Does 'What' you eat effect weight loss?

For instance, would you lose more weight eating 12 bananas a day then you would if you had 12 tablespoons of peanut butter a day??
Thats only an example.

Or if you ate 15 grapefruit a day, because its watery food (even though the calories would be the same) would you lose more weight then if you ate the same amount of calories in fatty foods?

I was just curious :)
I know my mum did a "Food combining" diet (Fit For Life Diet) and she lost a lot of weight very fast while she ate only watery vegetables.
She used a fair amount of olive oil, but olive oil is considered "Nutural".

I have a friend who has lost over 100 pounds.  She swears that whenever she eats carbs, she will gain 2-3 lbs the next day.  She concentrates on eating lots of protein and little carbs/fat.  She says that even if she ate well all day but had noodles for dinner, the scale would still go up 2-3lbs.

 I think that if you eat things that have more volume but less calories (i.e. veggies and fruits), you will end up eating less because you are more full, than if you ate things like spoonfuls of peanutbutter (which is my weakness).  I can eat several spoonfuls and not even feel close to full.  :(

I'd like to know this too. So far I've managed it by following "a calorie is a calorie" rule, no matter what form its in - and this has worked so far for me.

Essentially, a calorie is a calorie.

However, 12 tablespoons of PB do not equal 12 bananas....(calorie wise anyway..so don't think you can go for sheer numbers there).

BUT...are you losing weight to lose weight (and probably gain it all back and then some) or are you losing weight for health reasons, to be healthy and stay healthy, not gain it back?

The body needs...and I mean *NEEDS* nutrients.  It needs all fruits, veggies, carbs, proteins and other vitamins to survive.  No way you're going to get that from 12 spoonfulls of PB.  So, if you want to lose weight and keep it off, you're better off finding foods that you like that contain good nutrients to keep the body nourished.

This link should help you determine what exactly your body needs:

http://www.mypyramid.gov/ ;

Nah i was just using the Banana vs Peanut butter as an example.
I know i need a variaty of foods to stay healthy.

My vege/fruit list changes day to day.
The only concern is usually my low protein and fat intake.
I get a very wide range of fruit and vege though :)
I usually have Kiwi fruit, oranges, grapefruit and sometimes apples and bananas in my house, and then tones of vegetables both in the fridge, cupboard and garden.
I'm pretty fortunate that way(Not being arogant or anything, just very greatful!).

And there is 105 calories in a medium sized banana and 98 calories in a tablespoon of peanut butter so Calorie wise, you would have consumed a little less if you ate peanut butter!

... This is going by the C-C entry for average Smooth Peanut butter with salt.
I guess it may vary from brand to brand though :)

Oh and i too go by "A calorie is a calorie", I just get a little bummed out when i have a really healthy day of eating lots of fruit and vegetables and then the calories turn out to be much higher then i expected! lol.

And that is odd about the girl who couldn't eat Carbs!
I know some people can't though.
But that DOES seem extreme.
I wonder what her Blood Type is, as it can effect what the body needs more of.
Like my sister is an O or something and that blood type is meant to eat a lot of protein.
Tragically i'm probably the same but can't stand meat and would much rather eat an orange then a chicken breast!

Eek, keep wanting to add things... Extra edit: I'm losing weight simply to lose weight AND be healthy.
I'm conscious about health (trying to avoid sugar, white bread, bad oils, deep fried things!) and i try to eat better so my body will be healthy, but i like losing weight too.
I'm a little addicted to it honestly.
But ultimately its about health :)
No point being skinny if you're just going to be too ill to enjoy it!

*Eeesh i'm a rambler tonight :) Sorry!*

I found that proper balance helped a lot more than eating one kind of food over another.

great thread. i also wonder about this.

they say a calorie is a calorie though. so maybe it's ok to substitute a fruit salad and peanut butter sandwich for that hot dog. blah blah nutrients, we all know it shouldn't be a regular thing so i hope no one starts preaching what we all know!

In my experience, I'm a bit skeptical to say that a calorie is a calorie.  I find that I lose faster when I eat natural good for you food, than when I eat bread, refined carbs and desserts - eventhought the calories are still the same.

I think a calorie is a calorie, but calorie density is important - eat a sausage for 700 calories, or eat a full balanced meal with lots of greens for 500 calories.  The full meal will keep you satisfied longer.

you might feeler fuller for longer eating 'healthy' foods, but that's not really what's being debated.

if you ate 1000 calories of carrots and 1000 calories in sugar-dusted doughnuts, would it have the same effect on your weight. excluding issues of fiber and water retention, etc. 

Exactly, Heavyy :)

A sausage isn't really 700 calories is it :| *horrified look*
I mean, i rarely eat meat anyway... but it isn't REALLY 700 for one is it???

Original Post by heavyy:

you might feeler fuller for longer eating 'healthy' foods, but that's not really what's being debated.

if you ate 1000 calories of carrots and 1000 calories in sugar-dusted doughnuts, would it have the same effect on your weight. excluding issues of fiber and water retention, etc. 

 Absolutely. You could eat a Big Mac 3 times a day and lose weight.

But you would feel absolutely terrible and the long-term sustainability of such a diet is pretty much nil.

To put it in perspective, a year ago I started losing weight by eating a pack of ramen noodles for lunch and a burrito for dinner. I lost weight. But I felt terrible, and I knew I couldn't do that forever. Then I switched to eating controlled portions of real food and lost weight even quicker, probably because of water retention issues. 

what did you have for breakfast this morning, Restless_girl???

