Do you think all calories are the same?

Tamie_Girl · June 2010

I am so upset this morning - I weighed today and was surprised to see I was up 4 pounds from last week. I had a few days where I was over, but not to the point of where it should have caused a gain. If anything I should have stayed the same. And I do not buy into the 4 pounds being all water weight either.

I'm really wondering if it all has to do with the breakdown of your calories? I'm wondering if I am eating too many carbohydrates?

Anybody ever hear of The Schwarzbein Principle? The premise is the intake of carbohydrates as compared to the energy you use. She is not as radical as Atkins...from from it.

She says, "scientists have measured the calories in proteins, fats and carbohydrates and have determined that both proteins and carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram and fat has nine calories per gram. But because the measurements took place in a test tube, scientists wrongly concluded that fat is twice as fattening as proteins and carbohydrates. But she says this is not true."

Schwarzbein has guidelines for carbohydrate consumption based on activity level.

I was thinking of starting to look more at "carbohydrates" versus calories.

What are your thoughts?

sandara · June 2010

I try to avoid most all white carbohydrates. I try to do the whole wheat, grains, etc. I am a type 2 diabetic and I changed my settings here on MFP from 50% carbs to 25% carbs, 50% protein and 25% fat so it more closely fit what my nutritionist recommended. I try to keep carbs to 40 to 50 per meal and around 150 for the day and it's working out pretty good for me.

funkyspunky871 · June 2010

I've come to realize that people diet all the time without sites like MFP. They don't track their sugars or sodium or fiber or carbs or protein. Just calories and fat (and sometimes not even fat!). I know that maybe it doesn't work for some people, but I've decided not to worry too much if I go over MFP recommendations for carbs/sugar/sodium/etc. It hasn't effected my weight loss yet.

However, if you feel it would be beneficial for you to start tracking your carbs more closely, do it.

lutzsher · June 2010

Definately not!
It is one thing to analize the properties of each nutrient in a test tube and another entirely as to how your body processes them. My husband was listed as "pre-diabetic" over 2 years ago. Since that time not only have we adopted a different way of life, but I've also done extensive research and have created a "diet" that is balanced, but more importantly keeping our plan as low on the glycemic index as possible.
Carbs, in particular those 'white" empty calories ones, just turn to sugar in your bloodstream. There are virtuly no nutrience in them. One of these such items may be the same calories as it's "complex" counterpart but how your body processes them, and is able to use them to it's benefit is very different.
We have not eaten anything like this in a few years, my husband is now 20 lbs away from being an ideal BMI, and his blood sugar has been in a great range ever since. We don't even miss any of the food items we gave up and enjoy a varied and well balanced diet now.

sandara · June 2010

I've come to realize that people diet all the time without sites like MFP. They don't track their sugars or sodium or fiber or carbs or protein. Just calories and fat (and sometimes not even fat!). I know that maybe it doesn't work for some people, but I've decided not to worry too much if I go over MFP recommendations for carbs/sugar/sodium/etc. It hasn't effected my weight loss yet.

I agree! I've been dieting off and on all my life since about the age of 12. My first diet was simply counting calories and it's kind of crazy when I look back over the years and see that the diet that seems to be working is the very first basic diet from years ago.

leftyy2k4 · June 2010

It would help if your diary was public so we can see what your eating.

I would suspect those 4 pounds are from to much sodium. You will be shocked at how much a lil water weighs. And if you don't have enough potassium to match your sodium you will retain water. Lots of it.

Which is why it would help to see what your eating.

Ge0rgiana · June 2010

First of all, YES, it absolutely IS all water weight. You cannot gain fat that fast unless you have some serious metabolic problem. With that said, different people have different metabolism types. There are folks out there who can handle all the carbs. Then there's the rest of us.

I had been suspicious for a while that grains aggravate my edema. Every time I cut them, the swelling goes down. I just finished Phase 1 of South Beach, and I feel like a deflated water balloon. Literally. I haven't been doing proper "low carb" because I still consume beans, yogurt, and milk. The one major thing I cut out was grains. I was losing weight pretty ok before, but now it seems like the swelling is finally going down. All the visceral bloat that scared me so much before is completely gone. (And it is scary knowing you have all that excess fluid on your organs.) I am amazed every day at how much looser my clothes are getting. A friend of mine pointed out recently research that indicates that grains can cause inflammation in some folks and that edema is an inflammatory response. That makes all sorts of sense to me. Even when I hit Phase 3, I will eat grains more sparingly than I did before. The combination of low grains and reducing sodium is magic for me.

With that said, all grains are NOT created alike. I won't go near processed anything anymore. I pay for it way too much. When I do eat grains in the future, it will be whole oats, brown rice, whole wheat breads and crackers, etc. This is what I was eating before I made the SBD switch, and, as I said, I was losing weight pretty decently. But nothing works quite like cutting them out or keeping them to an absolute minimum. Again, fat is only a minor problem for me compared to the edema.

leftyy2k4 · June 2010

Thanks for making your diary public. Not too bad. You are over on your sodium some days. But thats not all of the story. Hows your potassium?

They work together. So make sure you get your potassium. Also watch your table salt. Since many might not add it to their diary.

Your doing great!! Don't get hung up on the scale. And big jumps up or down are due to water weight. So no need to stress them. Just keep at it, watch the sodium and check that potassium.

Tamie_Girl · June 2010

Leftyy2k4, thanks for viewing my diary. Okay, I will watch the sodium + the potassium. Thanks for all the great advice and also the great encouragement and motivation. :drinker:

Do you think all calories are the same?

Replies

Categories