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If a calorie is a calorie, why do we see this?

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Replies

  • magnusthenerd
    magnusthenerd Posts: 1,207 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    (snip for reply length)
    This does remind me though that this morning I saw Menno showing a study that showed on long term predictions of weight maintenance seems to do with variability in weight.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31949298
    Menno felt with his clients the less variability in weight, the more the life style they're doing is a maintainable one instead of reactionary.

    Reading only the abstract (since the article appears to be behind a paywall): Maintainability, perhaps (which I assume is equivalent to sustainability, in this context?); or perhaps just extent of personal commitment to change at that point. I support the idea of research to substantiate common sense, and this seems like it might be that sort of thing. To put it in MFP-common lingo I don't really believe in, are we saying that people who fall off the wagon more often along the way are less successful in the long run?

    This is not a diss of anyone for "lack of commitment", BTW: I've tried to change many times, in many ways. When I decide to change, I change, as long as the relevant factors are under my control. I've often mused about what it is that makes that switch flip: If I could consciously control it completely in all cases, that would be useful. People say all kinds of things about discipline and determination and motivation, but those are somewhat-circular abstractions, IMO, so not very satisfying as explanations.

    I'm thinking the fluxation is more a symptom of many possible things than a cause.
    Leaving it at falling off the wagon still feels proximal; it feels like it leaves it at willpower. I think the hypothesis Menno would push is the fall offs represents not a lack of will, but setting up changes that use up too much willpower to sustain. Or maybe I'm putting words in Menno's mouth unfairly. I'd say that is how I would hypothesize the study.
  • SnifterPug
    SnifterPug Posts: 746 Member
    SnifterPug wrote: »

    Why We Eat (Too Much) by Dr Andrew Jenkinson


    As for Jekinson, I'm not sure what his book says, but isn't bariatric surgery predicated on the idea that the amount of food matters to weight? Most weight loss surgery causes an inability to take in large amounts of high fiber foods, the ones usually agreed upon as "healthy", good for you, and "necessary" for weight loss by people claiming clean eating is needed, not counting calories.

    Jenkinson's book was inspired by the stories of his patients and is not about bariatric surgery (though it touches on the fact that the more modern methods such as the bypass and sleeve) are much more effective long term because they either trigger early release of satiety hormones or remove the cells that secrete ghrelin and thus reduce appetite).

    He was struck by how many people tell exactly the same story - namely that they have tried CICO and yoyo dieted for years, and now feel they are useless, have no willpower, and that surgery is the only course left open to them. So he wondered if there is a genetic aspect to obesity (apparently there is) but his main theory is that the body has what he calls a weight set point in terms of how much fat it wants to carry. If you give it the necessary signals then you can affect that set point up or down. The body will ultimately force you to get to its own set point by altering your appetite and metabolism, much as it regulates your water levels by altering thirst and urine production to maintain homeostasis. In the case of a crash dieter the body reckons you are in a famine and if you force your body below its fat storage set point it will learn from that and prepare you better to survive a future famine (by means of laying down even more reserves of fat the minute it has a chance).

    There's loads of really interesting stuff in there, including how the food industry has much to answer for, given that the obesity crisis only really kicked off in the 80s after we all started getting told to eat low fat.

  • SnifterPug
    SnifterPug Posts: 746 Member
    @lemurcat2 - quite so. And a big nail you have hit the head of, so far as the Jenkins book is concerned, is the word "products". He has a big downer on processed foods (which also mushroomed in the 80s along with all the possibly spurious government health advice).
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    edited February 2020
    If I remember correctly, "lowfat" was also about Baby Boomers getting into their forties and starting to worry about heart disease. Fat was bad for that. That huge demographic included people who were hitting the natural middle-aged "spread." We were working indoors at desks and driving everywhere and using TV as the leisure activity. Heck, there were even remote controls! What scorcery is this!?

  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    Well, this is a preliminary study of 93 females with average BMI ~30. They were split into two groups and tracked for 12 weeks. The "big breakfast" group lost more weight than the "big dinner" group. I note that, due to the difficulties of logging, you can't be sure that the "big breakfast" group didn't just plain eat less overall than the "big dinner" group.

    Preliminary studies such as these are very important for scientific progress, but larger

    Also, never confuse the mean with the individual: If you don't seem to mind skipping breakfast and it helps you lose weight, you should still do that.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    If I remember correctly, "lowfat" was also about Baby Boomers getting into their forties and starting to worry about heart disease. Fat was bad for that. That huge demographic included people who were hitting the natural middle-aged "spread." We were working indoors at desks and driving everywhere and using TV as the leisure activity. Heck, there were even remote controls! What scorcery is this!?

    As I recall, when we got the remote control it was constantly disappearing much like the occasional single sock from the dryer. My dad was constantly convinced someone took or hid it. I consider that some kind of jokster sorcerer, for sure.
  • mullanphylane
    mullanphylane Posts: 172 Member
    What did they do after eating? Resting calorie burn? Too many unaddressed variables to say why and that render the study pretty much useless.
  • yogacat13
    yogacat13 Posts: 124 Member
    SnifterPug wrote: »
    SnifterPug wrote: »

    Why We Eat (Too Much) by Dr Andrew Jenkinson


    As for Jekinson, I'm not sure what his book says, but isn't bariatric surgery predicated on the idea that the amount of food matters to weight? Most weight loss surgery causes an inability to take in large amounts of high fiber foods, the ones usually agreed upon as "healthy", good for you, and "necessary" for weight loss by people claiming clean eating is needed, not counting calories.

    Jenkinson's book was inspired by the stories of his patients and is not about bariatric surgery (though it touches on the fact that the more modern methods such as the bypass and sleeve) are much more effective long term because they either trigger early release of satiety hormones or remove the cells that secrete ghrelin and thus reduce appetite).

    He was struck by how many people tell exactly the same story - namely that they have tried CICO and yoyo dieted for years, and now feel they are useless, have no willpower, and that surgery is the only course left open to them. So he wondered if there is a genetic aspect to obesity (apparently there is) but his main theory is that the body has what he calls a weight set point in terms of how much fat it wants to carry. If you give it the necessary signals then you can affect that set point up or down. The body will ultimately force you to get to its own set point by altering your appetite and metabolism, much as it regulates your water levels by altering thirst and urine production to maintain homeostasis. In the case of a crash dieter the body reckons you are in a famine and if you force your body below its fat storage set point it will learn from that and prepare you better to survive a future famine (by means of laying down even more reserves of fat the minute it has a chance).

    There's loads of really interesting stuff in there, including how the food industry has much to answer for, given that the obesity crisis only really kicked off in the 80s after we all started getting told to eat low fat.

    I've read Jenkinson's book - I found it quite well-researched and persuasive. I'm using some of the steps it suggests now, like avoiding sugar, considering the glycemic load each time I eat (which is basically ensuring that I never eat carbs on their own but always with some protein of some sort), and getting a handle on the Omega 3/6 ratio in the fats I consume. It seems to be helping, and I have to say avoiding sugar has resulted in a significant improvement in my day to day energy levels. All in all, I would say his book is worth a read.
  • saintor1
    saintor1 Posts: 376 Member
    I was always told to eat more food early in the day and less at dinner so you're not overlapping sleep with digestion.

    Well it turns out that those who told you so might be *correct*, even if the reason might not be.



  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,281 Member
    How so?
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,981 Member
    saintor1 wrote: »
    I was always told to eat more food early in the day and less at dinner so you're not overlapping sleep with digestion.

    Well it turns out that those who told you so might be *correct*, even if the reason might not be.



    There's nothing correct about the idea that sleep and digestion shouldn't happen at the same time. In fact, as you're ignoring, it's already been pointed out that this would be pretty much impossible, as digestion takes place over a few days and humans require sleep and food on a schedule that would make separation of the two impossible.

    well, I wouldn't say impossible but certainly improbable, uncomfortable, and unhealthy. That would be some extreme version of IF, though!
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,092 Member
    saintor1 wrote: »
    I was always told to eat more food early in the day and less at dinner so you're not overlapping sleep with digestion.

    Well it turns out that those who told you so might be *correct*, even if the reason might not be.



    There's nothing correct about the idea that sleep and digestion shouldn't happen at the same time. In fact, as you're ignoring, it's already been pointed out that this would be pretty much impossible, as digestion takes place over a few days and humans require sleep and food on a schedule that would make separation of the two impossible.

    well, I wouldn't say impossible but certainly improbable, uncomfortable, and unhealthy. That would be some extreme version of IF and prolonged periods of sleeplessness, though!

    FIFY
  • wruper
    wruper Posts: 43 Member
    Sure wish I Could sleep better. Feel better in morning fasting than after I eat. Usually don't eat breakfast until noon or a bit after.
  • saintor1
    saintor1 Posts: 376 Member
    SEVENTH

    Study made in Germany just published in the The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
    https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/105/3/dgz311/5740411

    Discussion

    Our data show that the time of day of food intake makes a difference in humans’ energy expenditure and metabolic responses to meals.
    ...
    We clearlyshow that DIT is 2.5 times higher after breakfast than after dinner.
    ...
    Overall, the diurnal variations in DIT, independent of the calorie content of the meals, imply that the time of food intake is important not only in the prevention of obesity but also in terms of diets for weight loss.


  • magnusthenerd
    magnusthenerd Posts: 1,207 Member
    saintor1 wrote: »
    SEVENTH

    Study made in Germany just published in the The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
    https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/105/3/dgz311/5740411

    Discussion

    Our data show that the time of day of food intake makes a difference in humans’ energy expenditure and metabolic responses to meals.
    ...
    We clearlyshow that DIT is 2.5 times higher after breakfast than after dinner.
    ...
    Overall, the diurnal variations in DIT, independent of the calorie content of the meals, imply that the time of food intake is important not only in the prevention of obesity but also in terms of diets for weight loss.


    What even is DIT?
  • estherpotter1
    estherpotter1 Posts: 141 Member
    I just listened to an article on utube.It said if we lower our calories our bodies start to use less calories and can maintain on 1000 calories.He said the way to get down to a healthy weigh to eat mostly whole food and not much junk food.
  • estherpotter1
    estherpotter1 Posts: 141 Member
    thanks,that was a horrible thought to be maintaining at just 1000 calories and no loger losing weight.
  • magnusthenerd
    magnusthenerd Posts: 1,207 Member
    thanks,that was a horrible thought to be maintaining at just 1000 calories and no loger losing weight.

    A generic RMR calculator wouldn't even put that as resting maintenance for 70 pound, 4ft tall woman.