a calorie is a calorie...or is it?

cassafrass13

Okay, let's say for example's sake that I have a 1200 calorie daily limit.

If I eat 1200 calories of super-healthy foods (veggies, fruits, lean meats, nuts, etc.), will I lose more weight than if I eat 1200 calories of a mixture of foods (some healthy, some junk food)? Or does the type of food not matter because either way I'm sticking to 1200 calories?

Sorry if I didn't explain this very well...if anyone understands what I'm trying to say, I would appreciate your ideas.

FaithHopeTrust

you'd lose more eating 1200 calories veg than 1200 of say lard.
you get less fat with the healthier one. fats and saturates are more important when losing weight.

Elysian13

I don't have an answer, but I am curious, too. Considering I have an awful sweet tooth.

dez_yaoichan

well, all healthy would be best. but you really need to mix it up and see what works for you. if you get burnt out on veggies and binge on junk, it's not going to help. i try to make sure i have something a little less healthy everyday (like my ranch dressing) just so i can keep my cravings under control.

try leaving 100 cals open for a yummy snack, by limiting how much but still having it, the healthy stuff will be easier to deal with and help keep you on track.

McKayMachina

Well, yeah your body responds to different nutrients differently. Like, sugar is good for fat storage while protein is good for muscle maintenance. Etc.

Don't over-think it. Just eat healthy 80-90% of the time and you're golden.

Azuleelan

Uh uh, careful with preaching avoiding fats... fats are essential! And to the original poster: I don't think it makes a difference in weight loss, but it does in how your body works. A well balanced diet with tons of veggies will make you feel better, have more energy than a diet of junk food.
That being said, some junnk here and there is not going to kill anyone. Just don't make a daily habit... no reason for it.

kittyloo123

IMO, all calories are not created equal. Eating 1200 cals of fried tacos, and ice cream will not be the same as eating 1200 of lean meat, fruit, and veg.
For one thing, your body processes those foods differently. when you give it lots of fiber from the fruit, and veg, energy from the lean protien, your body is thanking you.
Eating that amount of high fat foods, will just make you feel sluggish, and drowsy.

starracer23

I think that healthy fats are important, there is a HUGE difference between the fat in a cheese burger and the fat in an avocado...

Plus a cheese burger from a fast food restaurant will definitely have a lot more calories than say a turkey sandwich on whole wheat, not to mention all the extra chemicals and preservatives.

'L',

WWhitaker

well, all healthy would be best. but you really need to mix it up and see what works for you. if you get burnt out on veggies and binge on junk, it's not going to help. i try to make sure i have something a little less healthy everyday (like my ranch dressing) just so i can keep my cravings under control.

try leaving 100 cals open for a yummy snack, by limiting how much but still having it, the healthy stuff will be easier to deal with and help keep you on track.

I agree here. I do the same where I allow myself certain types of food. I really try to eat normally, but be sure that I'm incorporating more fruits and vegetables, watching my portions and exercising. For me, that's a realistic goal and likely to stick lifelong vs. trying to "eat clean" 24/7. That's just rediculous....no offense.

Shalimarmandy

A calorie is a calorie!

The difference with eating more junk food (my absolute favorite food group!) is that you tend to end up eating more of it than you would healthy food because the portion sizes would have to be smaller to stay at 1200 daily caloric intake.

But something to consider is other health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. If junk food is a large percentage of your food intake you could be leaning toward hurting your body with a health problem other rather than a weight problem.

One last thing to consider is that unless you are eating all the food groups you can miss out on essential nutrients and weight loss could stall because your body is missing something important like protein...

I am sure you will hear other ideas - my opinion is based on my bachelors degree in health science education a dietician might be able to give more insight

Good luck to you!
:happy:

krysydawn

there is a HUGE difference between the fat in a cheese burger and the fat in an avocado...

'L',

Amen to that!

Maria_Cutie

A calorie is a calorie!

The difference with eating more junk food (my absolute favorite food group!) is that you tend to end up eating more of it than you would healthy food because the portion sizes would have to be smaller to stay at 1200 daily caloric intake.

But something to consider is other health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. If junk food is a large percentage of your food intake you could be leaning toward hurting your body with a health problem other rather than a weight problem.

One last thing to consider is that unless you are eating all the food groups you can miss out on essential nutrients and weight loss could stall because your body is missing something important like protein...

