Weight loss: Are all calories the same?

When it comes to weight loss, counting calories is one of the most basic principles which we swear by! But with so much information available on the internet every day, it is possible to get confused about what to eat and what to avoid. What we forget to realise is that more than the calorie count, it is the source of the calories which matter!

A new research, conducted by bioscientists in California worked on a study conducted on 22 patients to find out the link between calorie consumption, cardio diseases and obesity, found out that not all calories are balanced out in the same way, with the ones in sugar-laden substances found to carry a greater risk. So yes, scientifically, having sugar is putting you at a greater risk for obesity and diabetes!


It is very easy to get confused looking at the labels and counting the calories on the product but the important thing we must know is the actual metabolic effect we get from consumption of every calorie. The source of the calorie affects digestion and also the way we get energy from it. So, counting calories alone doesn’t work alone for weight loss but it matters from where we get the calories from, which has a more powerful role to play health-wise.


So, can calories help lose weight?
As a rule of thumb, to lose fat, one should burn more calories than what they consume. However, it’s not always true that the two food items you are having, even if they have the same number of calories, get burnt the same way. For instance, a can of your favourite fizzy drink and a potato contain the same number of calories but the effect it has on your body is vaguely different.



This is because every single calorie has a different chemical structure which is assigned to perform a different job in the body. Hence, calories take their own time to burn and are sometimes harder to get rid of. This is also one of the prime reasons why eating unsaturated fats in nuts, seeds and certain oils are deemed ‘essential’ and can actually lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases as compared to the same number of calories found in meat and processed foods.


Thus, not all calorie ridden food items react to your body’s burning mechanism in the same manner. The presence of additional fats and proteins also make a difference. You can actually have your pack of chips and not cause much damage, in some cases!


So, what is the perfect way to balance your meal?
Scientifically, there is nothing like a good or a bad calorie. It all depends on the food choices you are making and how you put those calories to use. It is up to you to make intelligent choices with your foods and have everything in moderation.