Question about substituting different calories...

Okay, I currently have a quick question regarding my calorie count for maintenance.  Over the summer I was eating 1200 calories and 450 calories worth of a spray butter per day.  I decided that I want to substitute the spray butter calories with different choices (like fruit, veggies, whole carbs... healthy stuff instead of all those fat calories).   I get nervous that this will cause me to gain weight because it will be more volume.  However I tell myself to go by calories... and if anything I'll probably lose weight due to the fact I'm cutting out so many fat calories.  

I was just looking for some confirmation, or some ideas on what I should do to substitute the calories but not gain weight (ie: instead of substituting 450 calories do 200).  Thanks for the input :)

Original Post by rabes87:

Okay, I currently have a quick question regarding my calorie count for maintenance.  Over the summer I was eating 1200 calories and 450 calories worth of a spray butter per day.  I decided that I want to substitute the spray butter calories with different choices (like fruit, veggies, whole carbs... healthy stuff instead of all those fat calories).   I get nervous that this will cause me to gain weight because it will be more volume.  However I tell myself to go by calories... and if anything I'll probably lose weight due to the fact I'm cutting out so many fat calories.  

I was just looking for some confirmation, or some ideas on what I should do to substitute the calories but not gain weight (ie: instead of substituting 450 calories do 200).  Thanks for the input :)

if you're maintaining by eating 450 calories in addition to your 1200, then switching to 200 would cause you to lose weight not maintain. you'd have more volume so it would show up on the scale as a weight gain at first but after it passes through your system your weight would decrease. calories are calories regardless of volume.

Definitely, calories are calories, but the body reacts differently to calories, although on other boards I never got anyone to admit that.  For example, if I eat 1620 calories over my maintenance burn, the source for the extra calories will dictate how my body uses them:

• a half a pound of butter (1620 calories)
• 1 pound & 11 oz. of lean ground beef (1120 calories), 3 whole wheat hamburger buns (540) = 1620 calories
• 12 commercially prepared chocolate-chip cookies = 1620 calories

The body will process the fat, the protein, and the sugar in different ways, burning the calories differently, and utilizing the protein differently.  A person will not necessarily gain a half-pound, even though he/she took in the equivalent of a half-pound extra worth of calories--depending on the type of food consumed.

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rabes87:  I would see no reason for you to substitute more for less.  That is:  Yes, give up the butter spray, but substitute exactly the same number of calories (assuming that you are taking in a healthy amount already).  Have the calories you gave up with the spray come from nuts, fruits, vegetables, whole wheat pasta, etc.

Unless you're over 60, very small and completely immobile, 1650 is not a maintenance amount but a weight-loss amount.  You could easily end up malnourished over time if you stay where you are, let alone go lower..   I note from other posts of yours that mid-September you were 117lbs and 5'5".... this could very easily be too low for you if you can only maintain it on very low cals.

Assuming you're over 21 & lightly active then you should really be looking at something in the region of 1900-2100 cals per day to maintain your weight.   If you gain on that level it would only be very little.

And then it doesn't really matter how you break it down as long as you base your meals around vegetables and otherwise get a good balance of as many different types of foods as possible.