Food and calories: Is it just maths?

zig

Hi,
Ive been getting fitter and fitter the past few months, I have been trying to improve my eating habits, but i find myself constantly caving in despite holding my discipline(with exercise).

My question is,
If I was to eat all the good foods you should be eating to help reach better fitness ,but also had , lets say , a plate of chips everyday or a chocolate cake(for example). if I was to work out how many calories I consumed and worked off the equivalent extra calories that evening, by rights should it affect my fitness or body fat at all?
Hence the thread title, is it just maths?

amacachi

It will depend on exactly how well your own body responds to different food groups and what effect they'll have on your metabolism. The crappy stuff may very well mess around with blood sugar levels etc. Just like diet coke etc is bad for you despite there being no calories in it.

Short answer, it isn't quite as simple as you wish it was :P Again, depends how your body responds for the specifics.

FunkZ

Your calories have to be nutritionally beneficial.
You need protein and good fats, and a small amount of carbs.
You need to get a certain amount of minerals and vitamins from your food.

Or your body will go to shiit.

celestial

It's not just maths, but it plays a huge part. A lot of people can get away with eating a load of crap because they have the body type to handle it. These are usually naturally skinny and also find it hard to build up. This doesn't mean they are healthy of course though - fat can be stored around the organs too, even worse than subcutaneous. So they can eat a shedload of calories and still burn it off without doing much.

By and large though, you eat more than you need - you have to store it somehow - and guess how!