Mikey Moon's health and fitness column: Not all calories are equal

Which is heavier, a ton of feathers or a ton of bricks? Yes, this is an old one, so hopefully you got it right – both weigh exactly the same, one ton.

However, the volume of the objects is different. You will need a lot more feathers to make a ton than you will need bricks.

A ton is a measuring tool and so is a calorie. A calorie is the tool to work out the amount of energy in any food.

As with our feathers and bricks, it doesn’t tell you the whole story. If you eat 1,000 calories of fast food and 1,000 calories of vegetables, both are equal in energy. However, you would have to eat a lot more vegetables than fast food for your 1,000 calories.

If your goal is to lose body fat, then it doesn’t really matter what you eat as long as your energy balance has you at a calorie deficit; ie. you are eating less than you are burning.

So just be mindful that you can eat a lot more of certain foods than others for the same amount of calories.

With that in mind, it surely makes sense to eat more low-calorie foods and less high-calorie foods.

Calories are everything when it comes to fat loss – but not all calories are equal.

Fortitude Fitness is on the Poulton Industrial Estate, Beacon Road. Visit www.fortitudefit.co.uk for more details.