Whole Foods vs Counting Calories

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Wow....there are SO many negative snarky jerks on here. I have seen it on a lot of posts. I asked because I wanted a discussion...not me ask, you talk down to me. Someone should guide Tosca Reno, creator of the Eat Clean Diet, to this group. She could learn a thing or two from a bunch of overweight people...apparently she knows nothing. Oh! And Weight Watchers should cancel their Core program. If only they came here first to do their research!! They would know they are just going to make everyone fat by telling them they can eat as much of those foods as they want until they are satisfied. Shame on Weight Watchers. The fact that the term "whole foods" was questioned so many times in this thread show how truly intelligent you all are with food. Good luck keeping the weigh off since you obviously haven't learned anything in your "journey". I will not be using the forums anymore. You are the least supportive people I have ever seen. This is not just based on this post. It is based on all the others where I have seen people asking for help or looking for a discussion and everyone jumps on them & acts like they are stupid. good riddance.
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Replies

  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
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    Yup, energy-wise the body doesn't care if you've just snarfed a cheesecake or a steak that has been grassfed and read a bedtime story every night. ;)
  • angelams1019
    angelams1019 Posts: 1,102 Member
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    I'm no expert but it sounds like the way you're eating is going to keep you very healthy. If you are trying to lose weight, you still need to make sure you're not consuming more than you're burning.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    If you're trying to lose weight, calories are calories, and an excess will lead to weight gain regardless of the type of calories or the "quality" of the food being eaten.
  • snaithrichard
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    If you count calories but eat crappy foods, you'll lose weight but you might not feel any better.

    if you eat the healthiest foods in the world but have no calorie deficit, you might feel great but you won't lose weight.

    so it seems to me the best thing to do is to count calories and eat whole foods.
  • Elleinnz
    Elleinnz Posts: 1,661 Member
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    Most of my calories are whole foods. Its more of Clean Eating than a "diet". Some days my calories are higher than the recommended calorie value. However, most the calories are from whole foods....bananas, avocado, lentils, nuts, olive oil, very little cheese, and a Larabar everyday (usually). Everything else is mostly fruits & veggies...lots. Should I not be so worried about the calories if the food I am eating is so clean?

    A calorie is a calorie is a calorie.......clean eating might be a "healthier" option for many reasons - but in the end of the day you will still pick up weight if you eat too much...
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    "Clean" is a subjective term, so I'll stick to you saying whole foods. Whole foods still have calories, and those calorie still count. Eat too many calories, no matter the source, and you won't lose weight. While deciding what the exact number of calories in and calories out are can be difficult because they are all just estimates, the simple and honest truth is that calories consumed must be less than calories expended in order for your body to burn excess fat and lose weight.
  • Chadomaniac
    Chadomaniac Posts: 1,785 Member
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    you are definately alot HEALTHIER that way , for fat loss u just have to cut down a bit on quantity to create a deficit
  • akgreen83
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    I don't necessarily agree that a calorie is a calorie. 50 calories made up of sugar & fat vs 50 calories of a plate full of veggies is a lot different. That sugar & fat is going to stick with you, but the veggies are just going to go right through (after your body takes the nutrients it needs). Your body processes them completely different.

    And I wasn't comparing cheesecake & steak...I said nothing about organic/grass fed/humane. That does not equal whole food. I was comparing processed food/added sugar/trans fat/salt vs not those.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    calories be calories, so if you eat more than you burn you will gain weight, and it doesn't matter all you had was 3500 cals of organic broccoli.

    and contrary to popular belief, if you gain weight, you will NOT be healthier just because you gained weight eating only clean foods (whatever that means)
  • katiefridley
    katiefridley Posts: 151 Member
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    I don't necessarily agree that a calorie is a calorie.

    Then, why did you ask?
  • Chadomaniac
    Chadomaniac Posts: 1,785 Member
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    I don't necessarily agree that a calorie is a calorie. 50 calories made up of sugar & fat vs 50 calories of a plate full of veggies is a lot different. That sugar & fat is going to stick with you, but the veggies are just going to go right through (after your body takes the nutrients it needs). Your body processes them completely different.

