A calorie is not a calorie

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Lichent
Lichent Posts: 157 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This young guy does an experiement and eats 5800 calories a day on LCHF diet for 3 weeks and gains 3 pounds
He repeats the experiment and eats 5800 calories a day on a junk food diet and gains 16 pounds in 3 weeks!!

http://www.dietdoctor.com/overeating-carbs-worse-overeating-lchf-diet

Sam Feltham carried out an experiment a few months ago that caught a lot of attention. For three weeks he pigged out on low-carb LCHF foods, 5,800 calories a day.

According to simplistic calorie counting, Feltham should have gained 16 lbs (7.3 kg). But in reality, he only gained less than 3 lbs (1.3 kg).

Now Feltham has repeated his experiment with exactly the same amount of calories, but from carbohydrate-rich junk food. On the same amount of calories he gained more than five times as much weight: almost 16 lbs (7.1 kg)!

The difference in waist circumference was even more significant: 5,800 calories of LCHF food for three weeks reduced his waist measurement by 1 1/4 inches (3 cm). The same amount of junk food led to a 3 1/2 inch (9.25 cm) increase in his waist. And you can see the difference visually.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Above are photos from the junk food experiment. Below, the LCHF experiment (with the same amount of calories) as a comparison:
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Replies

  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    A calorie is 4.18400 joules, and that's what it is. Not that you absorb every calorie you eat.

    But by that story how on earth are you suppose to know his exact total daily energy expenditure from one day to the next to the T and the exact amount of calories that went into his body without burning them first?

    This is not a news breakthrough. This is just a vague story.
  • nytrifisoul
    nytrifisoul Posts: 500 Member
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    Some foods take more energy to digest, so logically you should gain less eating those foods then foods that take less energy to digest.

    Cool story captain obvious.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
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    Oh Minnie/buddyguy. Its been a few days, I was worried. Life just isn't the same without your silly articles and claims.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,662 Member
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    i agree, you can't really cheat the chemistry. either there are other significant factors at play here such as exercise or its a water weight thing. idk, interesting tho
  • born2drum
    born2drum Posts: 731 Member
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    It's like having a diet high in sodium. You will gain a ton of water. Low carb diets will get rid of water weight rapidly. SO this expirement makes no difference whatsoever. The body, for example, takes longer to difest beef than it does brocolli. So on and so forth.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    He's killing his glycogen stores - draining his body's internal "battery" - which means dumping an ocean of water from his system - on the LCHF path. And high-sodium-ing his way into a human version of a puddle on the HC path.

    None of these "experiments" mean sweet **** all unless they are accompanied by before and after strength and cardiovascular tests.

    Geez, seriously.
  • Snow3y
    Snow3y Posts: 1,412 Member
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    Ban OP please
  • arghbowl
    arghbowl Posts: 1,179 Member
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    No words. Literally... no... fkin... words.
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
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    .
  • Mr_Bad_Example
    Mr_Bad_Example Posts: 2,403 Member
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    OP, you are correct. A calorie is not a calorie... it's still a unicorn.

    tumblr_m0dr63jsUf1r0npnro1_500.gif
  • tdelo7634
    tdelo7634 Posts: 40 Member
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    I heard about this, but to me the study was about high protein vs high carbs, not junk food. It just happens that junk food is a high source of carbs.
  • Vaisaxena
    Vaisaxena Posts: 109 Member
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    I hate posts like this... as a trainer this type of stuff makes people carbophobic... which leads to eating disorders and orthorexia...

    What this fails to point out is that for every 1g carbohydrate the body holds about 3g of water... so in reality, if you assume all of his weight gain was from carbohydrates then that 16lbs turns into 4lb... which is hardly significant...

    water weight can also increase your measurements as a lot of water is stored under the skin...

    don't fall for this stuff, people

    Carbs don't make people fat... fat doesn't make people fat.... protein doesn't make people fat.

    Calories make people fat - you really can't question the laws of thermodynamics.
  • kennie2
    kennie2 Posts: 1,171 Member
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    to be honest theres a lot of people that eat high carb and raw that can eat 3500+ calories and not gain an ounce!
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
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    Everything in moderation is the best diet possible you can over do the healthy stuff as well and then feel like your missing out and binge or you can eat reasonably and be in control
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,324 Member
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    but, when is a door not a door?
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
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    OP, you are correct. A calorie is not a calorie... it's still a unicorn.

    tumblr_m0dr63jsUf1r0npnro1_500.gif

    rolf
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    A liter is not a liter.

    A gallon is not a gallon.

    A pound is not a pound.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Wow it's been what... 1 day since the last thread about this?
  • freddykid
    freddykid Posts: 265 Member
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    Funny how that "Ad" even used photo tricks to make the "bad" food diet look grim. Dark light and poo posture. Even with the lighting bias and neck bent to accentuate the double chin, the images don't show a huge difference. Reason: they were probably taken the same day several hours apart.

    As Digital Underground said "do whatcha like"

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