All calories may not be equal

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Replies

  • gonetothedogs19
    gonetothedogs19 Posts: 325 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Mentali wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Let me be clear, the OCD comment was aimed at those who stress over weighing a pre-packaged, single serving yogurt just incase the calories are off by +/- 5-10kcal. Those who weigh restaurant food and pick apart meals "just incase".

    Counting calories is one thing but that is just not normal behaviour.

    The point about pre-packaged stuff being potentially off was a response to a poster who was claiming that it was better to change one's diet to be all packaged single-serving stuff vs. to have to weigh. IMO, saying you must use pre-packaged to count properly is way more neurotic than weighing one's foods*, and once you weigh it's not much of a hassle to weigh everything you put in a bowl or on a plate or use in cooking.

    *If I were going to make such judgments, but I personally think it's wrong to do so.

    I was that poster.

    Bottom line - the vast majority of people fail at diets, whether they count calories or don't count calories.

    My suggestion was that in order to make calorie counting easier for newbies, it would be much better to eat pre-packaged foods (including things like single-serve yogurts, cans of tuna fish and soup) or foods where you don't have to weigh or measure anything (like an egg).

    It's hard enough to start any diet (which is why most people fail). Making newbies weigh and measure and obsess over calories on Day 1 makes the situation even worse, and will result in more failure.

    The people here on this site who say its easy to weigh, measure and count remind me of vegans who say it's easy to be a vegan. Both are not easy.

    You've revealed one of your hidden assumptions here - that the failure of newbies is disproportionately related to being overwhelmed by weighing of food. I would say it's far more likely that the failure of newbies is disproportionately related to not being able to eat everything they want in the portions that they want, which is not resolved by limiting them to specific foods (that will still be off by hundreds of calories).

    In fact, you contradicted your own assumption at the start by saying that most people fail at diets regardless of counting calories. So why would counting calories in a way that severely restricts your eating solve the problem?

    You missed the point. If you want more people to join the fraternity of calories counters, it is suggested that they start out eating pre-packaged food, eggs, etc.

    And another thought - You are more likely to get an accurate count that way (add 10% to the label if you want to), than doing it on your own.

    And another thought - Weigh and measuring yogurt because it's in a large container? How about keeping an empty single-serve container, and scooping the yogurt from the large container into the single-serve container? No counting necessary.

    What happens if you have more than one person eating out of the same container?

    You can't be serious, can you?
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    debrag12 wrote: »
    SLLRunner wrote: »
    I think if a "Newbie" was to read this thread it would scare and put them off straight away! So many judgemental, rude, aggressive people getting their back up!!
    I also noticed that a lot of people on here may have developed OCD with weighing and numbers, weighing a pre packaged yogurt haha come on REALLY!
    I dont take a food scale out of the house and carry it around with with me, that is just sad.
    I have and I am still losing weight just fine.

    Wait a minute, now......

    As to the bold statements: While you are pointing that finger out, there are three more pointing back at you. Rude judgemental and aggressive are all in the perception. ;);)

    That said....

    What is wrong with weighing pre-packaged food? The nutrition information on the package often does not match up with how much a food weighs. Weighing food is just one tool for personal accountability.

    What is sad about carrying a scale around in your purse? It is just another tool for personal accountability.

    Everybody has to do what works for them. I don't weigh my food when I eat out at a restaurant or at other people's houses, but but I have a scale I keep at work in case I want a small snack not on my plan.

    The reason you are losing weight is because whatever you are doing is creating a calorie deficit. In fact, it does not matter what you do to eat less than you bun, what matter is you eat less than you burn because it's the only way to lose weight.

    All this does not negate the fact that a calorie is a calorie.

    Does anyone actually do this?

    Shoot, I don't know, but some people might.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    psulemon wrote: »
    Let me be clear, the OCD comment was aimed at those who stress over weighing a pre-packaged, single serving yogurt just incase the calories are off by +/- 5-10kcal. Those who weigh restaurant food and pick apart meals "just incase".

    Counting calories is one thing but that is just not normal behaviour.

    When something prepackaged labelled as 200 grams can be 250 grams that stuff can wipe out your deficit.

    It definitely can, especially if you have a small deficit.

    Yes to both of these.
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  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited August 2016
    SLLRunner wrote: »
    Let me be clear, the OCD comment was aimed at those who stress over weighing a pre-packaged, single serving yogurt just incase the calories are off by +/- 5-10kcal. Those who weigh restaurant food and pick apart meals "just incase".

    Counting calories is one thing but that is just not normal behaviour.

    Yeah, but you have two issues here, once of which you can know nothing about, yet you still call weighing yogurt OCD.

    What you know:: someone is weighing prepackaged yogurt or weighing food in a restaurant, but only know this because it's tangible and can be seen.

    What you don't know: that someone is weighing that yogurt just in case the calories are on by plus or minus five calories, or weighing restaurant food Just in case, because you're not inside their head. You're just making big fat assumptions based on your perception of people who weigh prepackaged yogurt and restaurant food.

    You don't get to define normal for other people, you only get to define if for you.

    Yup.

    And to elaborate on this -- I barely ever eat single-serving packages of yogurt. When I do, I never weigh them, even if I'm logging. I don't presume, based on this, that this is a better approach than weighing single-serving packages of yogurt or buying them and eating them regularly or the like, and I certainly don't claim that people who weigh things I wouldn't have a psychological disorder.

    On the other hand, I weigh things others wouldn't -- in making a smoothie this morning I weighed kale instead of estimating the cup (which is just as good, the calorie difference is irrelevant), because the scale was right there and I was weighing everything else, so I wouldn't save any time by not weighing the kale. I also weighed basil, which I normally might not even log, the calories were so insignificant, because I wanted a record of what I used in my smoothie for future reference. It was not because I thought the calorie difference would matter or that I'm super obsessive about it (I never log coffee and the calories are probably more overall if I did, even drinking black only). If the scale hadn't been available I'd have estimated and if a restaurant meal I wouldn't have logged basil at all, probably (pesto, on the other hand...).
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  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Do people really believe that using scales will give someone OCD? I'm trying to follow the logic of using a mental health condition as an insult, is it coming from a fear that you might "catch" it? If someone has been diagnosed with OCD they don't need Internet people to tell them they've got it, and not all of their behaviours will be a manifestation of it. It is perfectly reasonable to have a mental health condition and yet still be comfortable with using tools in a healthy way.

    I don't have OCD, although I did check the calendar three times after reading some of these posts - just to check that this is really 2016.

    Nothing "gives you" OCD. It's not a disease.

    I know someone who orders his food at a restaurant and then always go to the bathroom to wash his hands. Nothing gave him OCD. He is OCD.

    Now, you're splitting hairs. ;)
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Let me be clear, the OCD comment was aimed at those who stress over weighing a pre-packaged, single serving yogurt just incase the calories are off by +/- 5-10kcal. Those who weigh restaurant food and pick apart meals "just incase".

    Counting calories is one thing but that is just not normal behaviour.

    The point about pre-packaged stuff being potentially off was a response to a poster who was claiming that it was better to change one's diet to be all packaged single-serving stuff vs. to have to weigh. IMO, saying you must use pre-packaged to count properly is way more neurotic than weighing one's foods*, and once you weigh it's not much of a hassle to weigh everything you put in a bowl or on a plate or use in cooking.

    *If I were going to make such judgments, but I personally think it's wrong to do so.

    I was that poster.

    Bottom line - the vast majority of people fail at diets, whether they count calories or don't count calories.

    My suggestion was that in order to make calorie counting easier for newbies, it would be much better to eat pre-packaged foods (including things like single-serve yogurts, cans of tuna fish and soup) or foods where you don't have to weigh or measure anything (like an egg).

    It's hard enough to start any diet (which is why most people fail). Making newbies weigh and measure and obsess over calories on Day 1 makes the situation even worse, and will result in more failure.

    The people here on this site who say its easy to weigh, measure and count remind me of vegans who say it's easy to be a vegan. Both are not easy.

    What? Nobody is making anyone do anything, and nobody has to do anything they don't want to.

    Obsession is a choice, and nobody can make you do anything you don't want to.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Mentali wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Let me be clear, the OCD comment was aimed at those who stress over weighing a pre-packaged, single serving yogurt just incase the calories are off by +/- 5-10kcal. Those who weigh restaurant food and pick apart meals "just incase".

    Counting calories is one thing but that is just not normal behaviour.

    The point about pre-packaged stuff being potentially off was a response to a poster who was claiming that it was better to change one's diet to be all packaged single-serving stuff vs. to have to weigh. IMO, saying you must use pre-packaged to count properly is way more neurotic than weighing one's foods*, and once you weigh it's not much of a hassle to weigh everything you put in a bowl or on a plate or use in cooking.

    *If I were going to make such judgments, but I personally think it's wrong to do so.

    I was that poster.

    Bottom line - the vast majority of people fail at diets, whether they count calories or don't count calories.

    My suggestion was that in order to make calorie counting easier for newbies, it would be much better to eat pre-packaged foods (including things like single-serve yogurts, cans of tuna fish and soup) or foods where you don't have to weigh or measure anything (like an egg).

    It's hard enough to start any diet (which is why most people fail). Making newbies weigh and measure and obsess over calories on Day 1 makes the situation even worse, and will result in more failure.

    The people here on this site who say its easy to weigh, measure and count remind me of vegans who say it's easy to be a vegan. Both are not easy.

    You've revealed one of your hidden assumptions here - that the failure of newbies is disproportionately related to being overwhelmed by weighing of food. I would say it's far more likely that the failure of newbies is disproportionately related to not being able to eat everything they want in the portions that they want, which is not resolved by limiting them to specific foods (that will still be off by hundreds of calories).

    In fact, you contradicted your own assumption at the start by saying that most people fail at diets regardless of counting calories. So why would counting calories in a way that severely restricts your eating solve the problem?

    You missed the point. If you want more people to join the fraternity of calories counters, it is suggested that they start out eating pre-packaged food, eggs, etc.

    And another thought - You are more likely to get an accurate count that way (add 10% to the label if you want to), than doing it on your own.

    And another thought - Weigh and measuring yogurt because it's in a large container? How about keeping an empty single-serve container, and scooping the yogurt from the large container into the single-serve container? No counting necessary.

    Now I'm wondering if you are serious or not.

    Fraternity of calorie counters? What is that?

    If you feel your method of estimation works for you, wonderful. Calorie counting and weighing food works for others of us.

    Now I'm wondering what all of this has to do with a calorie being a calorie. ;)
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Have any of you people with OCD ever considered it is just a nutrient deficiency?

    To whom are you referring? I don't believe I've seen anyone here say they have OCD.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Do people really believe that using scales will give someone OCD? I'm trying to follow the logic of using a mental health condition as an insult, is it coming from a fear that you might "catch" it? If someone has been diagnosed with OCD they don't need Internet people to tell them they've got it, and not all of their behaviours will be a manifestation of it. It is perfectly reasonable to have a mental health condition and yet still be comfortable with using tools in a healthy way.

    I don't have OCD, although I did check the calendar three times after reading some of these posts - just to check that this is really 2016.

    Nothing "gives you" OCD. It's not a disease.

    I know someone who orders his food at a restaurant and then always go to the bathroom to wash his hands. Nothing gave him OCD. He is OCD.

    Actually it is a "disease". It is a mental illness. It is not cool that people use it out of context. Also no one is their disorder. He has ocd, he isn't ocd just like someone has cancer or has depression as opposed to is cancer or is depression

    Yep. 100% yep, in fact.
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  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Have any of you people with OCD ever considered it is just a nutrient deficiency?

    For me, my mom bottle fed my sister and me and maybe too much raw milk for us as kids. With both have obsessive tendencies.
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,338 Member
    Have any of you people with OCD ever considered it is just a nutrient deficiency?

    LOL!!! I'd be willing to bet I DONT have a nutrient deficiency, possibly the opposite. OCD? Hardly....Successful? Completely.
This discussion has been closed.