Is it really all about calories??

frankiejs
frankiejs Posts: 10
in Health and Weight Loss
If i eat 1500 calories which include chocolate/cakes etc is my body really going to look better than if i eat 1800 calories of cleaner food in terms of weight loss?
im confused.. some evenings i have 300 calories left of my daily allowance and i feel like technically i could use these up in desert?!

Replies

  • DrJenO
    DrJenO Posts: 404 Member
    I do that all the time. That or a nice drink :)
  • frankiejs
    frankiejs Posts: 10
    and it still works for weight loss?
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    A calorie deficit will cause you to lose weight. No matter what kind of food you eat, if that calorie deficit exists, you will lose weight.

    The type of food you eat will determine how well you meet your nutritional goals. Which is why you could eat 1500 calories of cake and lose weight, but your nutrition would be garbage.

    Exercise is what makes your body look a certain way. You could eat 1800 calories of clean foods, but if you are not exercising you'll end up just as flabby, albeit thinner, as you would eating 1800 calories of cookies.

    Eat your calorie goal. Eat mostly nutritionally optimal foods that help you hit your macro and micronutrients, making sure you get enough protein, and make sure that you are eating foods that fit into your lifestyle now and in the future. If you have calories left over after doing that, eat the cookies. Get some exercise and be sure to include resistance training to maintain lean body mass and ensure that once the fat melts off of you that you have a slammin' body underneath.

    ETA: This link is so ridiculously helpful that it probably lives at the Holiday Inn Express: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
    The cake is a bit lacking in terms of macros, but calorie-wise, it's all good. If you're getting enough healthy stuff from other parts of your diet, have at the cake. Feeling deprived is a lousy recipe for long-term success.
  • wonkycatnip
    wonkycatnip Posts: 1
    Great answer, thank you!
  • frankiejs
    frankiejs Posts: 10
    thanks everyone! Can anyone please have a look at my diary and tell me if it looks ok??
  • MyFoodGod
    MyFoodGod Posts: 184 Member
    All calories are not created equally. Check out the book Fat Chance written by an obesity expert who is not selling any thing. He also has videos on YouTube. Robert Lustig, MD.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    All calories are not created equally. Check out the book Fat Chance written by an obesity expert who is not selling any thing. He also has videos on YouTube. Robert Lustig, MD.

    Somehow I knew someone would bring up Lustig and his questionable views that have little support.

    Yes, in terms of weight loss it is all about calories. In terms of nutrition, it makes sense to have the majority of what you eat being nutrient dense veggies and meat, but having some cake or chocolate along with that is fine.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    The cake is a bit lacking in terms of macros, but calorie-wise, it's all good. If you're getting enough healthy stuff from other parts of your diet, have at the cake. Feeling deprived is a lousy recipe for long-term success.

    What??

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  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    thanks everyone! Can anyone please have a look at my diary and tell me if it looks ok??

    I don't see anything wrong with your diary. I personally prefer to have more protein in my diet, as it helps make me feel full and helps with the whole lean body mass preservation thing in terms of muscles, so I manually adjusted my macros to reflect that. You seem to be pretty diligent with your logging. One thing with exercise calories is that the calorie burn estimates can be off, so many people choose to only eat back 50% of their calories or less to account for any errors.

    Do not waste your time with that Lustig book. You don't need it and he is selling something - the book.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    thanks everyone! Can anyone please have a look at my diary and tell me if it looks ok??

    Hard to say much without knowing your weight
  • SrJoben
    SrJoben Posts: 484 Member
    If i eat 1500 calories which include chocolate/cakes etc is my body really going to look better than if i eat 1800 calories of cleaner food in terms of weight loss?
    im confused.. some evenings i have 300 calories left of my daily allowance and i feel like technically i could use these up in desert?!

    Yeh pretty much.

    There are some small differences in the efficiency with which various types of calories are used by the body that technically make a difference but it's pretty small. 10% or so this way or that. And almost none of it has anything to do with any of the various definitions of "clean"

    In terms of practical results with most diets it's all about the total calories. Just keep treats as treats, not the bulk of your calories, and you'll be fine.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    yup that's what it's all about...*pop a chocolate covered almond in her mouth and washes it down with a diet coke*
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
    thanks everyone! Can anyone please have a look at my diary and tell me if it looks ok??

