Is a calorie just a calorie?

Question

if u eat 3 burgers that add up to 900 calories
or 300 grapes that equal to 900 calories
does it matter aslong as you burn more calorie then you consume to lose weight?

i know eating healthy gives you more nutrients & lower glycemic levels but other then that, does it matter?

the burger n grapes are just examples ><
im just asking, as long as we burn more calories then we consume , does it matter what we eat?

Answer 1

yes...a calorie is just a calorie....it is just easier to eat 3 burgers than it is to eat 300 grapes. Now..eating a lot of fat can cause other problems than obsesity. Heart problems, cardiovascular disease, etc. So think about a whole picture when you are eating. it is not just about calories, it is also about over all health.

Answer 2

a calorie is a calorie, whether it comes from a fruit or vegetable, solid or liquid, meat, grain... whatever.
the difference is the effect the actual food as a whole has on your body.
you can eat 900 calories worth of grapes and you can eat 3 burgers that equal 900 also. it is more likely the 3 burgers will leave you more satisfied because of it's effect on your blood sugar level, it's protein content and carbohydrates. the grapes will fill you up with a bit of fibre and water but is not a complete meal so your body is not receiving enough nutrients. and when you're not getting the nutrients your body wants it can trigger hunger signals.
it's less about the calories in the food and more to do with the quality of food you choose. although the burgers have a higher fat content it is still 900 calories at the end of the day, just like the grapes are. so the bottom line is you can eat 900 calories worth of celery or rice cakes but it's not as healthy as eating 900 calories worth or protein, carbohydrates, fruit and veg...etc... anything you like really.
it's true that everything in moderation is healthy

well to directly answer your question, no it doesn't matter where the calories comes from. you'll have to burn the same no matter what type of food you are eating

Answer 3

What a great question!!!

I guess anyone would be hard pressed to eat 300 grapes... I personally would get tired of them at about 75.

At first glance, you would naturally assume that the grapes would be a healthier option than the 3 hamburgers. But, after much consideration, I'm not exactly sure that is true. The hamburgers would provide protein, fat, and carbohydrates. A 300 calories hamburger is not a huge, fatty, whopper of a thing so we are talking about a small burger and I doubt any cheese because that would push it over 300 calories.

The 300 grapes would provide lots of fiber, but a heck of lot more sugar (carbs) and little to no protein. Eating 300 grapes would certainly spike blood glucose levels and put insulin into overtime. The fat in the burger may even hold the appetite longer than the fiber in the grapes.

I personally would choose the 300 cal burgers if I had to. The great news is that we have far more options in our diet.

So, I guess a calorie is a calorie is a calorie... but they fill you up and hold you over quite differently.

Ya know, human civilization has made astonishing feats in science... you think they would come up with a food that doesn't have calories and still tastes great or some kind of thermogenic pill to burn throught the calories right in our stomach! Like Oprah says... "if there was a magic pill, I would have already had it!"

Wonder how many bottles of wine would = 300 grapes??? Now, wine I can handle!

Answer 4

"i know eating healthy gives you more nutrients & lower glycemic levels but other then that, does it matter? "

You answered your own question. Of course it matters. Presumably you have a life other than standing on the scale. Proper nutrition helps you function better in all of your other activities.

If you're an athlete you would notice significant performance differences based on what you eat.

When I go for my morning run, the day after having steak it takes me three or four miles to work up to decent speed instead of the normal mile or two.

P.S. 3 burgers is a whole lot more than 900 calories, unless you're eating bare naked burger no sauce, bun, ketchup or anything!!

Answer 5

A calorie is actually 1000 calories =)

300 grapes will fill you up more than 3 burgers. So you'll eat less later on in the day, but other than that a calorie is just a calorie in terms of weight loss/gain.

Answer 6

It matters because you don't want to you eat a lot of fatty foods. The affect it has on your heart is vastly different, foods with a high fat content also have a high cholesterol content. The grapes wouldn't affect your heart at all.

A general rule of thumb is that no more than 30% of your caloric intake should come from fat. 40% from carbohydrates & 30% from protein would fill out the rest.

You have fat cells in your body that attract the left over fat calories that you may not have "burned". It is a misconception that you can "burn" fat......actually you can't "burn" fat...you can only shrink the fat cells. Once fat cells are created they can't be destroyed....they can only shrink. I hope this helps a little.

Answer 7

technically, yes, a calorie is just a calorie, but things like burgers and pizza have way more fat than fruits and veggies. but, yes, you will lose weight as long as you burn more calories than you consume. Health Magazine said that you can have soup and a salad and a lean-meat sandwich for "x" amount of calories, or half of a burger with no ketchup or mayo for the same amount, and it dosnt matter, but you can eat a lot more of healthy food for the same amount of calories, so you'll be more satisfied!!

Answer 8

You need to burn more calories than you consume to lose weight. Grapes are negative calorie so it doesn't matter how much you eat.

Answer 9

Grapes are A LOT healthier then burgers. Burgers contain other things too such as fat.

Answer 10

No because the burger will have a whole LOT more fat than the grapes.