Calories are NOT equal

hookilau

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:

Ahhh....an important distinction & straight to the point! :drinker:

hookilau

Now that's this has been settled...let's make with the gifs!!!

Facialmom

calorie to calorie for weight, proper nutrition for health, our body does care what we put in it!

davert123

I think the idea of education is good - in that some foods may make you feel better than others and its good to balance your nutrients as per MPF. I personally feel better if i keep away from simple carbs and loads of fat. In a way I know this because I was educated into the possibility that different foods make me feel differently - without this i would have just felt good or crap and wouldn't have known to look at food.

jimmmer

Ha ha!

These forums just crack me up.....

I've been single-digit lean on a diet consisting of stuff like cornish pasties. It's all a load of bollocks.

OP: Just do whatever you need to to stick with something and get some results. But don't be coming with that missionary bullsh!t - I ain't buying what you're selling

hookilau

Ha ha!

These forums just crack me up.....

I've been single-digit lean on a diet consisting of stuff like cornish pasties. It's all a load of bollocks.

OP: Just do whatever you need to to stick with something and get some results. But don't be coming with that missionary bullsh!t - I ain't buying what you're selling

Hannah_Hopes

Oh why do people think this type of topic will end well...

IIFYM go for it :drinker:

Joanne_Moniz

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?

Francl27

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.

Pretty much this. I absolutely believe it. I still eat 80/20 pretty much, just because I would never stick to a new lifestyle that wouldn't allow for treats, and that would make me binge, which would be way worse.

Joanne_Moniz

AMEN... If everyone realized this, we would not have the obesity problem we have now! A calorie of one food is NOT a calorie of another. You are absolutely right.


Joanne Moniz
The Skinny on Obesity

Joanne_Moniz

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...

Joanne_Moniz

That's right... Margarine is fake food. We need to stop listening to "Big Food" which is there to make money. We need to be educated as to what is REAL food and eat REAL food. It's not that difficult.

poma91

a calorie is a calorie

^This

And besides it's all about the calorie deficit if your aim is losing weight (notice I said weight not fat)
Of course this does not mean that I am against healthy eating or totally for junk food. I think that finding the balance is the key. For me personally I worry more about macros than calories

Gwibbertronii

I get it, I get that provided I maintain a calorie deficit I can lose weight. I get that if I eat fewer refined foods and sugars, I might be working towards maintaining better health in the long run, but it doesn't make that much of a a difference where my calories come from.

Sadly, as a sugar/refined carb junkie I have also learned of late that by seriously restricting my carb/sugar intake, I can control my 5,000 calorie cake and chocolate binges. Protein and fat keep me satiated and that uncontrollable urge for sugar doesn't come. So far so good. I've even cut down on sweeteners in my tea, a feat I have failed to achieve in a lifetime of trying to control binges, lose weight and keep it off.

I am heartened to hear that dipping into those kinds of foods won't necessarily ruin my weight loss overnight, however - there is a good chance that if I dip in and eat some, it could kick off a 3 day binge where I hate myself for my lack of willpower. Will I ever be able to eat one thin slice of cake or two squares of chocolate without falling into the trough? I'm not sure. For my insulin-addled body, perhaps not....

BrainyBurro

AMEN... If everyone realized this, we would not have the obesity problem we have now! A calorie of one food is NOT a calorie of another. You are absolutely right.


Joanne Moniz
The Skinny on Obesity

celadontea

It comes into play when you look towards the real reason someone wants to lose weight in the first place. Is it ever "just to be thin"? For most sensible people that is not the only underlying goal of weight loss. It is improved health, preventing disease, curing diabetes, etc. A deficit will cause weight loss, but a good diet full of whole foods without sodas, artificial sweeteners and empty calories will provide long lasting health.

KeithPith1458

.

mjoshua87

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?

I do agree its about the quality of calories your eatting for overall health.

beachbebe

Yikes! Please don't reply to me unless you leave hate off the keyboard. This is tuff enough! :sad:

That said, I'm trying to eat more healthy calories and welcome friends who support this goal. :flowerforyou:

danofthedead1979

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.

'How about we discuss the fact that 1lb of fat doesn't weigh the same as 1lb of muscle.'
is this a joke?