Does it matter where your calories come from?

Doodlewhopper

I see some apples and Butterfingers malarkey here.

A calorie is simply a unit of measurement and to argue that a calorie is not the same as a calorie is the same as arguing that an inch is not the same as an inch.

A valid argument is that the substance of one calorie is different than the substance of another. Think about that pound of feathers verses a pound of gold.

mgobluetx12

Who cares who's eating what unless they specifically request advice?

Hmm....wondering why anyone would make their diaries public then? Doesn't doing so open you up to suggestions and friendly critique as much as it does for "hurray for you"'s and "atta girl!"'s?

I totally agree with this. Don't 'finish' your day and have an open diary if you don't expect a constructive comment or two every once in a while about what you're eating.

WendyTerry420

In my opinion, a calorie is NOT a calorie.

So an inch is not an inch? A yard is not a yard? A pound is not a pound? A gallon is not a gallon?

to summarize what you just said, a MICRONUTRIENT is not a MICRONUTRIENT. but that is not what we're talking about. A calorie is still a calorie.

And what does eating CLEAN even mean? A blood vessel pops in my head every time that statement is uttered

Oh, same here, DavPul. I had never heard of that until MFP. Where I'm from, we practice the 5 second rule. If your pick it up off the floor before 5 seconds have expired, it's still clean and safe to eat.

I said this many times and I will say it again.

To all the people who say, "it matters for health." Being over weight is the one of the greatest health risks, can lead to heart disease, diabetics, and many other health related issues. With that said, it's healthier to eat junk food and be at a healthy weight than it is to be over weight and eat "health food."

Pu has it right as well. The number one risk factor for *most* of the common fatal illnesses is obesity.

If you go through the standard tests at your check-up, and everything comes back good, then you have a clean bill of health, no matter what you eat. On the flip side, if you are obese, then you are at risk for any number of fatal illnesses.

Nana_Booboo

Seriously?

If it didn't matter we could eat candy bars all day and lose weight just as long as we stayed within our calorie goal.

No, it matters!

SunnyAndrsn

I said this many times and I will say it again.

To all the people who say, "it matters for health." Being over weight is the one of the greatest health risks, can lead to heart disease, diabetics, and many other health related issues. With that said, it's healthier to eat junk food and be at a healthy weight than it is to be over weight and eat "health food."

I disagree--you can be skinny and still have poor stamina and clogged arteries because of food choices. While I see your point, I think improving the quality of the food you eat is important. Says the girl eating peanut M&Ms and drinking a glass of wine for her late night snack.

When I started this journey, I really just cut out fast food and watched my portions. Over time, I started to improve the quality. Sometimes I back slide, and I usually feel worse for it. Working out is harder when I eat crap.

How would your stamina be if you where 200lbs over weight compared to at healthy weight? You read about the Twinkies diet? This guy ate nothing but pure junk food. His body mass index went from 28.8 to 24.9, his LDL dropped 20%, and his HDL(good cholesterol) went up 20%. He reduced his triglycerides by 39%. He also lost 27lbs in 2 months.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

Very similar story from the documentary "Fat Head" ate nothing but McDonalds, at a lot of high fat foods. Yet he lost weight and his health improved.

And I can out run my neighbor, who is a twig (about 100 pounds) and eats oreos for lunch every day. My Cholesterol and triglycerides are perfect, regardless of my diet. That's genetics, which is likely the case of the two people you are talking about. I have none of the health problems associated with obesity. My mother in law has terrible cholesterol and has to watch her diet carefully to stay off of medications. She's always been thin, but if she eats crap, her blood work shows it.

Would you recommend that everyone do a McDonald's and Twinkie diet based on a documentary and an experiment? Is that the advice you'd give to someone who is 200 pounds overweight and has high cholesterol, high blood sugar and all the other problems you're talking about? Which diet is more sustainable in the long run? The one full of foods meant to fuel your body for the long haul or Twinkies and McDonald's?

There is a place for junk food--like I said I was eating M&Ms last night and had a glass of wine. For my health though, I try to limit these things.

SunnyAndrsn

So I get HIGHLY irritated when someone says something about my food diary when I went to mcdonalds that day. I don't have it every day and holy crap I was under!!!!

Right. Once in a blue moon, no worries. Every day, though? That's cause for concern.

I think what will work best from now on is for me to either just keep being a cheerleader and only posting "Good for you" and "Atta girl" stuff, or stop caring either way. Lesson learned. Moving on now.....

Jana if you're going to worry and fret so much about my food diary - please get it right - I DO NOT EAT FAST FOOD EVERY DAY AND YOU DARN WELL KNOW IT. It is more like twice a week.To everyone else take a look, diary is open, nothing to hide or be ashamed of. You will also see that those meals were eaten within the targets, and that I did eat better meals during the week. Let's get the full story, not one sided. (I do believe someone said they had three candy bars in 7 weeks, go back and count them, I saw more, plus chips and pizzas, even tho veggie) You are the pot calling the kettle black. I wasn't going to post a reply, but I won't be lied about. I won't feel deprived of food I love when I can work it into my plan, and eat healthier on other days.

I hope you found the answers you were seeking.There won'r be further need for me to follow the thread now. Was just waiting to see how long it took.

I agree with you as well. You CAN work in junk food. I don't usually look at other people's diaries unless they ask me to do so.

InPieces3

Pu.... ^5

I'm changing my lifestyle, and yes, I have changed the way I have eaten over the past few years, and I feel much better. But to say I'm not having a piece of birthday cake... no way! I'm eating it. IN MODERATION. The one thing I refuse to do is deny myself something just because it isn't *healthy*. Moderation is the key. If I was to quit everything cold turkey, I would have gained everything I lost and then some because it would not be something I could do LONG term.

Oh I'm eating that candy bar.... I'm just not eating 5 of them like I used to.

kdeaux1959

For weight loss she is correct. As long as her body is in a calorie deficit she will lose weight. However for general health and nutritional concern you are correct. She should be choosing healthier options.

Good advice here. I will say that while fast food may not be the best choice... sometimes it may be what somebody can do with their schedule or situation for a period of time; there are seasons where if they were to look at mine it may look like I always eat fast food.. But that happens to be the season where I am out a lot. There are better or worse choices at fast food.. I try to opt for grilled chicken or fish products over fried when I do have to eat out at fast food.

lpatriquin

I would argue to say yes, it does matter. Just because of my own personal experience. I have been logging on since September and trying to stay around 1500-1600 net calories. I was losing extremely slowly at first and by slow, I mean 2 lbs in 1.5mos. Not great... then I read "Wheat Belly" and eliminated wheat and grains in general from my diet. I still take in 1500-1600 calories a day but in the last 3 weeks, I am down 10 more pounds. I know that's fast for but I think it'll slow down the next month. Calories are the same but macro's different and I think my body knows clean eating because it's working for me. My diet isn't perfect either but I'd say 98% of the time, I am taking in clean, unprocessed food. I feel 100% better. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. I didn't know how crappy I felt until I got rid of the wheat!