21 day 5000 calorie challenge: debunking the calorie myth?

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  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,835 Member
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    Well based on my tweet conversation with him he doesn't understand a scientific experiment at all - He's changed more than one variable and wants to be able to count water weight loss as a win in the calorie is a calorie "experiment"

    I've lost weight - but should have put on fat therefore I'm right, even though the weight loss is likely water. Sigh.

    He's set it up to prove he will be right. This is everything that is wrong with internet crusaders :noway:

    And lots of people will probably just see his results and believe them.

    Biased ''experiment'
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
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    Well based on my tweet conversation with him he doesn't understand a scientific experiment at all - He's changed more than one variable and wants to be able to count water weight loss as a win in the calorie is a calorie "experiment"

    I've lost weight - but should have put on fat therefore I'm right, even though the weight loss is likely water. Sigh.

    He's set it up to prove he will be right. This is everything that is wrong with internet crusaders :noway:

    And lots of people will probably just see his results and believe them.

    Biased ''experiment'

    991269_9811.jpg
  • ShaunaLaNee
    ShaunaLaNee Posts: 188 Member
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    Funny since intake/out take of calories is science, and taught in college health...Darn scientist with all there facts and stuff....Kind of like the Twinkies experiment...he lost weight counting calories eating Twinkies only.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
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    He should stay in bed during his challenge to control for calories burned.
  • DalekBrittany
    DalekBrittany Posts: 1,748 Member
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    2s0gspu.png
  • DalekBrittany
    DalekBrittany Posts: 1,748 Member
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    Funny since intake/out take of calories is science, and taught in college health...Darn scientist with all there facts and stuff....Kind of like the Twinkies experiment...he lost weight counting calories eating Twinkies only.

    gtfo with your 'facts'. We don't want that here. Ain't nobody got time fa that.
  • seanezekiel
    seanezekiel Posts: 228 Member
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    This is not a fair test. His body is use to not putting on fat. It is exactly the same as someone very heavy starting to diet. There is usually little to no loss the first 2-3 weeks then it falls off. If you looked purely at math that heavy person should lose instantly as technically their calorie deficiency says so. In fact that is the biggest reason people quit diets, no results in the first 2 weeks. His experiment won't work. He would need to do it longer then 21 days. In fact i find it highly suspect that he uses 21 days considering this is a standard amount of time for the body to readjust. I think it is sad that a trainer who obviously knows this would set out to confuse people even more.
  • tootoop224
    tootoop224 Posts: 281 Member
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    Well based on my tweet conversation with him he doesn't understand a scientific experiment at all - He's changed more than one variable and wants to be able to count water weight loss as a win in the calorie is a calorie "experiment"

    I've lost weight - but should have put on fat therefore I'm right, even though the weight loss is likely water. Sigh.

    He's set it up to prove he will be right. This is everything that is wrong with internet crusaders :noway:

    And lots of people will probably just see his results and believe them.

    Biased ''experiment'

    Yep. Unfortunate too, because if done properly, it would be interesting and informative. But, we can't have that, everyone's got an agenda. :sad:
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
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    Well based on my tweet conversation with him he doesn't understand a scientific experiment at all - He's changed more than one variable and wants to be able to count water weight loss as a win in the calorie is a calorie "experiment"

    I've lost weight - but should have put on fat therefore I'm right, even though the weight loss is likely water. Sigh.

    He's set it up to prove he will be right. This is everything that is wrong with internet crusaders :noway:

    And lots of people will probably just see his results and believe them.

    Biased ''experiment'

    991269_9811.jpg

    :drinker:
  • tpittsley77
    tpittsley77 Posts: 607 Member
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    I find it funny that he is following the 21 day sugar detox diet, which doesn't limit calories either. I wouldn't be surprised if he actually loses weight due to the shock on his system.
  • diodelcibo
    diodelcibo Posts: 2,564 Member
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    Brb breaking thermodynamics.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    How would eating food debunk the calorie myth, and what is the calorie myth again?

    There are a lot of people that do not believe in cals in/out. They feel that it's the quality of the food that matters. So, if you were eating very clean, whatever that means, I guess no junk, no soda, pop tarts, ice cream, cheeseburgers, etc. just clean food. If you eat that way, you can consume 5000 cals a day without gaining.

    There are entire groups so passionate about this, and are successful too. As an example, you don't need to count calories eating Paleo/primal. You just don't. If you stick with it.

    They don't count calories, however you are still supposed to pay attention to portion sizes, and they do say its a self limiting diet. So you are controlling calories, just not outright count them. It's not a matter of eating however much you want.

    It's also not a "low carb" diet, you can have carbs just not from grains. It does tend to be lower carb.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Just asked him if he was eating at this ratio of macros before the challenge - it is a good point that if he wasn't then he should drop some water weigh which will alter the results.

    Also 21 days isn't long enough - I would have said a minimum of 6 weeks as that is how long it take the body (generally) to adjust to a change in diet.

    I was right - his regular macros were 30 carbs 40 fat 30 protein - so he has actually changed more than one variable. This could well account for the initial weight loss.

    Plus weight gain and loss is not linear.

    This is a vanity experiment with no real basis in science.

    :drinker:
  • Horsezee
    Horsezee Posts: 22
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    I think people often forget the vegan fatties out there.



    They're out there.

    Because they're eating processed food. Have you seen how many calories are in a piece of tofu meat? Not to mention all the processing it undergoes. There is all types of unhealthy junk available that's vegan approved - candy included. Just because someone is vegan doesn't mean they're eating healthy or counting their calories.
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
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    I think people often forget the vegan fatties out there.



    They're out there.

    Because they're eating processed food. Have you seen how many calories are in a piece of tofu meat? Not to mention all the processing it undergoes. There is all types of unhealthy junk available that's vegan approved - candy included. Just because someone is vegan doesn't mean they're eating healthy or counting their calories.

    All foods are processed foods.
  • Binkie1955
    Binkie1955 Posts: 329 Member
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    Well the calories in calories out model IS a myth - that's just science. the body pursues homeostasis regardless of the number of calories in and the number out. Carbohydrates will tend to add to adipose tissue (i.e. grow fat). so if you eat a lot of carbohydrates you can expect to gain fat. however if your calories are high protein and high fat, unless you are rigourously exercising muscle, the body has no recognized need to add lean muscle mass (i.e. pounds of muscle) unless it is getting the signals (through heavy exercise) of that requirment. so it will pursue 'homeostasis' and those additional 'good calories' will be converted to urea and excreted. that's the chemistry and that's been proven many times. (see the 'good calories bad calories pdf online).

    so if this guys is a trainer, he may gain weight but it will likely be muscle mass. i'm assuming he's not consuming excess carbohydrates.

    one of the challeenges with MFP is it does tend to support the calories in calories out mythology. but for most people, because of the caloric density of high carbohydrate foods, when you restrict calories but balance your nutrition you will tend to restrict carbohydrates automatically. I've been on WW and Jenny and if you analyze the diet plan, you will find you're restricting your carbs to under 100 grams per day anyway. so most successful diets recognize the importance of carbohydrate restriction whether they tell you that or not.
  • momzeeee
    momzeeee Posts: 475 Member
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    How would eating food debunk the calorie myth, and what is the calorie myth again?

    There are a lot of people that do not believe in cals in/out. They feel that it's the quality of the food that matters. So, if you were eating very clean, whatever that means, I guess no junk, no soda, pop tarts, ice cream, cheeseburgers, etc. just clean food. If you eat that way, you can consume 5000 cals a day without gaining.

    There are entire groups so passionate about this, and are successful too. As an example, you don't need to count calories eating Paleo/primal. You just don't. If you stick with it.

    If you're eating primal to lose weight and following Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint, then you count carbs. So, you're still counting/tracking something.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,835 Member
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    Well the calories in calories out model IS a myth - that's just science. the body pursues homeostasis regardless of the number of calories in and the number out. Carbohydrates will tend to add to adipose tissue (i.e. grow fat). so if you eat a lot of carbohydrates you can expect to gain fat. however if your calories are high protein and high fat, unless you are rigourously exercising muscle, the body has no recognized need to add lean muscle mass (i.e. pounds of muscle) unless it is getting the signals (through heavy exercise) of that requirment. so it will pursue 'homeostasis' and those additional 'good calories' will be converted to urea and excreted. that's the chemistry and that's been proven many times. (see the 'good calories bad calories pdf online).

    so if this guys is a trainer, he may gain weight but it will likely be muscle mass. i'm assuming he's not consuming excess carbohydrates.

    one of the challeenges with MFP is it does tend to support the calories in calories out mythology. but for most people, because of the caloric density of high carbohydrate foods, when you restrict calories but balance your nutrition you will tend to restrict carbohydrates automatically. I've been on WW and Jenny and if you analyze the diet plan, you will find you're restricting your carbs to under 100 grams per day anyway. so most successful diets recognize the importance of carbohydrate restriction whether they tell you that or not.

    :laugh:

    I don't even know where to start. So I don't think I'll bother.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-energy-balance-equation.html
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    That's why I mentioned Paleo. I think that's what he's doing.

    Not really, I haven't heard him say "paleo" yet and the word appears 4 times on his site in links to other resources.
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    Options
    Well the calories in calories out model IS a myth - that's just science. the body pursues homeostasis regardless of the number of calories in and the number out. Carbohydrates will tend to add to adipose tissue (i.e. grow fat). so if you eat a lot of carbohydrates you can expect to gain fat. however if your calories are high protein and high fat, unless you are rigourously exercising muscle, the body has no recognized need to add lean muscle mass (i.e. pounds of muscle) unless it is getting the signals (through heavy exercise) of that requirment. so it will pursue 'homeostasis' and those additional 'good calories' will be converted to urea and excreted. that's the chemistry and that's been proven many times. (see the 'good calories bad calories pdf online).

    so if this guys is a trainer, he may gain weight but it will likely be muscle mass. i'm assuming he's not consuming excess carbohydrates.

    one of the challeenges with MFP is it does tend to support the calories in calories out mythology. but for most people, because of the caloric density of high carbohydrate foods, when you restrict calories but balance your nutrition you will tend to restrict carbohydrates automatically. I've been on WW and Jenny and if you analyze the diet plan, you will find you're restricting your carbs to under 100 grams per day anyway. so most successful diets recognize the importance of carbohydrate restriction whether they tell you that or not.

    did you just called WW and Jenny successful diet plan...?