A Calorie is NOT just a Calorie

kgreenRDLDN

because I thought if I ate HEALTHY calories as he's saying then I could eat a lot more calories.. but if its calories in vs out as you have all jumped the *kitten* all ove rme about then I will continue to do what im doing. was just trying to share something I thought was interesting. will never happen again

We are not jumping all over you for wanting to share, we are jumping all over the article that is based on opinion and not science. Also the fact that you are eating too few calories at 900 cal/day. Never drop below 1200 otherwise you will hinder your weight loss by putting your body into starvation mode.

pritam_pyare

CAN'T. STOP. READING.

This is very interesting.

"newish" person over here, sorry!

What do you mean to say exactly?

tennisdude2004

I eat primal.

Wanted to see how other diets stack up.

And I'll be honest not that impressed with MFP.

Some (not all) seem to be a bit naïve and uneducated about how food is broken down in the body,

By educated you of course mean the story made up that cherrypicks a bit of research (generally from low level, low respect journals) that somewhat supports it (ignoring all the stuff that doesn't) despite rejecting and downright laughing at the "wrong" mainstream establishment interpretation of said research and all other research.

Who's the naïve one?

You think that Mark, a suppliment salesman, gets it right, while thousands of pH level nutrition researchers are wrong. Gotcha.

Never go to just one source of information the best way to get information is to go through multiple sources.

Or maybe just do everything people on MFP say?? Is that what you mean?

So, because we're saying: eat a calorie deficit, eat any type of foods at moderation, weigh foods to be accurate, and we've been doing this for a while, doing our research, and we've all been successful at it, we don't know what we're talking about? And you, who is following a fad diet that is not nutritionally sound, still has weight to lose, and hasn't done the research, want to discount everything we're saying? Why are you even in the forums?

I don't know.

I kinda stumbled in and now I'm hooked.

One of your members posted an article which does not in anyway state that what you are doing will not be successful, they just explained how the food you consume is dealt with by your bodies and a lot of you have just dismissed it because it does not fit into the paradigm you have been told.

Believe it or not the earth is not flat.

That article is crap, with constant contradictions and nothing cited. Crap is crap is crap.


As it would happen calories are calories are calorie so the title of this thread? Also crap.

Macros and nutrition are a separate (though related) issue. But the thread didn't state "All food choices aren't equal" or "The Body doesn't break down all macronutrients the same." It says a calorie isn't a calorie. And that's false.

I think what it is trying to say is not all calories are created equal. Different foods do (or offer) different things to the body. I think maybe some of you got a bit hung up on the title.

A lot of you seem really touchy, I don't think anyone is belittling your efforts. You've all been on a journey and come out the other end better for it (or some are still on that journey).

You've lost weight because you've regulated your bodies ability to burn the calories you have consumed either through extra exercise (or general movement) or through consuming less calories.

All the article was trying to do was explain how that worked (it's not magic, there is some science behind it). Agreed there were some patchy bits but on the whole the article was accurate.

SanteMulberry

1) While there are hormones (cortisol, insulin, leptin, etc.) that influence how many calories are taken from where (and, unfortunately, with the "wrong" hormonal profile, many of the calories are taken from lean tissue when on a calorie-deficit), it IS ultimately, calories in, calories out. 2) If one is going to eat at a calorie-deficit, it only makes sense (in terms of preserving health) to make most of the food choices be nourishing ones. 3) Eating only 900 calories a day is counter-productive to long-term healthy weight goals (and health in general). Most normal-sized adults need a minimum of 1,200 (healthy, well-chosen) calories a day to maintain muscle mass and other important bodily structures. 4) The reason why diets that emphasize meat and vegetables work for many people (and the statistical studies prove it) is that they curb the appetite and help those following the diet stay on it--BUT what is ultimately working for them is lower calories. (However, there can be significant changes to the hormonal profiles of people who follow them).

redheaddee

A calorie IS just a calorie. The devil is in the macronutrients.

delicious_cocktail

This one time, on a dare, I stuck a whole celery stick in my mouth

My dear, you had my interest, but now you have my attention.

dinmaris7

Down 70 lbs on 1650 cals a day avg over that last 9 months (I joined mfp more recently hence why it's down only 22 on here). I eat fish, turkey, whole wheats, cheeses, yogurt, protein shakes, some veggies, coffee and water and splurge one day a week on whatever suits my fancy. I'm living proof a cal is just a cal.

tennisdude2004

CAN'T. STOP. READING.

This is very interesting.

"newish" person over here, sorry!

