Welcome to Debate Club! Please be aware that this is a space for respectful debate, and that your ideas will be challenged here. Please remember to critique the argument, not the author.
Is a calorie equal to a calorie?
Options
Replies
-
Thank you MFP for making my morning commute so much more enjoyable (keeps the people sitting next to me on the train wondering if they need to worry about my sanity)
7 -
When I read statements where people are adamant that 1 lb of feathers was lighter than 1 lb of rocks, (or 10lb dumbbell being heavier than 10lbs of copy paper) both been quoted in this thread. It always reminds me of the first time, I was asked this question. It was in a school team quiz, designed to make you think. I won that point for my team, as I was the fastest to buzz, (I was only about 8 or 9 years old at the time). But it amazes me, reading this thread the amount of adults, struggling to understand this concept, even worse are those strongly denying the fact. But this doesn't alter the facts
"1lb weight is 1lb, a calorie is a calorie".
A different analogy: 2 x £10 to spend.
So I go into a book shop and purchase 1 book, cost £10
Then I go into a bakers, and buy 10 loaves, cost £10
As I was able to get 10 items, in the second shop, mean I must have spent more? Both receipts = £10. Certain items are expensive, others offer more value for money. You can pay bills or buy something you just want. But £1 is still £1.
7 -
Wheelhouse15 wrote: »Wheelhouse15 wrote: »Wheelhouse15 wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »diannethegeek wrote: »kelly_stevens81 wrote: »Carlos_421 wrote: »moosmum1972 wrote: »kelly_stevens81 wrote: »JerSchmare wrote: »A calorie is a calorie. Like an inch is an inch and a pound is a pound.
TBH though Id rather get hit by 10 pounds of feathers in a pillowcase than 10 pounds of bowling balls...
Why?
Because of a lack of understanding of physics.
The reason a 10 lb pillow seems less threatening than a 10 lb bowling ball is because not all ten pounds of feathers will make simultaneous impact like the bowling ball will.
Replace the pillowcase with something that will compact the feathers into a tight ball so that the sponginess is lost (meaning that the entire 10 lbs of feathers will make simultaneous impact) and it isn’t fun anymore.
When you compare getting hit with a ten pound bowling ball to a ten pound pillow, you’re really comparing ten pounds of bowling ball to a couple ounces (if that) of feathers, because that’s all that’s going to make impact at once. The rest of the feathers hit you later.
It’s like saying I’d rather take ten bites out of a ten pound bowl of lettuce rather than eat an entire jar of peanut butter.
No duh, it’s because you don’t have to eat it all.
That actually may shed some light on why people try to compare 1,000 calories of lettuce to 1,000 calories of [insert favorite junk food].
It’s because they know they ain’t gonna eat no 1,000 calories of lettuce. That, to me, further proves the point that it’s all about how many calories you eat.
If eating lettuce means you eat fewer calories, that’s why eating lettuce works for you.
It has nothing to do with the calories in lettuce being better than the calories in Oreos.
This is exactly what I meant, if you are hit with feathers they have lower density, hence 10 lbs is not really 10 pounds because technically you wont be hit with them all at once due to their low density. Unless of course they have been compressed to have the same density as a bowling ball in which case, ouch... TLDR; A calorie is not a calories just like a pound is not a pound for the same reason, density...
If you're hit with a 10 pound bowling ball it will hurt. If you broke the 10 pound bowling ball into very small pieces and scattered them over a person similar to the feathers it likely would not hurt or hurt less (depending on the velocity of the pieces). Same thing with feathers. Floating down individually, not a big deal. Condensed into a tiny ball the size of a bowling ball and they'll be a whole lot of hurt. A calorie is a calorie and a pound is a pound, but other factors like velocity, density, can change the impact they have.
Either way, it's a metaphor that breaks apart quickly when you try and apply it to calories.
Let's escalate the silliness and pedantry even further. If somebody gently lobs a 140 grain, .45 caliber bullet at your head, it will bounce off you harmlessly. If they shoot it out of the barrel of a gun at you at 845 fps, it will turn your head into a technicolor Rorschach blot on the three walls around you. Yet that bullet still weighs 140 grains either way. And the metaphor has absolutely nothing to do with calories because we're discussing completely different things.
Perhaps the more apt analogy is volts. A volt is a volt, regardless of whether it's used to power an electric chair or a humidicrib in the NICU.
Volts have potential! Sorry.
Watt are you trying to say? Or are you just trying to amp people up?
I was just trying to create some static.
You'll probably get some resistance from your statement.
I have great capacity to handle that.
oum sorry- I feel that we have derailed this thread.
best circuit of conversation yet. I love you all. so much. (yes it's a bit of an arch to get there I know- but sometimes you gotta try)3 -
Reading into your question I think you are asking if the calories from different food sources are the same.
The answer is "no".
Rather than type out a long answer, just read this:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-reasons-why-a-calorie-is-not-a-calorie
Yet another misguided and misled person confusing calories with nutrients...9 -
With all the talk of hitting people with feathers and bowling balls I fear many will be charged with battery....14
-
PikaJoyJoy wrote: »It's probably been mentioned (as I haven't read through all the pages)...but this reminds me of the thread where someone was very adamant that 1 lb of feathers was lighter than 1 lb of rocks.
ETA: OMG, the link was posted. WOW! I am seriously surprised that thread is still up!
Pika, you seriously underestimate the power of that thread and my memory for the absurd.
That thread was from back in the day when threads rolled at 500 posts and people were getting jostled (and apparently playing some drinking game) at the end. Remember those days?
Also, props to @WinoGelato for trying to get Bohemian Rhapsody going.
Things just don't get locked like they used to.
5 -
cmriverside wrote: »Is it time to pull out the feathers fat argument? Nobody does it better:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/321105/worst-advice-youve-seen-on-these-boards/p11
What
The
*Puppy*
???3 -
Glad to see you've all been inducted into the MFP Hall of Wackiness.
Oh, and a volt is a volt, except when its a:
6 -
moosmum1972 wrote: »Wynterbourne wrote: »kelly_stevens81 wrote: »Carlos_421 wrote: »moosmum1972 wrote: »kelly_stevens81 wrote: »JerSchmare wrote: »A calorie is a calorie. Like an inch is an inch and a pound is a pound.
TBH though Id rather get hit by 10 pounds of feathers in a pillowcase than 10 pounds of bowling balls...
Why?
Because of a lack of understanding of physics.
The reason a 10 lb pillow seems less threatening than a 10 lb bowling ball is because not all ten pounds of feathers will make simultaneous impact like the bowling ball will.
Replace the pillowcase with something that will compact the feathers into a tight ball so that the sponginess is lost (meaning that the entire 10 lbs of feathers will make simultaneous impact) and it isn’t fun anymore.
When you compare getting hit with a ten pound bowling ball to a ten pound pillow, you’re really comparing ten pounds of bowling ball to a couple ounces (if that) of feathers, because that’s all that’s going to make impact at once. The rest of the feathers hit you later.
It’s like saying I’d rather take ten bites out of a ten pound bowl of lettuce rather than eat an entire jar of peanut butter.
No duh, it’s because you don’t have to eat it all.
That actually may shed some light on why people try to compare 1,000 calories of lettuce to 1,000 calories of [insert favorite junk food].
It’s because they know they ain’t gonna eat no 1,000 calories of lettuce. That, to me, further proves the point that it’s all about how many calories you eat.
If eating lettuce means you eat fewer calories, that’s why eating lettuce works for you.
It has nothing to do with the calories in lettuce being better than the calories in Oreos.
This is exactly what I meant, if you are hit with feathers they have lower density, hence 10 lbs is not really 10 pounds because technically you wont be hit with them all at once due to their low density. Unless of course they have been compressed to have the same density as a bowling ball in which case, ouch... TLDR; A calorie is not a calories just like a pound is not a pound for the same reason, density...
Is there a facepalm emoji?
Do they not teach science in schools anymore?
Doesn't look like it.3 -
Wynterbourne wrote: »moosmum1972 wrote: »Wynterbourne wrote: »kelly_stevens81 wrote: »Carlos_421 wrote: »moosmum1972 wrote: »kelly_stevens81 wrote: »JerSchmare wrote: »A calorie is a calorie. Like an inch is an inch and a pound is a pound.
TBH though Id rather get hit by 10 pounds of feathers in a pillowcase than 10 pounds of bowling balls...
Why?
Because of a lack of understanding of physics.
The reason a 10 lb pillow seems less threatening than a 10 lb bowling ball is because not all ten pounds of feathers will make simultaneous impact like the bowling ball will.
Replace the pillowcase with something that will compact the feathers into a tight ball so that the sponginess is lost (meaning that the entire 10 lbs of feathers will make simultaneous impact) and it isn’t fun anymore.
When you compare getting hit with a ten pound bowling ball to a ten pound pillow, you’re really comparing ten pounds of bowling ball to a couple ounces (if that) of feathers, because that’s all that’s going to make impact at once. The rest of the feathers hit you later.
It’s like saying I’d rather take ten bites out of a ten pound bowl of lettuce rather than eat an entire jar of peanut butter.
No duh, it’s because you don’t have to eat it all.
That actually may shed some light on why people try to compare 1,000 calories of lettuce to 1,000 calories of [insert favorite junk food].
It’s because they know they ain’t gonna eat no 1,000 calories of lettuce. That, to me, further proves the point that it’s all about how many calories you eat.
If eating lettuce means you eat fewer calories, that’s why eating lettuce works for you.
It has nothing to do with the calories in lettuce being better than the calories in Oreos.
This is exactly what I meant, if you are hit with feathers they have lower density, hence 10 lbs is not really 10 pounds because technically you wont be hit with them all at once due to their low density. Unless of course they have been compressed to have the same density as a bowling ball in which case, ouch... TLDR; A calorie is not a calories just like a pound is not a pound for the same reason, density...
Is there a facepalm emoji?
Do they not teach science in schools anymore?
Doesn't look like it.
I think it's more like people want to treat everything like a factoid you can just Google. I hear so many people talk about things like this with out even doing basic analysis to see if it stands to reason.
"Most people would rather die than thing and many do." Bertrand Russell.3 -
kelly_stevens81 wrote: »Carlos_421 wrote: »moosmum1972 wrote: »kelly_stevens81 wrote: »JerSchmare wrote: »A calorie is a calorie. Like an inch is an inch and a pound is a pound.
TBH though Id rather get hit by 10 pounds of feathers in a pillowcase than 10 pounds of bowling balls...
Why?
Because of a lack of understanding of physics.
The reason a 10 lb pillow seems less threatening than a 10 lb bowling ball is because not all ten pounds of feathers will make simultaneous impact like the bowling ball will.
Replace the pillowcase with something that will compact the feathers into a tight ball so that the sponginess is lost (meaning that the entire 10 lbs of feathers will make simultaneous impact) and it isn’t fun anymore.
When you compare getting hit with a ten pound bowling ball to a ten pound pillow, you’re really comparing ten pounds of bowling ball to a couple ounces (if that) of feathers, because that’s all that’s going to make impact at once. The rest of the feathers hit you later.
It’s like saying I’d rather take ten bites out of a ten pound bowl of lettuce rather than eat an entire jar of peanut butter.
No duh, it’s because you don’t have to eat it all.
That actually may shed some light on why people try to compare 1,000 calories of lettuce to 1,000 calories of [insert favorite junk food].
It’s because they know they ain’t gonna eat no 1,000 calories of lettuce. That, to me, further proves the point that it’s all about how many calories you eat.
If eating lettuce means you eat fewer calories, that’s why eating lettuce works for you.
It has nothing to do with the calories in lettuce being better than the calories in Oreos.
This is exactly what I meant, if you are hit with feathers they have lower density, hence 10 lbs is not really 10 pounds because technically you wont be hit with them all at once due to their low density. Unless of course they have been compressed to have the same density as a bowling ball in which case, ouch... TLDR; A calorie is not a calories just like a pound is not a pound for the same reason, density...
You still don’t get it.
If the feathers are loose, you are not comparing ten pounds to ten pounds. You are comparing ten pounds to a couple of ounces.
It’s like saying “it’s better to eat a bite of lettuce than a whole jar of peanut butter.”
If you actually get hit by ten pounds, it doesn’t matter what the substance is, it will hurt.
Likewise, if you eat 10,000 calories, it doesn’t matter what the food is, you’ll gain weight.8 -
Christine_72 wrote: »I think people take internet blogs/articles etc more seriously than average Joe's opinions/references on an internet forum...
Too bad internet blogs/articles, etc. are typically just some average Joe’s opinion...7 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »See, I think the calories from Oreo's are yucky. They are totally different from the calories in potato chips.
<<runs and hides under desk>>
I wooed you.Wynterbourne wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »See, I think the calories from Oreo's are yucky. They are totally different from the calories in potato chips.
<<runs and hides under desk>>
I also think Oreo calories are yucky. And before any of you Oreo fans condemn me, just remember this; if there is ever a Nuclear/Zombie/Sharknado Apocalypse, it just means more Oreos for you.
I wooed you too.6 -
diannethegeek wrote: »kelly_stevens81 wrote: »Carlos_421 wrote: »moosmum1972 wrote: »kelly_stevens81 wrote: »JerSchmare wrote: »A calorie is a calorie. Like an inch is an inch and a pound is a pound.
TBH though Id rather get hit by 10 pounds of feathers in a pillowcase than 10 pounds of bowling balls...
Why?
Because of a lack of understanding of physics.
The reason a 10 lb pillow seems less threatening than a 10 lb bowling ball is because not all ten pounds of feathers will make simultaneous impact like the bowling ball will.
Replace the pillowcase with something that will compact the feathers into a tight ball so that the sponginess is lost (meaning that the entire 10 lbs of feathers will make simultaneous impact) and it isn’t fun anymore.
When you compare getting hit with a ten pound bowling ball to a ten pound pillow, you’re really comparing ten pounds of bowling ball to a couple ounces (if that) of feathers, because that’s all that’s going to make impact at once. The rest of the feathers hit you later.
It’s like saying I’d rather take ten bites out of a ten pound bowl of lettuce rather than eat an entire jar of peanut butter.
No duh, it’s because you don’t have to eat it all.
That actually may shed some light on why people try to compare 1,000 calories of lettuce to 1,000 calories of [insert favorite junk food].
It’s because they know they ain’t gonna eat no 1,000 calories of lettuce. That, to me, further proves the point that it’s all about how many calories you eat.
If eating lettuce means you eat fewer calories, that’s why eating lettuce works for you.
It has nothing to do with the calories in lettuce being better than the calories in Oreos.
This is exactly what I meant, if you are hit with feathers they have lower density, hence 10 lbs is not really 10 pounds because technically you wont be hit with them all at once due to their low density. Unless of course they have been compressed to have the same density as a bowling ball in which case, ouch... TLDR; A calorie is not a calories just like a pound is not a pound for the same reason, density...
If you're hit with a 10 pound bowling ball it will hurt. If you broke the 10 pound bowling ball into very small pieces and scattered them over a person similar to the feathers it likely would not hurt or hurt less (depending on the velocity of the pieces). Same thing with feathers. Floating down individually, not a big deal. Condensed into a tiny ball the size of a bowling ball and they'll be a whole lot of hurt. A calorie is a calorie and a pound is a pound, but other factors like velocity, density, can change the impact they have.
Either way, it's a metaphor that breaks apart quickly when you try and apply it to calories.
Let's escalate the silliness and pedantry even further. If somebody gently lobs a 140 grain, .45 caliber bullet at your head, it will bounce off you harmlessly. If they shoot it out of the barrel of a gun at you at 845 fps, it will turn your head into a technicolor Rorschach blot on the three walls around you. Yet that bullet still weighs 140 grains either way. And you might ask, "what does this have to do with calories?". And the answer is that it has absolutely nothing to do with calories because we're discussing two completely different things which have no relation to each other.
All these silly metaphors trying to dispute that a calorie is a calorie makes as much sense as saying the inside of a watermelon is red because koala bears sleep in trees in Australia.
But was it a 1911? Because if that happens to me I want it to be a 1911...because classy.
Also, page ten is the best page of this thread so far. Love the surge of puns.5 -
*Quietly raises hand......
I can take or leave Oreos. Mostly leave. There are far superior biscuits (British definition) available, why would I waste the calories on Oreos? Unless vegan, then I think they become essential to life.2 -
VintageFeline wrote: »*Quietly raises hand......
I can take or leave Oreos. Mostly leave. There are far superior biscuits (British definition) available, why would I waste the calories on Oreos? Unless vegan, then I think they become essential to life.
I have to say. I tried TimTams, because of @Carlos_421 's Oreo thread. They were not awesome.0 -
VintageFeline wrote: »*Quietly raises hand......
I can take or leave Oreos. Mostly leave. There are far superior biscuits (British definition) available, why would I waste the calories on Oreos? Unless vegan, then I think they become essential to life.
I’m starting to think Oreos available in Britain are sub-par to American Oreos. Too many Brits saying the same thing.2 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »VintageFeline wrote: »*Quietly raises hand......
I can take or leave Oreos. Mostly leave. There are far superior biscuits (British definition) available, why would I waste the calories on Oreos? Unless vegan, then I think they become essential to life.
I have to say. I tried TimTams, because of @Carlos_421 's Oreo thread. They were not awesome.
When you’ve had the best, the rest wont do.2 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »VintageFeline wrote: »*Quietly raises hand......
I can take or leave Oreos. Mostly leave. There are far superior biscuits (British definition) available, why would I waste the calories on Oreos? Unless vegan, then I think they become essential to life.
I’m starting to think Oreos available in Britain are sub-par to American Oreos. Too many Brits saying the same thing.
I'm an American and Oreos aren't my cup of tea either. It's a good thing the cookie aisle is so big!2
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 392K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.8K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.7K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 400 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.4K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 991 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.4K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions