Stupid question I know:/

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xxcatyxx555
xxcatyxx555 Posts: 184
in Health and Weight Loss
SO I was wondering if there's a difference between calories?

For instance, say i had a candy bar that was 300 calories, are those calories different than if i had consumed 300 calories of fruit?

I know, I know stupid but I'm really curious

Replies

  • jynxxxed
    jynxxxed Posts: 1,010 Member
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    I'm not a nutritionist, but no, calories are calories. However, it's definitely a much less healthy choice so by choosing to eat worse foods over better options, you're still putting yourself at risk for different medical issues. If your ultimate goal is to not just LOOK better but feel better as well, stick with the fruit.
  • joycebrett
    joycebrett Posts: 50 Member
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    Yes there is a difference. The calories in the candy bar will be from fat and ALL the bad stuff you dont need while 300 calories of fruit is a better choice. Yes there are sugars in fruit, but its natural suger, way better than the processed stuff!
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
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    obviously they are different for a lot of reasons. However, if you just want to lose weight, you just need to keep a calorie deficit.

    The fruit is a healthier choice, but if you eat too much fruit, you gain weight too.
  • shelbiejo
    shelbiejo Posts: 283 Member
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    A calorie is a calorie. Doesn't matter what it is, but everything gives us different nutrients. Candy Bar<Fruit in nutrients....And 300 calories in fruit fills me up more.
  • MustBeTheRows
    MustBeTheRows Posts: 377 Member
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    calories are calories.
  • VenomousDuck
    VenomousDuck Posts: 206
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    the candy bar calories weigh more than fat... no, that's muscle...
  • gogogulliver
    gogogulliver Posts: 23 Member
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    Calories are calories, just like centimetres are centimetres and grams are grams and gallons are gallons. A calorie is just a measurement of energy. If you eat something "worth" 300 calories, you're just turning food into about 300 calories of energy for your body to use.

    Still, fruit is probably better for you because it is just more nutritionally dense than a candy bar.

    However, we do process different things in food in different ways. Fat is processed very quickly and doesn't take much energy to do so, whereas protein uses up quite a lot of energy to harvest its own energy... basically your body has to invest energy into digesting food to extract the energy from the food. This is called the thermic effect, if you want to do a little reading about it.

    What's most important, though, is that you get a balanced and rounded diet, rather than worrying about things like the thermic effect.
  • jcrist10
    jcrist10 Posts: 5 Member
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    However, we do process different things in food in different ways. Fat is processed very quickly and doesn't take much energy to do so, whereas protein uses up quite a lot of energy to harvest its own energy...

    I agree. The sugars that come in fruit are 'complex' and the body had to work harder than it would with 'refined' sugars from candy. Thus burning a few calories more in that process.

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  • gnice28
    gnice28 Posts: 2
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    Nah I won't call it stupid, just curious.
  • rcthale
    rcthale Posts: 141
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    Fruit is better in all ways except taste. Short term, fruit is better for weight loss. Long term, fruit is better for avoiding diabetes. But, no fruit can give the same burst of overwhelming flavor that candy does.

    If you want to lose weight, think about this: A Snickers bar is about 280 calories. This is also the number of calories in two pounds of strawberries. Fruit can fill your stomach; candy can't.
  • myownadvice
    myownadvice Posts: 95 Member
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    Calories are calories, just like centimetres are centimetres and grams are grams and gallons are gallons. A calorie is just a measurement of energy. If you eat something "worth" 300 calories, you're just turning food into about 300 calories of energy for your body to use.

    Still, fruit is probably better for you because it is just more nutritionally dense than a candy bar.

    However, we do process different things in food in different ways. Fat is processed very quickly and doesn't take much energy to do so, whereas protein uses up quite a lot of energy to harvest its own energy... basically your body has to invest energy into digesting food to extract the energy from the food. This is called the thermic effect, if you want to do a little reading about it.

    What's most important, though, is that you get a balanced and rounded diet, rather than worrying about things like the thermic effect.

    Totally agree (and well said). In other words, your body burns more of the calories eaten if it takes more energy to process it.
  • needamulligan
    needamulligan Posts: 558 Member
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    I think of calories as currency. Some foods are a better value because they keep you from feeling hungry longer and/or offer more nutritionally. Berries are a good value and candy generally isn't. However, peanut M&Ms are a good value because the peanuts provide a bit of protein AND chocolate!
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    From a weight gain / weight loss perspective they are the same. However, different foods may have a different effect on your satisfaction and satiety. For example, if I had 600 calories worth of cottage cheese, I would probably be a lot more full than if I had 600 calories of beer.
  • jdploki70
    jdploki70 Posts: 343
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    A calorie is a unit of measure. Specifically, it is a kilocalorie, the actual difference being a calorie and a Calorie or kcal. A single calorie will heat a single milliliter of water a single degree Celsius. A kcal, or the calories we talk about, will heat a single liter of water a single degree Celsius. Where you get them only matters in all the garbage you take into your body with them, but the calorie itself doesn't change.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    Calories are calories...in a laboratory. As humans, however, different foods cause different reactions based on ridiculously complicated equations that none of us will ever completely understand. Yes, eating a calorie surplus of fruit will lead to weight gain...but how often do you hear of someone pigging out on a crate of oranges? Compared to how often someone says they ate an entire bag of chips when they didn't want to and had planned to only eat a few...(and then they went to Taco Bell)?

    From what I've seen, often the people that argue that a calorie is a calorie are those who want to justify eating food that they know is less-than-optimal. I get it, you want a Snickers bar, that's fine. But there's no need to drag others down with you. The food we eat is more than just calories, and we only have so many "calorie points" to spend and still need to get enough "proper nutrition". Do some people succeed with this approach? Absolutely...but that doesn't mean that the relative health of their diet is equal to that of someone who eats more nutrient dense foods in place of the candy bars (for example).
  • RocketsGirl
    RocketsGirl Posts: 346 Member
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    From a weight gain / weight loss perspective they are the same. However, different foods may have a different effect on your satisfaction and satiety. For example, if I had 600 calories worth of cottage cheese, I would probably be a lot more full than if I had 600 calories of beer.

    ahh but 600 calories of beer would make you happier.
  • sthrnchick
    sthrnchick Posts: 771
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    From a weight gain / weight loss perspective they are the same. However, different foods may have a different effect on your satisfaction and satiety. For example, if I had 600 calories worth of cottage cheese, I would probably be a lot more full than if I had 600 calories of beer.

    I agree... 600 cals of beer is way better than cottage cheese!
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
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    yes they are different. Calories that are made up of protein, natural carbs and good fats and nutrients/vitamins are way better than calories filled with saturated fat and sugar, but if you only care to make sure you stick within your daily allotment than no it doesn't matter.

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