Calorie Quality V. Quantity

If the 1400 is your TDEE-20%, going over means you are still a ways under your TDEE (aka not a calorie surplus). But unfortunately, for weight loss 140 calories of soda equals 140 calories of fruits. Either one can cause weight gain if you have a surplus.

Your method is what I do. I know how I get when I get hungry and feel like I'm starving. If I break, I'll head straight for a calorie dense food which will put me way over. Choosing the orange and going "a little over" is a form of damage control for me and helps a lot.

Staying healthy/getting healthier, in terms of daily nutrition, and losing weight are two separate goals that frequently run concurrently for many people. While there is some overlapping that happens (you could be sooo malnourished that it affects your weight loss or gain), they really are kind of separate except in strange or extreme cases. The laws of physics are what they are.

That said, eat at a deficit with mostly nutrient dense foods to account for both goals. There are no particular food items that would go on that no-no list because it would vary depending on everything else you ate.

Calorie Quality V. Quantity

I think both are important, personally. I try to eat manageable amounts of better qualty calories. In cases I want a cheese burger or wings though, I try to compensate in other meals that day or with more exercise.

I have same issues. I track my food on MFP and use BodyMedia armband to track my activity and calorie deficit. I have been doing this little over 3 weeks now with a goal of 1000 calorie deficit. I am finding my sodium intake from low-calorie fat free items I was eating before was killing me on scale. The sodium is causing too much water retension and now have to find a balance. My choice is more along line of fat-free cheese at 30 calories/320mg sodium vs. low fat swiss at 80 calories/30mg of sodium.

Do I go for more calories or pack in more salt? I'm from Wisconsin and I don't think I can give up cheese entirely. This also appeared in salad dressing choices. Lean chicken I found out during tracking 3 weeks ago injected with 15% salt water for 320 mg of sodium per portion. Used calculator on Subway to find out those healthy Oven Roasted Chicken subs I opted for when I had to eat on the run had 330 mg of sodium in their 2.5 oz chicken breast.

I know a calorie is a calorie and there has been 3 or 4 times over this past 3 weeks that my calorie deficit was in the 900's and i missed my 1000 goal. I can't speak for everyone but I am finding out that my 'diet' before was too focused on calories and I lost sight of nutrients both good and bad. Before MFP I didn't realize just how much junk was in my 'healthy' fat-free choices. I am now trying to find balance in calories along with over all nutrition. I ate more vegetables but they came from a can and I didn't realize they had 400mg of sodium per serving for some peas vs 0mg frozen peas.

If you are going to eat and go over by a little, keep in mind over all nutrition and eat something as healthy as possible.

It is interesting that using the Weight Watchers diet, soda pop will cost you points where fruit and veggies are given no point value and they encourage you to eat those to curb your appetite. Good question and interesting reading other's take on it.