If you mean "far different things" relating to weight gain or loss, I completely, completely disagree.
In terms of weight gain or loss, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. That's why there are fad diets that have and do work for people that each cut different things. Low carbs in one. Low protein in another. The Cookie Diet for chrissakes. They work because the common thread between them is caloric restriction.
Now, if you consume nothing but 2000 calories of Ice Cream every day, you will surely develop some nutritional issues. And yes that totally will affect your overall health. But that's something different than what the GP was discussing (though that may well have been your entire point which is fair.)
One interesting thing I picked up from a Pollan talk on NPR (but have not yet read the underlying research myself) is that there is some evidence that in one way all calories are not the same: The mechanics of digestion is affected by the texture and composition of the food. So 100 calories of crunch granola seems to be metabolized differently than 100 calories of soft chewy brownie. But the affect here is how many calories are extracted from the input.
My source for this is a lot of reading and my own personal experiences going from 6'2, 210 and flabby to 170 and toned, cutting down from 36" waist to 32", from XL shirts to Medium in the process. I did this primarily over 14 months and did quite a bit of experimentation in there (Fruit cleanses, Juice cleanses, egg white protein supplements -- as i'm not a fan of protein powders), and for the 6 months since, as I've maintained weight and increased muscle tone.
The composition of my diet has changed but the pattern has held the same and I believe the pattern is what has had the most effect for me. Without realizing it, I devised a diet that other people call "intermittent fasting." I consume, literally, 95% of my calories in 6 hours between 2PM and 8PM (when I have my lunch, dinner and dessert). I had no idea that this was a "thing" and not just something peculiar to myself. It works beautifully for me. I gym in the morning 3 days a week. I feel healthy and skinny and look good in tight clothing and finally, finally at age 30 feel good about myself physically.
In terms of weight gain or loss, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. That's why there are fad diets that have and do work for people that each cut different things. Low carbs in one. Low protein in another. The Cookie Diet for chrissakes. They work because the common thread between them is caloric restriction.
Now, if you consume nothing but 2000 calories of Ice Cream every day, you will surely develop some nutritional issues. And yes that totally will affect your overall health. But that's something different than what the GP was discussing (though that may well have been your entire point which is fair.)
One interesting thing I picked up from a Pollan talk on NPR (but have not yet read the underlying research myself) is that there is some evidence that in one way all calories are not the same: The mechanics of digestion is affected by the texture and composition of the food. So 100 calories of crunch granola seems to be metabolized differently than 100 calories of soft chewy brownie. But the affect here is how many calories are extracted from the input.
My source for this is a lot of reading and my own personal experiences going from 6'2, 210 and flabby to 170 and toned, cutting down from 36" waist to 32", from XL shirts to Medium in the process. I did this primarily over 14 months and did quite a bit of experimentation in there (Fruit cleanses, Juice cleanses, egg white protein supplements -- as i'm not a fan of protein powders), and for the 6 months since, as I've maintained weight and increased muscle tone.
The composition of my diet has changed but the pattern has held the same and I believe the pattern is what has had the most effect for me. Without realizing it, I devised a diet that other people call "intermittent fasting." I consume, literally, 95% of my calories in 6 hours between 2PM and 8PM (when I have my lunch, dinner and dessert). I had no idea that this was a "thing" and not just something peculiar to myself. It works beautifully for me. I gym in the morning 3 days a week. I feel healthy and skinny and look good in tight clothing and finally, finally at age 30 feel good about myself physically.