Are all calories created equal?
msliu7911
Posts: 638 Member
If I'm trying to lose weight and I eat 1300 calories a day, which is my deficit needed to lose 1.5 lbs per week... would it make a difference in my weight loss if those calories are from clean, nutritious foods vs. unhealthy "empty" calories?
My goal is to eat clean most of the time but I have the occasional slip up (which sometimes last a whole day) so it made me wonder- if I'm eating empty and unhealthy options but maintaining my calories... what harm am I doing in terms of stalling weight loss?
(Forgive me if this topic has already been posted.... I tried searching but had not luck!)
**ETA- I'm not looking to promote unhealthy eating.. just a curiousity of mine that came up which I was hoping someone might have some articles or 1st hand knowledge on!
My goal is to eat clean most of the time but I have the occasional slip up (which sometimes last a whole day) so it made me wonder- if I'm eating empty and unhealthy options but maintaining my calories... what harm am I doing in terms of stalling weight loss?
(Forgive me if this topic has already been posted.... I tried searching but had not luck!)
**ETA- I'm not looking to promote unhealthy eating.. just a curiousity of mine that came up which I was hoping someone might have some articles or 1st hand knowledge on!
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Replies
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Calories are calories - unless you have a food allergy or some medical condition that requires you to avoid certain foods. I eat whatever I want in my calorie range (mostly good stuff, but junk too) and it works just fine for me.0
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Make >80% of your calories from healthy stuff like lean meats, healthy fats, and veggies and <20% of your calories from junk food.0
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Hello pal! When someones says all calories are created equal they usually mean in terms of calories...where a calorie is a term of measurement (called a kilocalorie in the chemistry world). One calorie is one calorie. If you put one calorie into a system you can get at max one calorie out of it. Fiber in foods etc can affect this, but not to a large degree (and we should be eating a healthy well rounded diet for maximum benefits to health and looks).If I'm trying to lose weight and I eat 1300 calories a day, which is my deficit needed to lose 1.5 lbs per week... would it make a difference in my weight loss if those calories are from clean, nutritious foods vs. unhealthy "empty" calories?
My goal is to eat clean most of the time but I have the occasional slip up (which sometimes last a whole day) so it made me wonder- if I'm eating empty and unhealthy options but maintaining my calories... what harm am I doing in terms of stalling weight loss?
(Forgive me if this topic has already been posted.... I tried searching but had not luck!)
**ETA- I'm not looking to promote unhealthy eating.. just a curiousity of mine that came up which I was hoping someone might have some articles or 1st hand knowledge on!
With all that being said, this is why you should try (if possible) to avoid the empty calories. If you say ate all cookies (mm cookies). You would probably feel like you were starving. Your body will still crave nutrition. At the same time, if you ate a bowl full of vitamins and no fat, the benefit is kind of lost. Most vitamins are fat soluble, so you can't absorb them unless you're eating enough fat (speaking of which, your calorie goal is very very low to me, mine is much higher then that). If you want to chat about how you can increase your calories but still lose weight, gimmie a pm and we'll have a chat. So basically, the calorie thing is a balancing act. Don't try to cut anything out. Many people for example try to do something silly like cut out sugar completely. Your brain and red blood cells run on sugar, it needs that.
If you look at the scale allot you may think you're stalling when you're not. We fluctuate in weight for many healthy reasons. If you're not fluctuating in weight, I'd worry.
If you have any specific questions on health you know where to find me. Also, Google scholar is a great place to find information if you know what you're looking for. All the studies and sources you can tolerate!0 -
Hello pal! When someones says all calories are created equal they usually mean in terms of calories...where a calorie is a term of measurement (called a kilocalorie in the chemistry world). One calorie is one calorie. If you put one calorie into a system you can get at max one calorie out of it. Fiber in foods etc can affect this, but not to a large degree (and we should be eating a healthy well rounded diet for maximum benefits to health and looks).
With all that being said, this is why you should try (if possible) to avoid the empty calories. If you say ate all cookies (mm cookies). You would probably feel like you were starving. Your body will still crave nutrition. At the same time, if you ate a bowl full of vitamins and no fat, the benefit is kind of lost. Most vitamins are fat soluble, so you can't absorb them unless you're eating enough fat (speaking of which, your calorie goal is very very low to me, mine is much higher then that). If you want to chat about how you can increase your calories but still lose weight, gimmie a pm and we'll have a chat. So basically, the calorie thing is a balancing act. Don't try to cut anything out. Many people for example try to do something silly like cut out sugar completely. Your brain and red blood cells run on sugar, it needs that.
If you look at the scale allot you may think you're stalling when you're not. We fluctuate in weight for many healthy reasons. If you're not fluctuating in weight, I'd worry.
