Is it Really All About Calories In vs. Calories Out?

“It is all about calories in vs. calories out…” I am sure you’ve heard that before, right? If you follow me in social media, you might’ve even heard/read that from me.

But is it true? Are calories the only thing that matters when it comes to weight loss/gain? Well, that is what we are going talk about today. Should we focus on just calories? or on something else as well…?

First off, what are calories? Calories are energy. Calories are just a unit of measurement for energy. Throughout the day you have a certain energy input (calories you consume) and a certain energy output (calories you burn). Whether the final result of the week is negative or positive, that is what will determine whether you gain weight, lose weight or stay the same. 

For instance, if your final energy balance for the week is positive, that is, you’ve consumed more calories than you’ve burned, then you will gain weight. On the opposite side, if you have burned more calories than you have consumed (and therefore your weekly energy balance is negative) you will lose weight. 

So, to an extent yes, losing/gaining weight is all about calories in vs calories out.

However, that doesn’t mean calories consumed and calories burned should be the only two things we focus on. In fact, although calories are very important, they are just part of the equation. 

So, what else do you need to focus on? Your macronutrients distribution, your micronutrients intake and the quality of foods you consume.

Calories in vs calories out may determine whether you gain or lose weight yes, however your macronutrients distribution will determine what type of weight you gain/lose and your body composition. 

2000 calories formed by plenty of high-quality protein sources, healthy fats and a mix of complex and fast acting carbs are not going to have the same impact in your body as 2000 calories of fast food, nutrient poor foods, very low protein intake and a high saturated and hydrogenated fats intake… your body composition will be drastically different in those two cases. 

In the first example, given that you are on a deficit, you will most likely lose fat and water weight. Keeping your protein intake high will help you ensure you preserve your muscle mass, having a good ration of complex and simple carbs will ensure optimal performance during your exercise and energy throughout the day and a good amount of healthy fats will ensure optimal health, optimal hormonal balance and optimal progress.

In the second example however, a low protein intake will have you lose muscle mass as you will not be providing your body with the nutrients it needs to preserve your muscle mass, whilst keeping your body fat and water weight because of an excessive and imbalanced consumption of fats and carbohydrates and you will mess with your hormonal balance because of a not optimal fat intake, which is the exact opposite result you want to get when you are trying to get leaner. 

So yes, calories are important, but your macronutrients distribution is just as important. 

Also, you need to focus on your micronutrients intake and the quality of foods you consume. 

People tend to get so caught up in calories, macros, and wanting to see visual progress that tend to forget fitness is ultimately all about health. The quality of the foods you consume is important and consuming sufficient quantities of all micronutrients is important. That is why choosing nutrient dense foods over less nutritious foods is so key for health. 

Let me give you an example:

FOOD	CALORIES	FAT	SUGAR	VITAMIN C	VITAMIN A	FIBER
1 ORANGE	45	0 GR	9 GR	51 MG	216 MG	2GR
2 OATMEAL COOKIES	224	10 GR	12 GR	0	8 MG	2,4 GR

See the difference? Although an orange provides you with less calories, it also provides you with significantly more nutrients than the cookies. Not to mention that 1 orange is more food volume than just 2 oatmeal cookies. 

I am not saying that you should avoid less nutritious foods completely, not at all. All I am saying is that you should base you nutrition in nutrient dense options. 

As you know there are no “good” or “bad” foods. It all comes about proportions. However, it is undeniable that some foods are more nutrient rich than others. Base your nutrition on those types of foods, high quality and nutrient dense foods that not only help you reach your macronutrients goals for the day but also improve your health! 

To sum up: yes, calories are important, but macronutrients, micronutrients and the quality of foods are just as important!