As long as you count calories, does the type of food matter much?

Question

For example, if I ate 1000 calories of normal food vs. if about 500 of those were from junk food, would it matter that much, or would I lose the weight either way?

Answer 1

when dieting you have a calorie limit....you have the choice up using up your limit with healthy food which will give you the nutrients you need AND keep you more satisfied and less likely to binge later on....OR you can eat junk food (a lesser portion than you would with healthy food) and become deprived of all essential nutrients needed in your body...plus excess fat and sugar have a tendencies to make you hungry again later..so if you choose to eat junk food you'll have a lot harder time controlling your portions.

Answer 2

Well, if you want to feel like crap, go ahead. The more processed the food, in general, the lower the nutritional value. If you ate 1000-1500 calories of chips and soda, you would rack up the calories a lot faster that if you ate the same amount of calories in lean protien, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain products, and water, plus you would get a lot of the vitamins and minerals that you body needs to function properly. You could take a multi-vitamin with the Chips and soda, but it's not the same. Research this by reading the Nutrition labels of different foods. On a bag of chips you'll see that you get a lot of fat, sodium , and calories for a serving (Usually 15-20 chips), and hardly any vitamins or minerals.

Answer 3

Yes it matters because if you eat a lot of foods that are not whole grain it won't do you much good. You need a healthy diet of 3 meals a day with a snack between each meal.

Answer 4

yes it matters. along with exercise the types of calories matter. if your exercising often strenuously you can easily have a calorie increase without gaining weight. but the calories need to be "good" the calories you take in need to be from balanced meals and healthy snacks such as fruits veggies low fat proteins. whole wheat products etc

Answer 5

no, a calorie is calorie. but the lack of nutritional value from the junk food is the problem. So its better to have the heathly calories than it is the junk food calories.

Answer 6

yes. the type of food definitely matters. the pro, fat, fiber content, ph all influence what effect the food you ingest has on your body. equally important is the timing/spacing of each meal. while you might lose lbs. on a restricted cal diet; 1800 cal, male, 1200 cal female you would probably experience a corresponding loss of lean body mass. resulting in a slower basal metabolic rate. depends if you want to lose weight or fat percentage.

Answer 7

calories are calories, no matter how you distribute them... or when, for that matter. you can consume them when and how you choose, as long as you count them accurately. I lost weight by counting cals, and indulging in the foods i'd deprived myself of for years. Excercising consistently is also crucial. i suggest taking a multivitamin to stay healthy. good luck.

Answer 8

you wouldnt get nutrients your body needs and your blood sugar wouldnt be stable - you would gain fat and lose muscle most likely.