Calories are NOT equal

jclark0523

From a weight loss standpoint, if you have the same deficit rather it is healthy or unhealthy food, the results will be the same. I do agree that you will feel better if you are putting healthy fuel into your body, but a calorie is a calorie.

fitcolette

@Ninerbuff,

Would you agree then that yes, macro and calories matter, but when one client eats unhealthy and the other healthy, both eating the same macros and calories, one will gain muscle and lose fat faster?? One will have more energy? One will have healthier skin and hair?

Yanicka1

I am at a healthy weight, healthy blood work and my diary would make a clean eater weep.

I really do not care what others eat, you should try that....it is liberating not to have the faith of the world on your shoulders

I love you. You said that perfectly. :flowerforyou:

My kind of minion. Come to the dark side, we have cookies

OffTheBeatenPath

I am a larger woman, I am considered obese by many terms. This is the first time in I don't know how long that I have been able to lose weight and keep it off over a long period. When I say long period I mean over 2 weeks, because that is when I usually give up. I think ANY doctor would want me to lose the weight in the way that I can and continue to do so without giving up. If I was to throw everything out and go to the foods that YOU want me to eat, I would of said screw that and given up. However since it is me and not anyone else, I will do what is good for me. I have been using MFP just a hare over a month and you can see I am making a difference in my weight.

I think that slow changes are better than no changes. Is it important to be more conscientious of what you eat, heck yea that is how you lose weight. Do you have to give up everything and start new to lose weight, no. In fact I hardly ever exercise, I lead a very sedentary lifestyle.

I am curious about one thing though, where do you get the time to go roaming around other peoples diaries? Where do you get off by telling people what is right for them? I am in my senior year in getting my Bachelor’s Degree and if you were to make that statement in a classroom setting you would be blasted since you have no way to support it. When I say support it I mean by an accredited source, which Wikis, blogs, and a diet site is not an accredited source. You want a source that can stand on its own.

The one thing that I have found is you can get on a higher perch than other people and proclaim how much better you are than everyone else, just so you can feel better about yourself, or you can give positive feedback that will help encourage people instead of tearing them down. I think that this is something that you truly need to think about working on. Maybe people wouldn’t have blasted you so horribly bad if you had given sources, and not been so snarky and nasty on your post.

MommyisFit

These threads pain me because I think they can be very confusing to newer people trying to figure out what to do. Yes - you can lose weight eating whatever the heck you want to as long as you have a deficit. It doesn't mean you will get all of the nutrients your body needs and functions best on. This is why there are plenty of obese people who are malnourished. They eat plenty of calories, but don't meet their nutritional needs.

I think why people get so upset is the all or nothing approach. You don't have to eat 100% clean with no treats and you shouldn't eat all junk with no nutrition. This is why the IIFYM works for me. I eat mostly healthy and nutritious foods and lots of veggies, but I can have a treat or an unhealthy meal now and then without feeling guilty.

To look at it one way - I am very small. MFP has me set at 1200 calories to lose 1/2 lb a week. If I was eating only processed food and sugary snacks, I would be starving. In that case, 1200 doesn't get me very far. By eating mostly whole foods, I eat A LOT of food and stay within my calories - even with treats.

For me, living this way - mostly whole healthy foods with a occasional fun meal or dessert - is very sustainable.

BrainyBurro

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'm guessing thats what everyone calls eating clean is basically no processed foods and fast food...All you can do is set a example and hope they catch onto it for there own sake...I mostly eat healthy but not always.I rarely eat fast food and I don't like soda at all.Personally I wish I could avoid all GMO's best I can do is have a garden,and I wish I could buy organic tastes and makes me feel so much better,but with 5 kids bread is a loaf or two a day and same with milk and try cooking eggs for them at least takes 12 eggs in one meal. Just need my own chickens and a cow next :laugh:

i love GMO's.

i think they're great. higher crop yields mean lower cost and more food for more people.

i'm generally in favor of people not starving due to lack of food... call me old-fashioned.

LiftAllThePizzas

The one thing that I have found is you can get on a higher perch than other people and proclaim how much better you are than everyone else, just so you can feel better about yourself, or you can give positive feedback that will help encourage people, just so you can feel better about yourself.

Fixed that for you.

fitcolette

@ Yanika

I agree. I guess this a lesson learned here. I no longer care what others eat or don't eat here. Not my problem, nor my concern.

fitcolette

These threads pain me because I think they can be very confusing to newer people trying to figure out what to do. Yes - you can lose weight eating whatever the heck you want to as long as you have a deficit. It doesn't mean you will get all of the nutrients your body needs and functions best on. This is why there are plenty of obese people who are malnourished. They eat plenty of calories, but don't meet their nutritional needs.

I think why people get so upset is the all or nothing approach. You don't have to eat 100% clean with no treats and you shouldn't eat all junk with no nutrition. This is why the IIFYM works for me. I eat mostly healthy and nutritious foods and lots of veggies, but I can have a treat or an unhealthy meal now and then without feeling guilty.

To look at it one way - I am very small. MFP has me set at 1200 calories to lose 1/2 lb a week. If I was eating only processed food and sugary snacks, I would be starving. In that case, 1200 doesn't get me very far. By eating mostly whole foods, I eat A LOT of food and stay within my calories - even with treats.

