Quality of calories

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Vickie96
Vickie96 Posts: 17 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know that to lose weight it's basically calories in and calories out, however do you find generally find that using your calories on more nutritious foods opposed to using some of them on sugary snacks etc, that you lose weight more consistently?
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  • Intentional_Me
    Intentional_Me Posts: 336 Member
    edited May 2016
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    I was literally coming here to ask this!! I thought about chicken Alfredo from pizza hut tonight (Hubby's fav!) And have calories for it but don't know if its still likely to impeed weight loss.
  • khhregister
    khhregister Posts: 229 Member
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    I don't think I've noticed a bit of difference in terms of weight loss. But I do just feel better when I eat well (fewer packaged sugary snacks, veggies with every meal). It may be purely psychological - I just feel like I'm taking better care of myself. I don't expect it actually has a big impact on my day-to-day well-being. It's more about keeping all systems go for the long haul.

    It is a lot easier for me lose weight when I eat low calorie dense foods like a giant salad or a big pile of roasted veggies in terms of satiety. But I think that's a different question. I just can't seem to think of any real junk foods that are satisfying and large volume and low calorie.
  • shrcpr
    shrcpr Posts: 885 Member
    edited May 2016
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    For me, I find that using my calories on more filling foods as opposed to sugary snacks help. I wouldn't necessarily say I eat more nutritious foods (I eat a ton of packaged stuff because I had to cook or prepare food). I find I'm more satisfied and can stay in a consistent deficit if I pay attention to getting in 30-35% of my calories from protein. I don't pay attention to the other macros.

    ETA: I still have a treat each day - like 2 squares of Dove dark chocolate or a Skinny Cow ice cream bar. So I don't intentionally avoid sugary things, per se.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
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    For performance and sustainability on the deficit, WHAT matters. For simple fat loss calories are all that matters. For those of us who want to be healthy AND trim/fit, what matters tremendously.
  • 85Cardinals
    85Cardinals Posts: 733 Member
    edited May 2016
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    I feel better when I eat good food, in general. More purposeful I guess. That might have peripheral benefits. But I'm not a nazi about it. Gotta have a little fun eating too.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,174 Member
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    Personal experience has been it makes no difference at all to my loss. I can make a difference in terms of feeling full making sticking with your calorie goal easier, and the nutrition is essential so eating only low nutrient food all the time would be less than helpful. However, occasionally incorporating so called "junk" food can also play an important role in keeping a person from feeling deprived allowing them to stick to their calorie goal long term more effectively.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    My weight fluctuates quite predictably according to calorie intake, but it's so much easier to stick to the right amount of calories with a good mix of nutrient dense and tasty food.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
    edited May 2016
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    I find that I'm less hungry and able to maintain a deficit better if I get a good 80% of my diet from nutrient dense/whole foods. If I need 1400 calories to lose weight and I eat a 500 calorie brownie...I'm going to be a bit hungry the rest of the day while trying to maintain that deficit.

    Once I got more lean I also found that the makeup of my macronutrient intake made a difference as to how I look on a day to day basis.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    Vickie96 wrote: »
    I know that to lose weight it's basically calories in and calories out, however do you find generally find that using your calories on more nutritious foods opposed to using some of them on sugary snacks etc, that you lose weight more consistently?

    No to more weight loss but it is easier to feel satisfied and thus stick to my calorie goal if I am eating plenty of protein and vegetables versus eating more of my calories in cookies or chips.
  • neldabg
    neldabg Posts: 1,452 Member
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    Not at all. During my weight loss phase, I lost weight consistently, no matter what I ate, as long as I stayed in my deficit.
    However, by hitting my macros, with a majority of the sources coming from solid foods, I stayed full longer, found it easier to keep a deficit, and performed better during exercise and daily activities.
  • upoffthemat
    upoffthemat Posts: 679 Member
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    I find myself saying "not worth the calories" a lot when looking at certain comfort foods and treats, so yeah I do try to fill my caloric intake with mostly quality nutritious food. That doesn't mean I dont allow for treats, but I do it in moderation.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    edited May 2016
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    Some very calorie foods, for me, are not worth the calories, so I seek or even make lower calorie versions of them. Of course, I eat nutritious foods and snacks... I eat everything that I like in moderation, and I find that keep me happy and full. Deprivation never, ever worked well for me, ever. Weight loss is all about consuming less calories than you need to maintain your current weight.
  • sonyadilworth
    sonyadilworth Posts: 24 Member
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    I have an underactive thyroid and found it very difficult to lose weight until I cut out basically all snacks sugary or processed food. I try to eat as clean as I can and finally I'm seeing some weight loss. I am aware though my thyroid is causing the issue here as I'm currently undermedicated.
  • Vickie96
    Vickie96 Posts: 17 Member
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    Thank you all for your answers, I completely get the nutrient dense food helps satiety etc! I was just curious as to whether eating cleaner foods makes a difference to weight loss :)
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    Vickie96 wrote: »
    Thank you all for your answers, I completely get the nutrient dense food helps satiety etc! I was just curious as to whether eating cleaner foods makes a difference to weight loss :)

    That would be a no. No practical difference between the two, unless your non-clean foods happen to be high in calories with a high margin of logging error.
  • lauraesh0384
    lauraesh0384 Posts: 463 Member
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    I eat some kind of "junk food" at least once daily. It helps keep me sane and I haven't had any issue losing weight.
  • JenRainbow1
    JenRainbow1 Posts: 74 Member
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    I wonder about sugar. If I have a banana it will tell me I've gone over my sugar when I've had one cup of tea with one sugar (I used to have two so this is good for me), and I think it's healhy sugar. I guess it doesn't matter it's still sugar

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