If you have any specific questions on health you know where to find me. Also, Google scholar is a great place to find information if you know what you're looking for. All the studies and sources you can tolerate!
Great info- thanks so much!
I'm certainly going to avoid empty calories but I may PM you about my calorie goals...0 -
For me, if I change everything at once I am setting myself up to fail.
My first steps have been to start with recording what I am eating, then try to keep this within the goal given by MFP.
Then I introduced some exercise.
Next I will increase the intensity of the exercise and look at improving my diet.
Food is the hardest part for me. I am a picky eater partly to having numerous food/migraine triggers.0 -
Focus on getting your calories from lean protein and veggies and make sure you spread them across your day. This will help you balance your blood sugar and keep you from crashing and having monster cravings. PM me if you would like a sample day. I know its kinda hard to even know where to start sometimes.0
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Hello pal! When someones says all calories are created equal they usually mean in terms of calories...where a calorie is a term of measurement (called a kilocalorie in the chemistry world). One calorie is one calorie. If you put one calorie into a system you can get at max one calorie out of it. Fiber in foods etc can affect this, but not to a large degree (and we should be eating a healthy well rounded diet for maximum benefits to health and looks).If I'm trying to lose weight and I eat 1300 calories a day, which is my deficit needed to lose 1.5 lbs per week... would it make a difference in my weight loss if those calories are from clean, nutritious foods vs. unhealthy "empty" calories?
My goal is to eat clean most of the time but I have the occasional slip up (which sometimes last a whole day) so it made me wonder- if I'm eating empty and unhealthy options but maintaining my calories... what harm am I doing in terms of stalling weight loss?
(Forgive me if this topic has already been posted.... I tried searching but had not luck!)
**ETA- I'm not looking to promote unhealthy eating.. just a curiousity of mine that came up which I was hoping someone might have some articles or 1st hand knowledge on!
With all that being said, this is why you should try (if possible) to avoid the empty calories. If you say ate all cookies (mm cookies). You would probably feel like you were starving. Your body will still crave nutrition. At the same time, if you ate a bowl full of vitamins and no fat, the benefit is kind of lost. Most vitamins are fat soluble, so you can't absorb them unless you're eating enough fat (speaking of which, your calorie goal is very very low to me, mine is much higher then that). If you want to chat about how you can increase your calories but still lose weight, gimmie a pm and we'll have a chat. So basically, the calorie thing is a balancing act. Don't try to cut anything out. Many people for example try to do something silly like cut out sugar completely. Your brain and red blood cells run on sugar, it needs that.
If you look at the scale allot you may think you're stalling when you're not. We fluctuate in weight for many healthy reasons. If you're not fluctuating in weight, I'd worry.
If you have any specific questions on health you know where to find me. Also, Google scholar is a great place to find information if you know what you're looking for. All the studies and sources you can tolerate!
What she said.
The good deals are the ones that come with free rewards points- vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc.0 -
Focus on getting your calories from lean protein and veggies and make sure you spread them across your day. This will help you balance your blood sugar and keep you from crashing and having monster cravings. PM me if you would like a sample day. I know its kinda hard to even know where to start sometimes.
Not this, it's been debunked. And to prove it to myself I went from eating a million little meals to 2 equiv big meals for a period of time. It's called intermittent fasting. You don't stop eating, you just eat in a small window of time. A common one is you fast for 16 hours and you eat for 8. I commonly use to do this when I forgot breakfast. I just replaced it with a larger yummier meal.
Initally, the grenlin gets you (a chemical which is basically a time keeper that keeps you eating on your schedule to basically tell you it thinks food is around. If anyone changes their schedule, sometimes they feel hungry when they shouldn't be. After things got use to the new schedule (which didn't take long) it was pretty convenient and time saving to just eat 2 giant meals but I'm back to eating a few more since my schedule changed. But there's even proof that it works well for people who are diabetic...the ones who are usually watching their spikes.
"A correlation between intermittent fasting and significantly improved biochemical parameters associated with the development of diabetic nephropathy." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17316625?dopt=Abstract
"Crucially both CR and IF can diminish the severity of risk factors for diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease in rodents" http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2622429/
etc etc lots more. Basically, when you eat doesn't affect weight loss, and eating in a smaller time window has its unrelated benefits. If you enjoy IF, do it. If it doesn't fit in your schedule conveniently, don't. I'd rather have a small meal in me before a workout, thats the biggest reason why I have a larger window now. The only thing that makes me crave food is when I'm lacking something in my diet.0 -
It is truly a game of calories in vs. calories out. That is weight loss plain and simple. But, in the grander scheme, there is more to it. You could eat above your BMR and below your TDEE in twinkies every day and lose weight. BUT, you would most likely feel like crap and since you wouldn't be addressing your macros, will feel even worse. This was mentioned by a poster above and is so true.
