Real food vs processed, and calories

sweet110

I truly believe that your body processes real food and processed food differently. I had one bad winter where I ate exactly 1300 calories a day: Spanikopita, gummy bears, and cheese curls. That was it. Every day. For 3 months. I'm so not kidding. Did I mention it was a bad winter? I didn't gain any weight...the processed food didn't magically make me fat on 1300 calories a day. (I wasn't trying to lose at that point....it was a bad winter) But when I am eating my calories from vegetables, fruit, high quality protein and fat, I can *lose* weight on 1400-1500 calories a day.

There is suggestive evidence that your body expends less energy to digest processed (aka partially digested) food, so I'm not waving hippie dust...there is some decent evidence out there that might explain my anecdotal experience.

However, I also think that new dieters tend to over think things. You don't need to become obsessed with eating clean in order to lose weight. Make a few changes. Figure out what are acceptable changes for you...and if you want to eat some processed foods to cut calorie corners...eh. Just keep being concerned with your health and acting on it, little by little, and you'll be better off than most.