Calories are NOT equal

gramarye

For some people, especially those of us relearning everything they thought they knew about food, jumping into a completely healthy, non-processed diet is unsustainable. A lot of healthy foods are an acquired taste, and we didn't all grow up eating them. Also: processed food is cheap and easy to obtain. You can get it at any gas station. Fresh foods are more expensive and often harder to get, especially in low-income areas.

I'd rather see people succeed by cutting the calories while eating the foods they enjoy, than see them fail because they tried too hard to fit into someone else's standard of success.

baptiste565

Calories are a measure, like inches or litres. It is nonsense to sat they are unequal. Try comparing two inches and tell me they are unequal!

the inequality is created by how many calories ur body has to use to convert what u r eating into glucose. so NET calorie is important.

Thomasm198

Calories are a measure, like inches or litres. It is nonsense to sat they are unequal. Try comparing two inches and tell me they are unequal!

Eating healthy is good, eating unhealthy is bad, nothing to do with calories or weight loss, simply the effect on your health. Consider this though, if you cut out all the unhealthy stuff from your diet and eat only 'healthy' food, you are likely to fail as the change may be too radical. If you fit your unhealthy stuff within your daily calorie allowance in smaller quantities and in a mix with more 'healthy' food, you are more likely to succeed and you will lose weight. And simply losing weight will benefit your health.

How about we discuss the fact that 1lb of fat doesn't weigh the same as 1lb of muscle.

tjthegreatone

I have been surprised to find so many people staying under their calorie goal, yet when you see what they eat is shocks me. Yes, they stayed under, BUT they ate crap! Fast food, processed foods, white breads, and soda.

This site is great for calorie counting and nutrition data, but it doesn't teach how to eat to fuel your body the best way possible. You body is not going to burn/use those crap calories the same way healthy foods will. When you eat healthy, your body burns it fast and uses pretty much every bit of that food, but when you eat processed, high sodium and fat foods, you will more then likely store some of that food into fat. Proof? Give a person the same number of calories but one eats all the healthy/clean foods while the other eats the junk. Whose body looks better? Also, it's not just weight gain that's affected, it's your hair and skin health too.

When you eat healthy, you feel healthy

What do YOU think?

In my experience eating too much crap makes you fat. I can put away 2000 calories of cake and cereal and still be ravenous. It's more of a struggle to do that with chicken and veggies.

A calorie is a calorie BUT there is increasing recognition that the way your body processes and obtains calories from different foods might be different from the values obtained when someone in a lab puts them in Bunsen burners to calculate the heat given off.

So that if the food packet says '100 calories', for cake your body might obtain close to 100 calories, whilst for raw carrots or almonds your body might obtain more like 70 calories.

These differences can add up and for us calorie counters can make calculations and projections about weight changes less accurate.

Having said that I am full of envy for people who can fit all these yummy foods nicely into their daily goals and still stay within check. I can't.

griff7809

How about we discuss the fact that 1lb of fat doesn't weigh the same as 1lb of muscle.

oh gawd....let's PLEASE not have this discussion again.

OP. A calorie is a calorie...unit of measure of energy and the body does not care where it came from, it only burns the calorie to keep us alive (as previously stated by my esteemed colleagues). Now, if you want to have the discussion of achieving daily vitamin and nutrient goals, sure, you have a point. MFP and my FL have GREATLY helped me identify where my intake was lacking in that arena. I would offer, speaking for myself only, that sometimes I want a greasy *kitten* cheeseburger on a white bun with extra BAAAAACON! I may or may not be under my calorie goal that day because of it....but that cheeseburger kept me in the game. In fact I had one last night! It was glorious and I heard Angels singing in the background as I ate it! I was still under my calorie goal because I lift and run like a EFF'n BEAST!

brraanndi

If you are worried about healthy skin, then what is wrong with high fat diets (existing medical conditions notwithstanding)?

You do realize that the best thing that an overweight person can do to improve health markers, in the main, is to lose weight. Sometimes people need some 'junk' to be able to do that.

This is exactly where I'm at. Right now I just want to somewhat hit my calorie targets and work on my endurance ( Cardio ). I will eventually shift into making sure I hit macros but even then, a calorie is a calorie. I could be eating Ho-Hos or fancy salads, as long I've got that deficit I will lose weight.

SadFaerie

When you eat healthy, you feel healthy

What do YOU think?

I agree, but read this: http://impruvism.com/clean-eating/

So you see, what you consider healthy I may consider awful and the other way around. And that's why I eat what makes me feel good and don't listen to what's currently considered "healthy". I remember some years ago margarine with phytosterols was "it" and advertised everywhere as a superfood, today it's grass fed butter, tomorrow it's gonna be something else...

