Calories aren't all equal!

bonniejo

So yesterday and today I had the same number of calories for lunch (about 550-600). Yesterday I had a frozen lunch with lots of rice, very high in simple carbs, and a handful of grapes. Today I had a large chicken salad (with homemade sesame dressing, so good!) with lots of veggies and goat cheese and almonds... And a hard boiled egg and a pear. Yesterday, I was hungry by 3pm, today I was good until 6, with a run thrown in there!

Now, I knew that this was true, but this is just more proof. Complex carbohydrates, fiber, and protein keep me fuller longer, and eating less! Yesterday I had to have a big snack when I got home because I was starving! Today, no need. Now I'm done with my logging for the day, had an oreo and some starbursts and chocolate, and still have extra calories left over. Beast mode!

mayfrayy

thanks for the informative new information.

auntiebabs

One day I thought of it this way...
Hunger is your body's way of saying it needs fuel.
if you don't give your body the nutrition it needs.
You can eat 3000+ calories a day and still be hungry.
You can eat 3000+ and still go into "starvation mode"

Annesoucy1957

not too mention that it was probably fresher, tastier and more food on your plate. Homecooking is underrated :0)

Mr_Bad_Example

One day I thought of it this way...
Hunger is your body's way of saying it needs fuel.
if you don't give your body the nutrition it needs.
You can eat 3000+ calories a day and still be hungry.
You can eat 3000+ and still go into "starvation mode"

If you're eating 3,000+ calories, you are not even close to starving.

I pronounce this thread full of derp.

AJ_G

One day I thought of it this way...
Hunger is your body's way of saying it needs fuel.
if you don't give your body the nutrition it needs.
You can eat 3000+ calories a day and still be hungry.
You can eat 3000+ and still go into "starvation mode"

What are you talking about???

bajoyba

I think what you're really trying to say is that not all macros are equal. For the most part, people agree with that statement.

Both days you provided your body with approximately the same amount of energy (calories), but the macro breakdown was different. For most people, meals higher in protein and fiber leave them feeling fuller longer than meals higher in carbohydrates.

nezbit88

One day I thought of it this way...
Hunger is your body's way of saying it needs fuel.
if you don't give your body the nutrition it needs.
You can eat 3000+ calories a day and still be hungry.
You can eat 3000+ and still go into "starvation mode"

What are you talking about???

Maybe she meant that some overweight and obese people can suffer from malnutrition despite eating huge quantities? People really do love throwing around the term 'starvation mode' on these forums.

auntiebabs

One day I thought of it this way...
Hunger is your body's way of saying it needs fuel.
if you don't give your body the nutrition it needs.
You can eat 3000+ calories a day and still be hungry.
You can eat 3000+ and still go into "starvation mode"

What are you talking about???

Starvation mode is about your body not getting the nutrition it needs and holding onto everything it can to store it as fat...
No matter how many calories you eat if they are all empty calories with no nutritional what-so-ever.
You will alway have cravings and you will always be hungry... and you will feel like crap too.

I didn't say it was true... I said the thought occurred to me :ohwell:

k_nicole87

Liz_R_R

One day I thought of it this way...
Hunger is your body's way of saying it needs fuel.
if you don't give your body the nutrition it needs.
You can eat 3000+ calories a day and still be hungry.
You can eat 3000+ and still go into "starvation mode"

What are you talking about???

Starvation mode is about your body not getting the nutrition it needs and holding onto everything it can to store it as fat...
No matter how many calories you eat if they are all empty calories with no nutritional what-so-ever.
You will alway have cravings and you will always be hungry... and you will feel like crap too.

I didn't say it was true... I said the thought occurred to me :ohwell:

The Michael Phelps Diet! Eat like an Olympian at 18kcal/day...

SnuggleSmacks

One day I thought of it this way...
Hunger is your body's way of saying it needs fuel.
if you don't give your body the nutrition it needs.
You can eat 3000+ calories a day and still be hungry.
You can eat 3000+ and still go into "starvation mode"

3dogsrunning

One day I thought of it this way...
Hunger is your body's way of saying it needs fuel.
if you don't give your body the nutrition it needs.
You can eat 3000+ calories a day and still be hungry.
You can eat 3000+ and still go into "starvation mode"

What are you talking about???

Starvation mode is about your body not getting the nutrition it needs and holding onto everything it can to store it as fat...
No matter how many calories you eat if they are all empty calories with no nutritional what-so-ever.
You will alway have cravings and you will always be hungry... and you will feel like crap too.

I didn't say it was true... I said the thought occurred to me :ohwell:

Hunger can actually be a pretty poor indicator of whether or not we need to eat and doesn't tell us if we are meeting our nutritional goals. People who are overweight often report constant hunger when they do not actually need food. Some anorexics often report not being hungry at all and they are literally starving.
Any number of factors can affect hunger, from hormones to what time we are used to eating.

I think what you're really trying to say is that not all macros are equal. For the most part, people agree with that statement.

Both days you provided your body with approximately the same amount of energy (calories), but the macro breakdown was different. For most people, meals higher in protein and fiber leave them feeling fuller longer than meals higher in carbohydrates.

Agreed.

usmcmp

One day I thought of it this way...
Hunger is your body's way of saying it needs fuel.
if you don't give your body the nutrition it needs.
You can eat 3000+ calories a day and still be hungry.
You can eat 3000+ and still go into "starvation mode"

What are you talking about???

Starvation mode is about your body not getting the nutrition it needs and holding onto everything it can to store it as fat...
No matter how many calories you eat if they are all empty calories with no nutritional what-so-ever.
You will alway have cravings and you will always be hungry... and you will feel like crap too.

I didn't say it was true... I said the thought occurred to me :ohwell:

No, if they are eating over their TDEE and not getting the right nutrition it's called malnutrition and it can lead to a variety of health issues. It is possible that malnutrition will cause someone's metabolism to slow due to poor digestion, muscle atrophy, weakened immune system, etc. Weight gain would follow a drop in metabolism.

usmcmp

So yesterday and today I had the same number of calories for lunch (about 550-600). Yesterday I had a frozen lunch with lots of rice, very high in simple carbs, and a handful of grapes. Today I had a large chicken salad (with homemade sesame dressing, so good!) with lots of veggies and goat cheese and almonds... And a hard boiled egg and a pear. Yesterday, I was hungry by 3pm, today I was good until 6, with a run thrown in there!

Now, I knew that this was true, but this is just more proof. Complex carbohydrates, fiber, and protein keep me fuller longer, and eating less! Yesterday I had to have a big snack when I got home because I was starving! Today, no need. Now I'm done with my logging for the day, had an oreo and some starbursts and chocolate, and still have extra calories left over. Beast mode!

It's called satiety. Satiety is the satisfied feeling of being full after eating. We all feel full on a different combination of macros (carbs, protein, fat and yes, even fiber). A chicken salad wouldn't keep me full, but chicken and rice would.

1princesswarrior

One day I thought of it this way...
Hunger is your body's way of saying it needs fuel.
if you don't give your body the nutrition it needs.
You can eat 3000+ calories a day and still be hungry.
You can eat 3000+ and still go into "starvation mode"

For some reason I'm mesmerized by this gif

delicious_cocktail

The calories are not the inequality. But you have discovered the truth that not all foods are equal.

LolBroScience

Hm... beast mode referring to eating? That's a new one.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

When people say "a calorie is a calorie" or "all calories are equal" they're talking about for the purposes of measuring energy (which is what a calorie is) or about losing weight. They do not mean that anything you eat will provide the same satiety or nutrition.

You're arguing against an argument that doesn't really exist.

Or if it does, then yeah those people are wrong. But I've never seen that argument presented in 3 years of hanging out on this site.

*waits for someone to prove me wrong in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .*

Meerataila

One day I thought of it this way...
Hunger is your body's way of saying it needs fuel.
if you don't give your body the nutrition it needs.
You can eat 3000+ calories a day and still be hungry.
You can eat 3000+ and still go into "starvation mode"

What are you talking about???

Starvation mode is about your body not getting the nutrition it needs and holding onto everything it can to store it as fat...
No matter how many calories you eat if they are all empty calories with no nutritional what-so-ever.
You will alway have cravings and you will always be hungry... and you will feel like crap too.

I didn't say it was true... I said the thought occurred to me :ohwell:

Wow, you really can't believe that do you?

If you are eating 3000 calories you can not be starving. And if you eat 3000 your body is not holding onto everything as fat, it's most likely accumulating fat due to overeating.

Can you please name some of these foods that have "no nutrition whatsoever"?

No, but you can be malnourished, and that can kill you. Some foods are like drinking seawater, even if they won't kill you quite so quickly.

I cringe to think of the damage I probably did to myself when I was eating 3000 calories a day, because even though I was huge and getting huger, I definitely was not even close to meeting the RDA for all my vitamins and minerals.