Calories or...

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PaigeWright17
PaigeWright17 Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey All!

I have been driving myself crazy lately with calories or carbs? Should I be more concerned about the amount of calories i consume?? Or the amount of carbs I consume??

Overall is calories consumed I have thought? Eat a not so nutrient dense day of food but consume 1400 calories... or eat super "healthy" but consume 2000 calories.

Which should i focus on??

Replies

  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited August 2016
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    Where are you getting 1400 calories of dense up to 2000 calories of healthy?

    Which one of these is your deficit to lose weight?
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
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    I think you might be a little confused. You can't eat more calories just because they are not carbs.

    Focus on the number of calories first. Then decide which foods you are going to eat to get those calories.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    PaigeWright17 wrote: »
    Hey All!

    I have been driving myself crazy lately with calories or carbs? Should I be more concerned about the amount of calories i consume?? Or the amount of carbs I consume??

    Overall is calories consumed I have thought? Eat a not so nutrient dense day of food but consume 1400 calories... or eat super "healthy" but consume 2000 calories.

    Which should i focus on??

    Eating "healthy" won't make you able to eat 600 more.
  • PaigeWright17
    PaigeWright17 Posts: 9 Member
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    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    Where are you getting 1400 calories of dense up to 2000 calories of healthy?

    Which one of these is your deficit to lose weight?

    I was just using an example! My deficit to lose weight is 1500 calories. So should i just focus on the 1500 calories itself? And not so much the macro and micro nutrients??
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    Calories. Calories are a unit of measurement. Eat more than your daily energy needs (calories) and you won't lose.
  • FLBeachluvr
    FLBeachluvr Posts: 110 Member
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    600 calories of cake is the same as 600 of lean chicken. It's just that you will get more nutrients from the chicken. Yes, you could lose on a diet of "junk" food as long as you are in a caloric deficit. I believe I saw a thread here somewhere from someone who did just that. Not recommending it though.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    It's ALWAYS calories for weight loss.

    Macros - ranges for protein, fat & carbs are for your health, your satiety, and ability to stick to it.

    If your body burns 2000 calories each day for a week and you ate "perfectly healthy" (whatever that is) for 2500 calories each day for a week.....you would see a weight increase of 1 pound.
  • PaigeWright17
    PaigeWright17 Posts: 9 Member
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    keharty wrote: »
    600 calories of cake is the same as 600 of lean chicken. It's just that you will get more nutrients from the chicken. Yes, you could lose on a diet of "junk" food as long as you are in a caloric deficit. I believe I saw a thread here somewhere from someone who did just that. Not recommending it though.

    Thanks so much! Im glad you understood my question!
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    edited August 2016
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    Calorie deficit loses you the weight, micro and macro nutrients are what keep you healthy and satisfied while doing so.

    If 1500 is your goal for weight loss then aim for that and find out what foods keep you satisfied within that allotment. Although technically true that you would lose weight eating nothing but 1500 calories of ice cream a day you wouldn't feel satisfied by that over time and you would struggle much more than necessary.

    A macro balance of 40-30-30 while getting 0.8g protein per pound lean mass is a decent starting point and you can play from there to find what works for you.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,997 Member
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    Focus on the 1500, BUT make sure you are getting enough protein and fat. Both of those should be considered MINIMUM goals to be reached every day. Carbs will naturally fall in line on 1500 cals.

    For weight loss, calories in < calories out (CICO) is the main thing...but you're going to be happier and more healthy if you get enough protein and fat.
  • tillerstouch
    tillerstouch Posts: 608 Member
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    The only way to lose weight is to have a calorie deficit. Someone did an experiment and only ate twinkies and he lost weight. So calories is what matters.

    That being said for your overall health nutritious food is very important.

    Why are you so focused on one extreme or the other? Eat a calorie deficit and include highly nurtitious foods like chicken breast, nuts, fruits and vegatables, and also allow some room in your calories for treats every once and awhile or a slice of pizza.

