Is a calorie a calorie?

Aundrea242
Aundrea242 Posts: 21
in Health and Weight Loss
I get so many mixed messages. While I understand eating good is the best way to go for your overall health, but when it comes to weight gain is a calorie a calorie? Let’s say I eat 100 calorie dessert verses a 100 calorie piece of fish, would it make a difference when trying to lose weight?
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Replies

  • thecheesybrie
    thecheesybrie Posts: 47 Member
    It makes a HUGE difference. You can "live' on just candy, but you're not going to be healthy and you'll be hungry all the time and not get nutrients that assist in the processes in the body that contribute to weight loss!
  • thecheesybrie
    thecheesybrie Posts: 47 Member
    Ideally, to lose weight the healthy way, we should include healthy fats (avocado, fatty fish, walnuts, chia seeds, coconut) high quality protein like turkey, fish, venison, rabbit... and healthy carbs that help keep you full and give your body the energy it needs during weight loss like green leafy veggies, colourful fruit and whole grains like rice and oats.
  • Aundrea242
    Aundrea242 Posts: 21
    I absolutely agree that eating healthy is better, but I am just curious.
  • kacarter1017
    kacarter1017 Posts: 651 Member
    In it's most simple form, a calorie is a calorie. BUT, if you ate 1200 calories of crap long term, you wouldn't feel very good and your weight loss could slow or stop because your body isn't getting the right nutrients. On a personal note, I've found as I get older, my body is more sensitive to "bad" calories. I think it's the refined sugar and/or salt found in those "bad" calories that will stop my weight loss in it's tracks. So, eating a balanced diet, including the occasional treat, gives you all the appropriate nutrients, and a taste of sweet and salty that most of us seem to need.
  • MandyMason7
    MandyMason7 Posts: 185 Member
    No, it doesn't make a difference. Enjoy your dessert!
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    I get so many mixed messages.

    So how is starting yet another thread on a topic that has been beaten to death a hundred thousand times going to produce anything other than more "mixed messages"?
  • Aundrea242
    Aundrea242 Posts: 21
    So how is starting yet another thread on a topic that has been beaten to death a hundred thousand times going to produce anything other than more "mixed messages"?
    [/quote]

    I am new and I did not know it has been posted several times. But thanks for being such a kind person.
  • Aundrea242
    Aundrea242 Posts: 21
    Thank you Kacarter.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    there's multiple reasons why a calorie isn't just a calorie.

    Putting aside alcohol, which is a whole different kettle of fish (in a super bad way), different types of macronutrients are processed differently, protein for instance can be used by the body as either a building block for lean mass or as energy in the form of calories, if used as energy it's broken down into it's constituent pieces then reformed into molecules usable for energy, which takes longer in the body and is done at a different spot in the digestive tract than is a carbohydrate, fat also has it's own process.

    Even within the confines of carbohydrates there are differences in how fast they are processed for use. And the time it takes to convert a unit of nutrience into usable energy plays a huge role in how "good" for you it is. By that I mean, highly processed carbohydrates like enriched flower or table sugar are taken up almost immediately by the body and used, where as foods that contain fiber and are made up of polysaccharides must be first released from their "shell" (the fiber and other non-digestable material) before they can be used and in some cases must first be cleaved in order to rebuild them as the usable glucose the body uses as fuel (or converted to fat for storage and use).

    So you see, while from an energy standpoint, it doesn't matter where a calorie comes from or what form it takes, but the amount of time and energy it takes for the body to process it for use is a huge factor in whether you are supplying the "slow trickle" of energy your body needs for every day use, or floods into the body creating a saturation point of energy where as extra is stored as fat.
  • cruciia
    cruciia Posts: 94 Member
    This may have been brought up before but if the OP still doesn't understand a question, I don't think there is any negative in explaining further.

    Essentially, a calorie is a calorie. HOWEVER, take your bad calories in strict moderation. There is no harm in a piece of chocolate 1-2 times a week, but 400 calories of chocolate daily is another story. A delicious yet unhealthy story.
  • Aundrea242
    Aundrea242 Posts: 21
    SHboss thanks that was informative and I appreciate it.

    Britawatson my down fall is International Delight creamer with sugar in my coffee. I have two cups of coffee in the morning and in the evening I have tea with sugar. I only have one cup of tea., but I use four teaspoons of sugar and I know that is bad. The cup of green tea I have in the evening is like my little addiction. I also love the Weight Watchers cookie dough sundae that has a 140 calories. I am trying so hard to get away from it. I stopped putting sugar in my coffee and I am trying so hard to wing myself off the others.
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
    In terms of weight loss: a calorie is a calorie.
    To lose weight you need a calorie deficit, your body does not care where those calories come from


    In terms of health: 1 calorie does not equal 1 calorie

    "All calories are equal but some calories are more equal than others"

    This is where there is a lot of debate in regards to what calories/macros/micro are best and in what ratio.
    Some people prefer low carb, others swear by higher protein. It all depends on your goal and how your body reacts to different foods.
  • davepearson86
    davepearson86 Posts: 158 Member
    For weight loss yea a calorie is a calorie. However for staying full crap calories never work for me. If you want a 100 calorie desert go for it.
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
    in terms of straight weight loss, a calorie is a calorie. wether you eat 1300 calories of cookies or 1300 calories of broccoli... its 1300 calories, and as long as you are putting out over 1300 calories of energy, you will be in a deficit, and will eventually lose weight.
  • 2essie
    2essie Posts: 2,847 Member
    I think I have read somewhere on here that the body uses carbs for energy before fat so therefore, if this is true, the carbs in the desert may slow down the weight loss. I don't know how true this is. Maybe someone with more knowledge could answer this.
  • ali4579
    ali4579 Posts: 24 Member
    is a calorie a calorie?

    Only when it's not a kilocalorie...

    Sorry, that wasn't useful but I just couldn't resist ;) There are people on both sides of the fence. My opinion that strictly speaking for losing weight, all calories are created equal. But for general health, energy and wellbeing, you probably should limit junk food where possible :)
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    Your macros are going to matter to body composition as you lose if you are doing the kind of exercise that can preserve lean mass. You want to eat enough protein to support the muscle. Protein is also generally agreed to be more filling.

    Sugar and fast carbs can really matter in weight loss if you have any condition that includes insulin issues (diabetes, insulin resistance). I don't know whether the sugar spikes cause food cravings and hunger in normal-insulin people, but watch for that. Otherwise, you're fine if it fits your macros, imho.

    On just the health front, for the fats, I really do think it's important for health to eat more 'good' fats than 'bad' fats. You might eat a few nuts or have a teeny bit of olive oil on something to help balance out that creamer. That sort of thing. And eat enough fiber.

    Then you have vitamin and mineral minimums to try to meet, just for health. But if someone is really restricting calories, those become very, very important. And you can't just eat chocolate all day like I'd like :D. That would make anyone deficient eventually ;)
  • missing75
    missing75 Posts: 26 Member
    In terms of weight loss: a calorie is a calorie.
    To lose weight you need a calorie deficit, your body does not care where those calories come from


    In terms of health: 1 calorie does not equal 1 calorie

    "All calories are equal but some calories are more equal than others"

    This is where there is a lot of debate in regards to what calories/macros/micro are best and in what ratio.
    Some people prefer low carb, others swear by higher protein. It all depends on your goal and how your body reacts to different foods.

    THIS!
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    In terms of weight loss: a calorie is a calorie.
    To lose weight you need a calorie deficit, your body does not care where those calories come from


    In terms of health: 1 calorie does not equal 1 calorie

    "All calories are equal but some calories are more equal than others"

    This is where there is a lot of debate in regards to what calories/macros/micro are best and in what ratio.
    Some people prefer low carb, others swear by higher protein. It all depends on your goal and how your body reacts to different foods.

    THIS!
    +2

    regardless of the debate to lose weight yes a calorie is a calorie...

    for health or body composition you need to look deeper.

    I don't want to just lose weight...I want to lose fat so I do the following:

    1. Eat at a reasonable deficet....that way I lose the "weight"
    2. I lift heavy weights 3x a week to help maintain my muscle...not build them.
    3. Because I lift weights and want to keep as much muscle as i can...I eat at least 120g of protien a day to aid in the repair along with enough fat and carbs for the energy.

    To give you an idea of what that does...I weigh 162.5lbs and wear a lose size 8....I am smaller at 162 then I was at 140 in High School.

    ETA: I think if you watch what people say those of us that say a calorie is a calorie always say for weight loss and agree that for health or body comp macros are important....
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    In terms of weight loss, a calorie is a calorie and it's all about a calorie deficit. It doesn't hurt to keep an eye on your macros (especially protein), but at the end of the day, it really does come down to calories and math.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    I'm not really in the camp of a calorie is a calorie from a functional (weight loss) standpoint.

    Fast burning calories, like table sugar or bleached white flour will be processed and inserted into the blood extremely fast, faster than we can effectively utilize it which will increase insulin and eventually, over the long term cause metabolic complications (over the course of months or years).
    I'm not saying every calorie should be absolutely clean, but most RD's I've talked to about this exact topic are adamant about having at least an 80% "good carb" to 20% "bad carb" ratio at a minimum (although most would rather see a 90/10 ratio), and all feel similarly about fats (90% good fats to 10% bad fats is acceptable by most Registered Dietitians). I'm also not saying the occasional bad day is the worst thing in the world, it's not, having a day where you don't do very well from a dietary sense once a month or so isn't a terrible thing. It's when that becomes a weekly or daily habit that this becomes a concern and starts to ruin your progress.

    There are specific situations where the above mentioned fast burning calories are fine to ingest, as an example during or after a workout that is highly cardiovascular and relatively long (usually longer than 45 minutes), because glycogen reserves are depleted at this point for most people and need to be replenished in order to not hit "the wall" or at least delay hitting it.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,265 Member
    I'm not really in the camp of a calorie is a calorie from a functional (weight loss) standpoint.

    Fast burning calories, like table sugar or bleached white flour will be processed and inserted into the blood extremely fast, faster than we can effectively utilize it which will increase insulin and eventually, over the long term cause metabolic complications (over the course of months or years).
    I'm not saying every calorie should be absolutely clean, but most RD's I've talked to about this exact topic are adamant about having at least an 80% "good carb" to 20% "bad carb" ratio at a minimum (although most would rather see a 90/10 ratio), and all feel similarly about fats (90% good fats to 10% bad fats is acceptable by most Registered Dietitians). I'm also not saying the occasional bad day is the worst thing in the world, it's not, having a day where you don't do very well from a dietary sense once a month or so isn't a terrible thing. It's when that becomes a weekly or daily habit that this becomes a concern and starts to ruin your progress.

    There are specific situations where the above mentioned fast burning calories are fine to ingest, as an example during or after a workout that is highly cardiovascular and relatively long (usually longer than 45 minutes), because glycogen reserves are depleted at this point for most people and need to be replenished in order to not hit "the wall" or at least delay hitting it.
    Context and dosage always trumps extremes.......people still can't help but think that way unfortunately.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    I'm not really in the camp of a calorie is a calorie from a functional (weight loss) standpoint.

    Fast burning calories, like table sugar or bleached white flour will be processed and inserted into the blood extremely fast, faster than we can effectively utilize it which will increase insulin and eventually, over the long term cause metabolic complications (over the course of months or years).
    I'm not saying every calorie should be absolutely clean, but most RD's I've talked to about this exact topic are adamant about having at least an 80% "good carb" to 20% "bad carb" ratio at a minimum (although most would rather see a 90/10 ratio), and all feel similarly about fats (90% good fats to 10% bad fats is acceptable by most Registered Dietitians). I'm also not saying the occasional bad day is the worst thing in the world, it's not, having a day where you don't do very well from a dietary sense once a month or so isn't a terrible thing. It's when that becomes a weekly or daily habit that this becomes a concern and starts to ruin your progress.

    There are specific situations where the above mentioned fast burning calories are fine to ingest, as an example during or after a workout that is highly cardiovascular and relatively long (usually longer than 45 minutes), because glycogen reserves are depleted at this point for most people and need to be replenished in order to not hit "the wall" or at least delay hitting it.

    adding to the point about processed vs complex carbs, a side effect of the processing is the reduction/removal of many of the beneficial micro-nutrients and fiber that we need day to day. With grains for example, vitamins, minerals, and fiber are all contained (in much higher quantity) in the husk and germ of grains, these are, for the large part, removed during processing. what is left is generally pure carbohydrate, easy to digest and even easier to reach the blood stream. Don't be fooled by the "enriching" process, even though they put back some of the vitamins and minerals, they aren't as readily absorbed in this format, and you don't receive nearly the benefit you would from whole grains.
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  • Amanda_Gx6
    Amanda_Gx6 Posts: 320 Member
    yes a calorie is a calorie but you want to base your food off of nutrition not just calories. you cannot compare 100 calories of ice cream to 100 calories of carrots. continue to stay in your calorie goal but also pay attention to your macro goals, your sugars, your fats etc. etc. If you have a 100 calorie piece of cake every night as opposed to 100 calories worth of pear slices every night you are going to see a difference. I hope this helped you.

    Just so you can avoid all of the "read the threads before you post the same question" replies, next time you have a question the best way to approach it is to search it in the message boards first and then if you don't find what you are looking for to post a new thread. Best of luck to you.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    I'm not really in the camp of a calorie is a calorie from a functional (weight loss) standpoint.

