A Calorie is NOT just a Calorie

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  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
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    Step 1: Lure them in

    Step 2:
    40525Drop_The_Bomb.png

    I think I like where this is going... maybe?
  • MireyGal76
    MireyGal76 Posts: 7,334 Member
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    Ok, so I actually *gasp* READ the article.

    The author spends a lot of time saying that a calorie is NOT a calorie, because some types of foods drive hunger and some satiate it.

    I have copied a few quotes, and am putting my non-sciency opinion below them...

    TL/DR: A calorie IS INDEED a calorie. Depending on the foods you eat, though, your feeling of satiation will differ, therefore causing you to feel hungrier. IF YOU EAT to satisfy the hunger, you will end up with MORE CALORIES IN vs calories out, and therefore gain weight.

    IF YOU STICK to your calorie allotment, and remain at a deficit... you WILL lose weight. His article doesn't disprove that at all.
    So… a 100 calories of fructose may increase your insulin over the long term, lead to higher ghrelin levels and increased appetite.
    Increased appetite - satisfaction of hunger could result in CALORIES IN > CALORIES OUT.
    Protein may also increase levels of fullness and boost the metabolic rate (6, 7).
    This increased protein may even be used to build muscles, which are metabolically active tissues that burn calories around the clock.
    decreased appetite - feel fuller longer and easier to maintain calories in < calories out
    Changing your macronutrients can affect your appetite in a dramatic way.

    appetite affects what and how much we eat. (duh)
    Bottom Line: Being aware of your calorie intake is NOT necessary to lose weight, as long as you eat in a certain way. Cutting carbs while increasing fat and protein is proven to lead to automatic calorie restriction and weight loss.

    doesn't change the fact that you will only lose weight if Cals IN < Cals OUT... you're just not tracking it.
    Bottom Line: The body tries to resist changes in body fat levels by increasing hunger and reducing calorie expenditure.

    if you don't eat more than you burn, you won't gain weight.


    MIREY NOTE:
    If you set a calorie goal... and commit to it... When find yourself hungry at the end of the day, you will find that automatically start to look at what you are eating and where you "earn" calories. Thus begins the process of picking smarter foods. Maybe more meat and less potatoes. Or maybe no butter AND gravy on your potatoes.

    Perhaps you'll have a small coffee instead of a large.

    Or buy rice chips instead of potato chips.

    If you don't set yourself to a MASSIVE deficit, you give yourself an opportunity to learn to gradually shift your habits and adopt a new way of life.

    And still get to eat cookies and ice cream, on days when you budget accordingly.

    2cents.gif
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
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    You know, people who argue this typically lack logging consistency or are desperately grasping at straws to make up reasons in their mind to why their loss is slower than they like. I'm 5'3.5" 119 lbs and lose 1 lb a week on 1700 calories of fast food, ice cream, pizza, etc. So, calories seem to be calories for me. Maybe I'm just a magical fairy though. I would be okay with this. As long as I got wings.

    In for magical creatures. Can I be a cat girl? Yes/yes?
  • mikeykhan2003
    mikeykhan2003 Posts: 177
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    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRVqz8DY0mh9LTLwKJ0jAGdECY9tdnk5zxa6VgRUldQGFaGYTC2qg

    My Mogwai does this every night. Sneaky ****

    Does your mogwai ever get wet? You're not supposed to get it wet.

    OH HELLLO!! Come on, this is a family establishment!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    for one, the author is basically contradicting herself at almost every turn...for two, she is doing what everyone does when making this argument and ends up talking about how a calorie is not really just a calorie as a matter of nutrition...which is true and I don't know anyone who would really argue otherwise...but as a measure of energy, a calorie is indeed a calorie and if you consume fewer calories than your body requires then you will lose weight...you still have to use your brains though...you're not going to be satiated on a diet of cookies and what not so you'll likely have difficulty adhering to a deficit...but it does not negate the fact that a calorie is a calorie...
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    this is good news for me since I only eat 900 calories a day

    1. WHY?

    2. How does this relate to the article?
  • Escloflowne
    Escloflowne Posts: 2,038 Member
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    this is good news for me since I only eat 900 calories a day

    The troll is strong with this one

    Gasby-Toast.gif
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
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    Do you even science?

    Strong first post...for real!
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    this is good news for me since I only eat 900 calories a day

    pants on fire

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1194336-personal-trainer-made-me-annoyed-ha

    In this thread you said you ate 750 yesterday other days 1200 and then even more sometimes

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1184583-pizza-beer
    and no more Pizza and beer for you...

    Love this statement tho from the pizza and beer thread.
    I guess I feel like I can lose lbs going over my calorie limit

    I could go on but I want lunch soon...I am having a burger...a big one..4.2oz..it's nommy
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
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    for one, the author is basically contradicting herself at almost every turn...for two, she is doing what everyone does when making this argument and ends up talking about how a calorie is not really just a calorie as a matter of nutrition...which is true and I don't know anyone who would really argue otherwise...but as a measure of energy, a calorie is indeed a calorie and if you consume fewer calories than your body requires then you will lose weight...you still have to use your brains though...you're not going to be satiated on a diet of cookies and what not so you'll likely have difficulty adhering to a deficit...but it does not negate the fact that a calorie is a calorie...

    Yah, it is akin to the 1lb of muscle is the same as 1lb of fat discussion. What a redundant argument.
  • allana1111
    allana1111 Posts: 390 Member
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    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
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
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    I actually read it. Mirey's response is spot on.

    ETA: but I STRONGLY disagree with this portion. Saying eating is as automatic as breathing is just ****ing stupid. There are many, many people on here who have been successful and they are just average people with some dedication.
    Even though some highly motivated individuals are able to control their food intake completely (like athletes and bodybuilders), this really isn’t representative of the general population.

    This is very difficult for most people and especially for people who have a tendency to gain weight.

    Let me use breathing as an example of how it is difficult to “control” a physiological function that is regulated by the brain.

    Breathing is almost completely subconscious, although you can control your breathing for a short amount of time if you manage to focus on it.

    If you made the decision to skip 1 in 10 breaths, then you could probably do it… but only for a few minutes. Then you’d get distracted and start doing something else.

    This is only possible while you’re consciously focusing on it… and even if you did, you might unwillingly compensate by breathing a little heavier in the other 9 breaths, or you’d start to feel uncomfortable and stop doing it altogether.

    If you think this is a ridiculous example and not applicable to eating, then you’re wrong. Eating is controlled with the same types of homeostatic mechanisms.
  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 Member
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    I agree with the article on some points. lack of any form of reference to any form research kills it though. In reality a calorie in really is a calorie in when it come to balance . The calories do get used in different ways in the body, but for instance if you eat protein and exercises, when your body runs out of glucose it will start to use the protein as energy (even if it has been converted into muscle). This feature is neglected. Also what is important to a lot (presumptuously I could say most) people is body shape. This is where macros come in, if we hit our macro targets (with most probably more protein than MFP suggests) and exercise (cardio and resistance). If you do this you will keep more lean body mass than you otherwise would if you just dieted. Rate of loss also is important to body composition. Fast losses, especially with poor diet seems to result in loss of lean body mass. None of this was mentioned in the article but it really is more important that what the article did say.
  • allana1111
    allana1111 Posts: 390 Member
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    this is good news for me since I only eat 900 calories a day

    pants on fire

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1194336-personal-trainer-made-me-annoyed-ha

    In this thread you said you ate 750 yesterday other days 1200 and then even more sometimes

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1184583-pizza-beer
    and no more Pizza and beer for you...

    Love this statement tho from the pizza and beer thread.
    I guess I feel like I can lose lbs going over my calorie limit

    I could go on but I want lunch soon...I am having a burger...a big one..4.2oz..it's nommy

    I never said I could lose lbs going over my calorie limit.... in fact I do not believe I can. also I guess I should say I AIM for 900 per day. which I also stated in pizza and beer. but you can post whatever parts you want ;)
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
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    You know, people who argue this typically lack logging consistency or are desperately grasping at straws to make up reasons in their mind to why their loss is slower than they like. I'm 5'3.5" 119 lbs and lose 1 lb a week on 1700 calories of fast food, ice cream, pizza, etc. So, calories seem to be calories for me. Maybe I'm just a magical fairy though. I would be okay with this. As long as I got wings.

    In for magical creatures. Can I be a cat girl? Yes/yes?

    Purr-fect!!

    2dqfqa.gif
  • MireyGal76
    MireyGal76 Posts: 7,334 Member
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    I actually read it. Mirey's response is spot on.

    :flowerforyou: :heart:
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
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    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

    Oh. You were serious. :indifferent:
  • bluetuesday5
    bluetuesday5 Posts: 99 Member
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    I agree with the article on some points. lack of any form of reference to any form research kills it though. In reality a calorie in really is a calorie in when it come to balance . The calories do get used in different ways in the body, but for instance if you eat protein and exercises, when your body runs out of glucose it will start to use the protein as energy (even if it has been converted into muscle). This feature is neglected. Also what is important to a lot (presumptuously I could say most) people is body shape. This is where macros come in, if we hit our macro targets (with most probably more protein than MFP suggests) and exercise (cardio and resistance). If you do this you will keep more lean body mass than you otherwise would if you just dieted. Rate of loss also is important to body composition. Fast losses, especially with poor diet seems to result in loss of lean body mass. None of this was mentioned in the article but it really is more important that what the article did say.

    Exactly. A calorie is a calorie when it comes to weight loss. Not when it comes to body composition.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
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    You know, people who argue this typically lack logging consistency or are desperately grasping at straws to make up reasons in their mind to why their loss is slower than they like. I'm 5'3.5" 119 lbs and lose 1 lb a week on 1700 calories of fast food, ice cream, pizza, etc. So, calories seem to be calories for me. Maybe I'm just a magical fairy though. I would be okay with this. As long as I got wings.

    In for magical creatures. Can I be a cat girl? Yes/yes?

    Purr-fect!!

    2dqfqa.gif

    If she was a bit tanner and her hair a bit darker I'd think someone has been drawing pictures of me in my house cleaning outfit.
















    Don't You Judge me!
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
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    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

    Oh. You were serious. :indifferent:

    34hxl01.jpg

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