Don't tell em you're new, they shoot strangers!!!

twixlepennie

I've been struggling with knowing the truth if it matters where my calories come from.. found this AWESOME article that puts logic to it all. Worth the read

http://authoritynutrition.com/debunking-the-calorie-myth/

A great article.

For everyone who is dismissing it and backing their a calorie is just a calorie - did you lose your weight by eating a low calorie count of junk food or by eating healthy.

Well done on all of your successes. I am sure though at the heart of each of them what you ate was the result of the success you had.

<

---

have lost almost 60lbs while eating fast food 3-4 times a week, 'processed' foods like LC dinners, diet soda, cookies (especially Oreos), chips etc. As well as things like veggies, whole grains, eggs etc.

Lost the weight/now maintaining, and my blood panel has improved significantly, including no longer having a glucose level in the per-diabetic range :drinker:

WhiteRabbit1313

all you people saying you lost weight reducing calories, great for you, but you'd look and feel better if your calories came from better sources. my weight loss was slower and i looked "soft" eating whatever i wanted for my calories, even though i kept them low, like 1200-1400. then i found i could eat up to 1800-2000 calories of good, clean, non-processed foods, without gaining, and i look a lot leaner then when i was still eating junk. plus, why in the hell would you want to fuel your body with pizza, ice cream and soda? that is not fuel to me. i have always liked the term "empty calories" because frankly that's what they are. you aren't benefiting your brain or organs very much when you eat crap. plus not to mention you are supporting the food giants who care NOTHING about you and only about profit.

Here's a little news flash...the vast majority of us who eat "junk" food and pizza, etc...we don't make that stuff the bulk of our diets. I would assume there are a handful of people who do, but the vast majority of us eat very nutrient dense diets...I myself get around 6-8 servings of vegetables per day and a couple servings of fruit...I get most of my fats from things like nuts, avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, etc...I eat lots of lean proteins including fish 2-3 times per week...and I eat whole oats and other whole grains...

I also eat regular old wheat flour tortillas on a regular basis because they are a staple food in NM. I eat quite a bit of regular old semolina flour pasta...I eat pizza at my favorite local pizzeria pretty much every Friday night with the family and make a pilgrimage to the Urban Hot Dog Company for a big old polish sausage and basket of fries at least a couple times per month. I eat ice cream a couple of times per week and regularly indulge in dark chocolate. I drink the occasional full sugar soda and I love beer and bourbon.

The point being that it doesn't have to be an all or nothing proposition and this is what gets lost on so many people. All of these arguments are the same...and compare 100% "clean eating" or whatever to 100% junk food eating...the truth is that comparison is pretty stupid because nobody thrives really on 100% junk food and I've yet to meat anyone who is actually 100% "clean" 100% of the time either.

^^This is definitely true, in my case. I eat a ton more veggies and fruits now than I did a few years ago. I also eat cake, without guilt, now...unless, it's the reason I went over my budget, then I blame the broccoli. (J/k! I just try to go under my goal the next day and don't worry about it. Averages count, not individual days.)

_Zardoz_

Can everyone Here that? Yes Shhhhhh quietly theres a rumbling sound. You hear it now? See it's getting louder.


It's James Prescott Joule Spinning in his Grave



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Prescott_Joule

bpotts44

Are any of the calorie in/calorie out folks denying that different foods don't have different hormonal responses, which is basically what the article was stating?

The difference between what this article is discussing and calorie counting is that if you don't count calories and rely on your satiety to determine how much you eat, the hormonal effects of your foods matter greatly. However, if you count calories and have the self control to follow it very accurately then you basically aren't relying on your body's hunger/satiety signals and basically bypassing your hormonal system in terms of caloric consumption.

Me personally, I lost my weight counting calories and kept it off by changing the foods I ate. I've also greatly improved by health markers as well by increasing food quality and supplementation.

Achrya

I eat primal.

Wanted to see how other diets stack up.

And I'll be honest not that impressed with MFP.

Some (not all) seem to be a bit naïve and uneducated about how food is broken down in the body,

By educated you of course mean the story made up that cherrypicks a bit of research (generally from low level, low respect journals) that somewhat supports it (ignoring all the stuff that doesn't) despite rejecting and downright laughing at the "wrong" mainstream establishment interpretation of said research and all other research.

Who's the naïve one?

You think that Mark, a suppliment salesman, gets it right, while thousands of pH level nutrition researchers are wrong. Gotcha.

Never go to just one source of information the best way to get information is to go through multiple sources.

Or maybe just do everything people on MFP say?? Is that what you mean?

So, because we're saying: eat a calorie deficit, eat any type of foods at moderation, weigh foods to be accurate, and we've been doing this for a while, doing our research, and we've all been successful at it, we don't know what we're talking about? And you, who is following a fad diet that is not nutritionally sound, still has weight to lose, and hasn't done the research, want to discount everything we're saying? Why are you even in the forums?

I don't know.

I kinda stumbled in and now I'm hooked.

One of your members posted an article which does not in anyway state that what you are doing will not be successful, they just explained how the food you consume is dealt with by your bodies and a lot of you have just dismissed it because it does not fit into the paradigm you have been told.

Believe it or not the earth is not flat.

That article is crap, with constant contradictions and nothing cited. Crap is crap is crap.


As it would happen calories are calories are calorie so the title of this thread? Also crap.

Macros and nutrition are a separate (though related) issue. But the thread didn't state "All food choices aren't equal" or "The Body doesn't break down all macronutrients the same." It says a calorie isn't a calorie. And that's false.

I think what it is trying to say is not all calories are created equal. Different foods do (or offer) different things to the body. I think maybe some of you got a bit hung up on the title.

A lot of you seem really touchy, I don't think anyone is belittling your efforts. You've all been on a journey and come out the other end better for it (or some are still on that journey).

You've lost weight because you've regulated your bodies ability to burn the calories you have consumed either through extra exercise (or general movement) or through consuming less calories.

All the article was trying to do was explain how that worked (it's not magic, there is some science behind it). Agreed there were some patchy bits but on the whole the article was accurate.

All calories are equal. A calorie is a unit of measure and as such are equal. Period, point blank, end of that train of thought. To state otherwise is just...Well wrong.

I'm not sure how else I can put that.

auddii

Are any of the calorie in/calorie out folks denying that different foods don't have different hormonal responses, which is basically what the article was stating?

The difference between what this article is discussing and calorie counting is that if you don't count calories and rely on your satiety to determine how much you eat, the hormonal effects of your foods matter greatly. However, if you count calories and have the self control to follow it very accurately then you basically aren't relying on your body's hunger/satiety signals and basically bypassing your hormonal system in terms of caloric consumption.

Me personally, I lost my weight counting calories and kept it off by changing the foods I ate. I've also greatly improved by health markers as well by increasing food quality and supplementation.

I'm pretty sure everyone read the title of the thread and not much else.

jonnythan

CAN'T. STOP. READING.

This is very interesting.

"newish" person over here, sorry!

Don't tell em you're new, they shoot strangers!!!

We only shoot the new people who have zero success when they are telling everyone else on the board - people who have achieved all the things you are trying to achieve yourself - that they're doing it all wrong, don't know anything about nutrition, are unhealthy, etc.

pritam_pyare

Why would anyyone need to tell...It says so below your name doesn't it
Even u've joined inJan 2014...last month, not old :P

tennisdude2004

because I thought if I ate HEALTHY calories as he's saying then I could eat a lot more calories.. but if its calories in vs out as you have all jumped the *kitten* all ove rme about then I will continue to do what im doing. was just trying to share something I thought was interesting. will never happen again

We are not jumping all over you for wanting to share, we are jumping all over the article that is based on opinion and not science. Also the fact that you are eating too few calories at 900 cal/day. Never drop below 1200 otherwise you will hinder your weight loss by putting your body into starvation mode.

Surely that's your opinion it's not based on science!!

ndj1979

good lord...here we go again, for the millionth time..

in....for the snowflakes who defy thermodynamics and math...

mccindy72

Even I couldn't make out why is everyone so critical about the article...
It's pretty decent and very much the truth...that's what we've been taught from school isn't it
Balanced diet, include protiens less of sugar,...etc
I read first two pages of response and was hoping at least 1 person would back him.

Because it's not true. A calorie is a calorie, no matter the source. If you read further pages, I believe Mirey posted an excellence breakdown of why the article is not factual.

delicious_cocktail

CAN'T. STOP. READING.

This is very interesting.

"newish" person over here, sorry!

Don't tell em you're new, they shoot strangers!!!

Only people who think that facts are things that are subjective, and wish to argue vociferously with what is obviously a sound consensus.

I have this mental imagine of these folks thrashing and wailing "You're all crazy?! Don't you seeeee??"

Newish person, you seem perfectly lovely and thank you for doing yourself the courtesy of observing before making your pronouncements about The Theory Of Everything AKA Why I Alone Am Right.