    Looks like you're doing an excellent job of logging -- nice job there!

    Macros look pretty OK -- Saturday was the best (would've hit it out of the park except for the frozen yogurt, which was a two-fold hit in the calories, empty carbs / sugar department).

    Only looked back a week, but you seem to be going over your calorie target more days than not -- you basically gave away a half pound of weight loss with the overages. If that's what you want, great, but I'd recommend either being more diligent about keeping under your target or just bumping up your target calories -- that way you're not disappointed when you lose less than what you expected.
  • MyFoodGod
    MyFoodGod Posts: 184 Member
    All calories are not created equally. Check out the book Fat Chance written by an obesity expert who is not selling any thing. He also has videos on YouTube. Robert Lustig, MD.

    Somehow I knew someone would bring up Lustig and his questionable views that have little support.

    Yes, in terms of weight loss it is all about calories. In terms of nutrition, it makes sense to have the majority of what you eat being nutrient dense veggies and meat, but having some cake or chocolate along with that is fine.

    I'm curious why you consider his views questionable. He is an endocrinologist working with obese children, some as young as 2.5 years old. His work is based on science.
  • jmsspr93
    jmsspr93 Posts: 117 Member
    I technically eat unhealthily. But I am losing near 4 lbs per week just working on the defecit.
  • frankiejs
    frankiejs Posts: 10
    weight fluctuates between 54kg and 56kg no matter what i do!
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    weight fluctuates between 54kg and 56kg no matter what i do!

    buy a food scale and weigh all your solid food to be sure of your calorie intake. Then stick to your deficit goal or just slightly under - you give up weight loss by going over.
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    Now I want cake - going to my niece's house - she's a baker - maybe she has something for me :blushing:
  • getreps
    getreps Posts: 1
    when wanting to lose or gain weight, you want to have the calorie deficit or surplus...The macros will help you with the type of body you want. example if you want to gain muscle then you should have more protein and carbs plus exercise while hitting your calories. and if you dont care and just want to lose weight, pay no attention to the macros. but just remember you can lose weight while increasing in body fat %.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    All calories are not created equally. Check out the book Fat Chance written by an obesity expert who is not selling any thing. He also has videos on YouTube. Robert Lustig, MD.

    Somehow I knew someone would bring up Lustig and his questionable views that have little support.

    Yes, in terms of weight loss it is all about calories. In terms of nutrition, it makes sense to have the majority of what you eat being nutrient dense veggies and meat, but having some cake or chocolate along with that is fine.

    I'm curious why you consider his views questionable. He is an endocrinologist working with obese children, some as young as 2.5 years old. His work is based on science.
    Read this and you will understand:
    http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2010/01/29/the-bitter-truth-about-fructose-alarmism/
  • littlekitty3
    littlekitty3 Posts: 265 Member
    Clean food is a dumb concept. It could mean I eat artificial sweetener or none. Or I eat whey protein and break yogurt or shun dairy.
    Just eat whole unprocessed food.
    It's interesting enough that there are some people who lost weight on 3000+ calories a day and don't exercise and they used to be the typical "I can only eat 1500". It's something I'm looking into because its a crazy idea for a world fed diet propaganda.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    as long as 1800 is a calorie deficit then yes, you will still lose weight….so make the last 300 dessert or something you want ..

    I always finish up my evening with a servicing of ice cream, or some cookies...
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
    I eat plenty of cakes, ice cream, and what not.

    I do try to eat enough protein, and never have a problem eating enough fat. I enjoy my treats in the evenings, mostly.

    For weight loss it's calories in vs calories out.

    For body composition, you should pay attention to your macronutrients.

    For general health, you should pay attention to micronutrients.
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
    Is it really all about calories??

    For weight loss, yes.

    For body composition, no.

    As long as you can fit it in your macros (in other words, you've eaten enough protein, fat and micronutrients throughout the day), you can eat treats if you have enough calories leftover to do so.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    I eat plenty of cakes, ice cream, and what not.

    I do try to eat enough protein, and never have a problem eating enough fat. I enjoy my treats in the evenings, mostly.

    For weight loss it's calories in vs calories out.

    For body composition, you should pay attention to your macronutrients.

    For general health, you should pay attention to micronutrients.

    I'd trust anything this lady has to say about body composition. Just. Saying.

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