to get all your protein in with a smaller calorie balance for the rest of the day.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,018 Member
    edited November 2023 Answer ✓
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    One part of you question is about thermodynamics and heat, the other is about eating food, which requires a metabolic and physiological answer that then can question the differences between cake and pecans, which are many. In the strictest sense a calorie is a measurement of heat, period.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,087 Member
    edited November 2023 Answer ✓
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    It would really be best to eat 500 calories of fruit/vegetables/healthy fats and protein in a reasonable macro balance. There's room for cake AND pecans, but 500 calories of either of them isn't a balanced plan.

    If those were my only two choices and calories were the goal then generally I'd pick the whole food, in this case pecans, as the better nutritional choice. Pecans are going to get most of their calories from fat and for the cake it's mostly carbs.

    For weight management, it's still about calories.

    Other than that, what neanderthin said above.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
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    If you were locked in a lab and had no choice of food, you'd lose weight no problem on 100%* cake given to you in an amount that would create a calorie deficit. In reality though, out here in the real world where we are surrounded by food choices, you would not feel satiated on the cake diet, which would make it difficult if not impossible to maintain a calorie deficit.

    In other words - the cake diet would not fill you up, you'd be hungry, and eat more, go over your calorie budget, and not lose weight.

    * I realize your example used 500 calories of cake; I am making it 100% cake for a cleaner illustration.

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  • Corina1143
    Corina1143 Posts: 3,109 Member
    edited November 2023
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    Yes. And no.
    It's complicated.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,682 Member
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    500 calories is 500 calories. It comes up to CHOICE of how you want to fill it.
    I'm one who doesn't avoid anything I feel like eating. But I do account for all the calories I take in. If I end up eating 500 calories of candy, then I make sure not of exceed what I'm alotted for the day.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,830 Member
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    It doesn’t matter however the cake will leave you hungry sooner but without getting into the intricacies of why the nuts are better, there would be no difference Fatloss wise.
  • Corina1143
    Corina1143 Posts: 3,109 Member
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    Ditch 'em both. Eat 500 calories of celery. Everyone knows celery is a negative calorie food. If you're still hungry, eat another truckload of celery. You'll lose twice as much.
    (Where's that bull---- button when you need it?)
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,860 Member
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    Corina1143 wrote: »
    Ditch 'em both. Eat 500 calories of celery. Everyone knows celery is a negative calorie food. If you're still hungry, eat another truckload of celery. You'll lose twice as much.
    (Where's that bull---- button when you need it?)

    Washed down with ACV?
  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 1,048 Member
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    For the purpose of weight loss only, 500 calories is 500 calories.

    The answer would be different if you were asking about the cake versus the pecans regarding health, situation, or emotional satisfaction.
  • VegjoyP
    VegjoyP Posts: 2,736 Member
    edited November 2023
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    Sooooo..... all the above answers- yes- however....
    500 calories IS 500, that is true but 500 cals of pecans ARE broken down- digested and processed differently by each person, which goes for cake too.
    People who are more efficient at burning fat for example and sensitive to sugar would be better off with pecans ( not a huge difference once but over time) . Processed ( cake) food is more easily absorbed, the fiber in pecans will also have a small advantage with satiation and health. The calories can be slightly less absorbed.
    BUT if you have a very hard time with fats, burn carbs easier and are eating a cake that is not as high fat as nuts ( cake is processed sugar and fat) then its plausible cake would not be as bad...( relatively). but that is less likely since pecans are a whole food with fiber, protein and GOOD FATS, cake probably has trans fat or unfavorable saturated from crisco PLUS SUGAR.
    * from my experience, over time it matters more- when I switched food choices to WFPB and got rid of processed foods regardless of calories I lost more weight- gradually over time.
    Bottom line, it's up to you.
    You could look at a keto pecan pie instead.... 🥧 😋 😂
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,773 Member
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    Weird question. In 500 calories of what look like reasonable MFP database entries:

    Data Item: Cake, Pecans
    Weight: 4.535 oz, 2.59 oz
    Carbs: 67.9 g, 10.4 g
    Fat: 25.8 g, 51.8 g
    Sat Fat: 7.6 g, 5.2 g
    Mono Fat: 9.4 g, ?
    Poly Fat: 5.9 g, ?
    Protein: 4.5 g, 7.8 g
    Fiber: 2.8 g, 7.8 g
    Sugar: 51.4 g, 2.6 g
    Calcium: 3.9%, -
    Iron: 21.7%, -
    Potassium: 347.1 mg, 271.9 mg

    Context matters, though. What else are you eating?

    For me: I'd get more cake by weight, but yeah, probably less filling. Not sure, though: I don't find nuts very filling.

    Protein, neither one makes a big enough contribution to my goal for those calories, and the 3.3g extra in the pecans is hard to get excited about, especially since it's not EAA complete/balanced.

    Fiber difference may be meaningful to some, but I'm usually waaay over 25g daily so I can't get excited about 5g of that, either.

    The entry I picked for pecans doesn't show fats other than saturated, but there's only 5.2 g there to be split between mono/poly, so looks like more so called "healthy fats" in the cake. Sat fat difference of 2.4g (more in the cake), also a "so what" to me.

    That's a lot of sugar in the cake, but still only around 10% of my TDEE. I don't count carbs at all, so don't care about those, even though it's a big difference.

    Obviously, cakes are more variable than pecans, and that's a random cake. But if I actually care about how one food stacks up against another, I'd compare them. Otherwise, I'm just using preconceptions and prejudices.

    For fat gain/loss, calories are calories, mostly - unless the food choice affects energy level or satiation. But there's the idea (with some evidence behind it) that the calories in nuts are not as available, so we might actually absorb less from those than from the cake. And the nuts are going to have a little higher TEF, probably, besides (small absolute number, though).

    Preferences-wise, I'd rather not eat 500 calories worth of either one. Don't love cake, pecans aren't my favorite nut. Ugh.

    If it's someone's birthday (not mine), I might eat the cake. I don't know why I'd eat the pecans. In fruitcake, maybe? :D

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