Does it REALLY matter where calories come from?

No, it can't. To "negate the deficit," sugar would have to have some kind of magical power to produce energy beyond it's caloric value.

This pretty much sums it up.....

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

From an energy in, energy out standpoint - No, it does not matter. Your weight loss, or lack thereof may be due to fluid retention or other factors which could explain the numbers on the scale. For example, 2 cups of water weighs about a pound. If you're retaining water or experiencing any swelling it's easy for weight to "hide" there. Personally, I feel that if I've only got "x" calories to play with, I'm going to make sure they're packed with as many nutrients as possible so I'm not staring at the cupboard at the end of the day.

Only from a nutritional point of view. There are small variations in the way the body will process molecules, but in the end a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. Aim for the healthiest eating that fits into your lifestyle, move around a bit, be honest with yourself and educate yourself and you will be fine.

Ok...I constantly see posts about how it doesn't matter where cals come from...but I'm finding either I have a grave misunderstanding of this or its just not true. Last week I stayed under my cals the majority of the week and lost no weight. But I ate a lot of sugary things (something I didn't think about until this morning).

So I guess the question is...even if you're under your cals can too much sugar negate the cal deficit?

Funny, I just found this article this morning while surfing msnbc.

• Researchers found that people who consumed extra fructose baked into breads or sprinkled into drinks didn't gain any extra weight compared to those who had other types of carbohydrates instead -- when they ate the same number of total calories. On the other hand, when study participants supplemented a standard diet with extra calories in the form of straight fructose, they did gain weight.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46465104/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/

The article goes on to explain that while body weight did not change, body composition was not tracked and that while eating more sugar and carbs than other macros such as protein may not change body weight, it might be linked to having a higher level of body fat at the same weight.

We like to argue without context and details. Often threads are really 3-4 different points being argued. Of course calories matter where they come from if you are talking about nutrition. Where the calories come from do not matter if you are strictly talking about weight loss.

There are some corollary benefits to eating "good" calories: you will feel better, feel fuller, etc. So you could say that eating "better" calories can help weight loss because it may make it easier to stay under your calorie goal. I think this is where people confuse the issue sometimes.

Unless you have some health issues where you body is processing things differently, what kind of calories you consume should not affect your weight loss. However, there are MANY reasons why you should consume calories consisting of healthy foods with macros you need.

Asking whether is matters where calories come from is a bit like asking if I need to wear a jacket today. You need to know some other information - like maybe how cold is it? - before you can give an informative answer. Well, most people need more info. There are plenty of us that will post about why you don't ever need a jacket, that early man didn't wear jackets, or how you should always wear a jacket because your body needs the protective layer of a jacket. And there will be people that swear by their Members Only jacket, even though it has been debunked since 1986.

you don't want to go over sodium cause it makes you retain water and so does sugar, which will make you bloated and actually weight more even if you stay under your calorie goal. Do you track your sugar and sodium?

Interesting...I don't track sugar really because the first 6 weeks I was always over by like noon...it was all pretty much coming from fruit so I stopped worrying about it. I try to keep an eye on my sodium but I guess I didn't pay a lot of attention last week. That could have something to do with it as well I suppose.

I looked at your journal (sorry for the stalking). But def let up on some sodium. Sugar is hit or miss because fruit sugar isn't so bad but certain fruits should be eatten earlier in the day (like grapes). Sodium is def kep though. I know if I go over sodium by just a little I gain 3lbs....

Why should certain fruits be eaten earlier in the day?

Because of the sugars and how your body burns them off. Grapes have 35g of sugar for 15, which is only a serving. Plus you don't want to spike your sugar's up before bed. They also say before yoga or stuff like that that banana's are good.

We like to argue without context and details. Often threads are really 3-4 different points being argued. Of course calories matter where they come from if you are talking about nutrition. Where the calories come from do not matter if you are strictly talking about weight loss.

There are some corollary benefits to eating "good" calories: you will feel better, feel fuller, etc. So you could say that eating "better" calories can help weight loss because it may make it easier to stay under your calorie goal. I think this is where people confuse the issue sometimes.

Unless you have some health issues where you body is processing things differently, what kind of calories you consume should not affect your weight loss. However, there are MANY reasons why you should consume calories consisting of healthy foods with macros you need.

Asking whether is matters where calories come from is a bit like asking if I need to wear a jacket today. You need to know some other information - like maybe how cold is it? - before you can give an informative answer. Well, most people need more info. There are plenty of us that will post about why you don't ever need a jacket, that early man didn't wear jackets, or how you should always wear a jacket because your body needs the protective layer of a jacket. And there will be people that swear by their Members Only jacket, even though it has been debunked since 1986.

So this is what I really wanted to say...