    And I wasn't comparing cheesecake & steak...I said nothing about organic/grass fed/humane. That does not equal whole food. I was comparing processed food/added sugar/trans fat/salt vs not those.
    believe what u want , these people have lost loads of weight by cutting CALORIES in general
  • waffleflavoredtea
    waffleflavoredtea Posts: 235 Member
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    health does not = weight loss. If your goal is to be healthier, eat clean but go over your cals if you feel like it. If your goal is to lose weight, eat clean, but a little less of the higher cal stuff. Larabars are very high call and have a lot of sugar, why not have a banana or a salad instead for half the cals? I understand cravings but you have to pick and choose each day the treats you will have so you stay under goal while still eating healthy. Good luck!
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
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    calories be calories, so if you eat more than you burn you will gain weight, and it doesn't matter all you had was 3500 cals of organic broccoli.

    and contrary to popular belief, if you gain weight, you will NOT be healthier just because you gained weight eating only clean foods (whatever that means)
    Well, you would be healthier gaining weight on whole foods than you would gaining weight on fast foods… but healthier does not mean healthy...
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    I don't necessarily agree that a calorie is a calorie. 50 calories made up of sugar & fat vs 50 calories of a plate full of veggies is a lot different. That sugar & fat is going to stick with you, but the veggies are just going to go right through (after your body takes the nutrients it needs). Your body processes them completely different.

    And I wasn't comparing cheesecake & steak...I said nothing about organic/grass fed/humane. That does not equal whole food. I was comparing processed food/added sugar/trans fat/salt vs not those.
    Do you know what those veggies break down into? SUGAR. That's all veggies are, long strands of complex oligosaccharides. They are not processed any differently (well, maybe different bacteria digest them compared to sucrose,) and 50 calories of veggies and 50 calories of sugar will have the exact same effect from a weight control standpoint.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    I don't necessarily agree that a calorie is a calorie. 50 calories made up of sugar & fat vs 50 calories of a plate full of veggies is a lot different. That sugar & fat is going to stick with you, but the veggies are just going to go right through (after your body takes the nutrients it needs). Your body processes them completely different.

    And I wasn't comparing cheesecake & steak...I said nothing about organic/grass fed/humane. That does not equal whole food. I was comparing processed food/added sugar/trans fat/salt vs not those.

    ok. now i understand. you're making up your own reality as you go along. got it.

    so now that we've established that you live outside of the normal rules of biochemistry, why did you make a thread asking us a question about it in the first place?
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    I don't necessarily agree that a calorie is a calorie. 50 calories made up of sugar & fat vs 50 calories of a plate full of veggies is a lot different. That sugar & fat is going to stick with you, but the veggies are just going to go right through (after your body takes the nutrients it needs). Your body processes them completely different.
    No.

    But I'd love to hear you explain the above process in scientific terms. Purely from a weight loss perspective, It doesn't matter if you're eating "whole foods", "clean foods", "dirty foods", "naughty foods" or whatever you'd like to arbitrarily classify them as - if you take in a surplus of calories, you will gain weight; if you create a caloric deficit, you will lose weight. Google "The Twinkie Diet".

    Disagreeing with an incorrect premise =/= "being negative".
  • nexangelus
    nexangelus Posts: 2,080 Member
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    I will not be using the forums anymore. You are the least supportive people I have ever seen. This is not just based on this post. It is based on all the others where I have seen people asking for help or looking for a discussion and everyone jumps on them & acts like they are stupid. good riddance.

    Bye then : ) Your loss...
  • ShellysRoad
    ShellysRoad Posts: 95 Member
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    I am reminded of a statement my grandfather used to tell me.

    "What weighs more? A ton of feathers or a ton of bricks?"

    If you aren't finding the support you need in the group you are in, maybe you should limit your profile to friends only and limit who comments on your postings.
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
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    I lost a 107 pounds following nothing but the MFP guidelines and a Calorie is a Calorie, wheather I was eatting Pizza or squash.
  • ShellysRoad
    ShellysRoad Posts: 95 Member
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    I lost a 107 pounds following nothing but the MFP guidelines and a Calorie is a Calorie, wheather I was eatting Pizza or squash.

    Great Job!!!