Calorie intake is the most important factor for weight loss. (1) Sustaining a calorie surplus will lead to weight gain, and a calorie deficit will lead to weight loss. Whether calories are from processed or nutritious foods, a calorie is a calorie if unused and converted into body fat.
However, nutrient-dense foods can allow for the consumption of more food without increasing calories the same. Furthermore, healthy foods have a better macronutrient breakdown, which can enhance one’s physique.
Fitness influencer Chris Heria took to his YouTube channel to showcase what 600 calories of different foods look like and how the volume can vary significantly. Check it out below:
[Related: What Does Creatine Do? Here’s How the Mass-Boosting Supplement Actually Works]
Importance of Tracking Calories
Heria stated the importance of tracking calories, as understanding how daily caloric intake can help benefit effective weight management. He mentioned the number of calories needed to lose weight depends on various factors, including age, weight, height, and physical activity level.
Tracking calories can be an effective way to determine how many daily calories one needs. One gram of protein or carbohydrate contains four calories. One gram of fat contains nine calories.
If someone maintains their weight for an extended period by eating a certain number of calories, that indicates eating maintenance calories. Increasing one’s maintenance calories leads to weight gain and vice versa for weight loss.
The macronutrients — protein, fat, and carbohydrates — play a big role as well. “To build the ultimate physique, you must hit your macronutrient goals,” said Heria, noting that protein is essential to build and maintain muscle.
[Related: What to Eat After a Workout — How to Find the Right Refueling Sources]
600 Calories of Various Foods
Although all the food below contains 600 calories, their macronutrients vary heavily.
Chicken, Broccoli, & Rice
Macros
- Calories — 598
- Carbs — 52 grams
- Fat — Eight grams
- Protein — 75 grams
This is a go-to meal for many athletes and people training to get in better shape. Half of the calories are derived from protein. Heria could consume this meal four times daily to reach his maintenance range of 2,400 calories.
Steak
- Ribeye Steak — 7.5 ounces
Macros
- Calories — 600
- Carbs — zero
- Fat — 50 grams
- Protein — 35.5 grams
Due to its high fat content, ribeye steak is relatively caloric compared to leaner meats like chicken or white fish. Heria recommends choosing those kinds of leaner meats if the goal is weight loss since one could consume equivalent protein with fewer calories.
Cookies
- Seven Chips Ahoy! Chocolate Chip Cookies
Macros
- Calories — 605
- Carbs — 70 grams
- Fat — 28 grams
- Protein — seven grams
Since these cookies have a high calorie and low protein content, with most of the calories from sugar, they will not be at satiating as a higher-protein alternative.
An NRP study found that “foods with a higher GI, such as drinks sweetened with sugar, are rapidly digested and absorbed and provoke a rapid increase in blood glucose, a fact that exacerbates hunger and favors hyperphagia since these foods are unable to stimulate the mechanisms of satiety.” (2)
Celery
- Celery — one cup
Macros
- Calories — 598
- Carbs — 111 grams
- Fat — 6.4 grams
- Protein — 25.8 grams
Heria showed his audience what one cup of celery looks like. It would take approximately 40 cups of celery to equate to 600 calories. Celery contains zero grams of sugar and is rich in vitamins A, C, and K.
Burger
- McDonald’s Big Mac
Macros
- Calories — 600
- Carbs — 48 grams
- Fat — 28.5 grams
- Protein — 28 grams
If a customer gets fries and a sweetened soft drink with a Big Mac, the calories could be as high as 1,500 for the meal. Heria recommends making a burger at home, where it is easier to track the macros from ingredients bought from the grocery store.
French Fries
- McDonald’s French Fries — one and three-fourths of medium fries
Macros
- Calories — 600
- Carbs — 81.2 grams
- Fat — 28.8 grams
- Protein — 8.8 grams
Rather than getting french fries from a fast food establishment, Heria suggests making sweet potato fries at home to avoid excess oil that can spike caloric content.
Coke
- Coke — three bottles
Macros
- Calories — 600
- Carbs — 165 grams
- Fat — zero grams
- Protein — zero grams
- Sugar — 165 grams
One bottle Coke contains 200 calories, 55 grams of carbs, zero grams of fat, 55 grams of sugar, and zero grams of protein. Since sugary soft drinks offer no nutritional value, Heria recommends substituting sparkling water, fruit-infused water, or unsweetened iced tea.