I am sure you will hear other ideas - my opinion is based on my bachelors degree in health science education a dietician might be able to give more insight

Good luck to you!
:happy:

This right here made my day.

I had a topic posted about this earlier, because I had someone telling me that I shouldn't have eaten a piece of cake because it wasnt healthy, though it was in my calorie goal. I know it's not healthy, Im not delusional! but seeing as how I get the same results weather I eat fast food all the time or lean meats and fruits and veggies, I dont really mind. Just look at the people who go on the Mcdonalds diet! (they lose weight by eating nothing but Mcdonalds! BUT it's all portioned controlled, and they pick the "healthier" options on the menu) The only difference is how you feel after eating such foods.

Fruits and veggies = more awake and energetic
Fast food and cake = Sluggish and sleepy

I do have fast food occasionally, maybe once a week at this point, and I barely touch sweet things. We try to get the 100 calorie packs and fat free yogurts instead for the regular sweet things. Eliminating anything non-diet, drink wise, is also good and leaves you a lot of extra calories in the long run (the drink thing Im slowly learning, still cant beat a regular Mt. Dew in my opinion)

I guess what Im saying, a calorie's a calorie no matter what, to me at least

sarahliftsUP

Yes, a calorie is a calorie. But if you are trying to tone up and lose belly fat, that's when you have to be really strict with what you are eating.

I like the 80-90% healthy eating and then branching out 10-20% of the time for a treat. That way you don't feel restricted and are less likely to binge. You can't label foods as 'good' or 'bad'.. that's when you feel guilty for eating the occasional piece of cake or handful of chips.

Unless you want to be rocking a 6 pack, you'll have to be extremely careful with your macronutrients. If you are concentrating now on losing weight, then a calorie is a calorie.

CharlieBarleyMom

Weight Watchers has made a whole company out of "eat whatever you want - as long as it fits the 'calories' (points)" - and I lost 93 pounds on that program 10 years ago... eating absolutely anything I wanted.

I was less health-conscious than I am now and I lost that weight in 9 months. Every Saturday morning after my meeting I stopped at McDonalds and ate a Steak Egg & Cheese Bagel. Every Saturday.

Yes, I put the weight back on because of many factors... one being laziness... the others are my business... but it worked and it works for others so I say, mostly, a calorie is a calorie.

duckpond11

sure - google "twinkie diet" and you'll see that one can lose weight eating nothing but twinkies. However, calories are not how we measure nutrition, right? So really you have to look beyond just the calories to judge a food.

LauraMarie37

A calorie is a calorie!

The difference with eating more junk food (my absolute favorite food group!) is that you tend to end up eating more of it than you would healthy food because the portion sizes would have to be smaller to stay at 1200 daily caloric intake.

But something to consider is other health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. If junk food is a large percentage of your food intake you could be leaning toward hurting your body with a health problem other rather than a weight problem.

One last thing to consider is that unless you are eating all the food groups you can miss out on essential nutrients and weight loss could stall because your body is missing something important like protein...

I am sure you will hear other ideas - my opinion is based on my bachelors degree in health science education a dietician might be able to give more insight

Good luck to you!
:happy:

This is my opinion, too, based on lots and lots of reading and living with a dietician. The weight loss would be the same with 1200 calories of "good" food vs 1200 calories of "bad" food, but the nutrients you are getting, the health of your organs/bones/muscles/skin etc would be different.

Also, what is considered "good" food or "bad" food might change in 2 years as more scientific studies are done... remember the 80’s, when fat was considered the worst thing ever and everyone ate "low fat" things that were much higher in sugar to make up for it? Or when eggs were the devil's work and should be avoided at all costs? So, try to make healthy choices based on the science you have now, but don't lump food into "this should be allowed" and "this should never be eaten ever".

joejccva71

When it comes to weight loss, the type of food doesn't matter. As long as you are eating at a deficit of what your maintenance is and you hit your macros you will lose weight. For general health, thats a different story but that wasn't what the OP asked.

Your body does not understand the difference between eating a slice of pepperoni pizza, and eating a 6oz chicken breast when it comes to losing weight. It understands macronutrients, micronutrients, and your calorie intake.

Rilke

For weight loss? Maybe for some people, though in my personal experience not really.

For health, wellness, energy, longevity, etc.? Absolutely not.

kochany

I can tell you that its a matter of opinion, its the top of an ice burg .
I would say its like fat is fat but you know that's not the case,same thing with calories. It can not be generalized.
Like other ppl stated they are not created equal. Whats the point of putting your self thru rigorous training and hours upon hours and sabotage your progress. I thought loosing weight is for health reasons but if you do it the wrong way, whats the point.

All I'm trying to say that you can look healthy outside by no so much inside, that's most important.

There is a way and there is the right way.

joejccva71

I wasn't saying that it was the right way to lose weight. Of course I want to be healthy too. I was just answering the OP's question because it doesn't make a difference in regards to losing weight.

vitaminquartet

A calorie is a calorie is a calorie - in the lab...

In human bodies however, different foods also affect metabolism and hormones and digestion in complicated ways that do not correlate completely to their caloric value - some sources of calories are utilized more efficiently than others because each is digested and converted into glucose, glycogen, fat, muscle, and waste - differently - and different sources of calories can also have different hormonal impacts, notably on insulin and therefore on fat storage, and on thyroid and adrenal function which therefore affects metabolic rate.

So, really, strictly calorie counting is a grossly inaccurate simplification of what actually goes on in your body when you eat - and the relationship between food consumption and fat burning and fat storage.

However if you eat few enough calories you will lose weight no matter what - but how few is few enough may depend on your particular physiology and the source of the calories.

kochany

I wasn't saying that it was the right way to lose weight. Of course I want to be healthy too. I was just answering the OP's question because it doesn't make a difference in regards to losing weight.

It does matter,It makes the whole difference if you want to loose it faster or not. And the end result .

You can't pick and chose either for weight lose or weight gain, all matters what you put in your body.

Just because yous body doesn't know the difference between food you eat, it acts accordingly to what it receives.

P.S.
You should know better if your goal is to cut, bulk and cut. If you don't do it right you just hinder your hard work.

chrisdavey

macronutrients matter to overall body composition but calorie intake is important. If you want to lose weight, just eat below your maintenance cals. If you want to lose FAT, then you should keep the protein intake up to preserve lean body mass (do resistance training), get in fats as well (as these are required for many of our bodily functions) and fill the rest with whatever you want (sticking to your cal goals).

Then there is overall health and the benefits of micronutrients in healthy foods compared to unhealthy ones ie. you could include 200 cals of mixed veggies that contain a lot of micronutrients or you could include 200 cals worth of junk food. This may not affect weight loss too much but if done for a prolonged period of time could result in mineral deficincies.

As well as that you will find that eating healthy foods will keep you fuller longer. You only need to see the equivalent calories of something like 50cals of mixed veggies sitting next to 50cals of chocolate. Obviously, the veggies are going to be massive in volume compared to the chocolate.

erinsueburns

For purposes of keeping you alive, as in not starving to death, then a calorie is a calorie. For individual purposes of weight loss and health the results are much harder to define. I'll grant you my degrees are not in diet or health, but my background does give me the ability to analyze research, and from all that I have read, lots of things do work, but absolutely nothing works for everyone. On a personal aside, it took a very long time for me to figure out the reason I had so much trouble on traditional weighted macro diets was because of my host of allergies and what turned out to cros reactive allergens. They interacted with my physiology in unpredictable ways.but my physiology is not yours, so what I do may not work for you.

The best advice I can give you is to take a moderate approach and then adjust it from there. If you find that eating 45% carbs doesn't work for you, then decrease it and replace with lean protein or mono unsaturated fats. Eventually you are likely to find a balance you can live with. The goal here is to make choices you can keep up with the rest off tourer life.

cassafrass13

I wasn't saying that it was the right way to lose weight. Of course I want to be healthy too. I was just answering the OP's question because it doesn't make a difference in regards to losing weight.

Thanks for your advice! I appreciate you answering my question literally. Of course, it's also great to hear what everyone else has to say about being healthy, etc...it's ALL good for me to know...but your straightforward answer was very helpful.

erinsueburns

macronutrients matter to overall body composition but calorie intake is important. If you want to lose weight, just eat below your maintenance cals. If you want to lose FAT, then you should keep the protein intake up to preserve lean body mass (do resistance training), get in fats as well (as these are required for many of our bodily functions) and fill the rest with whatever you want (sticking to your cal goals).

