What/how much?

jofjltncb6
jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Why is it that when someone posts a complaint about not being able to eat *enough* calories, that a popular response is to reconsider what foods the person is eating...

...but if their problem is that they're eating *too many* calories, questioning what foods the person is eating is derided as irrelevant and unimportant because "a calorie is a calorie" (end of discussion)?



Edited for clarify (hopefully).

Replies

  • etoiles_argentees
    etoiles_argentees Posts: 2,827 Member
    Excellent question.
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
    It just is. It's one of those MFP rules, like whenever anyone tries to offer someone a biscuit it is because they are jealous and trying to sabotage them.
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
    Interesting, thought-provoking topic. MFP is no place for topics like these. I'm going to have to report it.
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
    Maybe I misunderstand the question.

    To eat more you have to *eat more*
    To eat less you have to *eat less*

    Wouldn't this answer both questions?
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Maybe I misunderstand the question.

    To eat more you have to *eat more*
    To eat less you have to *eat less*

    Wouldn't this answer both questions?

    I think you misunderstood the question.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,515 Member
    I think he means that when people arent eating enough they are told to eat anything. But they eat too much, they are told they are eating the WRONG things. So in one instance eating anything is ok but eating anything in the other is not.
  • PapaverSomniferum
    PapaverSomniferum Posts: 2,670 Member
    Because a calorie IS just a calorie,

    but there is a huge discrimination here against naturally petite people whose calorie levels have to be lower. All the average-to-large people freak out around small people. I cannot count the number of posts I've seen saying someone is "lying" about their height and build, that "being skinny is gross", and that "you can't survive if you don't eat 2000 calories a day!!!"

    So when someone can't eat enough calories, everyone attacks their choices and their values, instead of just offering the "eat more, a calorie is a calorie" advice that makes perfect sense in this and every other instance.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Just to clarify, I believe *what* people eat does matter...for its effect on hunger/satiety, its effect on hormonal balance, etc. I believe people focus too much on just the calories of what they eat and not on the nutrient quality/balance of what they eat. I believe people are overfed calories but underfed nutrition. Can you lose/gain weight focusing only on calories? Absolutely. Is it healthy/optimal/ideal? Absolutely not...(fine, *most likely* not).

    I just find it interesting that when the advice is to someone who desires to eat more calories, people focus on *what* they are eating...and when the advice is to someone who desires to eat less, the focus is on just eating less (without regard to *what* they are eating).
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
    Maybe I misunderstand the question.

    To eat more you have to *eat more*
    To eat less you have to *eat less*

    Wouldn't this answer both questions?

    I think you misunderstood the question.

    I was being a bit sarcastic.
    Example:
    Eat more healthy fats (olives, nuts) to bulk your calories
    Vs.
    Just eat half the big mac instead of the whole thing (rather then make your own sandwich)

    Is this more what you mean?
  • Crayvn
    Crayvn Posts: 390 Member
    Just to clarify, I believe *what* people eat does matter...for its effect on hunger/satiety, its effect on hormonal balance, etc. I believe people focus too much on just the calories of what they eat and not on the nutrient quality/balance of what they eat. I believe people are overfed calories but underfed nutrition. Can you lose/gain weight focusing only on calories? Absolutely. Is it healthy/optimal/ideal? Absolutely not...(fine, *most likely* not).

    I just find it interesting that when the advice is to someone who desires to eat more calories, people focus on *what* they are eating...and when the advice is to someone who desires to eat less, the focus is on just eating less (without regard to *what* they are eating).

    so what your saying is i can eat 1200 calories worth of ho hos, eat nothing else, and still loose weight right? omg!
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Just to clarify, I believe *what* people eat does matter...for its effect on hunger/satiety, its effect on hormonal balance, etc. I believe people focus too much on just the calories of what they eat and not on the nutrient quality/balance of what they eat. I believe people are overfed calories but underfed nutrition. Can you lose/gain weight focusing only on calories? Absolutely. Is it healthy/optimal/ideal? Absolutely not...(fine, *most likely* not).

    I just find it interesting that when the advice is to someone who desires to eat more calories, people focus on *what* they are eating...and when the advice is to someone who desires to eat less, the focus is on just eating less (without regard to *what* they are eating).

    so what your saying is i can eat 1200 calories worth of ho hos, eat nothing else, and still loose weight right? omg!

    Yes, actually you can do that and lose weight. The more important question (to me) is, should you?
  • Crayvn
    Crayvn Posts: 390 Member
    Just to clarify, I believe *what* people eat does matter...for its effect on hunger/satiety, its effect on hormonal balance, etc. I believe people focus too much on just the calories of what they eat and not on the nutrient quality/balance of what they eat. I believe people are overfed calories but underfed nutrition. Can you lose/gain weight focusing only on calories? Absolutely. Is it healthy/optimal/ideal? Absolutely not...(fine, *most likely* not).

    I just find it interesting that when the advice is to someone who desires to eat more calories, people focus on *what* they are eating...and when the advice is to someone who desires to eat less, the focus is on just eating less (without regard to *what* they are eating).

    so what your saying is i can eat 1200 calories worth of ho hos, eat nothing else, and still loose weight right? omg!

    Yes, actually you can do that and lose weight. The more important question (to me) is, should you?

    of course not...they hardly have any fiber and then i wont poo for days..geesh :)
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    (Weekends are horrible for forum posts here...so this is a shameless bump to expose it to the weekday crowd.)
  • senyosmom
    senyosmom Posts: 613 Member
    Maybe I misunderstand the question.

    To eat more you have to *eat more*
    To eat less you have to *eat less*

    Wouldn't this answer both questions?

    I think you misunderstood the question.

    ha!
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