Good calories vs bad calories
Options
Replies
-
If you create an appropriate deficit you will lose weight by reducing calories no matter what you reat. Nutritionally, it's healthier to eat a balanced diet that contains relatively few refined foods.
It's not true that a calorie is a calorie. Current theory holds that hunger, weight loss and related processes are triggered by hormones which are triggered by the food we eat and not everyone is the same. But not enough is known to give specific prescriptions. Thus, creating a caloric deficit by eating a balanced diet is still the recommended basic advice.
Fresh fruit, while healthy, tends to be high in sugar, so an all-fruit diet might not be all that much healthier than a fried-food diet.0 -
1400 = 1400. But 1400 cals of well balanced mix of fruits, veg, grains, protein sources, and a few fats goes "further" (nutrition and satiety wise) than 1400 cals of predominantly high cal/low volume things like sweets, treats, and convenience foods.
ETA: I accidentally left out grains, only because I am one that never has to be reminded to eat them. Yummy, yummy grains
0 -
juggernaut1974 wrote: »What the others have said.
The only thing I'd add is some people find certain combination of food more filling than others. So while the overall total weight loss wouldn't vary, you may find a 1400 calorie diet consisting of relatively high protein more satiating (and thus presumably easier to maintain) than a 1400 calorie diet of relatively high carbs. Each person tends to be different, though - there's not a 'one size fits all' magical combination.
This is important, +10 -
Thank you all for your replies. I am more clear on the whole calorie thing now.0
-
Omg I officially dislike this app and the poor advice that people on here give. There is more to weight loss than just the number on the scale. Body composition is only determined by the foods you eat. You can lose weight by a calorie deficit but you will not be toned, shredded etc. You will be skinny fat if you eat crap food. Please refer to this link to better understand why what you eat is just as important as how much you eat. You have to be in deficit to lose weight, but you have to have a well balanced diet to lose fat instead of muscle.
http://comfortpit.com/the-truth-about-calories/0 -
I officially dislike your advice which consistently seems to imply that protein is all you need to preserve LBM in defecit in exclusion of any progressive resistance programme
protein is a wonderful macro
most here talk about hitting nutritional goals0 -
I officially dislike your advice which consistently seems to imply that protein is all you need to preserve LBM in defecit in exclusion of any progressive resistance programme
protein is a wonderful macro
most here talk about hitting nutritional goals
Please refer to the article I posted and stop trying to argue with me. I'm only trying to help people and steer them away from misinformation.0 -
muscleandbeard wrote: »Omg I officially dislike this app and the poor advice that people on here give. There is more to weight loss than just the number on the scale. Body composition is only determined by the foods you eat. You can lose weight by a calorie deficit but you will not be toned, shredded etc. You will be skinny fat if you eat crap food. Please refer to this link to better understand why what you eat is just as important as how much you eat. You have to be in deficit to lose weight, but you have to have a well balanced diet to lose fat instead of muscle.
http://comfortpit.com/the-truth-about-calories/
Really, body composition isn't affected by progressive resistance programs? Seems like your advice is just as bad...0 -
muscleandbeard wrote: »Omg I officially dislike this app and the poor advice that people on here give. There is more to weight loss than just the number on the scale. Body composition is only determined by the foods you eat. You can lose weight by a calorie deficit but you will not be toned, shredded etc. You will be skinny fat if you eat crap food. Please refer to this link to better understand why what you eat is just as important as how much you eat. You have to be in deficit to lose weight, but you have to have a well balanced diet to lose fat instead of muscle.
http://comfortpit.com/the-truth-about-calories/
Body composition is not only determined by the foods you eat. Have you seen a 5% bf bodybuilder who never did any training?0 -
muscleandbeard wrote: »Omg I officially dislike this app and the poor advice that people on here give. There is more to weight loss than just the number on the scale. Body composition is only determined by the foods you eat. You can lose weight by a calorie deficit but you will not be toned, shredded etc. You will be skinny fat if you eat crap food. Please refer to this link to better understand why what you eat is just as important as how much you eat. You have to be in deficit to lose weight, but you have to have a well balanced diet to lose fat instead of muscle.
