Does healthy food make you lose weight faster?

Hey all, I was wondering if eating healthy makes you lose weight faster than just eating whatever but still eating at your daily calorie intake? BTW I do eat healthy, it's just people that I know said it doesn't matter as long as you meet your daily calorie intake. Thanks in advance!

Eating healthy DOES help, in that a balanced meal/snack helps you feel full on fewer calories, stays with you longer, and keeps your sodium levels low and your fiber levels high.

A calorie is a calorie, yes, but some leave you still hungry and more likely to eat more.

Along the same lines... I find it difficult to over-eat on healthy food.  In fact, I often have to work to eat my calories for the day.  Healthy food is often not as calorie dense as "unhealthy" food, because it doesn't have as much fat or sugar in particular. 

Having said that, everything in moderation, even fats and sugars. 

Clint

It makes you feel better faster :P.  I endorse moderation and balance.  If I want to have a doughnut every shift I work at my colleges dining hall as part of my breakfast (3x a week) I do, I just balance the rest of the breakfast (as well as the rest of my day's meals) with healthier choices.  And I have been successfully maintaining.

There's no rule that says in order to be fit/thin/light/healthy one has to forgo all "bad" foods completely.  <-- JMHO

I agree with the above posters... healthy food is more filling so it is easier to stick with your diet.

I am not sure of scientific evidence but I would think that eating a well-balanced diet would be processed more efficiently (and result in slightly more weight loss) than a diet consisting of only junk food, for instance.

Also... even if a calorie is a calorie, it matters to your health! And we shouldn't forget health during weight loss - that should be the motivation behind it.

Other posters have already hit on the main point which is that healthy food fills you up for fewer calories than junk.

Another consideration is that overprocessed food takes less energy for the body to digest than whole foods.  So, you could consume, for example, 1800 calories of either - but your body would burn more calories if you consumed the healthy food so your deficit would be greater, and you'd therefore lose weight a little bit faster.

I don't think it actually makes the fat fall off any more easily, although there are some foods that can really be helpful (as demonstrated by the lipolysis inducing Atkins diet). But the fact of the matter is that eating healthily is going to make you healthier. If you're following a 1500 calorie a day diet that's made up entirely of Reese's Cups, you're really not helping your cholesterol or risk for diabetes.

I always wondered this too so i decided to eat the same amount of calories in healthy food for a week and the same amount in what ever i wanted for a week...the result? Exactly the same. So like everyone said, its better to eat healthy for many reasons but i find weight wise, i am the same.

Weight loss is just a matter of calories in vs calories out.  However, good nutrition is really important for your general health.

Healthy foods can be high or low calories - olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds are high calorie and loaded with great nutrition.  Vegetables, fruits and lean meats have fewer calories and are loaded with nutrition.  Same goes for whole grains and legumes.  That means you can combine healthy foods to meet any calorie goal you have.

Do some reading about balanced diet and good nutrition - your body will thank you.  There's lots of information in the CC Advice section, so get busy.

It's true (to a point) that losing weight is just a matter of calories in vs calories out... HOWEVER...

I honestly think our bodies process "good" food a lot better and obviously this is a healthier choice for us across the board.

You aren't going to have an easy go trying to lose weight ingesting your calorie target every day if you're eating nothing but fast food or cake. You're going to be hungry, your body is going to be craving real nutrients, and you're going to start retaining water from all the salt, etc.

I personally try to opt for healthier choices 90% of the time, but do allow myself a splurge once a week. I'm lucky in that I love healthy food, but unfortunately I also love not-so-healthy food. (Heck, I just love FOOD.) I'm never going to be able to be a 100% of the time health-food-fanatic. (Unfortunately.)

It's all about finding a balance that works for you. Make sure you're taking care of your body, but also make sure you aren't depriving yourself of anything you truly love. Everything in moderation. 

I think so, but probably not for the reasons you would assume.

What I have found is that if you are truly accountable to your food diary...and by that I mean you are measuring 4oz of meat before you log it and not just eyeballing it and "calling it close"...you are totally honest about what you are eating and drinking.  And in doing this, you are staying at your weight-loss calorie level, then you will see better results.

The reason I had found this to be the case is that if you are eating the "right" foods, and by that I mean ones that are filling yet within your calorie budget, you will be satiated and not be prone to feelings of hunger or temptations to binge.

For example - I could eat a slice of cheesecake for lunch.  It's 400 or so calories, right?  That's not going to fill me up until dinner.  However, if I measure out 2oz of lean ground beef, add 1/2 cup of black beans, and a flat-out tortilla, I've got a burrito the size of the ones they serve at chipotle/qdoba and it's 300 calories.  I can add a banana and be at the same calories as that piece of cheesecake, but I will be full all afternoon.

If you stick to the calorie goal but eat junk, then you'll be starving by the afternoon without any calories left to use.

If you aren't honest with your calorie log, then you won't accomplish your goal - you'll either eat too much and not lose, or undereat and risk your health further.

Making healthier choices will ensure that you are on the right path.