Can someone please explain "a calorie is a calorie"

Thanks. So in conclusion, I shouldn't worry about my love of carbs?

Not one bit :drinker:

I'm trying to watch my cholesterol so I guess I'd be better off with higher carbs instead of higher protein then... might change it back to how this site had it set originally. Any thoughts anyone?

I'm trying to watch my cholesterol so I guess I'd be better off with higher carbs instead of higher protein then... might change it back to how this site had it set originally. Any thoughts anyone?

You can have protein. Just choose lean meats rather than fatty ones. Egg whites, poultry, fish, etc.

Additionally, to help with blood cholesterol, more fiber in the diet. Mechanically speaking, bile helps break down fats into smaller chunks for digestion, and it can be re-used. So, the body stores bile in the gall bladder. Fiber tends to absorb bile and prevent it from being stored. It then goes through the digestive system and pooped out. So now you need more bile. A key component of bile is cholesterol. So, the pancreas creates more bile using a readily available source of cholesterol... blood cholesterol.

Sorry, but I just can't agree with the other comments regarding keeping your diet or protein "low fat". I eat a diet based on fat and all of my health problems have vanished, and so is the body fat vanishing (of course, not as quick as the other health issues). Also, for many people (no, i didn't say "all"), high carb intake DOES impede weight loss, and for me, high carb makes me sick in a whole bunch of ways. I eat more veggies than what a person eating a SAD diet is usually eating, and I'm still very low on carbs. No need to cut veggies or fat or protein (quality matters). However, for an experiment, you could try reducing or eliminating grains and sugar and see what happens; and, NO, you won't hurt your health by trying it.

I am by no means low-carb, and I don't think I ever could be, but I am curious if a calorie is a calorie, why do people lose weight faster (it seems) on Atkins or other low-carb diets?

I am not talking about "all calories being equal" from nutritional standpoint, more so of a weight loss standpoint.

They are merely changing water retention and or inflammation. In the end, over time, all that matters is calories. What backfires with those diets is they are so restrictive that the person gets sick of the food and will someday go crazy eating all the things they were deprived of. Pretty much all diets calling some foods "good" and some foods "bad" will pretty much drive you crazy at some point. A little bit of everything, not all at once, is best, unless you are allergic or it gives you a specific health issue. All that matters is calories.

You body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.

Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You can not make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.

The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

Thanks. So in conclusion, I shouldn't worry about my love of carbs?

Not one bit :drinker:

I'm trying to watch my cholesterol so I guess I'd be better off with higher carbs instead of higher protein then... might change it back to how this site had it set originally. Any thoughts anyone?

bad cholesterol numbers are linked to high GI carbs. Not fats. Fats actually have a tendency to decrease HDL(High density Lipids(bad cholesterol)) and increase LDL(Low Density Lipids(Good cholesterol)) .

Absolutely... and all of us who have posted against the grain (pun intended) are now about to get jumped on. I know it's hard to believe saturated fat is good when we have literally had the opposite pushed down our throats for so long, but the evidence to support that is growing (no I won't do your research; go do your own!) and, actually, has always existed (take a look at your aboriginal neighbours, if they are still eating a traditional diet).

I am by no means low-carb, and I don't think I ever could be, but I am curious if a calorie is a calorie, why do people lose weight faster (it seems) on Atkins or other low-carb diets?

I am not talking about "all calories being equal" from nutritional standpoint, more so of a weight loss standpoint.

They are merely changing water retention and or inflammation. In the end, over time, all that matters is calories. What backfires with those diets is they are so restrictive that the person gets sick of the food and will someday go crazy eating all the things they were deprived of. Pretty much all diets calling some foods "good" and some foods "bad" will pretty much drive you crazy at some point. A little bit of everything, not all at once, is best, unless you are allergic or it gives you a specific health issue. All that matters is calories.

You body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.

Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You can not make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.

The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

Well said. Thanks!

+1 Thanks for this great explaination. :happy:

I recommend you listen to a free podcast series called The Smarter Science of Slim. The guy talks quite specifically about why the quality of food and the types of calories you consume are the key to sustainable fat loss. He explains how the body's metabolism is managed by our hormones, which in turn are dictated by the quality of the nutrients we eat. Foods that are high in sugars, starchy carbs, and bad fats (as opposed to good ones) do different things to our hormones than do foods that are lean proteins, fiber-filled, and water-based (ie, non-starchy veggies). He also talks about how it's not really the amount of calories you eat, but the quality that dictates fat loss, so a fat-loss eating plan that is realistic & sustainable can be higher in overall calories as long as the calories consumed are quality calories.

And as I've heard more than one nutritionist say, "You can't out-train a bad diet." So calorie quality (diet quality) counts.

Calories ---> Change in weight.
Macronutrients----> Change in body composition
Micronutrients

---

> Health

Going from obese/overweight to a healthy weight will also tend to improve health markers considerably.

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