http://comfortpit.com/the-truth-about-calories/
Nobody is telling OP to skip protein. But notice what she asked -- she asked about weight loss. And that *is* determined by a calorie deficit.0 -
muscleandbeard wrote: »Omg I officially dislike this app and the poor advice that people on here give. There is more to weight loss than just the number on the scale. Body composition is only determined by the foods you eat. You can lose weight by a calorie deficit but you will not be toned, shredded etc. You will be skinny fat if you eat crap food. Please refer to this link to better understand why what you eat is just as important as how much you eat. You have to be in deficit to lose weight, but you have to have a well balanced diet to lose fat instead of muscle.
http://comfortpit.com/the-truth-about-calories/
You keep saying how much you dislike this app and what the community promotes. I think you keep failing to recognize that the majority of people using this tool are not here to become shredded, elite athletes. Sure there are people here who are more hyper focused and looking to maximize their performance, whether it be competing in an Ironman, training for fitness competitions, getting to sub 10% body fat, etc.
Many people are here with very basic questions about how to lose weight and become a healthier person. This type of question that the OP posed is asked time and again, and the responses she has gotten: that calories are a unit of energy and while you can lose weight with no regard to the nutritional makeup of your food as long as you're in a deficit, that's not advisable for overall health, satiety, etc are wholly accurate and appropriate for the question she asked. People also recommend eating a balanced, nutrient dense diet and most recommend focusing on increasing protein in your diet. I'm sorry you think that advice is terrible.
0 -
muscleandbeard wrote: »Omg I officially dislike this app and the poor advice that people on here give. There is more to weight loss than just the number on the scale. Body composition is only determined by the foods you eat. You can lose weight by a calorie deficit but you will not be toned, shredded etc. You will be skinny fat if you eat crap food. Please refer to this link to better understand why what you eat is just as important as how much you eat. You have to be in deficit to lose weight, but you have to have a well balanced diet to lose fat instead of muscle.
http://comfortpit.com/the-truth-about-calories/
Who said not to eat a well-balanced diet?
We were answering OP's specific question: would she lose more eating 1400 calories of fruits and veg (defined as "good foods") vs. 1200 calories of fried food (defined as bad).
Ironically, the fried food would likely include protein (at least I think fried chicken, fried fish, etc.), fruits and veg wouldn't have much, probably -- neither is a great choice, as many of us said, while encouraging a well-balanced diet.
Also, as rabbit notes, strength training and being active has more to do with maintaining muscle than just eating protein, and very few people are going to be eating super inadequate protein -- especially for someone with lots to lose they are going to be losing primarily fat. Yes, when you have less fat maximizing the chance of retaining muscle becomes more important. This advice is given all over MFP constantly -- how you miss it is beyond me.0 -
1400 calories is 1400 calories. However, for me "bad calories" are calories that don't fill me up (don't provide satiety) so I still feel hungry and crappy and want to eat more. That's why I set my calories and my macros (protein/fat/carbs) at levels where I feel satiated or full, with reduced food cravings. That way I stick to my calorie goal. By the way -- 1400 would not be enough cals for me. I would rather eat more calories and lose weight slower, but feel less hungry (and also taking into account the intense exercise I do).
that does not make them bad0 -
OP - 1400 calories of fried food = 1400 calories of vegetables from an energy standpoint because they each provide the same amount of energy; however, they are not nutritionally the same. Honestly, a diet of either would not be good as it would be impossible to hit your macros on either, and good luck eating 1400 calories of pure vegetables….
what matters is overall dietary choice and not individual foods. There are no bad foods, only bad diets.
0 -
I would expect the OP would want to opt for a diet higher in proteins and carbs from fruit and vegetables. Every one would most likely agree that the less processed foods the better for weight "healthy" weight loss.