For me, living this way - mostly whole healthy foods with a occasional fun meal or dessert - is very sustainable.

YES! YES! YES!! That is my point and thank you!!

Snow3y

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?

not factual.

+

Sabine_Stroehm

These threads pain me because I think they can be very confusing to newer people trying to figure out what to do. Yes - you can lose weight eating whatever the heck you want to as long as you have a deficit. It doesn't mean you will get all of the nutrients your body needs and functions best on. This is why there are plenty of obese people who are malnourished. They eat plenty of calories, but don't meet their nutritional needs.

I think why people get so upset is the all or nothing approach. You don't have to eat 100% clean with no treats and you shouldn't eat all junk with no nutrition. This is why the IIFYM works for me. I eat mostly healthy and nutritious foods and lots of veggies, but I can have a treat or an unhealthy meal now and then without feeling guilty.

To look at it one way - I am very small. MFP has me set at 1200 calories to lose 1/2 lb a week. If I was eating only processed food and sugary snacks, I would be starving. In that case, 1200 doesn't get me very far. By eating mostly whole foods, I eat A LOT of food and stay within my calories - even with treats.

For me, living this way - mostly whole healthy foods with a occasional fun meal or dessert - is very sustainable.

And when folks explain it this way, it makes a lot of sense, to me (who eats so-called clean) and to new dieters. When they mock, and post flying donuts as a reply to every thread it's not so helpful.
And, to be honest, I'm not convinced that newer folks truly get what the originators of the iffym approach to dieting intended.
You, my friend, are awesome.
(and really, most good diets (even formal ones) are built around the principles you just described.)
ETA: I also think we all need to remember that losing weight is a small part of the battle. Heck most folks here are champs at losing. The hard part is maintaining....and each person has to figure out how they will best maintain their weight. For me, it's as Michael Pollan suggests: "eat food, not too much, mostly plants". Granted, by "food" he means whole foods rather than pre-packaged, heavily processed convenience foods, and so do I.
MOST OF THE TIME.

fitcolette

I love this! Great debate going on here and it got people talking, which is awesome! I did ask, 'what do you think" and the wheels have been speeding here!

Thank you guys for all the back and fourth comments. I think this was something that got people thinking, whether they agree or not

There were a few that got pretty defensive, but I understand.

magerum

I am at a healthy weight, healthy blood work and my diary would make a clean eater weep.

I really do not care what others eat, you should try that....it is liberating not to have the faith of the world on your shoulders

I love you. You said that perfectly. :flowerforyou:

My kind of minion. Come to the dark side, we have cookies

And ice cream.

CyberEd312

I am at a healthy weight, healthy blood work and my diary would make a clean eater weep.

I really do not care what others eat, you should try that....it is liberating not to have the faith of the world on your shoulders

I love you. You said that perfectly. :flowerforyou:

My kind of minion. Come to the dark side, we have cookies

And ice cream.

and Pop tarts!!

jonnythan

The horrid, disgusting thing on the right is the product of fast food and ice cream.

Tell your children! Let me be a warning.

wolverine66

So if I eat clean I can reverse my baldness?

Cranquistador

Ok, I in NO way meant any harm or insult here. I only was trying to help. Proof? Ask any nutritionist or doctor, read any health book or magazine...pretty much anywhere you can learn that. It's not a bad thing or hurtful thing that I said, but I see it sure hit a lot of nerves and I don't understand that at all.

I never said not to have that treat every once in a while. I was trying to help, because YES when you give your body foods closest to nature, our system knows exactly what to do with it very easily. Food today is so unhealthy and that is why we, as people are getting so sick and new illnesses keep popping up. Look on ANY article and see what it says how to prevent these illness or how to just stay healthy....what you eat is #1. What you eat is about 80% of health.

There is a saying in the health world, "bodies are made in the kitchen" which goes for healthy foods or unhealthy foods.

Again, never thought this would ruffle so many feathers, and for that, I am truly sorry.

No No No No No

Stop reading articles and listening to gurus

^this

Cranquistador

@Ninerbuff,

Would you agree then that yes, macro and calories matter, but when one client eats unhealthy and the other healthy, both eating the same macros and calories, one will gain muscle and lose fat faster?? One will have more energy? One will have healthier skin and hair?

But what about adherence? Being overly strict usually sets one up for failure.

GingerLolita

This really depends on your goal. If your goal is to create a calorie deficit to lose weight (or stick to a certain calorie allowance to maintain or gain), then yes, calories are equal. However, if your goal is to healthy, calories are definitely not created equal.

jonnythan

This really depends on your goal. If your goal is to create a calorie deficit to lose weight (or stick to a certain calorie allowance to maintain or gain), then yes, calories are equal. However, if your goal is to healthy, calories are definitely not created equal.

Nice sentiment. It even sounds nice. But it's simply not borne out by any evidence at all. There's simply no logical reason to think that way. In fact, there's a great deal of evidence to the contrary.

Macro and calorie intake is what really actually matters at the end of the day. Eating "clean" organic food will not make you any healthier than "unclean" or inorganic or whatever else food.