Are all calories created equal?

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.

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!

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!

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.

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!

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!

What she said.

The good deals are the ones that come with free rewards points- vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 them

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.