Calorie counting doesn’t always add up.

Adding Apples and Oranges

In theory, it all makes sense. A pound is 3,500 calories. If calories “in” (what you eat) are less than calories “out” (what you work off), then you should lose weight. If only it were so simple.

The problem is that not all calories are created equal. Calories come in the form of carbohydrate, fat, and protein. Carbohydrates can be further categorized into complex and simple sugars. Fiber, for example, is a complex carbohydrate and glucose a simple sugar. Our bodies process each one of these differently.  

So you see, a calorie is not a calorie, not in the true sense of the word, if they are physiologically dealt with in a different way. It can make calorie counting a bit tricky.

Calorie Counting Can Be Misleading

Assume two people start out at the same weight, height, age, and gender. What would happen if one of them ate all their calories as candy bars? Would they weigh the same as the person who ate all their calories as apples? Your instincts must tell you no and those instincts would be right.

Let’s compare 100 calories of whole apples to 100 calories of apple juice. The apple has fiber but the juice doesn’t. Both have natural sugar but the sugar in the juice is more concentrated. The composition of these foods makes all the difference. The fiber in the apple slows the digestive process whereas the juice triggers a more vigorous insulin release. The more insulin that is released, the more calories that are converted to fat. For the same calories, you would put on more weight with the apple juice than the whole apples.

Simply put, some calories count more than others.

The Bottom Line

3,500 calories is technically the equivalent of a pound but not EXACTLY. It depends on the content of those calories and how your body converts them to energy. This is why simple calorie counting does not always work as a weight loss method. You still have to make healthy food choices if you want the math to work.