Look at it like this. Say you ate tons and tons of iceberg lettuce. You would eventually be full. But, since you aren't getting adequate macro nutrition in your diet, you may be full, but you would probably feel terrible.
Though I'm sure there are some that will disagree, I try and follow IIFYM.com advice. Eat over my BMR, under my TDEE and get enough protein and fat while staying under the carb limit. Yes, I stray. But, it has gotten me halfway to my goal and I don't feel like I am killing myself with food. And I have enough energy to make it through my lifting and cardio. I don't think I can ask for much more.
And for what it is worth, I have beer and scotch on occasion. I eat bread (*GASP*) and enjoy a BK double from time to time. Don't deny yourself the things you love, just have them in moderation and as long as they fit in your macros. Its a lovely, lovely thing.0 -
It is truly a game of calories in vs. calories out. That is weight loss plain and simple. But, in the grander scheme, there is more to it. You could eat above your BMR and below your TDEE in twinkies every day (if they were still available ... grr) and lose weight. BUT, you would most likely feel like crap and since you wouldn't be addressing your macros, will feel even worse. This was addressed by a poster above and is so true.
Look at it like this. Say you at tons and tons of iceberg lettuce. You would eventually be full. But, since you aren't getting adequate macro nutrition in your diet, you may be full, but you would probably feel terrible.
Though I'm sure there are some that will disagree, I try and follow IIFYM.com advice. Eat over my BMR, under my TDEE and get enough protein and fat while staying under the carb limit. Yes, I stray. But, it has gotten me halfway to my goal and I don't feel like I am killing myself with food. And I have enough energy to make it through my lifting and cardio. I don't think I can ask for much more.
And for what it is worth, I have beer and scotch on occasion. I eat bread (*GASP*) and enjoy a BK double from time to time. Don't deny yourself the things you love, just have them in moderation and as long as they fit in your macros. Its a lovely, lovely thing.
Great news! Twinkies are still being produced in Canada. Nanner nanner.0 -
And just something else I wanted to add as a separate post for clarity. If you slip up on lunch, it doesn't mean you have to abandon the whole day. There are a myriad of images floating around the internet that say something like "there's nothing special about Monday." The idea is that if you trip on a meal, don't throw the whole day out.
Woops, you ate three orders of fries for lunch. Does that mean you should just throw caution to the wind and forget trying to eat well for dinner? No. Take control and get it back. It is yours for the taking.0 -
Great news! Twinkies are still being produced in Canada. Nanner nanner.
Oh you ..... 0 -
In addition to the empty calories like soda and white flour grains and products... I also stay away from full calorie sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade. If you use them during an sport or activity it's not that bad, but they also have low and no calorie options as well.0
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Calories be calories0
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My goal is to eat clean most of the time but I have the occasional slip up (which sometimes last a whole day) so it made me wonder- if I'm eating empty and unhealthy options but maintaining my calories... what harm am I doing in terms of stalling weight loss?
Quite simply, this is a non-issue.0 -
Personal experience :
2 weeks ago I prepped food for the week - ate all kinds of healthy stuff, the majority of my meals were made at home, etc. - Had a good loss on the Scale
Last week - didn't prep any food, ate most of my food prepared elsewhere - still had similar calories to the week before. Gained weight.
All calories are not the same. I will be shopping and prepping food on Sunday this week.0 -
Personal experience :
2 weeks ago I prepped food for the week - ate all kinds of healthy stuff, the majority of my meals were made at home, etc. - Had a good loss on the Scale
Last week - didn't prep any food, ate most of my food prepared elsewhere - still had similar calories to the week before. Gained weight.
All calories are not the same. I will be shopping and prepping food on Sunday this week.
I've had a similar but opposite experience. Chances are, the calories we estimated were not estimated very well or we exercised harder or ate something that caused us to retain water...you can eat like that all you like. Its water your carrying that falls off, its not affecting your over all weight loss. Its just affecting you for a day or 2. Its not fat your gaining. Its normal and human and healthy to have weight flux. If you didn't, your body wouldn't be repairing itself, and I'd be worried for your health. A lot of time your water goes up for good reason if you eat healthy or not. The laws of thermodynamics, you cannot beat them0 -
Personal experience :
2 weeks ago I prepped food for the week - ate all kinds of healthy stuff, the majority of my meals were made at home, etc. - Had a good loss on the Scale
Last week - didn't prep any food, ate most of my food prepared elsewhere - still had similar calories to the week before. Gained weight.
All calories are not the same. I will be shopping and prepping food on Sunday this week.