I tend to agree with the gentlemen who indicated that if the OP ate a calorie deficit of junk food he/she or anyone for that matter would end up a skinny "fat" person. Yes a calorie is a calorie and a deficit is a deficit but a low calorie diet of calorie loaded unhealthy foods would be one where a trip to McDonald's could use up half or more of your calorie goal. Because that unhealthy food will soon be gone and has done little to nothing to provide your body with its needed nutrition, you are now faced with the balance of the day with a low amount of calories to eat and no ability to get proper nutrition.
As you lose the weight if you can stick with it which I trust you will, you won't be happy IMO with how your body responds to a diet of "empty" calories....especially at a deficit.
Wish you the best, this is NOT an easy transition to make. Maybe an approach is lessening the junk food to once a day or something and easing your way towards healthy choices which your body will love you for.
"disclaimer"
This is just my opinion and is not meant to elicit a firestorm of people telling me how stupid I am 
0 -
Tomk652015 wrote: »I would expect the OP would want to opt for a diet higher in proteins and carbs from fruit and vegetables. Every one would most likely agree that the less processed foods the better for weight "healthy" weight loss.
I tend to agree with the gentlemen who indicated that if the OP ate a calorie deficit of junk food he/she or anyone for that matter would end up a skinny "fat" person. Yes a calorie is a calorie and a deficit is a deficit but a low calorie diet of calorie loaded unhealthy foods would be one where a trip to McDonald's could use up half or more of your calorie goal. Because that unhealthy food will soon be gone and has done little to nothing to provide your body with its needed nutrition, you are now faced with the balance of the day with a low amount of calories to eat and no ability to get proper nutrition.
As you lose the weight if you can stick with it which I trust you will, you won't be happy IMO with how your body responds to a diet of "empty" calories....especially at a deficit.
Wish you the best, this is NOT an easy transition to make. Maybe an approach is lessening the junk food to once a day or something and easing your way towards healthy choices which your body will love you for.
"disclaimer" This is just my opinion and is not meant to elicit a firestorm of people telling me how stupid I am
I wouldn't agree. Some processed foods fit very well into a weight loss plan. I ate canned tomatoes, frozen broccoli, tofu, seitan, protein powder, rolled oats, roasted nuts, and dried beans regularly when I was losing weight. I don't agree that I would have been healthier or lost weight faster if I had eliminated these items. I know I'm not the only person who has experienced successful weight loss while including many processed foods in my diet.
I don't know if anybody is going to tell you that you're stupid -- I do think that dividing foods into "processed - bad" and "unprocessed -- good" is an over-simplification and one that isn't very useful for weight loss purposes.
0 -
muscleandbeard wrote: »I officially dislike your advice which consistently seems to imply that protein is all you need to preserve LBM in defecit in exclusion of any progressive resistance programme
protein is a wonderful macro
most here talk about hitting nutritional goals
Please refer to the article I posted and stop trying to argue with me. I'm only trying to help people and steer them away from misinformation.
I'm not trying to argue with you - I'm pointing out the fallacy in your claim that a macro will preserve muscle tissue in isolation
and heck no .. I gave up reading derp blogs when I found scholar.google.com0 -
Tomk652015 wrote: »Wish you the best, this is NOT an easy transition to make. Maybe an approach is lessening the junk food to once a day or something and easing your way towards healthy choices which your body will love you for.
Why on earth would you jump to the conclusion that OP is eating only "junk food" or that anyone else is saying that that would be a good approach? I find this puzzling and an example of why these threads end up with people talking past each other. Apparently you think what you and "the gentleman" said is somehow vastly different than what others said and, sorry, I don't see that.
(Also, processed foods can't be generalized about. Most foods are processed. Personally I had some processed smoked salmon and steel cut oats this morning, among other things, and it helps me meet my goals.)0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Tomk652015 wrote: »I would expect the OP would want to opt for a diet higher in proteins and carbs from fruit and vegetables. Every one would most likely agree that the less processed foods the better for weight "healthy" weight loss.