When considering sweetened soft drinks versus their diet (also known as a beverage with “non-nutritive sweeter”), the diet options that contain zero sugar “can be an effective tool for weight loss and maintenance.” (3)
Nuts
- Mixed Nuts — three and a half ounces
Macros
- Calories — 600
- Carbs — 17 grams
- Fat — 53 grams
- Protein — 21 grams
Be cautious of portions when eating nuts. Most nuts are decadent fat sources, meaning the caloric content is often higher than meets the eye.
Ice Cream
- Haagen-Datz Chocolate Ice Cream — a little over one cup
Macros
- Calories — 598
- Carbs — 50.6 grams
- Fat — 39.1 grams
- Protein — 11.5 grams
While demonstrating the number of calories in just over one cup of Haagen-Datz chocolate ice cream, Heria nudges viewers on the importance of visually knowing how many calories are in each volume of food to keep calories in check.
One cup is smaller than it might seem to the untrained eye. Most ice creams are in the range of 3.5 servings per pint and upwards of 1,000 calories, most of which are derived from fat and sugar.
Chips
- 56 Lay’s Chips
Macros
- Calories — 600
- Carbs — 57.8 grams
- Fat — 38.5 grams
- Protein — 5.5 grams
Fifteen Lay’s chips are considered one serving. Heria suggests separating chips from the bag when consuming them to limit portions. Potato chips don’t offer much nutritional value as they are low in protein and high in fat.
Chicken Caesar Salad
- Romaine lettuce — two cups
- Grilled chicken — six ounces
- Croutons — 18
- Cesear dressing — two tablespoons
Macros
- Calories — 600
- Carbs — 18 grams
- Fat — 30 grams
- Protein — 56 grams
Salad is commonly known as an excellent option for weight management due to how much volume one can eat for minimal calories. However, it that can be upended if one uses high-fat dressings or includes too many toppings like croutons, which often add unwanted calories.
Two tablespoons of many full-fat salad dressings typically range from 120 to 200 calories, most of which are fat.
Hershey’s Chocolate Bars
- Hershey’s — 2.5 bars
Macros
- Calories — 600
- Carbs — 79.2 grams
- Fat — 28.8 grams
- Protein — 9.6 grams
One Hershey’s milk chocolate bar contains 220 calories of mostly fat and sugar. Fat and sugar are easier to consume in large amounts compared to protein because neither of the former is as filling as protein. The result is often the consumption of superfluous, undesired calories.
Coffee
- Starbucks Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha — 22 ounces
Macros
- Calories — 602
- Carbs — 85.5 grams
- Fat — 28.5 grams
- Protein — 7.6 grams
“These drinks have no nutritional value,” says Heria. “They may taste great, but could be one of the main things [preventing fat loss], killing muscle definition, and all of your gains.”
Heria recommended Starbucks iced latte with almond milk as a healthier alternative that won’t pack on more than a meal’s worth of carbohydrates from sugar.
Pizza
- Papa John’s pepperoni pizza — one and three-fourth
Macros
- Calories — 602
- Carbs — 63 grams
- Fat — 25 grams
- Protein — 30 grams
How much one eats often depends on daily activity. Consuming processed foods in moderation is OK, but eating too much can put one over their daily maintenance calories, resulting in weight gain. Swapping processed foods for nutrient-dense foods is better for weight loss and weight maintenance.
References
- Kim JY. Optimal Diet Strategies for Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance. J Obes Metab Syndr. 2021 Mar 30;30(1):20-31. doi: 10.7570/jomes20065. PMID: 33107442; PMCID: PMC8017325.
- Penaforte FR, Japur CC, Pigatto LP, Chiarello PG, Diez-Garcia RW. Short-term impact of sugar consumption on hunger and ad libitum food intake in young women. Nutr Res Pract. 2013 Apr;7(2):77-81. doi: 10.4162/nrp.2013.7.2.77. Epub 2013 Apr 1. PMID: 23610598; PMCID: PMC3627933.
- Peters JC, Beck J, Cardel M, Wyatt HR, Foster GD, Pan Z, Wojtanowski AC, Vander Veur SS, Herring SJ, Brill C, Hill JO. The effects of water and non-nutritive sweetened beverages on weight loss and weight maintenance: A randomized clinical trial. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2016 Feb;24(2):297-304. doi: 10.1002/oby.21327. Epub 2015 Dec 26. PMID: 26708700; PMCID: PMC4744961.
Featured image: @chrisheria on Instagram
