Calories are calories, but ...

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  • sarahgilmore
    sarahgilmore Posts: 572 Member
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    I lost a lot of weight one summer when I was a teen, I was left to my own devices as far as meals etc went and I cooked and ate a batch of chocolate fudge every day. Just the traditional sugar/cocoa/milk/a little butter type. 1800 calories a day or thereabouts.
    I don't know why I started it it wasn't intentional, I just love sweets and so I'd make it, but wouldn't be hungry for anything else once I got done so... ate nothing else. I didn't intend to lose weight, and never expected or even thought about it, but it did happen.
    Not something I'd recommend LOL but when I think of it I see, at least as far as I am concerned, it is calories in - calories out.
  • small4me
    small4me Posts: 46 Member
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    I am guessing that no one posting on here is a type 1 diabetic or lives with someone who is.

    To the original poster - 100 calories of pure sugar a day is not going to ruin your lifestyle plan of eating, for you and others, if you don't have your 'treat' you may very well binge one day and that would not be great.

    Yes - a calorie / carb is just that. It is how YOUR BODY AND INSULIN handles it. Your insulin cannot handle pure sugar and fat the same as natural sugars and fats.

    It is your choice - and yes everyone seems to have an opinion but from the posts I have been reading, not too many have true pure facts as to how YOUR body works, let alone how someone else's works. Do some googling and reading about calories, carbs (I am talking all carbs, there is carbs in everything except fat and protein) and fats. You need to educate yourself. I am always reading and learning how to better take care of my type 1 diabetic daughter who has had diabetes since she was six, (15 years) she is 5'2' 120 lbs and it takes alot of learning to make sure she doesn't get 'fat' from her insulin not working.

    This is not just about insulin, but metabolism and true fitness and health. You can be in a good weight range and very very unhealthy. Educate yourself!
  • itontae
    itontae Posts: 138 Member
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    I lost a lot of weight one summer when I was a teen, I was left to my own devices as far as meals etc went and I cooked and ate a batch of chocolate fudge every day. Just the traditional sugar/cocoa/milk/a little butter type. 1800 calories a day or thereabouts.
    I don't know why I started it it wasn't intentional, I just love sweets and so I'd make it, but wouldn't be hungry for anything else once I got done so... ate nothing else. I didn't intend to lose weight, and never expected or even thought about it, but it did happen.
    Not something I'd recommend LOL but when I think of it I see, at least as far as I am concerned, it is calories in - calories out.


    What a great story!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,619 Member
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    No, not all calories are created equal. Your body burns some foods more quickly than it burns others (of equal calories). I'm not a personal trainer or kickboxing instructor and I haven't even been alive for 28+ but I do know that much.
    All calories are created equal. 1 calorie of beef IS NOT more than 1 calorie of sugar. Please don't confuse this. Your body doesn't burn foods, it burns the breakdowns of these foods (lipids, carbs, amino acids). The mechanism of how the body utilizes fuel is metabolism. Dependent on if you are in a catabolic or anabolic state will dictate how the fuel is used.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • tcleeton
    tcleeton Posts: 10
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    Exactly, calories are not created equally. Your body treats empty calories differently than nutritional calories. Empty calories (particularly those from yeasts or alcohol) will put your bodies use of other calories on hold. Alcohol calories from beer, act in the body on the order of 4 times as many calories as what they consume.

    Calories from healthy fats also aid the body in knowing not to store energy as fat.

    It is true that burning more calories than you eat will result in weight loss. There are foods such as Grapefruit that breaks down fats, and aids in this process. There are also sugars such as sugar cane that are not nutritional.
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
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    How many times must we reiterate the idiotic point that 1 calorie of junk food is equivalent to 1 calorie of healthy food.