    Fast burning calories, like table sugar or bleached white flour will be processed and inserted into the blood extremely fast, faster than we can effectively utilize it which will increase insulin and eventually, over the long term cause metabolic complications (over the course of months or years).
    I'm not saying every calorie should be absolutely clean, but most RD's I've talked to about this exact topic are adamant about having at least an 80% "good carb" to 20% "bad carb" ratio at a minimum (although most would rather see a 90/10 ratio), and all feel similarly about fats (90% good fats to 10% bad fats is acceptable by most Registered Dietitians). I'm also not saying the occasional bad day is the worst thing in the world, it's not, having a day where you don't do very well from a dietary sense once a month or so isn't a terrible thing. It's when that becomes a weekly or daily habit that this becomes a concern and starts to ruin your progress.

    There are specific situations where the above mentioned fast burning calories are fine to ingest, as an example during or after a workout that is highly cardiovascular and relatively long (usually longer than 45 minutes), because glycogen reserves are depleted at this point for most people and need to be replenished in order to not hit "the wall" or at least delay hitting it.

    This x 1000

    From an experienced standpoint I have women losing fat eating at or near TDEE.
    The sweet spot happens when you dial in your protein intake.
    Recent studies show that 1.2-1.7g per kg/BW is optimal while eating a clean diet.
    Can you have cheat days?!
    I have cheat nights every night!

    But for the most part i'm smart about food intake during the day and have anything I like for dinner.

    Stop stressing the small stuff.
    Get DIET out of the equation.
    And make a lifestyle change that will make you strong for the rest of your life.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    yes, it really just is a calorie …calories in vs calories out..

    if you eat 2000 calories of fish or 2000 calories of dessert and you are in calorie deficit, guess what? You will lose weight.

    If you eat 2000 calories of fish or 2000 calories of dessert and you are in a calorie surplus, guess what? You will gain weight..

    so yes, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie …

    there may be a slight - very small - metabolic increase from certain calories over others…but that is petty much negligible in the big picture...
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    This may have been brought up before but if the OP still doesn't understand a question, I don't think there is any negative in explaining further.

    Essentially, a calorie is a calorie. HOWEVER, take your bad calories in strict moderation. There is no harm in a piece of chocolate 1-2 times a week, but 400 calories of chocolate daily is another story. A delicious yet unhealthy story.

    why? If you eat 1500 and 500 is from chocolate and the other 1100 is healthy and you are in a deficit what difference does it make?

    I get about 220 calories a day from ice cream…and I have zero issues with health, gym performance, hitting macros, etc...
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,265 Member
    This may have been brought up before but if the OP still doesn't understand a question, I don't think there is any negative in explaining further.

    Essentially, a calorie is a calorie. HOWEVER, take your bad calories in strict moderation. There is no harm in a piece of chocolate 1-2 times a week, but 400 calories of chocolate daily is another story. A delicious yet unhealthy story.

    why? If you eat 1500 and 500 is from chocolate and the other 1100 is healthy and you are in a deficit what difference does it make?

    I get about 220 calories a day from ice cream…and I have zero issues with health, gym performance, hitting macros, etc...
    People get confused about the wording all the time. All calories are not created equally is frequently confused with a calorie isn't a calorie and people combine those 2 principals all the time.........I don't think this will end any time soon. For example you mentioned TEF in your previous post.
  • otillie03103
    otillie03103 Posts: 107 Member
    I'm not really in the camp of a calorie is a calorie from a functional (weight loss) standpoint.

    Fast burning calories, like table sugar or bleached white flour will be processed and inserted into the blood extremely fast, faster than we can effectively utilize it which will increase insulin and eventually, over the long term cause metabolic complications (over the course of months or years).
    I'm not saying every calorie should be absolutely clean, but most RD's I've talked to about this exact topic are adamant about having at least an 80% "good carb" to 20% "bad carb" ratio at a minimum (although most would rather see a 90/10 ratio), and all feel similarly about fats (90% good fats to 10% bad fats is acceptable by most Registered Dietitians). I'm also not saying the occasional bad day is the worst thing in the world, it's not, having a day where you don't do very well from a dietary sense once a month or so isn't a terrible thing. It's when that becomes a weekly or daily habit that this becomes a concern and starts to ruin your progress.

    There are specific situations where the above mentioned fast burning calories are fine to ingest, as an example during or after a workout that is highly cardiovascular and relatively long (usually longer than 45 minutes), because glycogen reserves are depleted at this point for most people and need to be replenished in order to not hit "the wall" or at least delay hitting it.

    Agreed. I read some articles and watched some documentaries (obviously all opinions of those who made them) that stated if our bodies don't get the right nutrients, you can eat as many calories of the bad carbs or fat as you want, but essentially your body is still starving for those right nutrients. The articles/documentaries said you can be overweight and still "starving from the inside." In this case the body isn't functioning properly. As I said opinions of those who made them, but helped me to make cleaner eating choices. It works for me, but everyone is different. Good luck with whatever you choose.

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