Is it true that calories are calories, no matter what the food item is? 100 cal bread vs. 100 cal chicken?

Question

What I mean to ask is, is 100 calories of something with sugar or fat in it just as likely to make you gain weight as 100 calories of something that doesn't have sugar or fat? For example...is 100 calories of oil just as likely to make you gain weight as 100 calories of apple? I was told that "100 extra calories is 100 extra calories, no matter what the food item is." But it makes more sense to me that something that is 100 calories and has sugar would be more likely to cause weight gain than 100 calories of something without sugar. Do I make any sense?

Then 100 calories worth of oil will be more likely to make me gain weight than 100 calories of bread?

Answer 1

Here's how I put it:
If you ate 600 calories a day that's about 3 sandwiches. (6" subway)
That's also about how many calories are in 1 Big Mac.
You'd lose weight regardless. Because 3 sandwhiches will last a whole lot longer than one hamburger in a day. Even if you eat the Big Mac, you'd eat nothing else and lose weight. (really from starving yourself...) You lose weight no matter what you're eating. (If you count calories)

PS. You make sense. I used to think about that. So I tried and it worked. I ate 1200 calories of whatever the crap I wanted, and lost weight.

Answer 2

I would think like you, but also need to take into consideration how many of the calories are from fat or carbohydrates. They can tend to add more weight I would think. If you had 100 calories of chicken, with 1 gram fat and 0 carbs. Against 100 calories of a candy bar with 6 grams fat and 20 carbs. Wouldn't that make a difference in body absorbtion? Just a thought, I'm not sure.

Answer 3

Maybe the below paragraph will help you make sense of this!

So is a calorie a calorie? Biochemically speaking, many experts say yes. But when you address the physiological and psychological effect of calories from different foods, the picture changes.

Let's take a pure food example to illustrate how this works," says Anne-Marie Nocton, MS, MPH, RD. "If someone were to eat all of her daily caloric requirement as fried onion rings, would the body respond the same way as if all of the calories came from raw spinach? No, because caloric absorption is affected by the composition of the food itself and by the amount of energy it takes the body to process that food. In this example, the body doesn't need to expend many calories to digest and store fat (in the onion rings) because the digestion and storage process isn't very complex. But the spinach contains fiber, and the structure of a fibrous food means that some of the calories will be 'lost' because the body cannot break it all down."

Answer 4

There is a difference.
In your body, it is much better to eat 100 calories of an apple rather than chips. The calories may be the same, but you have to check the other stuff in it, like the carbs, sugar, fats, vitamins, and proten and stuff. Make sure you are eating foods that are good for your body. it is never a good way to diet by counting calories!

Answer 5

Calories are the energy value of a food. If you have a high calorie food you will get the same number of calories in less volume than with a low calorie food, and you will tend to want to eat more of it to feel filled up. In the end that will lead to eating more calories than you need, and to weight gain. Healthy foods deliver the appropriate nutrients and fiber to your body along with fewer calories, which is why they can help you lose or maintain your weight.

Answer 6

Theres good and bad calories. Like carbohydrates, not all make you fat. Your body needs some in order to work and produce energy. If it doesn't receive any then lactic acid fementation occurs. Its the same feeling as when your muscles get sore when you feel like you've run or exercised too much.

Answer 7

Good question, I watched a program the other day, and this same question was answered. All calories have the same value, no matter what type of food item it is.

Answer 8

proteins=4 cals per gram/fat
fats=9 cals per gram
carbohydrates=4 cal per gram
alcohol= 7 cal per gram
**
carbs are the first source your body uses to when it needs energy
fats are the last

Answer 9

True, calories is calories, no matter how high you stack 'em, it's what's in 'em you have to watch out for.

Answer 10

You are right that you have to take into account other factors such as fat, especially saturated fat.