Are calories REALLY all that matter?

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skinnyjess15
skinnyjess15 Posts: 82
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm not asking because I don't know, but I want to hear your opinions/thoughts on this. A combination of reduced calories and reasonable amounts of carbs, fats, sodium, etc. are all factors. Do you focus most on calories and staying under your goal, or do you try to make sure you meet the requirements in every category?

Are there people out there who say, "As long as I'm under my calorie goal, I'm happy"?

If so, I'm not judging. Genuinely curious about how everyone thinks. =)
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Replies

  • TeresaC79
    TeresaC79 Posts: 316 Member
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    I try to stay under on all, with the exception of protein and sugar, assuming my sugars are natural and not added. I don't stress sugar from fruit, but I do carefully watch the added sugars in breads, cookies, drinks, etc.
  • sburde2
    sburde2 Posts: 178 Member
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    My main goal is to stay under my calories. I do try to look at what I'm eating and try to do better but there's some things I'm not giving up like my coffee with creamer and real sugar...this usually makes me go over on sugar everyday. I want to eat less fat and more protein though. I also watch the sodium!
  • CallieDerenthal
    CallieDerenthal Posts: 170 Member
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    calories are generally all i look at. that being said, i LOVE to eat and i'm hungry all the time! so in order for me to be able to eat as much as i would like i typically make semi-healthy choices which end up helping me meet my protein, carb, and fat goals.
  • dollipop
    dollipop Posts: 379 Member
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    I look at them all. I have one person on my friends list who has an appalling diet but stays under their calorie goal and seems to think that's ok. I have to shake my head at them TBH!
  • CRSE1214
    CRSE1214 Posts: 196 Member
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    bump
  • cheeksv
    cheeksv Posts: 521 Member
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    I focus on calories becasue I don't really take in much of anything less or should I say I never go over ( other than protein and the occasional sugar) so I am not worried. If I do see red on my diary I take a look at what I ate and try to make changes. So to answer yes mostly calories are all that matter at the present.
  • Cosmic_Unicorn
    Cosmic_Unicorn Posts: 150 Member
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    I have found that if I am under my calories but eating crap (processed foods, a lot of starch, diet colas) I don't lose, whereas if I'm eating healthy and even a little over my calories I'll still lose. Everyone's different though.
  • jenjustintime
    jenjustintime Posts: 5
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    All calories are NOT created equal....
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    If your only goal is to lose weight - yes calorie deficit is all that matters . It will cause you to lose weight.
    If you want to look good naked though adequate protein and fat intake is very important (along with strength training of course)
    Sodium only masks fat loss. It does not slow it down

    I track my Macros and calories, making sure to at lest meet the minimum for pro and fat. I also track sodium just so I know what to expect on the scale. Somedays I go over, get on the scale, and DON"T freakout because it is only water retention and I did not gain 5 lbs over night. Hehe

    No days are perfect. I do what I can and don't let it control my life anymore than it already does
  • cakeums
    cakeums Posts: 231 Member
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    I try to watch it all, but I am mainly concerned with calories and sodium.
  • melbaby925
    melbaby925 Posts: 613
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    I heard something recently that had me rethinking everything: "It's not that you are what you eat, it's more you are with what you DO with what you eat."

    For example, your body will send certain types of nutrients to the liver to be converted to fat, which, depending on the item - will create toxic byproducts and be stored as fat. Where other nutrients are absorbed by the gut and passed to the body as glucose for energy.

    I'm a student of all this, and have been quite turned around from what I thought I knew about losing weight and how to be 'healthy' - turns out I knew pretty much nothing.

    I'm currently reading a fascinating book written by Dr. Jaminet called the Perfect Health Diet. Where diet is sort of misleading - this is a change of life for health - feeding the body nourishment to get the best performance, and best health. Pretty amazing stuff! It proves all calories are not created equal for sure!
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    All calories are NOT created equal....

    Some are more nutrient dense and some have little nutritional value.
    From a weight loss standpoint it does not matter
  • BethanyMasters
    BethanyMasters Posts: 519 Member
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    I've been studying fitness and nutrition for a little while now because I'd like to become a personal trainer.

