DAY 129 -- Are calories created equal?

Last Friday when we were at our favorite market looking at olive oils, my sister-in-law was stunned to see the amount of calories listed: 120 calories for 1 tablespoon.  She gasped, "Won't this make me fat?"


We tried to explain the "healthy oil" benefit, but she was still flabbergasted and asked again, "Won't this make me gain weight?"


I told her that I use olive oil every day, usually multiple times a day.  I cook with it and use it on my salads. Yet, I have lost weight even though I don't count calories.  

I used to think that a calorie was a calorie... that it didn't matter what a person ate, as long as he or she stayed within caloric range.  For instance, if a person wanted to consume 1200 calories in a day, it didn't matter if those calories came from veggies and fruit, or if those calories came from cookies and cake, all that mattered was that the calories only added up to 1200, or whatever calorie goal a person selected.


My Healthy Eating Challenge seems to defy my view of calories.  Since starting this personal challenge, it seems that calories are not created equal.  My view now is that calories consumed from processed packaged foods can add to weight gain, whereas calories consumed from fresh, wholesome, healthy foods can help promote weight loss.