Quote Originally Posted by Aemilius Paulus View Post
No, Idaho is correct. Our bodies are rather efficient. One-hundred calories is a mile of running, roughly speaking. After that mile, plus a bit more passive exercise, you will be hungry and thirsty. You will not only fail to lose weight, but actually gain some. Read the new studies. Even the Times published an article on this sometime last year. The only way to lose weight is to eat a regular, filling, but yet healthy diet. Exercise builds up health, but it does not cause normal people to lose too much weight, if at all. Only the extremes do.
This is just flat wrong. I've seen guys drop and gain hundredes of pounds before by counting calories, it's what stregnth sports are based on.

Now Idaho made a good point about macronutrients but Calories are still the most important thing.

A 500 calorie meal is a 500 calorie meal, eat only that and you will lose weight no matter what it is.