Thomasm198

How about we discuss the fact that 1lb of fat doesn't weigh the same as 1lb of muscle.

being facetious?

You tell me.

jhloves2knit

With regards to weight loss, a calorie is a calorie, in my opinion. With regards to nutrition and over all wellness, all calories are NOT equal.

A very concise statement that answers the question. I think we could quit now.

jhloves2knit

How about we discuss the fact that 1lb of fat doesn't weigh the same as 1lb of muscle.

oh gawd....let's PLEASE not have this discussion again.

OP. A calorie is a calorie...unit of measure of energy and the body does not care where it came from, it only burns the calorie to keep us alive (as previously stated by my esteemed colleagues). Now, if you want to have the discussion of achieving daily vitamin and nutrient goals, sure, you have a point. MFP and my FL have GREATLY helped me identify where my intake was lacking in that arena. I would offer, speaking for myself only, that sometimes I want a greasy *kitten* cheeseburger on a white bun with extra BAAAAACON! I may or may not be under my calorie goal that day because of it....but that cheeseburger kept me in the game. In fact I had one last night! It was glorious and I heard Angels singing in the background as I ate it! I was still under my calorie goal because I lift and run like a EFF'n BEAST!

I had a wonderful dessert at a restaurant tonight. It put me over my calorie goal, but now I'm ready to settle down. If I didn't have that treat, I'd feel deprived and probably eat worse things for a longer time. I think "that cheeseburger kept me in the game" is a much more interesting way of making this point.

glin23

In for topic. But of course it's great how the OP's diary isn't public. And yes, what works is what's sustainable. If it includes "junk", then so be it. That being said, they're a lot of "health" or even decently healthy food that can be included in those categories, depending on who you ask.

rsalty

I thought this was going to be an interesting discussion about bomb calorimitry Vs the human gut. :grumble:

An "a calorie is a calorie" thread is not an "a calorie is not a Calorie" thread. (That discussion would be da Bomb.)

Perhaps we could also include discussion of the caloric value of a pound of keratin ... the amazing "output only" calories, Need to lose weight? Just make more keratin, then cut it off! Eat it in unlimited amounts without unnecessary weight gain! (And lignin too!) Use just like angle hair pasta!

EvgeniZyntx

A calorie is a calorie. But if the OP means that the nutritional value of the food varies and shouldn't be the only consideration in what you eat. Why, yes, it's true!
If the OP means it would be a bad idea to get all your calories ONLY from alcohol. Why yes it's true!
If the OP means that their are people who do not get enough protein or fats, enough vitamins enough micro nutrients. Why yes, it's true!

If the OP thinks that an occasional purchase of fast food, soda or even sugar coated brain dumplings is unhealthy. She's wrong. Well, maybe the brain dumplings are a bad idea.

BrainyBurro

MzFyreKitty

I doubt one can be healthy just eating junk food tho... one day you will definitely pay for it

Alatariel75

I doubt one can be healthy just eating junk food tho... one day you will definitely pay for it

That's not the point though - Weight loss does not necessarily equal healthy. /you may or may not stay healthy eating nothing but junk, but if you stay under calories, you will still lose weight.

Iron_Feline

A calorie is a calorie. But if the OP means that the nutritional value of the food varies and shouldn't be the only consideration in what you eat. Why, yes, it's true!
If the OP means it would be a bad idea to get all your calories ONLY from alcohol. Why yes it's true!
If the OP means that their are people who do not get enough protein or fats, enough vitamins enough micro nutrients. Why yes, it's true!

If the OP thinks that an occasional purchaser of fast food, soda or even sugar coated brain dumplings is unhealthy. She's wrong. Well, maybe the brain dumplings are a bad idea.

This.

Life without fresh white crusty French bread smeared with pâté washed down with red wine is not worth living :laugh:

hookilau

a calorie is a calorie

calorie is just a measure of energy something has. but what ur body has to due to convert that energy to a form the body can use is what is important.

This is how I undersand it as well. 'A calorie is just a calorie' or more accurately, 'a calorie is not just a calorie' is a figure of speach & usually used to make a point. Still, a calorie is just a unit of measurement & for my body, it certainly matters where those calories are coming from....when I was younger....not so much :blushing:

jen_zz

With regards to weight loss, a calorie is a calorie, in my opinion. With regards to nutrition and over all wellness, all calories are NOT equal.

Agreed. :drinker:

:drinker: