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

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.

ninerbuff

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):



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.

This is correct.

aj_rock

I saw a documentary once about overweight people from the UK.

One overweight woman was interviewed, saying she couldn't lose weight despite eating healthy foods like fruit salad and cottage cheese.

Turns out her bowl of fruit salad was bigger than a punch bowl!

At the same time, she definately reported feeling less hungry eating lots of fruit instead of eating lots of chocolate!

Just some anecdotal evidence! A calorie is a calorie, but some foods will affect you indirectly!

missb92

Yes, technically a calorie is a calorie and as long as you stay within your limits you will definitely lose weight. BUT..... and there is always a but... if you stick to a diet of junk food and still remain within that 1200 cals your not going to be getting enough good nutrients. For example if you go for a mcdonalds, get a burger, fries and a mcflurry... thats more or less your calories gone for the day. Whereas if you had cereal for breakfast, salad for lunch and fish for dinner you would feel 10 times fuller and more satisfied. But when it all comes down to it weight loss is about calories in vs. calories out!!

liftingbro

A calorie is a calorie as far as weight loss goes.

You can eat 2000 calories of the most healthy food or 2000 calories of twinkies, it matters not.

Some exceptions for those with medical conditions, but for most people a calories is a calorie for weight loss.

Now, if you are looking to build muscle, be healthy, or are a performance athlete, then the contents of the calories does matter. Also, the more lean you get the more it matters.

kochany

You can eat 2000 calories of the most healthy food or 2000 calories of twinkies, it matters not.

I'd like to see you live on twinkies, and tell us how you feel.

I agree with whole eat less for loss and more for gain, but it can not be said that it doesn't matter what u eat.
Do you remember "Supersize ME", yes he gained weight but his system was out of wacko eating junk, loosing weight is not just about calories its about food you eat and we cannot forget about it. You are what you eat. Just because you lose weight doesnt mean you are healthy. Isn't that the major reason ppl want to lose weight ?

joejccva71

You can eat 2000 calories of the most healthy food or 2000 calories of twinkies, it matters not.

I'd like to see you live on twinkies, and tell us how you feel.

I agree with whole eat less for loss and more for gain, but it can not be said that it doesn't matter what u eat.
Do you remember "Supersize ME", yes he gained weight but his system was out of wacko eating junk, loosing weight is not just about calories its about food you eat and we cannot forget about it. You are what you eat. Just because you lose weight doesnt mean you are healthy. Isn't that the major reason ppl want to lose weight ?

Thats not what the topic was about. It was about "a calorie is a calorie...or is it?"

It's obvious people want to be healthy at the same time, but when people ask questions or make statements about how it makes a difference to eat clean foods over any type of food to lose weight, then thats where the discussion heats up at.