Wrong conclusion. If you didn't prep the food you can't be sure if the calories were similar to the week before. The difference between two weeks ago and last week is accurate accounting, not the type of food. And 1 week isn't a sample size that I would take to the bank.0 -
My goal is to eat clean most of the time but I have the occasional slip up (which sometimes last a whole day) so it made me wonder- if I'm eating empty and unhealthy options but maintaining my calories... what harm am I doing in terms of stalling weight loss?
Quite simply, this is a non-issue.
This! If you are eating mostly nutrient dense foods most of the time, when you eat a little of other stuff, IT DON'T MATTER!! Plus, the question is what are the things you are eating when you "slip up"? Some people love to demonize some foods like Ice Cream, Pizza, or burger as though they are empty of nutrients. Not true.0 -
Personal experience :
2 weeks ago I prepped food for the week - ate all kinds of healthy stuff, the majority of my meals were made at home, etc. - Had a good loss on the Scale
Last week - didn't prep any food, ate most of my food prepared elsewhere - still had similar calories to the week before. Gained weight.
All calories are not the same. I will be shopping and prepping food on Sunday this week.
Wrong conclusion. If you didn't prep the food you can't be sure if the calories were similar to the week before. The difference between two weeks ago and last week is accurate accounting, not the type of food. And 1 week isn't a sample size that I would take to the bank.
Bingo!0 -
If there were sodium differences in that, they could also have led to some water retention, thereby raising weight. But DavPul put it best on that part, I think, the part about it likely being different due to different preparation.
That all said.. it comes down to caloric balance and one day (even two) does not ruin things. Lately I have been regularly going 500-1000 calories past my daily goal on weekend days, but working back to an even balance (and usually some deficit) during the week, and I'm leaning out quite nicely, and the best part.. no struggles. I enjoy what I eat even on those weekdays where I am strict. Staying within my planned macros (which have been roughly 40/40/20) has helped me to avoid almost ever feeling too hungry.0 -
Setting Your Calorie and Macro Targets
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros)
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/817188-iifym0 -
From what I've read:
As far as weight loss/weight gain goes, if you take the 'in' part of "calories in vs calories out"; then yes, a calorie is a calorie.
But, what you consume can also affect both calories out and body composition.
So if you lose weight by eating purely 'clean' food at an appropriate deficit, but do minimal exercise and eat minimal protein; you'll likely lose a fair bit of muscle and may well find that your body doesn't look much different, only smaller.
I don't think anyone disputes that having decent amounts of protein is incredibly useful for building muscle if you're training for that.
Yes, you do want to make sure you get a good range of micro-nutrients, but a lot of people seem rather over the top.
Most things I've found suggest that if you're generally healthy, you can't get to 'healthy+10' by just eating more 'good' things. And our bodies evolved to live with wildly varying nutrition intake.
Unfortunately a lot of people seem to base their opinions on bro, well hippyscience.
It doesn't make it any more true.0 -
Personal experience :
2 weeks ago I prepped food for the week - ate all kinds of healthy stuff, the majority of my meals were made at home, etc. - Had a good loss on the Scale
Last week - didn't prep any food, ate most of my food prepared elsewhere - still had similar calories to the week before. Gained weight.
All calories are not the same. I will be shopping and prepping food on Sunday this week.
Wrong conclusion. If you didn't prep the food you can't be sure if the calories were similar to the week before. The difference between two weeks ago and last week is accurate accounting, not the type of food. And 1 week isn't a sample size that I would take to the bank.
I was just giving an example w/2 weeks - I didn't feel the need to list out all the food I've eaten in my entire life to prove my point. All I know is that I get better results w/some foods than others and even though I only listed two weeks I base that on all my eating over the over a year I've been on MFP and in the years previous.0 -
If I'm trying to lose weight and I eat 1300 calories a day, which is my deficit needed to lose 1.5 lbs per week... would it make a difference in my weight loss if those calories are from clean, nutritious foods vs. unhealthy "empty" calories?
My goal is to eat clean most of the time but I have the occasional slip up (which sometimes last a whole day) so it made me wonder- if I'm eating empty and unhealthy options but maintaining my calories... what harm am I doing in terms of stalling weight loss?
(Forgive me if this topic has already been posted.... I tried searching but had not luck!)
**ETA- I'm not looking to promote unhealthy eating.. just a curiousity of mine that came up which I was hoping someone might have some articles or 1st hand knowledge on!
It's all about calories. I have ate pure junk food for a month to show my mfp friends it's about calories, results? Lost 10lbs that month.
Haha that is awesomeSetting Your Calorie and Macro Targets
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros)
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/817188-iifym
Great links.0
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