    People who eat primarily junk food are not going to have an easy time maintaining good health regardless of this fact.
  • tbruno916
    tbruno916 Posts: 3
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    I've read here a lot about calories and carbs. My question is along the same lines, but slightly different. I tend to get a lot more protein that my suggested amounts. What effect does that have on my diet, if any? I'm staying under my fats, carbs, and occasionally sodium, but I generally blow out my protein some days. I'm still pretty new in my diet, but down 17 lbs so far. Whatever I'm doing is working, but like others here, I'm concerned about when the plateau comes. Thanks!
  • mangozulu
    mangozulu Posts: 90 Member
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    I had been the carb queen for most of my life. Pre-married life I ate fruit, yogurt, vegetables and pasta, interspersed with the occasional beer. I was a consistent 115 - 120 then. Got married and started eating like my husband, i.e. meat and potatoes, with some more meat on the side. Now I'm going back to my old fruit, vegetable, whole grain ways with very little meat and my scale is finally budging. Carbs (complex carbs) are not the enemy. Calories are.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Exactly, calories are not created equally. Your body treats empty calories differently than nutritional calories. Empty calories (particularly those from yeasts or alcohol) will put your bodies use of other calories on hold. Alcohol calories from beer, act in the body on the order of 4 times as many calories as what they consume.

    Umm, what? Alcohol is 7 calories per gram. It takes priority over the other macros, but as long as you stay within your caloric limits, it has no other effect from a caloric standpoint.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    I've read here a lot about calories and carbs. My question is along the same lines, but slightly different. I tend to get a lot more protein that my suggested amounts. What effect does that have on my diet, if any? I'm staying under my fats, carbs, and occasionally sodium, but I generally blow out my protein some days. I'm still pretty new in my diet, but down 17 lbs so far. Whatever I'm doing is working, but like others here, I'm concerned about when the plateau comes. Thanks!

    High protein can dehydrate you, and can terrorize your kidneys IF you have a pre-existing kidney condition. So, as long as your kidneys are healthy, and you make sure you're hydrated, there's no problem with eating protein. Don't skimp on fats, though, those are pretty important, as well.
  • Newfiedan
    Newfiedan Posts: 1,517 Member
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    I've read here a lot about calories and carbs. My question is along the same lines, but slightly different. I tend to get a lot more protein that my suggested amounts. What effect does that have on my diet, if any? I'm staying under my fats, carbs, and occasionally sodium, but I generally blow out my protein some days. I'm still pretty new in my diet, but down 17 lbs so far. Whatever I'm doing is working, but like others here, I'm concerned about when the plateau comes. Thanks!
    Simple answer do not worry about it until the plateau hits, for 1 year I did not hit a single plateau and all I did was eat back the exercise calories. The rest did not matter until I hit 10% bodyfat. As the body continues to shed fat it will change things on a hormonal level and metabolic level. As for eating over your caloric limit, that is fine if you are trying to build muscle, I am very active and for maintenance level I am supposed to eat 2540 cals/day. What the law of thermodynamics does not address is what the body does with said calories. It can be used to build muscle and not fat if used correctly. No its not a bag of magic tricks, its called hormone manipulation and when done right you can get the body to use said cals to build muscle. So long as you are not exceeding 1 gram of protein per lb bodyweight then there is no issue unless you have an underlying kidney problems. Carbs/fats/protein can be your best friend if used right. Until you are leaner the macro ratios will not really matter so long as you are under the cal limit. So enjoy the scattered treat just use portion control. You can shed fat without cutting cals, cutting cals is not the sole means to shed fat. This is where how the body uses said calories matters.
  • kryptonitekelly
    kryptonitekelly Posts: 335 Member
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    In my opinion...little treats a day is good! As long as it's not over the top, like a whole pack of biscuits!

    For me, if I dont have that little treat a day, I end up binge eating at the end of the week..etc
  • Serqita
    Serqita Posts: 34 Member
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    If you're worried about it, then try changing it. Basically what most people said is very true--calories are calories. However, it sounds to me like you are questioning whether or not you might get better results by eating more healthily as well as watching your caloric intake, so why not give it a try?