I tend to agree with the gentlemen who indicated that if the OP ate a calorie deficit of junk food he/she or anyone for that matter would end up a skinny "fat" person. Yes a calorie is a calorie and a deficit is a deficit but a low calorie diet of calorie loaded unhealthy foods would be one where a trip to McDonald's could use up half or more of your calorie goal. Because that unhealthy food will soon be gone and has done little to nothing to provide your body with its needed nutrition, you are now faced with the balance of the day with a low amount of calories to eat and no ability to get proper nutrition.
As you lose the weight if you can stick with it which I trust you will, you won't be happy IMO with how your body responds to a diet of "empty" calories....especially at a deficit.
Wish you the best, this is NOT an easy transition to make. Maybe an approach is lessening the junk food to once a day or something and easing your way towards healthy choices which your body will love you for.
"disclaimer" This is just my opinion and is not meant to elicit a firestorm of people telling me how stupid I am
I wouldn't agree. Some processed foods fit very well into a weight loss plan. I ate canned tomatoes, frozen broccoli, tofu, seitan, protein powder, rolled oats, roasted nuts, and dried beans regularly when I was losing weight. I don't agree that I would have been healthier or lost weight faster if I had eliminated these items. I know I'm not the only person who has experienced successful weight loss while including many processed foods in my diet.
I don't know if anybody is going to tell you that you're stupid -- I do think that dividing foods into "processed - bad" and "unprocessed -- good" is an over-simplification and one that isn't very useful for weight loss purposes.
Seems like you might be mixing the apples with the oranges. The post was about junk/unhealthy food and only once used the term processed food. I doubt many people would put "canned tomatoes, frozen broccoli, tofu, seitan, protein powder, rolled oats, roasted nuts, and dried beans" in the category of junk food or unhealthy food.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Tomk652015 wrote: »I would expect the OP would want to opt for a diet higher in proteins and carbs from fruit and vegetables. Every one would most likely agree that the less processed foods the better for weight "healthy" weight loss.
I tend to agree with the gentlemen who indicated that if the OP ate a calorie deficit of junk food he/she or anyone for that matter would end up a skinny "fat" person. Yes a calorie is a calorie and a deficit is a deficit but a low calorie diet of calorie loaded unhealthy foods would be one where a trip to McDonald's could use up half or more of your calorie goal. Because that unhealthy food will soon be gone and has done little to nothing to provide your body with its needed nutrition, you are now faced with the balance of the day with a low amount of calories to eat and no ability to get proper nutrition.
As you lose the weight if you can stick with it which I trust you will, you won't be happy IMO with how your body responds to a diet of "empty" calories....especially at a deficit.
Wish you the best, this is NOT an easy transition to make. Maybe an approach is lessening the junk food to once a day or something and easing your way towards healthy choices which your body will love you for.
"disclaimer" This is just my opinion and is not meant to elicit a firestorm of people telling me how stupid I am
I wouldn't agree. Some processed foods fit very well into a weight loss plan. I ate canned tomatoes, frozen broccoli, tofu, seitan, protein powder, rolled oats, roasted nuts, and dried beans regularly when I was losing weight. I don't agree that I would have been healthier or lost weight faster if I had eliminated these items. I know I'm not the only person who has experienced successful weight loss while including many processed foods in my diet.
I don't know if anybody is going to tell you that you're stupid -- I do think that dividing foods into "processed - bad" and "unprocessed -- good" is an over-simplification and one that isn't very useful for weight loss purposes.
Seems like you might be mixing the apples with the oranges. The post was about junk/unhealthy food and only once used the term processed food. I doubt many people would put "canned tomatoes, frozen broccoli, tofu, seitan, protein powder, rolled oats, roasted nuts, and dried beans" in the category of junk food or unhealthy food.
Regardless, if you eat 1400 calories of "good food" and 1200 calories of "bad food", you aren't going to lose more weight, which is what the OP asked.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.7K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 394 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 944 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions