Calories or what you eat?

BUMP

I think the donuts are the same calories, just not the same nutirents as other foods you could choose. also you are gonna be one hungry gal after all that suger burns off.

I completely think what we eat even if within our calories matters a lot.

Calories are calories. So technically no, doesn't matter what those calories are when you are losing weight, just as long as their number remains low enough to create a deficit between consumed and expended.

Of course not all calories are equal in terms of how they make you feel -- but that's not the point. The more you deny yourself "treat" calories the more you'll probably want them, feel deprived and want to give up or over eat.

So ma'am, as long as you are eating a balanced diet and not regularly trading in filling, whole foods for "empty" calories - do not be afraid treat yourself to ANYTHING. Even if they do take you over that 1,200 mark by 200-300 calories a day (or every single day) -- you're still probably still going to lose (unless you're really, really short), just at a slower rate.

As what the previous posters have said. The type of nutrients in the food effects weight lose.
If you head lots of high calorie foods, you will be hungry. If you eats foods low in calories, you will be able to eat more. Load up on veggies, great nutrients and low calories. Also they taste awesome!
I eat reasonable well throughout the week, but have a not so good weekend. I try to make good choices, but usually end up with a pub feed or take away chinese. I try to fit these into my daily calories but it does not always work. I lose weight even though I don't eat the best. Sure it takes a bit longer, but I also don't feel the need to binge on anything because I have little treats here and there.
Good luck with your journey. Just remember, make good choice most of the time and you will be fine. Allow yourself a treat ever so often so you don't get cravings then eat way too much of the bad stuff..

I am only in the beginning of my journey, right now I am learning portion sizes and adding exercise. Because I want this to be a life style change I am starting slow. Right now if I want it and it fits in my dailies then I enjoy it. Now this said on our last vacation I learned that fried food is a trigger food for me. This was only the second time I had eaten fried food since starting b/c it had not been a part of my diet in a while I was able to recognize what it does to my eating. I know now that fried food will not be a part of my new life style b/c it makes things to hard. For me at this stage 1200 = 1200. I will say that eating protein helps me not get hungry as fast so I am sure there will be other foods I will eliminate as I learn more about how they effect my body.

Not sure if this helps but one of the latest studies had clients eating from a vending machine but staying under 1200 a day and they lost weight.

A good place to start researching this stuff is with insulin sensitivity and glycemic indices. Look it up yourself, everyone who answers here doesn't know what they're talking about.

As a quick answer, yes, it matters. Simple starches, refined sugars and flours, and other artificial food stuffs affects our bodies metabolic processes in ways that are typically bad for weight loss. They can also lead to metabolic disorders, such as diabetes.

^^^ THIS

If we are only talking weight loss - I don't think it matters too much, unless you have a medical condition that causes a sensitivity to particular foods.

If we are talking energy levels, general health and sustainabliliy of the way you are eating - I think that eating mostly "real" foods vs highly processed, low-nutrition foods is going to be a superior approach.

short answer: it's both.

some things to consider:

1. research shows that high fructose corn syrup is metabolized differently than regular sugar. Same calories, and according to the corn industry "sugar is sugar" -- which is obviously not true, as HFCS affects your insulin levels differently than white sugar. (note to self: go on pubmed and find study)
2. to consistently remain below/at your calorie goal and take in the nutrients your body needs, you WILL need to eat nutrient dense, not calorie dense foods like fresh vegetables, fruits and lean protein.

... the OP is talking about allowing herself occasional treats. If she wants one donut rather than a bag of carrots for a snack on occasion, no she isn't going to give herself diabetes or stop her weight loss for the week is she has a calorie deficit. Period.

That's true, but I was responding to the hypothetical situation she posed first. Thanks for clarifying it for me.

A major contributing factor to why a lot of people are here in the first place is that they're ignorant of the body's physiological, specifically metabolic, processes and nutrition. It's difficult to make a lifestyle change and continue to improve your health when you don't understand what happens after you put something in your mouth.

Furthermore, everyone should be wary of the advice they take from the internet. Some people even post that they have certifications or education that qualifies them to dispense advice, yet they don't post their real names or license numbers for any checking. Any professional who is licensed to dispense nutritional advice also has the legal resonsibility to ensure it is accurate, they're legally culpable if something happens to you for listening to them. It's definitely something to think about when you're talking to an anonymous professional.

Just a clarification, I'm not targeting anyone specifically with these comments. I'm also not qualified to give nutritional advice, I'm just an advocate of self education.