    As someone else stated, no one food or food group is the enemy. I go over my recommended amount of carbohydrates and sugar almost every day because I eat so many fruits and veggies. I also, however, go over in protein even though I'm a vegetarian. I've had successful weight loss nonetheless.

    If you're concerned about those little snacks you enjoy every day, try weening yourself off them. If you are miserable without them, by all means allow yourself those treats!

    My motto is "Enjoy treats, but not cheats." Treats are foods you both enjoy and can afford because you have calculated them into your day (or week, as I tend to save them up for once or twice a week). However, cheats are things that make you go over your caloric goal when you did not intend to do so that day. When you go to a birthday party, you know you want to celebrate and have cake, and thus, you calculate that "treat" into your day/week so that you can have it and enjoy it. However, when you show up to work on a Tuesday to find that someone put leftover cake in the break room and you take a slice on a whim despite the fact that you have already met your caloric goal... that's a cheat. Generally, if you feel guilty about it--it's a cheat, not a treat, because you're only cheating yourself.

    In the end, you have to decide what you want out of your weight loss journey... is it the ability to eat delicious foods every day and not gain weight or is to be strict about every morsel you put in your mouth and only eat highly nutritious foods? For me, it's somewhere in the middle.


    very true i feel the same way. i'm walking alot now those day
  • trixylewis
    trixylewis Posts: 197 Member
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    i also have sugar cravings, if i dont budget them in my calories i will end up bingeing. everything in moderation.
  • jessicajenson
    jessicajenson Posts: 3
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    I have never said to avoid food that you love completely...I just do not agree about focusing too much on calories...I could eat two candy bars a day and lose weight, but my health would suffer at the end. What should be focused on is how nutritious and healthy a food is, not how much calories it provides.
  • enigrebua
    enigrebua Posts: 113 Member
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    Yup calories are calories...the only reasons for being more careful about what your food is made of nutritionally are to make sure you get a nice, varied diet and not an abundance or lack of anything, and also because sugary foods, sweets, treats, fast food etc can take up a lot of your calories but do not tend to satisfy hunger as much so you can be left feeling hungrier and feel the need to binge anyway.
  • missikay1970
    missikay1970 Posts: 588 Member
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    I have never said to avoid food that you love completely...I just do not agree about focusing too much on calories...I could eat two candy bars a day and lose weight, but my health would suffer at the end. What should be focused on is how nutritious and healthy a food is, not how much calories it provides.

    I totally agree!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,619 Member
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    Exactly, calories are not created equally. Your body treats empty calories differently than nutritional calories. Empty calories (particularly those from yeasts or alcohol) will put your bodies use of other calories on hold. Alcohol calories from beer, act in the body on the order of 4 times as many calories as what they consume.

    Calories from healthy fats also aid the body in knowing not to store energy as fat.

    It is true that burning more calories than you eat will result in weight loss. There are foods such as Grapefruit that breaks down fats, and aids in this process. There are also sugars such as sugar cane that are not nutritional.
    If this is your opinion than that's fine, but if you're stating a fact then you need to back it up with scientific evidence (not a blog or an article that's not peer review in study). I haven't found any scientific studies that show sugar from a candy bar is broken down any different than sugar from fruit. Please enlighten us.
    And as mentioned, alcohol can't be stored by the body so it does get used first for energy, however I don't think people here are drinking alcohol as meal replacements.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    however I don't think people here are drinking alcohol as meal replacements.

    dude, you don't know what you're misscng. :drinker: *hiccup* :sick:
  • jessicajenson
    jessicajenson Posts: 3
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    Sure, broccoli has much more of a health benefit, but you'll find out soon that if you try to avoid foods that you love completely, you'll be miserable and you won't be able to control yourself around them. T

    this isn't true 100% of the time. i have eliminated a TON of foods from my diet and i have not been miserable and i have been able to control myself just fine around said foods.

    Same here. I try to avoid sugar as much as possible...I use real maple syrup or dried fruit to make things a little sweeter, and I find that the less sugar I eat the less I crave sweet things.

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