Then there is overall health and the benefits of micronutrients in healthy foods compared to unhealthy ones ie. you could include 200 cals of mixed veggies that contain a lot of micronutrients or you could include 200 cals worth of junk food. This may not affect weight loss too much but if done for a prolonged period of time could result in mineral deficincies.

As well as that you will find that eating healthy foods will keep you fuller longer. You only need to see the equivalent calories of something like 50cals of mixed veggies sitting next to 50cals of chocolate. Obviously, the veggies are going to be massive in volume compared to the chocolate.

Come on now, you were doing so well then you had to bash chocolate, lol. Kidding aside there are significant health benefits to eating small amounts of real dark chocolate. I am not at work so I don't really have access to research articles but this is a good start.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/HEALTHbeat_030309.htm

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/nutrition/chocolate.aspx

chrisdavey

true Chocolate was just the first thing that came into my head. I'm a big advocate of dark chocolate don't you worry

joejccva71

I wasn't saying that it was the right way to lose weight. Of course I want to be healthy too. I was just answering the OP's question because it doesn't make a difference in regards to losing weight.

It does matter,It makes the whole difference if you want to loose it faster or not. And the end result .

You can't pick and chose either for weight lose or weight gain, all matters what you put in your body.

Just because yous body doesn't know the difference between food you eat, it acts accordingly to what it receives.

P.S.
You should know better if your goal is to cut, bulk and cut. If you don't do it right you just hinder your hard work.

You are incorrect.

As far as losing weight, food type does not matter.

As far as gaining weight, food type does not matter.

What you think that if you eat a big calorie surplus over your maintenance of vegetables and whole grains that you won't get fat? You're wrong. Just because you eat HEALTHY food doesn't mean much in regards to losing or gaining. It matters for overall health but thats not the same thing as losing and/or gaining weight.

In regards to losing weight your body does not understand the difference between:

2 slices of pepperoni pizza

and

6oz chicken breast, 2 cups of brown rice, 1 cup of vegetables

Your body understands macro and micronutrients and calorie intake versus TDEE.

Oh and allow me to post this (I love posting facts and/or studies by NIH):

Myth: “I can lose weight while eating whatever I want.”
Fact: To lose weight, you need to use more calories than you eat. It is possible to eat any kind of food you want and lose weight. You need to limit the number of calories you eat every day and/or increase your daily physical activity. Portion control is the key. Try eating smaller amounts of food and choosing foods that are low in calories.

Tip: When trying to lose weight, you can still eat your favorite foods—as long as you pay attention to the total number of calories that you eat.

http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/myths.htm#dietmyths

myofibril

macronutrients matter to overall body composition but calorie intake is important. If you want to lose weight, just eat below your maintenance cals. If you want to lose FAT, then you should keep the protein intake up to preserve lean body mass (do resistance training), get in fats as well (as these are required for many of our bodily functions) and fill the rest with whatever you want (sticking to your cal goals).

Then there is overall health and the benefits of micronutrients in healthy foods compared to unhealthy ones ie. you could include 200 cals of mixed veggies that contain a lot of micronutrients or you could include 200 cals worth of junk food. This may not affect weight loss too much but if done for a prolonged period of time could result in mineral deficincies.

As well as that you will find that eating healthy foods will keep you fuller longer. You only need to see the equivalent calories of something like 50cals of mixed veggies sitting next to 50cals of chocolate. Obviously, the veggies are going to be massive in volume compared to the chocolate.

Good post as ever.

It's simple. Calories for weight loss. Quality of calories for body recomposition / fat loss.

Without going into a long and boring discussion about calorie partitioning, quality DOES make a difference if you are looking for lipolysis. It's not as important as overall intake but it does help maximise results.

ps: in reality some junk is fine and will have a negligible affect on your results unless you choose to make it an issue eg by binging.

tlahuiltzin

You want healthy calories. I lose more weight on a week where I make wise choices than on those weeks I don't eat all day cuz I'm going to go out drinking with my friends or the days I have ice cream and wine for dinner. Still within my calories but they are BAD calories.

ninerbuff

Does everyone know the definition? A calorie is the amount of ENERGY needed to raise one gram of water 1 degree celcius. So whether it's from protein, carbs or fat, the measurement of ENERGY is the same.
Macronutrient make up of your diet makes the difference.