is a calorie REALLY just a calorie?

[[CinnamonBuns]]

i have been thinking about the recent Clean Bulk craze, as a method of adding mass without too much unnecesary bodyfat gain

fair enough

but does 4000Kcal (dirty) yeild different results to 4000Kcal (clean)?

one would think, that if clean vs dirty did NOT make a difference in terms of bodyfat gain vs Kcals, that Dirty would be a better option, as it would be more caloric rich, therefor less food, therefore a slower metabolism through less digestion, meaning the body would use those Cals more efficiantly to grow.

so, is a calorie just a calorie, or does 4000 clean calories yeild less bodyfat gain than its chocolatey, donuty counterpart?

discuss, but please be open minded. nobody wants to read bullshit posts like " ____ is better.full stop. i will not tell you why (because i dont know, its just what i have been told)"

 

[Rage-Of-Sparta]

think of it like this:
i can get 20g of protein from some quality red meat i buy from the store and prepare myself OR
i can get 20g of protein from taco bells grade D beef
example 2:
i can get 100g of fat throughout the day from healthy fish oil, almonds, peanut butter OR
i can get 100g of fat from ice cream and french fries in one meal

usually the cleaner the source the better the body utilizes it for muscle building or repair

 

[Jocques Straap]

A calorie is simply a unit of energy.

When determining how much energy is in something, they burn it. The heat given off represents how much energy is inside the substance that was burned.

So to answer your question, a calorie is just a calorie.

If it only was that simple.

The bodies ability to metabolize, and utilize food (burn) is much different than an open flame. There are many different factors that play into fat storage. Hormones, timing, genetics etc. So, there definitely are differences in the way the body uses different types of food.

In the real world it depends on the individual. If the goal is to gain mass, than priority one is to make sure you are consuming enough calories. If you can do this while eating clean, more power to ya, however, like many pencil neck teens, if your struggling to meet your caloric requirements at the end of the day, than a trip through the drive threw wouldn't be a bad thing.

 

[AndyBlueEyes]

i have been thinking about the recent Clean Bulk craze, as a method of adding mass without too much unnecesary bodyfat gain

fair enough

but does 4000Kcal (dirty) yeild different results to 4000Kcal (clean)?

one would think, that if clean vs dirty did NOT make a difference in terms of bodyfat gain vs Kcals, that Dirty would be a better option, as it would be more caloric rich, therefor less food, therefore a slower metabolism through less digestion, meaning the body would use those Cals more efficiantly to grow.

so, is a calorie just a calorie, or does 4000 clean calories yeild less bodyfat gain than its chocolatey, donuty counterpart?

discuss, but please be open minded. nobody wants to read bullshit posts like " ____ is better.full stop. i will not tell you why (because i dont know, its just what i have been told)"

A calorie is a calorie, but how you eat and what you eat is also key. Phelps eat many thousands of calories, I believe 8k+ a day and he is real lean.
The key is when you eat and burn the calories you consume. Say you eat 3000 calories per day. If you eat say 750 in the am, 750 for lunch and then a big late dinner with a cholate desert for 1500 calories, that will make you fatter than if you eat 1000 in the am, 1000 for lunch and a lean dinner that's low on fat and carbs. This is of course simplistic, but calories that you don't burn and gets stored as fat will make you fatter.

Andy