    Between my studying and my personal experience I would say that your micros are pretty important especially when you get really close to your goal weight.

    You might be able to get away with eating 1200 calories worth of crap every day and still lose weight for a while but it won't work in the long run. You wouldn't be giving your body the proper nutrients it needs to function (not even mentioning actually getting up and exercising) and you'd find yourself feeling tired and unmotivated.

    Let's also keep in mind that 1200 calories worth of . . . lets say McDonald's isn't going to be very satisfying and you would crave more. It's a recipe for diet disaster.

    Whenever I give people advice about their nutrition and I tell them about counting calories I also stress the fact that the calories need to be satisfying and full nutrients. Some people listen some don't. I'll give you one guess on which one of them is successful at losing weight.
  • mistersmithsbox
    mistersmithsbox Posts: 65
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    Monitoring macronutrients allows you see if your body is getting what it needs. You need carbs, fat, protein for your body to function. Losing weight is fine and wonderful but if it's not healthy, there isn't any point. This said, in general, yes. A calorie is a calorie and that's what matters for losing weight but it's much more than that in terms of overall health.
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    No point? So if you aren't going to eat healthy foods then you should just stay overweight/obese?
  • HonkyTonks
    HonkyTonks Posts: 1,193 Member
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    If your only goal is to lose weight - yes calorie deficit is all that matters . It will cause you to lose weight.
    If you want to look good naked though adequate protein and fat intake is very important (along with strength training of course)
    Sodium only masks fat loss. It does not slow it down

    I track my Macros and calories, making sure to at lest meet the minimum for pro and fat. I also track sodium just so I know what to expect on the scale. Somedays I go over, get on the scale, and DON"T freakout because it is only water retention and I did not gain 5 lbs over night. Hehe

    No days are perfect. I do what I can and don't let it control my life anymore than it already does

    ^^ 100% agreed. Calories in vs calories out for weight loss. People have eaten diets which are solely fast food but still created a caloric deficit, and lost weight. For general health and wellbeing, nutrients are important. Also, to make it easier to stay under your calorie goal, I find eating protein really helps curb my cravings (sugarry food makes me hungrier!) and also to keep me energetic enough to want to work out.
  • andrejjorje
    andrejjorje Posts: 497 Member
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    +1 to this one.

    If your only goal is to lose weight - yes calorie deficit is all that matters . It will cause you to lose weight.
    If you want to look good naked though adequate protein and fat intake is very important (along with strength training of course)
    Sodium only masks fat loss. It does not slow it down

    I track my Macros and calories, making sure to at lest meet the minimum for pro and fat. I also track sodium just so I know what to expect on the scale. Somedays I go over, get on the scale, and DON"T freakout because it is only water retention and I did not gain 5 lbs over night. Hehe

    No days are perfect. I do what I can and don't let it control my life anymore than it already does
  • BrandyGThomas
    BrandyGThomas Posts: 5 Member
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    I mainly watch the calories and try to stay under my goal. However, I know that eating nothing but empty calories (even with working out and losing weight) isn't healthy...so I try to balance everything out. I just don't keep track like I do calories.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    If your only goal is to lose weight - yes calorie deficit is all that matters . It will cause you to lose weight.
    If you want to look good naked though adequate protein and fat intake is very important (along with strength training of course)
    Sodium only masks fat loss. It does not slow it down

    I track my Macros and calories, making sure to at lest meet the minimum for pro and fat.

    This. I also take a multivitamin and try to eat fruits and vegetables often but I eat my fair share of crap. Somedays, like today, that's all I eat....
  • maryjay51
    maryjay51 Posts: 742
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    i try to stay within calorie guidlines to an extent but i really try hard to get some good protein, healthy carbs ,healthy fats and plenty of fibre in. those numbers are important to me too. i dont really meet the suggested standard on here because i have different goals in numbers for that . i used this food diary as a guideline for myself and dont etch the whole thing in stone. i do write everything down though. if i see im lackiing in one of the things i need like protein i make a switch in my meal or snack

    to add to that.. say a fast food high end burger is 1200 calories which is your calorie limit of the day.. is it healthy to just have that burger and nothing else or is it healthier to can the burger idea and eat 1200 calories of healthy food throughout the day.

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