No -- most sausage is around 200 cals for 3oz

I believe that yes -- 1000 calories of donuts and 1000 calories of carrots will yield the same weight loss results (not health results). 

HOWEVER and it's a big one, you can't maintain either of those "diets".  And 1000 calories of sweet sugary or fat-laden food will not be enough food to satisfy you (which is why you usually end up eating more)

Coach_K, i had a medium sized banana and a cup of coffee (WITH WHOLE MILK! my goodness) and 2 sugars for breakfast :)
I don't usually drink coffee, so there's no need to preach its evilness.
I was just having a bad day and relapsed hehehee I'm an EX-caffeine junkie.

;) What did you have for breakfast, Coach_k?


I'm not sure what to believe on this debate.
I think you would lose MORE weight if you ate 1000 calories worth of fruit and veg then you would if you ate 2 and a half big macs!
... Just because of all the fat and salt and stuff.
Whether it's just "Water weight" or not, it's still weight that you are carrying because of your diet :)

*shrug* :) This is why i asked for peoples opinions though and whether someone (Scientifically) new if there was any difference!

Like DM84 said, he/she lost weight quicker when eating healthy food instead of just eating small amounts of bad food!

(P.S. *looks relieved upon hearing that its not really 700 calories for a sausage*)

Restless_girl -- I was just teasing, you seems so panicked.  I, myself, had a bowl of Kashi go lean with raspberries, milled flax seed, and skim milk.  Coffee with almond breeze vanilla unsweetened

You will NEVER hear me preach against coffee (or most other things) -- I believe that eating smartly is best, but there will be times when you need/want junk.  I enjoy food too much to settle for 1000 calories of donuts (3.5!!!), when I can eat so much more FOOD for the same calories

Lol very wise, Coach_K, Very wise :)
Eating wisely is really the best thing.
:) Life/eating-habit changes, not just quick "lose weight fast" diets!
Definitely the best way to lose weight and keep it off.

... Jesus, the internet is addicting :| It's 5:11AM.
I swear it was only 4:11AM 5 minutes ago! lol.
This site is great for the nights where i can't sleep.

hey i didnt really read all the responses, and i hope you  arent too bored of reading them to read mine.

although you will FEEL better and BE healthier and in the long run lose MORE weight by eating a well rounded, natural, healthy diet, i BELIEVE that "a calorie is a  calorie". for example, if your limit to lose weight is 1200 calories, you can eat what you want as long as you dont go over. now, i did skim over some of the other replies and basically this is the part where i repeat everything everyone else said, you wont feel as full if you eat 2 measly tablespoons of peanut butter (that would be one serving, 190 calories, 16 grams of fat) than if you ate 2.5 apples for the same amount of calories and waaaay less fat. that means if you choose to have your 190 calories in peanutbutter form rather than apple form, MAYBE you'll feel full right away, but you'll be darn hungry in 20 minutes. and so you'll eat again, because you're hungry. on the other hand, i dont know anyone who will eat 2.5 apples in one sitting, haha, but if you do...you'll probably be full for at least an hour to an hour and a half!

the only reason i believe this to be true is none other than good old weight watchers. ive never done it myself, but i know so many people who have and ive asked them all about it. basically you get a certain amount of points per day (hey, kind of like calories!) in this case, lets say 25. now, you can spend those 25 points any way you want to, but if you decide to have a big old piece of cake at work because it's betty sue's birthday and that cake turns out to be 15 points,you're going to have to deal with the fact that for the rest of the day, you only have about 5 points left (assuming you had 5 for breakfast).

follow? i hope so. 

Yeah i follow :)

I'm pretty sure i believe in "A calorie is a calorie", but i like to spend them wisely so i can get "more food for my buck" lol.
And feel better at the end of the day!
I feel MUCH better eating the way i do then when i go and splurg on ice cream and fatty foods for a couple of days!
I usually break out in zits and feel sick and (if i eat deep fried things or TOO much sugar) i get headaches.
... Ice cream and chocolate almost isn't worth the fuss really.
And fish&chips certainly aren't worth it (unless you find a REALLY yummy chip shop).

I'd choose two oranges over a snack pack of crisps any day!

Everyone makes good points...

 

Just wanted to mention that the time it takes to digest can also affect weight loss/ gain-- the veggies would digest much quicker than the doughnuts, due to high fiber content, therefore would be processed through your system quicker and lead to faster weight loss. Also, having a slow moving bowel is being implicated in a lot of cancer risk research (sorry, its gross but true). They are saying that white carbs lead to higher ureic acid in the blood, and to sluggish bowels, which are big cancer risk factors. Also, I agree that a calorie is basically a calorie, but blood sugar affects cortisol, insulin levels which have an impact upon overall energy expenditure at rest (metabolism) which is why white carbs are bad, and we gain weight when we are stressed (cortisol shoots up). Eating a lot of crap actually causes more food cravings (MSG, Aspartame, white carbs, salt, sugar have all been implicated in this) which is actually a problem with how your brain signals how/ what you need to eat. Most dieters will agree that its their brains (feelings/ cravings/ stress levels) that lead them to "fall off the wagon".  Also-- caffeine actually helps the cells to access stored fat for metabolic activity (read: calorie burning), that is why a lot of bodybuilders will drink a cup of coffee before a workout. Also, don't believe that schtick about coffee dehydrating you. The latest research found that the diuretic effect of caffeine is way over-rated, especially if a lot of other liquids are consumed throughout the day. Just wanted to chime in-- i am addicted to reading all of this info that no one probably cares about, so I thought I'd chime in. Good luck to everyone!