Does it matter what foods make up my daily calorie intake?
Replies
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msjennigirl wrote: »
They all included potatoes in the list of carbs to limit.msjennigirl wrote: »
This is NOT woo, according to my PCP, bariatric physician, and registered dietician.Strictly speaking, no, it doesn't matter; as long as you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. However, I would point out that eating an enormous amount of simple carbohydrates (sugar, potatoes, white flour, white rice, etc.) would cause your blood sugar to rise and then to plummet, causing you to feel much hungrier during the day and perhaps making it much more difficult to only consume the amount of calories you want... which could indirectly cause you to gain weight rather than lose it as a result of what you're eating.
They all agree that potatoes are simple carbs?
That's a shame. I'd like to hope that qualified medical professionals would know the difference between simple and complex carbs (mono- and disaccharides vs. polysaccharides).
For what reason?
Potatoes are reasonably low in calories, contain valuable nutrients and are generally ranked very high on the satiety index. There's no rational reason to limit/exclude them from a diet unless one has some kind of allergy/sensitivity to them, or just personal preference because one doesn't like them. Most often it amounts to nothing more than irrational carbophobia. There's absolutely nothing wrong with potatoes in the context of an overall balanced diet in which one is meeting their calorie and macro goals.6 -
I see nothing wrong with potatoes either.. fries? Mashed? Potato chips? Yum!2
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lemurcat12 wrote: »Ericnutrition wrote: »Strictly speaking, no, it doesn't matter; as long as you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. However, I would point out that eating an enormous amount of simple carbohydrates (sugar, potatoes, white flour, white rice, etc.) would cause your blood sugar to rise and then to plummet, causing you to feel much hungrier during the day and perhaps making it much more difficult to only consume the amount of calories you want... which could indirectly cause you to gain weight rather than lose it as a result of what you're eating.
What you said is totally reasonable. And you get a bunch of "woo" votes for saying something totally reasonable.
The "woo" voters are saying, with 100% confidence, that the word satiety doesn't matter. It matters a lot. In fact, it is probably the most important factor when it comes to weight loss if you are counting calories and have greatly reduced the amount of food you were eating prior to counting.
(1) You have no idea what the woo voters were thinking.
(2) What GottaBurnEm said. Specifically:
(a) it's NOT reasonable to claim that starches (like potatoes and grains) are "simple" carbs, that demonstrates a lack of understanding of what simple carb means.
(b) it's NOT reasonable to claim that someone who eats specific foods will be hungrier. Like GottaBurnEm, potatoes always make me less, not more hungry.
(c) it's NOT reasonable to ignore the premise of the question, which was that calories would be the same on whatever diet was chosen. Nor is it reasonable to suggest that if one eats white rice, pasta, or potatoes that one will necessarily overeat, as that's obviously not true.
If you disagree, I'd LOVE to hear why these claims are reasonable.
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Ericnutrition wrote: »It does matter because some food will provide you with more satiety than other food. Find the foods that you enjoy and fill you up. It will make your life a lot easier.
Everyone is different. If I eat a 350-calorie donut I might as well have eaten nothing. But a 250-calorie omelet stuffed with all sorts of stuff (the eggs contain 150 calories) keeps me full for a long time.
A 350 cal donut (I'm looking at you apple fritter) would totally fill me up. So you see, it's all individual.
Pssst....apple fritter is closer to 410
Or more!! Blue Star0 -
Ericnutrition wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Ericnutrition wrote: »Strictly speaking, no, it doesn't matter; as long as you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. However, I would point out that eating an enormous amount of simple carbohydrates (sugar, potatoes, white flour, white rice, etc.) would cause your blood sugar to rise and then to plummet, causing you to feel much hungrier during the day and perhaps making it much more difficult to only consume the amount of calories you want... which could indirectly cause you to gain weight rather than lose it as a result of what you're eating.
What you said is totally reasonable. And you get a bunch of "woo" votes for saying something totally reasonable.
The "woo" voters are saying, with 100% confidence, that the word satiety doesn't matter. It matters a lot. In fact, it is probably the most important factor when it comes to weight loss if you are counting calories and have greatly reduced the amount of food you were eating prior to counting.
FTR, some of the things he listed as simple carbohydrates are complex carbohydrates. Sugar is a simple carb. The starches (potatoes, white flour, and white rice) are complex carbs.
Some people, and I'm one of them, are quite satiated by starches. There are quite a few of us who post on these forums who find the combination of starch and protein very satiating and don't find fat satiating in the least. There's no rise and plummet and hunger spike for us, just lasting satiety and easy compliance with our deficit.
Why does what he said get woo votes? Because satiety is individual, and making statements about it that are meant to apply in a universal sense is woo. There's no one size fits all formula that's true.
So no, what he said isn't totally reasonable, it's just what low-carb gurus tell everyone.
Well it is interesting that the MFP low-carb group has 46,000 members. The low-fat group? Is there a low-fat group?
Why would you assume that someone who isn't low carb or keto is by default low fat. There's this whole thing called a balanced and varied diet that you keto and low carb folks seem to forget about on a pretty consistent basis.
I eat a very healthy diet consisting substantially of whole foods. I'm not low carb...nor am I low fat. I eat a very balanced diet that consists of tons of veg and some fruit...lots of fish and chicken and some beef...I eat avocados and nuts pretty much daily and use good cooking oils in my recipes...my carbohydrates are largely derived from things like legumes, lentils, potatoes and other root vegetables7 -
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msjennigirl wrote: »
They all included potatoes in the list of carbs to limit.msjennigirl wrote: »
This is NOT woo, according to my PCP, bariatric physician, and registered dietician.Strictly speaking, no, it doesn't matter; as long as you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. However, I would point out that eating an enormous amount of simple carbohydrates (sugar, potatoes, white flour, white rice, etc.) would cause your blood sugar to rise and then to plummet, causing you to feel much hungrier during the day and perhaps making it much more difficult to only consume the amount of calories you want... which could indirectly cause you to gain weight rather than lose it as a result of what you're eating.
They all agree that potatoes are simple carbs?
That's a shame. I'd like to hope that qualified medical professionals would know the difference between simple and complex carbs (mono- and disaccharides vs. polysaccharides).
What does this have to do with whether potatoes are simple carbs?
Fruit is simple carbs, do they say to limit fruit?
I mean, frankly, I think if you are going to try to lose it makes sense to limit (in some sense) potatoes AND fruit, and pretty much everything but non starchy veg (which I don't think people are going to overeat to the point of eating excess calories).
On the other hand, that SpudFit guy lost 120 lbs on a potatoes only diet, not limiting potatoes. I happen to think that's a dumb diet I wouldn't do, but he had his reasons, and clearly he was able to lose doing that, so if you are trying to argue it's not possible, you are wrong.
Also, why are you seeing a bariatric physician? That also might shed some light on the specific advice you are getting.
When I was losing I limited potatoes (as in I watched how much I consumed and stuck to what seemed a reasonable serving to me), but no more than other foods, and I'd have a hard time really overeating roasted potatoes (my favorite way to prepare them) anyway, in part because I find them filling, and in part because I normally eat them with meat and vegetables, which is a pretty common practice.
I lost easily, having potatoes 2-3 times per week on average.3 -
I find that potatoes are one of those foods I can easily overeat if I'm not mindful. Overall, though, I've been striving to become more mindful. Usually, I weigh out 1-3 beforehand. For some reason, the Yukon Golds in the 10lb bags seem to run small-sized right now, so 3 potatoes might come out to about 260 grams. I slice 'em French fry style and put them in a Ziploc with a small amount of oil and seasoning, then pour onto a cookie sheet oven bake. If I think it may not be enough to satiate, I add some carrot sticks to tray. But if they were in a big bowl in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves, I would likely help myself to a bit more.0
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my advice is the same as always. experiment, experiment, experiment. Weight loss is a LONG TERM project. If something isn't working, change it. You have to find the foods, macro ratios, workout regimes, supplements, etc. that works for you. And by "works for you" I don't just mean causes you to lose weight. That is a fairly simple scenario. I mean allows you to maintain a calorie deficit long-term without leaving you hungry, lethargic, and irritable. If dieting feels like work, and you're suffering, then you're not going to do it for very long, and it's going to be much harder to succeed.
If a high-carb diet satisfies you and makes you happy while maintaining a deficit, great.
If a low-carb diet does, great.
If you can succeed just by eating smaller amounts of what you're already eating, great, and I envy you you lucky *kitten*.2 -
estherdragonbat wrote: »I find that potatoes are one of those foods I can easily overeat if I'm not mindful. Overall, though, I've been striving to become more mindful. Usually, I weigh out 1-3 beforehand. For some reason, the Yukon Golds in the 10lb bags seem to run small-sized right now, so 3 potatoes might come out to about 260 grams. I slice 'em French fry style and put them in a Ziploc with a small amount of oil and seasoning, then pour onto a cookie sheet oven bake. If I think it may not be enough to satiate, I add some carrot sticks to tray. But if they were in a big bowl in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves, I would likely help myself to a bit more.
Try the Spicy Mrs. Dash. They are really good done this way with the spicy Mrs. Dash.1 -
Ericnutrition wrote: »msjennigirl wrote: »
This is NOT woo, according to my PCP, bariatric physician, and registered dietician.Strictly speaking, no, it doesn't matter; as long as you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. However, I would point out that eating an enormous amount of simple carbohydrates (sugar, potatoes, white flour, white rice, etc.) would cause your blood sugar to rise and then to plummet, causing you to feel much hungrier during the day and perhaps making it much more difficult to only consume the amount of calories you want... which could indirectly cause you to gain weight rather than lose it as a result of what you're eating.
The amateurs who post here know much more than your PCP, bariatric physician, and registered dietician.
That's the whole doggone problem with the internet - you just never know who's an amateur and who's not. There are quite a few professionals here in various healthcare/diet disciplines. A username doesn't always indicate somebody's level of expertise - or lack thereof.
Exactly.
Professionals don't tend to create a fanfare of their qualifications here. Modesty is worth its weight in gold.2 -
msjennigirl wrote: »
They all included potatoes in the list of carbs to limit.msjennigirl wrote: »
This is NOT woo, according to my PCP, bariatric physician, and registered dietician.Strictly speaking, no, it doesn't matter; as long as you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. However, I would point out that eating an enormous amount of simple carbohydrates (sugar, potatoes, white flour, white rice, etc.) would cause your blood sugar to rise and then to plummet, causing you to feel much hungrier during the day and perhaps making it much more difficult to only consume the amount of calories you want... which could indirectly cause you to gain weight rather than lose it as a result of what you're eating.
They all agree that potatoes are simple carbs?
That's a shame. I'd like to hope that qualified medical professionals would know the difference between simple and complex carbs (mono- and disaccharides vs. polysaccharides).
Why limit potatoes in the context of a balanced diet?
I find them very sating. In fact, in studies on satiety, boiled potatoes came in first.
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MegaMooseEsq wrote: »
I am hard core when it comes to potato love. I can boil them, stick them in the fridge, and then eat a whole potato cold with no salt.
I love them that much.
I have small potatoes that way as a snack sometimes after lifting, or sliced into a dish like that and tossed with yogurt.2 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »msjennigirl wrote: »
They all included potatoes in the list of carbs to limit.msjennigirl wrote: »
This is NOT woo, according to my PCP, bariatric physician, and registered dietician.Strictly speaking, no, it doesn't matter; as long as you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. However, I would point out that eating an enormous amount of simple carbohydrates (sugar, potatoes, white flour, white rice, etc.) would cause your blood sugar to rise and then to plummet, causing you to feel much hungrier during the day and perhaps making it much more difficult to only consume the amount of calories you want... which could indirectly cause you to gain weight rather than lose it as a result of what you're eating.
They all agree that potatoes are simple carbs?
That's a shame. I'd like to hope that qualified medical professionals would know the difference between simple and complex carbs (mono- and disaccharides vs. polysaccharides).
Why limit potatoes in the context of a balanced diet?
I find them very sating. In fact, in studies on satiety, boiled potatoes came in first.
I actually think the idea of a sheet telling you what to limit and not is probably not a very good tool and is based on assumptions about how fat people eat or the like.
What I think would make more sense is talking to someone and understanding how they eat, what their issues are, what their challenges are, what foods are non negotiables in the diet, etc. This is basically what I did when I decided to revise my own eating strategy to eat less.
Rather than following "one size fits all" advice, I considered what I was doing that was consistent with good nutrition (eating lots of vegetables), things that made it easier (I like to cook), and the various things I struggled with, and then made changes. Telling myself to worry about potatoes would have been dumb, since I don't overeat potatoes -- I used to eat a few small red potatoes or fingerlings or a smaller Yukon, and when I checked I was eating around 100-120 g on average, which continues to be what I do. I eat them roasted with olive oil and salt, in the context of a healthy balanced meal, and they aren't high cal. If someone is mainly eating fries, maybe it's different, or struggles not to overeat potatoes as a trigger food.
I think it's really weird for someone to claim that their doctor is able to say, for the population in general and individuals on MFP, that eating potatoes is a thing to worry about.1 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »msjennigirl wrote: »
They all included potatoes in the list of carbs to limit.msjennigirl wrote: »
This is NOT woo, according to my PCP, bariatric physician, and registered dietician.Strictly speaking, no, it doesn't matter; as long as you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. However, I would point out that eating an enormous amount of simple carbohydrates (sugar, potatoes, white flour, white rice, etc.) would cause your blood sugar to rise and then to plummet, causing you to feel much hungrier during the day and perhaps making it much more difficult to only consume the amount of calories you want... which could indirectly cause you to gain weight rather than lose it as a result of what you're eating.
They all agree that potatoes are simple carbs?
That's a shame. I'd like to hope that qualified medical professionals would know the difference between simple and complex carbs (mono- and disaccharides vs. polysaccharides).
Why limit potatoes in the context of a balanced diet?
I find them very sating. In fact, in studies on satiety, boiled potatoes came in first.
I actually think the idea of a sheet telling you what to limit and not is probably not a very good tool and is based on assumptions about how fat people eat or the like.
What I think would make more sense is talking to someone and understanding how they eat, what their issues are, what their challenges are, what foods are non negotiables in the diet, etc. This is basically what I did when I decided to revise my own eating strategy to eat less.
Rather than following "one size fits all" advice, I considered what I was doing that was consistent with good nutrition (eating lots of vegetables), things that made it easier (I like to cook), and the various things I struggled with, and then made changes. Telling myself to worry about potatoes would have been dumb, since I don't overeat potatoes -- I used to eat a few small red potatoes or fingerlings or a smaller Yukon, and when I checked I was eating around 100-120 g on average, which continues to be what I do. I eat them roasted with olive oil and salt, in the context of a healthy balanced meal, and they aren't high cal. If someone is mainly eating fries, maybe it's different, or struggles not to overeat potatoes as a trigger food.
I think it's really weird for someone to claim that their doctor is able to say, for the population in general and individuals on MFP, that eating potatoes is a thing to worry about.
So much to the bolded.
My approach was similar to yours.
I've made adjustments as I've gone along, as I've changed macro mixes along the way to account for changing activity levels, and like you, I like doing the occasional experiment to keep a fresh focus. Right now, I'm experimenting with calorie and carb cycling and smaller meals on a different timing schedule to see if they help my migraines.
But in the beginning, I did just what you did and considered what I did that was consistent with good nutrition and what I was doing that was inconsistent with eating lower calories and made changes accordingly. I don't have hard and fast rules and I've been at this long enough to know that nothing I'm doing is likely set in stone other than the fact that I'm going to eat a nutritious diet consistent with whatever goals I have in mind and I'm not going to do anything drastic to achieve my goals.
Potatoes aren't a trigger food for me either. They maybe were when I was pregnant with my daughter, but that was for mashed potatoes and gravy and quite a specific thing. I generally don't really like mashed potatoes all that much, I'm fine with just plain baked or boiled potatoes with just some salt. I really am a potato purist at heart.
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Tacklewasher wrote: »estherdragonbat wrote: »I find that potatoes are one of those foods I can easily overeat if I'm not mindful. Overall, though, I've been striving to become more mindful. Usually, I weigh out 1-3 beforehand. For some reason, the Yukon Golds in the 10lb bags seem to run small-sized right now, so 3 potatoes might come out to about 260 grams. I slice 'em French fry style and put them in a Ziploc with a small amount of oil and seasoning, then pour onto a cookie sheet oven bake. If I think it may not be enough to satiate, I add some carrot sticks to tray. But if they were in a big bowl in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves, I would likely help myself to a bit more.
Try the Spicy Mrs. Dash. They are really good done this way with the spicy Mrs. Dash.
Thanks for the tip!0 -
Wagner grill mates seasonings are awesome too. The garlic Sriracha one is my favorite.0
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Not sure I've seen them in Toronto. If they're here and kosher-certified, I'll check them out.0
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