    If you insist on an extreme then eat 1400 calories of nutrient dense food. (Eat 1400 calories of not nutrient dense food doesnt make any sense.)

  • MakePeasNotWar
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
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    Only calories count for weight loss, but keep in mind that you want to be healthy at the end of this, too. The majority of your food should be nutrient dense if you are eating only 1400 kcal a day but most people find room for indulgences along the way as well.

    Use MFP to calculate a calorie goal, then focus on meeting your protein, fiber, vitamin and mineral goals most days. As long as you are doing those things, you should be able to lose weight and stay healthy.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Calories are king for weight loss. As long as you hit your calorie goals, you should lose weight (assuming you don't have any medical issues that might mess with this).

    Your macros fat/carbs/protein can help with different things. For instance, fat helps with things like hormone balance, cell regrowth, and healthy skin and nails. Carbs help give you energy. Protein can help retain and repair your muscles.

    It's important to remember that the macro split MFP gives you for fat/protein/carbs is just one suggested goal. There are a lot of ways that you can configure those numbers and stay happy & healthy. Play around and see what works for you.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    PaigeWright17 wrote: »
    Hey All!

    I have been driving myself crazy lately with calories or carbs? Should I be more concerned about the amount of calories i consume?? Or the amount of carbs I consume??

    Overall is calories consumed I have thought? Eat a not so nutrient dense day of food but consume 1400 calories... or eat super "healthy" but consume 2000 calories.

    Which should i focus on??

    Carbs are irrelevant to weight management outside of certain medical conditions. You can't cut carbs and eat whatever calories of other foods...it doesn't work that way...weight management is about energy balance...calories are a unit of energy...consume more energy regardless of macro source and that excess is stored as fat...basically your backup generator...consume less energy than you require and that backup generator kicks on to make up the difference and you burn body fat as fuel.

    Also, there are lots of super healthy sources of carbohydrates...this is probably the number one thing that irritates me about the low carb trend...it gives people this stupid *kitten* idea that carbohydrates are inherently unhealthy.
  • mrs_sjlarsen
    mrs_sjlarsen Posts: 76 Member
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    PaigeWright17 wrote: »
    Hey All!

    I have been driving myself crazy lately with calories or carbs? Should I be more concerned about the amount of calories i consume?? Or the amount of carbs I consume??

    Overall is calories consumed I have thought? Eat a not so nutrient dense day of food but consume 1400 calories... or eat super "healthy" but consume 2000 calories.

    Which should i focus on??

    Calories.... Calories.... Calories
  • salsera_barbie
    salsera_barbie Posts: 270 Member
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    PaigeWright17 wrote: »
    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    Where are you getting 1400 calories of dense up to 2000 calories of healthy?

    Which one of these is your deficit to lose weight?

    I was just using an example! My deficit to lose weight is 1500 calories. So should i just focus on the 1500 calories itself? And not so much the macro and micro nutrients??

    In my opinion it's both. You can do a very healthy balance diet on 1500 calories. I don't understand the issue.
  • BiggDaddy58
    BiggDaddy58 Posts: 406 Member
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    Calories First..then find a nice balance of foods you like..to make up those 1500 calories.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    ...oh, and about carbs.

    Carbs aren't bad for you and they aren't something to avoid like they are dangerous. Carbs are going to be what gives you pep and energy and helps with workouts if you are actively exercising.

    Why carbs get a bad rap is because in terms of calories to satiation (how full you feel) they are (for most people) the worst of the macros. In otherwords 100 calories of protein or 100 calories of fat will leave you feeling a lot more satisfied in terms of hunger than 100 calories of carbs.

    I think that is the stem reason why people advocate avoiding carbs while dieting, the idea is that if you are restricting your calories you are going to be less satisfied so to deal with that you lower your carbohydrates and increase your protein and fat. That does work for the most part but don't take that as meaning carbs are "bad" for you, they aren't.

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