Is it really just calories in calories out?
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CindyJNC1963 wrote: »estherdragonbat wrote: »Cahgetsfit wrote: »yes and no. yes it's basically CICO. and fad diets - just don't go there.
some tips - work out your maintenance calories then drop by not too much - don't go gung ho for losing 2 kgs a week or whatever while you're starving because it's too hard to adhere to anything that is too uncomfortable.
Feeling a bit peckish is one thing - you can trick yourself to stop feeling peckish by drinking some herbal tea or eating some diet jelly or something. You can't trick yourself to stop feeling like there is a massive hole in your stomach and you're about to eat the couch.
slow and stead is the way to go.
Now, the no part of my answer is that as well as CICO, other things can help such as more exercise, looking at hormones and if they are out of whack taking the right supplements/eating the right foods to help fix that.
Also - making choices that will help you feel full - if you can get a massive volume meal in but it's only like 300 calories, it feels like you've eaten heaps but it's not much. For example, I always have a gigantic salad in a fruit bowl. it's always around 300 grams. some sort of meat and a bunch of stuff like carrots and whatever else is around. it takes me ages to eat becuase there is so much volume and therefore I think I ate heaps. if i'd had a sandwich for example, at the same calories, i'd think I was hungry again in 2 seconds. But that's just me - so it's a strategy i've come up to help me.
And everyone is different so you need to find what works for you. Lots of small meals? 3 big meals? fasting until a certain time and then eating?
At the end of the day the calories in vs calories out is the main player in your weight loss and you can make it work for you without too much pain or starvation.
And don't just settle on the 1200 that MFP seems to spit out for everyone. try something like https://tdeecalculator.net/
Good luck with your journey!!
That's actually part of CICO. Exercise increases the CO part of the equation. Hormones may increase or decrease it.
As far as the 1200, MFP generally spits that out for 1) people who are very short and close to goal or 2) people saying they want to lose 2lbs/week when that's too aggressive a target. It has me on 1360 to lose 1/2lb/week (I'm 5'3 and within 10lbs of a healthy BMI). When I started, 107lbs ago, I told MFP I wanted to lose 1lb/week and it gave me 1710.
MFP also gave me a suggestion of 1700 calories initially but I upgraded to Premier so that I could reset it down to 1350 calories, which is where my doctor wants me to be.
The free version allows you to set your own daily target. The premium allows you to have different daily targets though, if you want to mix it up throughout the week, or are following a 5:2 intermittent fasting schedule.6 -
brandigyrl81 wrote: »
Because it's so, so simple yet so many insist on making it so, so difficult.8 -
ladydark2018 wrote: »Yo-yo dieter here and I am overwhelmed with Information on various diets. I have gained 40 pounds on an antidepressant, and can’t get off them due to anxiety issues. So I’m trying to figure out a way of eating and stick to it. I always self sabotage and jump from one diet to another and I decided I finally need to find something and stick with it. I have done keto (don’t last for more than a few days) ... fasting.... ONe meal a day.... but does it really only boil down to calories in calories out? Any help I can get will be appreciated
Yes...a calorie is a unit of energy...your body requires XXXX amount of energy to maintain the status quot. Energy (calories) consumed in excess get stored for later use. Your body fat is basically your body's backup generator for when energy coming in doesn't meet the body's requirements. So, when you consume energy that is insufficient to maintain the status quot, your backup generator kicks on and you burn body fat to make up for the difference.8 -
lauracups3149 wrote: »No. Hormones play a huge part and anyone who woes isn't struggling in menopause.
It's still CICO though...things like hormones just change the equation.20 -
Nope. Calories are not all created equal. And people will argue and argue and argue on here. Is 1500 calories of twinkies and 1500 calories of 'normal' food all still 1500 calories? Sure! But, will you feel the same and will your body respond the same to all. NO. and i'm sorry, but keto and any other diet is crap. Eat as healthy as you can. Incorporate whole foods and cook your own food as much as possible. You WILL lose the weight. But consistency is key. I like to plan out my whole weeks worth of food and pre log to look at macros and the numbers. It helps me stay focused and not stray. I like to continue to eat somewhat normal foods and calorie ranges (i eat between 1450 and 1600 calories and burn between 300 and 800 for exercise a day) so that i can keep it as a lifestyle and not just a fad diet. Good luck!61
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a calorie is a measure of energy - so YES all calories are created equal - HOWEVER, how you will feel after eating different types of food is different
calories for weight loss; macros/ntuents for satiaty/health17 -
danigirl1011 wrote: »Nope. Calories are not all created equal. And people will argue and argue and argue on here. Is 1500 calories of twinkies and 1500 calories of 'normal' food all still 1500 calories? Sure! But, will you feel the same and will your body respond the same to all. NO. and i'm sorry, but keto and any other diet is crap. Eat as healthy as you can. Incorporate whole foods and cook your own food as much as possible. You WILL lose the weight. But consistency is key. I like to plan out my whole weeks worth of food and pre log to look at macros and the numbers. It helps me stay focused and not stray. I like to continue to eat somewhat normal foods and calorie ranges (i eat between 1450 and 1600 calories and burn between 300 and 800 for exercise a day) so that i can keep it as a lifestyle and not just a fad diet. Good luck!
You make the same mistake virtually every "a calorie is not a calorie" person does. You confuse energy balance with nutrition. Not the same thing.
A calorie is a unit of measure. A mile is a mile, whether you walk it, run it, drive it, fly over it or crawl it. Whether it's uphill, downhill, on a paved highway or a mountain trail. Whether it's -30 degrees or 130 degrees. Whether you're barefoot, in shoes, or on roller skates. If you travel a mile under any of those conditions, it's still a mile. Calories are like that too.38 -
danigirl1011 wrote: »Nope. Calories are not all created equal. And people will argue and argue and argue on here. Is 1500 calories of twinkies and 1500 calories of 'normal' food all still 1500 calories? Sure! But, will you feel the same and will your body respond the same to all. NO. and i'm sorry, but keto and any other diet is crap. Eat as healthy as you can. Incorporate whole foods and cook your own food as much as possible. You WILL lose the weight. But consistency is key. I like to plan out my whole weeks worth of food and pre log to look at macros and the numbers. It helps me stay focused and not stray. I like to continue to eat somewhat normal foods and calorie ranges (i eat between 1450 and 1600 calories and burn between 300 and 800 for exercise a day) so that i can keep it as a lifestyle and not just a fad diet. Good luck!
Nobody has ever said that calories are equal from a nutritional stand point. A calorie is a unit of measure and doesn't imply anything from a nutritional standpoint. And yes...you could lose weight eating 1500 calories of Twinkies if that is lower than your maintenance calories...but it's a dumb argument in that it has absolutely no basis in reality because nobody is going to do that, nor is anyone advocating for such a thing. I think it's pretty obvious that someone would feel pretty crappy eating nothing but junk food...but they could absolutely still lose weight doing so.16 -
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P.s. Search online foods that heal the body and things that balance hormones. It can help your body not to hold onto weight because of hormonal balances.67
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danigirl1011 wrote: »P.s. Search online foods that heal the body and things that balance hormones. It can help your body not to hold onto weight because of hormonal balances.
Nope. That's all pseudoscientific BS postulated by quacks.27 -
there is no food that "heals" hormones - and you likely wouldn't find any scientific studies supporting that hypothesis either21
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danigirl1011 wrote: »Nope. Calories are not all created equal. And people will argue and argue and argue on here. Is 1500 calories of twinkies and 1500 calories of 'normal' food all still 1500 calories? Sure! But, will you feel the same and will your body respond the same to all. NO. and i'm sorry, but keto and any other diet is crap. Eat as healthy as you can. Incorporate whole foods and cook your own food as much as possible. You WILL lose the weight. But consistency is key. I like to plan out my whole weeks worth of food and pre log to look at macros and the numbers. It helps me stay focused and not stray. I like to continue to eat somewhat normal foods and calorie ranges (i eat between 1450 and 1600 calories and burn between 300 and 800 for exercise a day) so that i can keep it as a lifestyle and not just a fad diet. Good luck!
No one suggested to eat 1500 calories of twinkies, so whose post specifically are you responding to?
Considering in the last several days you've logged donuts, Velveeta, Chilly Cow ice cream, cliff bars, IHOP, and Lara bars I don't see how you are eating any differently than the posts in this thread would suggest.
When talking about weight loss exclusively, you can eat whatever you want as long as you stick to your calories. What you eat is important for satiety and health, however, as everyone has mentioned here. But if you eat a well balanced diet, you can fit in your fave treats and you will still lose weight just fine. There are tons of posters here who can verify that from experience, myself included.31 -
deannalfisher wrote: »there is no food that "heals" hormones - and you likely wouldn't find any scientific studies supporting that hypothesis either
...waits for a link to Mercola or Taubes' websites.
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danigirl1011 wrote: »Nope. Calories are not all created equal. And people will argue and argue and argue on here. Is 1500 calories of twinkies and 1500 calories of 'normal' food all still 1500 calories? Sure! But, will you feel the same and will your body respond the same to all. NO. and i'm sorry, but keto and any other diet is crap. Eat as healthy as you can. Incorporate whole foods and cook your own food as much as possible. You WILL lose the weight. But consistency is key. I like to plan out my whole weeks worth of food and pre log to look at macros and the numbers. It helps me stay focused and not stray. I like to continue to eat somewhat normal foods and calorie ranges (i eat between 1450 and 1600 calories and burn between 300 and 800 for exercise a day) so that i can keep it as a lifestyle and not just a fad diet. Good luck!
You make the same mistake virtually every "a calorie is not a calorie" person does. You confuse energy balance with nutrition. Not the same thing.
A calorie is a unit of measure. A mile is a mile, whether you walk it, run it, drive it, fly over it or crawl it. Whether it's uphill, downhill, on a paved highway or a mountain trail. Whether it's -30 degrees or 130 degrees. Whether you're barefoot, in shoes, or on roller skates. If you travel a mile under any of those conditions, it's still a mile. Calories are like that too.
To extend this metaphor, how you feel after each of those mile completions will vary. So the mile is the numeric value, like a calorie. And the method of getting there is your nutritional choices.14 -
danigirl1011 wrote: »P.s. Search online foods that heal the body and things that balance hormones. It can help your body not to hold onto weight because of hormonal balances.
This isn't a thing, except in the world of charlatans who want you to buy their books.
Signed,
A post menopausal woman with a bum thyroid who lost 90 pounds without eating any special foods in any special combination30 -
danigirl1011 wrote: »Nope. Calories are not all created equal. And people will argue and argue and argue on here. Is 1500 calories of twinkies and 1500 calories of 'normal' food all still 1500 calories? Sure! But, will you feel the same and will your body respond the same to all. NO. and i'm sorry, but keto and any other diet is crap. Eat as healthy as you can. Incorporate whole foods and cook your own food as much as possible. You WILL lose the weight. But consistency is key. I like to plan out my whole weeks worth of food and pre log to look at macros and the numbers. It helps me stay focused and not stray. I like to continue to eat somewhat normal foods and calorie ranges (i eat between 1450 and 1600 calories and burn between 300 and 800 for exercise a day) so that i can keep it as a lifestyle and not just a fad diet. Good luck!
How come in every one of these ridiculous straw man comparisons, the people saying a calorie is a calorie and that CICO is what matters for weight loss are limited to just a single food, in this case twinkies, and the people who say that nutrition is important (which no one is disputing) get to eat the same amount of calories of "normal" food presumably a varied diet filled with a balance of macro and micronutrients? Why does one side get one food and the other side get everything "healthy"? If you're going to play ridiculous straw man bingo at least take one single "healthy" food for your side of the argument. So what would you like? Broccoli? Chicken Breast? Spinach? Tofu?17 -
danigirl1011 wrote: »P.s. Search online foods that heal the body and things that balance hormones. It can help your body not to hold onto weight because of hormonal balances.
The only thing that I can think of where this makes sense is in the context of refeeds and diet breaks, where someone has either been in an aggressive cut or a prolonged diet.3 -
WinoGelato wrote: »danigirl1011 wrote: »Nope. Calories are not all created equal. And people will argue and argue and argue on here. Is 1500 calories of twinkies and 1500 calories of 'normal' food all still 1500 calories? Sure! But, will you feel the same and will your body respond the same to all. NO. and i'm sorry, but keto and any other diet is crap. Eat as healthy as you can. Incorporate whole foods and cook your own food as much as possible. You WILL lose the weight. But consistency is key. I like to plan out my whole weeks worth of food and pre log to look at macros and the numbers. It helps me stay focused and not stray. I like to continue to eat somewhat normal foods and calorie ranges (i eat between 1450 and 1600 calories and burn between 300 and 800 for exercise a day) so that i can keep it as a lifestyle and not just a fad diet. Good luck!
How come in every one of these ridiculous straw man comparisons, the people saying a calorie is a calorie and that CICO is what matters for weight loss are limited to just a single food, in this case twinkies, and the people who say that nutrition is important (which no one is disputing) get to eat the same amount of calories of "normal" food presumably a varied diet filled with a balance of macro and micronutrients? Why does one side get one food and the other side get everything "healthy"? If you're going to play ridiculous straw man bingo at least take one single "healthy" food for your side of the argument. So what would you like? Broccoli? Chicken Breast? Spinach? Tofu?
Twinkies made with tofu? https://www.instructables.com/id/Organic-Vegan-Twinkie-Recipe/3 -
WinoGelato wrote: »danigirl1011 wrote: »Nope. Calories are not all created equal. And people will argue and argue and argue on here. Is 1500 calories of twinkies and 1500 calories of 'normal' food all still 1500 calories? Sure! But, will you feel the same and will your body respond the same to all. NO. and i'm sorry, but keto and any other diet is crap. Eat as healthy as you can. Incorporate whole foods and cook your own food as much as possible. You WILL lose the weight. But consistency is key. I like to plan out my whole weeks worth of food and pre log to look at macros and the numbers. It helps me stay focused and not stray. I like to continue to eat somewhat normal foods and calorie ranges (i eat between 1450 and 1600 calories and burn between 300 and 800 for exercise a day) so that i can keep it as a lifestyle and not just a fad diet. Good luck!
How come in every one of these ridiculous straw man comparisons, the people saying a calorie is a calorie and that CICO is what matters for weight loss are limited to just a single food, in this case twinkies, and the people who say that nutrition is important (which no one is disputing) get to eat the same amount of calories of "normal" food presumably a varied diet filled with a balance of macro and micronutrients? Why does one side get one food and the other side get everything "healthy"? If you're going to play ridiculous straw man bingo at least take one single "healthy" food for your side of the argument. So what would you like? Broccoli? Chicken Breast? Spinach? Tofu?
Twinkies made with tofu? https://www.instructables.com/id/Organic-Vegan-Twinkie-Recipe/
Life is too short for that much fuss over what is likely, at best, a mediocre snack cake. There's chocolate out there people. Vegan chocolate if you want to go that route. Perspective!12
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