Registered Dietitian in TX here to answer questions.

BernadetteChurch

Hi Tony--my question is more a general question. Is a calorie just a calorie? In other words is a "bad" calorie (as in junk food, empty calorie, chocolate or sweets) the same to your body when it comes to weight loss as a "good" calorie (as in nutritionally balanced, a good diet)? As long as you stay under your BMR or at a calorie deficit, does it matter where the calorie comes from? Can or does your body differentiate a bad calorie from a good one? Dieters seem to obsess about eating a bad food--shouldn't have had that slice of pizza, or candy bar, or ice cream but as long as the total calorie for the day remains within the number of calories (1000, 1200, 1500) does it matter where the calories come from?

Great question!

Ten10

Bump!

half_moon

Is it possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same? I've read it wasn't. I was hoping this would explain why I've only lost 2 pounds in over a month with the above diet (whole grains/fruits/veggies/lean meats). I've begun weight training twice a week and my cardio mixes in strength. Could it be I am adding muscle whilst losing fat, or is the more likely assumption that the food I eat does not match its advertised caloric intake?

Gaining muscle requires a caloric surplus. Fat loss requires a caloric deficit. Sometimes these cycles of anabolism and catabolism can be short, so it may appear that we are gaining muscle and losing fat "at the same time."

It also all depends where you are in your phyisque. If you're already lean and lost 2 pounds in a month, that's not bad at all. If you're obese, 2 pounds in a month is pretty slow. The general rule of thumb is if you want to lose more weight, increase your deficit a bit. Monitor. Adjust as needed.

Thank you so much for answering my question! You have no idea how much help it is. It's so nice of you to sacrifice your time.

I am 149 pounds, at 5'5". I am very large breasted (each breast weighing around 6 - 7 pounds) so this affects my weight. I would consider myself leaner but not skinny.


So the muscle I see in my arms and legs were already there, I just now don't have as much fat hiding them?

FoodandFitness

Hi Tony--my question is more a general question. Is a calorie just a calorie? In other words is a "bad" calorie (as in junk food, empty calorie, chocolate or sweets) the same to your body when it comes to weight loss as a "good" calorie (as in nutritionally balanced, a good diet)? As long as you stay under your BMR or at a calorie deficit, does it matter where the calorie comes from? Can or does your body differentiate a bad calorie from a good one? Dieters seem to obsess about eating a bad food--shouldn't have had that slice of pizza, or candy bar, or ice cream but as long as the total calorie for the day remains within the number of calories (1000, 1200, 1500) does it matter where the calories come from?

I'll answer this question in 3 parts.

1. Having “junk food” (I hate that term) in a well balanced diet will not hinder your fat loss if you are still achieving a caloric deficit. If you eat the same amount of calories from chicken and broccoli as a cheeseburger, it’s still the same calories. Our bodies must still obey the laws of physics, as does everything else in the universe. Here’s a full length study describing this principle in detail from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/5/899S.full

2. It matters that our diets have balance because micronutrients are important too. Not all of our calories should be coming from sources with low nutrient, fiber, and phytonutrient amounts. Research also indicates that distribution of macronutrients can affect body composition, energy, etc. This is important for our health in the long run.

3. All foods fit into a balanced diet. My recommendations to include foods you love in your diet aren't just because I'm laid back. The psychology of eating is extremely important to consider. Being overly restrictive will hurt your compliance in the long run. How many people lose weight with overly restrictive diets and actually keep it off? Not many. Stressing about foods being "good" or "bad" to an unreasonable level leads to a more emotional issue with food. It causes unneeded stress for the dieter and can even lead to orthorexia nervosa, or relapse of old disordered eating habits, especially if that person already has a history of disordered eating.

So from a pure weight loss perspective, a calorie is a calorie. It's much better to have a balanced diet for your health but it's also important to balance the psychology of our eating preferences into the equation.

FoodandFitness

How long of a medium intensity workout do I have to do in order to burn 40 carbs? Treadmill, rowing machine, small amount of weights, about an hour total, and not so hard of a workout that I thought I would die, but definitely too out of breath to hold a conversation.

So did those carbs I ate for lunch get burned, or are some still hanging around?

Most beginners will burn about 5 calories per minute.
1 g of carb provides 4 calories.
40g of carbs provides 160 calories.

So it would take about 32 minutes of exercise to burn the energy you ate from 40g of carbs. Please note that you are not just burning pure carbohydrate energy. You are using and breaking down a mixture of energy sources during your exercise.

bkscott5

Thank you Tony for offering ur career knowledge. The first time I came to the message board to post a ? I really thought someone trained on my topic would answer, not just a whole lot of people giving their advice & like u know arguing their feelings against others. So thank you for taking ur time to help other people.
I'm having digestive problems & i was losing weight slowly for the beginning of the year after i joined MFP (weight watchers didn't work) til about the end of May, i know u stated that if ur not losing ur eating too much but i did lose 16lbs & i only get 1200 cals & it's stated that eating less than that causes ur body into starvation mode. So I'm hoping that u will be able to see where I'm going wrong on both counts.
I'm 43 with cronic pain in several parts of my body, the major part is my lower back which causes pain 24/7 & any movements intensifies that pain. I've suffered major headaches & migraines (avg 6 days week w/migraines lasting up to 3 days, but some medication I'm on for something else has worked better than getting 4lbs removed in a breast reduction -which didn't help at all, & any meds they have tried for me in the past) so now i avg 1-2 week, for as long as I remember. I have pain areas from head to ankle. I've had IBS which had not bothered me til the last few weeks since starting eating better this yr. 2 yrs ago I had my left leg amputated from below the knee cuz I had had a real rare cancer growing in my heal bone for yrs. My mom always said I had a high tolerance to pain & I'd like to believe that since I had the tumor growing in my foot for over 2 yrs when I noticed it hurting & just tried to modify my actions so I could keep working, I started by trying to not put much pressure on it, to walking on my toes, all the way til I was on crutches & could only take about 50 steps til I had to let it rest. My foot was red, swollen, could not have anything touching it so I would have to keep it in the air. No pain pills including dilaudid, morphine, or oxy would even touch the pain at all. I tell u all this so when I say I'm pretty much bed bound u don't just think I need to push through the pain or I'm just lazy. I do have a pain mgmt dr & he is fighting the ins co to try to work at lowering the pain. I'm also hopping that as time goes on I will at least get back to the pain level where I can get up & do some things but the prosthetic leg causes more problems with my back when I stand & walk with it, not to mention the leg pain itself & phantom pain. So no I don't exercise even though I know it is good for me. I am hopping that maybe I can start doing something small with my arms.
I'm female, 43yrs, 5'9", around 160. I eat cereal, kashi &/or fiber one bar, cheese stick, 13-26 natural almonds, 2teas-16teas peanut butter, 94%fat free 100 cal popcorn. Dinners usually range from 2slices whole grain whole wheat bread & jelly or 2pc dark chicken w/or w/o skin or steak fajitas or cheese pizza or spaghetti. Fruits & veggies are usually 5-8 servings most often half cucumber, celery w/pb, tomatoes, apple, orange (for winter, summer has more fruits). I was having 1/2 cup low fat mint chip ice cream every night but I got away from that for a week til I started feeling sick for the last 2weeks & it really sounded good again. I did have 2%choc milk 1/2 cup at different times since starting. I'm usually real close to the 1200, just a few cals under is what I aim for but sometimes a few over.
So now that you have my life story, what can I do to help my digestion problem that has started again? I'm almost always over on my fiber % so I would think I wouldn't have any problems like that. Do u want to lower my cals & to what number so I can start losing again & actually lose every week til I'm around 135?
I thank you again for ur time, especially w/how long this turned out.

FoodandFitness

Hi. I've been doing this for 2 months now but I have not seen any progress. I weigh and measure myself once a week and no loss whatsoever. My net calories is at 1350 and I exercise 6.5 hours a week. I don't eat very healthily but I try to and I love fruits and veggies. Any advice please?

If you're not making any progress and your goal is weight loss, you simply need to reduce your caloric intake. Try cutting your calories by 20%.

FoodandFitness

My brother who has type two diabetes claims he can eat all the tomatos he wants. I say no...that all foods have a measured amt. that we should go by. All the tomatos he wants will make his blood sugar higher ! any take on the tomato issue ???

Tomatoes have calories and carbohydrates. Last time I checked it was important for a diabetic to keep track of these things.

FoodandFitness

I don't know if you can answer this, but I figure it's worth a try.

I am eating gluten free. Recently I was looking at 2 packages of turkey polska kielbasa (not the healthiest thing to eat, I know, but in moderation and I make a big dish with lots of veggies, apples and sweet potatoes baked in oven... so not as bad as it could be).... anyway, the Butterball specified that it was gluten free. The other brand did not. The only difference I could detect was "modified food starch". Just because a food does not say it is gluten free does not mean it contains gluten (e.g. I buy orange juice which is not labeled gluten free <g>). But, I erred on buying the one labeled GF to be safe....

Do you know what "modified food starch" is? Can it be gluten?

If you have any specific allergy questions like that, the best thing to do is contact the manufacturer or look on their website. By the way, if you are eating gluten free for weight loss and not special dietary needs, I will mention that gluten has no special fat loss or gaining properties to it.

moonlitsonata

I'm SO glad to find this thread. I have a few questions. First, I'm 26, 5'4 and 250 lbs. Obviously way overweight, but that's why I'm here. Anyway, my questions...

1) What would be my ideal weight?
2) What should my calorie intake be?
3) How can I best manage hypoglycemia?

Amaek469

Hi Tony -

Thank you for doing this. I'm a little bit desperate. I'm 43 years old and 222 lbs. I should be less than 184, but feel comfortable at about 175. I'm 6' tall. Here's my issue. I've been wearing a BodyMedia Fit for many months and it shows that my TDEE falls between 2400-3300. I had joined a gym last year and tracked weekly with a Tanita scale and it put my resting cal rate at 1740. I've got a pretty good feel for the days now and where I'll be. 2400 on the bodyfit is a day when I'm at the desk most of the day, but I'm also a mom of two and that keeps me running around wtih "busy" activity even on slow days.

I am VERY good about tracking calories, weighing and measuring. In my 20's I lost 70 pounds with WW food selection method (similar to ADA diabetes tracking now) and didn't gain it back for over 10 years.

I've logged for months on end, eating at a consistent calorie deficit with no response - so I give up OR WORSE - resort to carb restriction etc.
I ate 1500 calories a day for 4 months, and didn't lose a pound even though every-single-day posted a deficit to calories. I just signed up for MFP and it has me relegated to 1400 calories. I'm 5 days in and it's not hard for me to do that, but I get hungry on the days I'm moving all day.
I bought and just started wearing a fitbit because I'm intrigued by the "calorie zone" the combination of fitbit and MFP will give me. Perhaps I'm not eating enough?
Is 1400 calories a day enough for me? As I've done before, should I just kick up the exercise? The food I eat is pretty good, but I do have not-so-healthy foods mixed in that calorie count sometimes.

Please tell me what you think I'm doing wrong, and even recommend an excellent book or two.

gamommaof3

Hi Tony - people argue a lot about "eating back calories". If we are on the lowest 1200 calorie diet and burn off 500 through exercise, should we eat those back? Thanks.

I don't recommend that my clients "eat back" calories from exercise because I use them in my estimations when I write their calorie prescription.

In my opinion MFP can overestimate calories burned from exercise.

My practical advice is that if you're able to function without eating back the extra calories, you don't feel worn down, or deprived, having a larger caloric deficit will just help you lose weight faster. If you're eating back calories and still losing weight at the rate you're happy with, then keep on eating them. If you're not losing weight, it could be a good place to start.

Hope that helps.

I am so glad to hear you say this! I totally agree and I don't eat mine back since my dietician friend calculated my calories based on my activity level. There is so much controversy regarding this topic on MFP.

FoodandFitness

How accurate is MFP's recommendation for daily amount protein? I am consistently 20-25gm over the recommendation but don't feel like I eat too much protein. For breakfast I will eat a serving of PB, a hard boiled egg or a cup of greek yogurt. For lunch and dinner I have a 3 or 4 oz serving of meat. Occasionally I will have cottage cheese or a fiber/protein bar for a snack. To me, that doesn't seem excessive. Am I mistaken?

I normally recommend my clients consume 1g of protein per pound of LBM and 1g per pound of bodyweight (if relatively normal weight) at the most. 1g per pound of bodyweight is the most I've seen to have benefit in the literature.

FoodandFitness

I'm SO glad to find this thread. I have a few questions. First, I'm 26, 5'4 and 250 lbs. Obviously way overweight, but that's why I'm here. Anyway, my questions...

1) What would be my ideal weight?
2) What should my calorie intake be?
3) How can I best manage hypoglycemia?

1. Because you're starting off at 250lbs, you're going to have a different ideal bodyweight than another 5'4" female with much less weight to lose. I would set your first long term goal to get below 200 and *kitten* yourself from there.
2. Go with what MFP tells you. Make adjustments each month as needed.
3. Here is a link with the ADA providing more info about hypoglycemia http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/hypoglycemia-low-blood.html I could give you some tips but you'd be better treating medical issues with your dietitian or doctor.

MzStarrQueenB

How many grams of fat should I eat per day on a 1200 cal (diet)/ life change?










If you set your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.....



http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8987-serious-diet-support-group

FoodandFitness

Hi Tony -

Thank you for doing this. I'm a little bit desperate. I'm 43 years old and 222 lbs. I should be less than 184, but feel comfortable at about 175. I'm 6' tall. Here's my issue. I've been wearing a BodyMedia Fit for many months and it shows that my TDEE falls between 2400-3300. I had joined a gym last year and tracked weekly with a Tanita scale and it put my resting cal rate at 1740. I've got a pretty good feel for the days now and where I'll be. 2400 on the bodyfit is a day when I'm at the desk most of the day, but I'm also a mom of two and that keeps me running around wtih "busy" activity even on slow days.

I am VERY good about tracking calories, weighing and measuring. In my 20's I lost 70 pounds with WW food selection method (similar to ADA diabetes tracking now) and didn't gain it back for over 10 years.

I've logged for months on end, eating at a consistent calorie deficit with no response - so I give up OR WORSE - resort to carb restriction etc.
I ate 1500 calories a day for 4 months, and didn't lose a pound even though every-single-day posted a deficit to calories. I just signed up for MFP and it has me relegated to 1400 calories. I'm 5 days in and it's not hard for me to do that, but I get hungry on the days I'm moving all day.
I bought and just started wearing a fitbit because I'm intrigued by the "calorie zone" the combination of fitbit and MFP will give me. Perhaps I'm not eating enough?
Is 1400 calories a day enough for me? As I've done before, should I just kick up the exercise? The food I eat is pretty good, but I do have not-so-healthy foods mixed in that calorie count sometimes.

Please tell me what you think I'm doing wrong, and even recommend an excellent book or two.

You don't need any books.

1. Maintain regular exercise. FITBIT is good.
2. Maintain the same calorie deficit each day. Don't eat back exercise calories.
3. If you don't lose weight after about 4 weeks, cut calories by 20%
4. Once you achieve weight loss, keep things consistent until plateau. Then cut calories again. Repeat until you reach your goal weight.

Doberdawn

I am eating gluten free. >snip<
Do you know what "modified food starch" is? Can it be gluten?

If you have any specific allergy questions like that, the best thing to do is contact the manufacturer or look on their website. By the way, if you are eating gluten free for weight loss and not special dietary needs, I will mention that gluten has no special fat loss or gaining properties to it.

Thanks for the response. I wish it were optional. LOL I bloat, get the runs, etc. Gluten is not my friend. I still need to do a gradual test to see if it is wheat only or all gluten.... but, I hate the reaction, so I really hesitate to try the other forms of gluten just to find out... yup, they do it too. <g>

Doberdawn

1. Maintain regular exercise. FITBIT is good.
2. Maintain the same calorie deficit each day. Don't eat back exercise calories.
3. If you don't lose weight after about 4 weeks, cut calories by 20%
4. Once you achieve weight loss, keep things consistent until plateau. Then cut calories again. Repeat until you reach your goal weight.

#2 seems contradictory. How do you maintain the same calorie deficit if you don't eat back calories? For example, today, I hiked for 3 hours. That burns an extra almost 1100 calories. My normal calories for the day are 1200 to be at a deficit. How can I NOT eat back calories and still MAINTAIN my same deficit. If I don't eat back, I'll be under be 1100 calories.

FoodandFitness

1. Maintain regular exercise. FITBIT is good.
2. Maintain the same calorie deficit each day. Don't eat back exercise calories.
3. If you don't lose weight after about 4 weeks, cut calories by 20%
4. Once you achieve weight loss, keep things consistent until plateau. Then cut calories again. Repeat until you reach your goal weight.

#2 seems contradictory. How do you maintain the same calorie deficit if you don't eat back calories? For example, today, I hiked for 3 hours. That burns an extra almost 1100 calories. My normal calories for the day are 1200 to be at a deficit. How can I NOT eat back calories and still MAINTAIN my same deficit. If I don't eat back, I'll be under be 1100 calories.

Yeah, I should of written that better. What I meant to say is maintain the same caloric intake, don't eat back exercise calories.

Doberdawn

I think this question may have gotten lost in the shuffle as you've answered some before & after it... So I'm bumping it back up.

Oh yeah, and another question on daily potassium needs. According to MFP, I should be eating like 3500 mg of Potassium daily. I am always WAY under that, by hundreds if not thousands.

I am 5' 9" weigh 213 age 45 female. My recommended caloric intake is 1200 to lose 2 pounds a week goal.

I use almost no salt and use the product NoSalt which is potassium-based for my seasoning needs. So, I would think that would help. I tried to buy a potassium supplement in addition to my multi-V, but together they only total like 200 mg... nowhere close to 3500. Is that number legit? If yes, what should I be eating to get there?