As I understand things a calorie is a measurement of how much energy our bodies can get from any food. As such it sounds like a neutral measurement and it should be irrelevant to weight loss where they come from. So long as I take in less than I use daily I should lose weight right? But so many diets recommend some foods instead of others that I wonder if I should pay more attention to where I get my calories.

I eat a healthy diet and am careful to get all the nutrition that I need but I do eat chocolate or cake or have a beer and so long as my daily total is within my goal I think that's alright.

But if I want to get thinner faster should I pay attention to this and start limiting these foods even though I don't eat much of them? (I have counted calories by preference because I don't like cutting anything out. I feel deprived when I do.)

So what is your experience? Does it matter to weight loss if some of your calories come from cake or not?

Here's a current thread showing that some simply calorie count while others cut carbs, fat, and etc. ~ http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/calo...what-else.html

It's different for everyone!

Yes, I lose weight if I just cut calories, but I feel like crap... and I lose it faster if I also limit carbohydrates and eat a high fat diet. You just have to find what works for your body!

Your body uses less energy (burns less calories) digesting processed food than whole foods. A 200 calorie chicken breast is different to your body than a 200 calorie cookie. Processed foods are already predigested for your body, and it takes minimal effort to break them down. You're also missing out on huge quantities of natural vitamins and minerals, and limiting yourself to a much much smaller volume of food you can eat because processed foods tend to be calorie dense.

Yes. It is calories in and calories out. But it does make a difference to your body where those calories come from. You can lose weight eating small volumes of calorie dense processed foods, but I doubt you'll feel satisfied enough with what you're allowing yourself to stick with your eating plan for life. Which is the ultimate goal right? Learn to eat healthier for life? I would recommend starting to add in healthy unprocessed foods here as there to keep you satisfied and full and healthy.

If your body is a machine, like a car, yes any fuel will keep it running. The question is, how long do you want it to run, and how well?

I'm the same way. High fat/protein and lower carb works best for me. It keeps me filled up, and seems to take the weight off faster (fast = 1 pound week for me)

When it comes to losing weight it doesn't mater what I eat--I'll lose weight as long as I watch how much.

I feel better when I chose healthier foods though.

Rather than trying to find the fastest way to get thin (because it's not a race) try different foods and see how they react with your body. Which ones fill you up? Which ones give you energy?

If you feel deprived when cutting out certain foods, then don't cut them out (I didn't) or make healthier alternatives. I've made my own pizza for example and just recently made blueberry muffins both healthier than what I would find in a store. Of course, I don't completely stop eating out or anything...the other day I had two huge pizza slices because I wanted to.

This seems like really sound advice, and I will be taking it on board.

I just wanted to add that your weight loss story is a real inspiration! Do you mind if I ask how long it took you to lose the weight? I am aiming for a year to lose about 100 lbs, and wanted to get of a sense of whether that's realistic.

I'm honored to inspire!

I went through several stages of weight loss. The majority of it, where I went from 182 down to 115 took me about 10 months.

100lbs in a year is totally realistic and people have done it. Just don't get upset if you don't make the deadline! As long as you're not heading in the other direction (gaining) then you're doing awesome

For weight loss your calories can come from anything. As long as there is more out than in you will lose.
For health... that's a completely different matter.

And I'm sure all of us want to be thin AND healthy

SaraShrinking had some good points that I'd like to add to;

Your body actually burns more calories digesting some macronutrients than it does others. This is called the Thermic Effect of Feeding (TEF) and is drastically different between the different macros. If you were to eat 100 calories of pure protein and 100 calories of pure carbohydrates your body would actually absorb and process far fewer calories from the protein.

It's not necessarily a matter of processed versus whole foods, but the macronutrient ratio of said foods. Things like fiber also come into play, as well as the bioavailability of some foods. There is also the consideration of making sure you get adequate micronutrients from you diet as well, volumetrics, etc.

Basically it's a very complex topic, and there are several different schools of thought. There are those that say a calorie is a calorie, those that say "clean" foods are better, and about a billion variations in between. Ask 10 people and you'll get 10 different answers with varying levels of broscience and actual science to back up their viewpoints.

That's very interesting about TEF. I must look this up.

Thank you all for your feedback.

Just to clarify, as I said in my original post I am careful about nutrition. I never go hungry either. I sometimes eat chocolate, cake or drink because I don't want to feel deprived. This does not mean that I eat this stuff all day or every day.

I have been mostly following a low calorie diet for around eighteen years and have never been overweight since I first followed a low calorie diet. I am in great health. This way of eating works for me.

This doesn't mean however that I think that I can't improve my diet or learn how more about how my body works which is why I posted this here.

When I notice that I've gained some weight I do my best to lose it again. If I can find a better way to do that than what I now do then I will and that's what I'm looking for.

It's an ongoing debate. I tend to believe that a calorie is a calorie (because energy is energy, in a thermodynamic sense) and my own weight-loss experiences have reinforced that belief. That said, many people maintain that they lose better on some nutrient mixes than others, so the subject is certainly worth looking into.

F.

Sontaikle, can you please post your blueberry muffin recipe in this thread? I saw it in another thread the other day (and it sounded so delicious I went and bought blueberries today) but can't seem to find it.

F.

Edited to add: I just used the search function and found your recipe, so no need to repost!