Why counting calories could be making you fatter.

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Replies

  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
    I didn't bother clicking once I saw it was in the Daily Fail. Spoil me, someone...does it turn out that immigrants make you fat?
  • JoRumbles
    JoRumbles Posts: 262 Member
    Bit of a tangent- but the resistant starch thing is fascinating.

    However, I weigh my pasta etc raw and count the calories as the same whether I eat it hot, cold or reheated. Difference is I feel more virtuous eating it cold and I would swear it keeps me fuller longer- but then the placebo effect may also be coming in to play here.
  • SilverRose89
    SilverRose89 Posts: 447 Member
    oneoddsock wrote: »
    JUST MAKE IT STOP. Really, reading the bullet points at the top of the page made me angry. I had to stop otherwise I'll be that crazy person in the office shouting at their computer. This type of journalism really annoys me because people read it and believe it because they view the Wail as a reputable source of information, and they end up fat, angry, UKIP voters.

    Hahaha. Yep, this :wink:
  • hhnkhl
    hhnkhl Posts: 231 Member
    My guess is...
    You count calories to lose weight...
    However, once you achieved your goal people don't count calories which leads to weight gain...
    Is this what the article or study is trying to point out?
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    Geez. It's articles like this one that have people thinking they burn 800 calories doing laundry. And logging it. If you burn more doing light housework in the morning than you do during a rigorous workout...you're doing it wrong.
  • JoRumbles
    JoRumbles Posts: 262 Member
    I think it was 3 hours of housework vs one hour in the gym. And they took total calorie expenditure in that time into account- so including BMR.

    I have to say i can get quite a workout doing 3 hours of hoovering, washing windows etc. I don't log it though.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    Yup, so much fatter now... so.. much... fatter....
    tumblr_lzo1ffsjHc1qlzduwo1_400.gif
  • ashypashy7
    ashypashy7 Posts: 50 Member
    I've lost 118 by counting calories, would have been more but guess what, I stopped counting the calories haha.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    Counting calories won't make you fat unless you eat back all the calories you spent sitting at your computer and entering them.

    If you only eat back about half of your sit-and-type calories, you're probably fine.
  • tracyhen99
    tracyhen99 Posts: 2 Member
    It's a shame that the government can't actually do something about the absolute rubbish that this newspaper spews into people's minds, full of disinformation, hatred and lies disguised as questions.

    It really should have some semblance of accountability.

    Free speech and all of that malarky I guess.

    Since the government IS the people it seem they are doing a good job of it. These people seemed quite will informed this it's rubbish.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    LAWoman72 wrote: »
    Counting calories won't make you fat unless you eat back all the calories you spent sitting at your computer and entering them.

    If you only eat back about half of your sit-and-type calories, you're probably fine.

    When I did neat method I HAD to eat back all `00% of the exercise calories to lose at the appropriate rate. This was with using a NEAT estimate from an external calculator that gave me a higher number than what MFP gave for the same activity level.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    That's ridiculous. I've lost weight and then maintained at goal for over 4 years now by counting calories. I'll keep doing what works, and you keep reading the Daily Mail. B)
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Soup is an easy habit to get into. 'It's a good lunch and fills you up more than just eating the ingredients on their own.

    'This is because it has the added ingredient of salty water, which fills you up.'



    This might be my favorite part. I'm just gonna drink salt water from now on. That sounds like an awesome new diet plan. (For those who might not recognize, total sarcasm. Do NOT do this.)
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    ana3067 wrote: »
    LAWoman72 wrote: »
    Counting calories won't make you fat unless you eat back all the calories you spent sitting at your computer and entering them.

    If you only eat back about half of your sit-and-type calories, you're probably fine.

    When I did neat method I HAD to eat back all `00% of the exercise calories to lose at the appropriate rate. This was with using a NEAT estimate from an external calculator that gave me a higher number than what MFP gave for the same activity level.

    ;) We are all different. I know that if I eat back all my sit-around-and-type exercise calories, I merely maintain. Same with my putting-on-makeup calories. I have a scootch more wiggle room with my burnoff from hair-blowdrying.

  • Anayalata
    Anayalata Posts: 391 Member
    paradi3s wrote: »
    7 months of calorie counting = me losing the last 30 lbs and maintaining. Never gained a pound after. Hmmmmmmm don't believe everything you read
    I don't believe you.
  • isulo_kura
    isulo_kura Posts: 818 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Old, bollocks and it's the Daily Mail

    HTH :)

    ^^^^^ THIS
  • isulo_kura
    isulo_kura Posts: 818 Member
    The Daily Mail has gone from sympathising with the Nazis and demonising Jews to giving bad advice on nutrition? They always find something to get horrendously wrong.
    And all of them cause cancer ;)
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    isulo_kura wrote: »
    The Daily Mail has gone from sympathising with the Nazis and demonising Jews to giving bad advice on nutrition? They always find something to get horrendously wrong.
    And all of them cause cancer ;)

    Nazis cause cancer?

    Actually, this is the Daily Fail. I wouldn't be too surprised.
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
    Counting calories could make you get fatter. If, you know, you are counting all the way up to a caloric surplus. So, there's that.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    EWJLang wrote: »
    Counting calories could make you get fatter. If, you know, you are counting all the way up to a caloric surplus. So, there's that.

    Yes, if you're counting them and then eating them then that could be the problem, LOL.

    "This is, hmmm....3700 calories. Well, in it goes!"

  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
    tumblr_mt4rrsLsTV1s080geo1_400.gif
  • LovingLife_Erin
    LovingLife_Erin Posts: 328 Member
    I love the part that said men should never eat more than 2,500 calories and women 2,000.

    I have days that I eat over 2,000 and I still lose weight (clearly working out helps a lot with that). My husband is also blessed with a very high metabolism and basically has to eat over 3,000 a day on a sedentary lifestyle to not lose weight. Oh Daily Fail...
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    I didn't read the article, but when someone mentioned the bullet points, I checked those out:

    TV show aired tomorrow night aims to explore science of calories
    It's the type of calories we consume - and not the number - that's important
    Eating the 'right' kind of calories can fill you up and stave off hunger pangs
    Consuming the 'wrong' type will leave you hungry - and probably heavier
    However it 's often easier to burn off calories than many of us realise
    Show reveals a morning of housework burns as many calories as workout

    #1...no idea what the show said
    #2...I disagree with in general...unless you look at #3 and #4.
    #3...Yup, filling up on protein and fat will keep you feeling full longer
    #4...Yup, spending all your calories on sugar and sweets will leave you hungry...which could make you overeat
    #5...eh...it depends
    #6...could be, depending on how and what you're cleaning

    so, my take on it, I don't see anything blatantly "wrong" with their bullet points.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    elphie754 wrote: »
    JoRumbles wrote: »
    Yes, its the Daily Fail so reported badly. I will be watching the programme tonight with interest.

    In a sense I agree with a lot of what they say, its just very badly written. It is well known that low GI foods keep you fuller longer whilst drinks like alcohol barely make you feel satiated at all, despite being calorific. So, while yes it is a case of CICO it will be a lot easier to stick to a low calorie diet if that diet is full of big plates of low GI, high fibre food. Stops you being tempted to snack later and go over your calorie goal. Psychologically as well its useful to sit down to a full plate of lower cal food, rather than a small plate of chips.

    Also, the science of how we burn through calories is finely nuanced. For example, look at the research on resistant starch- aka cold pasta has less available calories.

    Pleas explain the science behind the claim that cold pasta has less calories than hot pasta of the same serving size.

    Ignore it. The "study" that meme is based on amounted to the equivalent of 2g of carbs - 8 calories worth! - becoming "resistant".
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    tumblr_mt4rrsLsTV1s080geo1_400.gif

    chin burn
  • mummyzena
    mummyzena Posts: 259 Member
    Soup is an easy habit to get into. 'It's a good lunch and fills you up more than just eating the ingredients on their own.

    'This is because it has the added ingredient of salty water, which fills you up.'



    This might be my favorite part. I'm just gonna drink salt water from now on. That sounds like an awesome new diet plan. (For those who might not recognize, total sarcasm. Do NOT do this.)

    Seems like a man with an agenda gave that advice.
  • freeoscar
    freeoscar Posts: 82 Member
    JoRumbles wrote: »
    I'm not a chemist. Read this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-29629761 for the basics then try pubmed for the associated peer-review literature

    Interesting. From a calorie burning perspective, though, does this have a material impact? I tend to think that the idea that different types or textures of food require different amount of calories to digest is probably true, but that the differences are trivial in the context of the typical 1200-3000 daily caloric intake. But I'm just speculating.

  • kellienw335
    kellienw335 Posts: 1,745 Member
    What in the world is a Digestive Cookie?
  • MonsoonStorm
    MonsoonStorm Posts: 371 Member
    999tigger wrote: »
    The DM often spins health stories one way and then the other way the following day.
    Its the worlds most popular newspaper site by some margin.

    I think this is mostly down to the fact that it's free and a well known name.

    Unfortunately the less trashy newspapers prefer to charge you to read a lot of their online content.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    What in the world is a Digestive Cookie?

    Has sodium bicarbonate as an ingredient. Think of it as the world's first alka seltzer, dressed up as a semi-sweet cookie.
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