A Calorie is NOT just a Calorie

After my son was born in 1995 I had 40 pounds to lose and I did it by counting calories. I gained the weight back again in 2003 when I had my daughters and never lost it. I have tried a zillion different diets and none of them work long term. So, I'm back to counting calories. Because I'm counting calories instead of just eating a certain type of food, I don't feel so deprived. I can have my sweets in moderation and still lose weight. It really is just math.

all you people saying you lost weight reducing calories, great for you, but you'd look and feel better if your calories came from better sources. my weight loss was slower and i looked "soft" eating whatever i wanted for my calories, even though i kept them low, like 1200-1400. then i found i could eat up to 1800-2000 calories of good, clean, non-processed foods, without gaining, and i look a lot leaner then when i was still eating junk. plus, why in the hell would you want to fuel your body with pizza, ice cream and soda? that is not fuel to me. i have always liked the term "empty calories" because frankly that's what they are. you aren't benefiting your brain or organs very much when you eat crap. plus not to mention you are supporting the food giants who care NOTHING about you and only about profit.

You don't even know what most of us look like...?

I would listen to the people like me that are actually going through the process of losing weight and listening to how they did it any day over reading some article that people are making money off of.

'move more, eat less = weight loss.'

I hate seeing this, because in most cases, the more you move, the more you should be eating. We all have it in our heads that we have to move more and eat less, but the more weight I've lost the more I've had to eat because the more I move.

Our bodies are like cars, they don't go far on little gas.

You make a good point. Although, in the case of the beginners who are obese or very overweight, it's almost always the case.

You are correct and I should have stated that. Thanks!

Guilty here too - I think I wrote the same thing. But I was seeing it just from my perspective (not a whole lot of weight to lose). Maybe should have said, 'move more, eat same = probable weight loss (depends on calories).' For me I'm not really cutting food (just making smarter food choices & watching calories/portions) - I'm focusing on moving more. Sorry! (I think I just see it so often in the forums - move more, eat less = weight loss - that I typed it on autopilot] :flowerforyou:

Or maybe just do everything people on MFP say?? Is that what you mean?

That is the "I follow foods on a list", a la primal, way of seeing things.

Set good calorie/macro goals for your body goals, and consistently meet those goals, and you will consistently reach those goals. That is what people on MFP say, and by "people" I mean those of us that have reached goal after goal without issue, not fat people trying to tell other fat people how to not be fat. Weight loss, is after all, pathetically easy; muscle gain and body comp goals are a bit harder, but not much.

There's nothing wrong with mac donalds once in a while.

But is you at it all the time I think it would prove the point a calorie is not just a calorie.

Except it proves the opposite, which you would know if you got your information from multiple diverse sources and actually had some experience and knowledge in the subject of nutrition and weight loss.

Okay, what nutrition would you get from a burger and fries from MacDonalds????

Protein, carbohydrates, and fat. They're called macronutrients for a reason.

Is this a trick question?

I eat primal.

Wanted to see how other diets stack up.

And I'll be honest not that impressed with MFP.

Some (not all) seem to be a bit naïve and uneducated about how food is broken down in the body,

By educated you of course mean the story made up that cherrypicks a bit of research (generally from low level, low respect journals) that somewhat supports it (ignoring all the stuff that doesn't) despite rejecting and downright laughing at the "wrong" mainstream establishment interpretation of said research and all other research.

Who's the naïve one?

You think that Mark, a suppliment salesman, gets it right, while thousands of pH level nutrition researchers are wrong. Gotcha.

Never go to just one source of information the best way to get information is to go through multiple sources.

Or maybe just do everything people on MFP say?? Is that what you mean?

So, because we're saying: eat a calorie deficit, eat any type of foods at moderation, weigh foods to be accurate, and we've been doing this for a while, doing our research, and we've all been successful at it, we don't know what we're talking about? And you, who is following a fad diet that is not nutritionally sound, still has weight to lose, and hasn't done the research, want to discount everything we're saying? Why are you even in the forums?

I've been struggling with knowing the truth if it matters where my calories come from.. found this AWESOME article that puts logic to it all. Worth the read

http://authoritynutrition.com/debunking-the-calorie-myth/

I read the majority of this article. As I read more and more the author contradicted herself more and more. A calorie is not a calorie, lets define calorie-its a unit of measurement, but its not the same.....Yea I had to hold back my anger at this article because there is no science backing her claims and her claims are ridiculous! Here are my thoughts:

I'm sorry but a calorie is a calorie, just like a pound is a pound. What you are talking about is that not all nutrients are created the same. a Calorie-just like you stated is a unit of measurement. It has no effect on hormones, the nutrients in the food, or lack there of are what effect our body. The authors conclusion of "Eating behavior is largely subconscious, controlled by hormones and neural circuits. It can be downright impossible to control these sorts of behaviors in the long term." is down right wrong. As a Registered Dietitian I have seen the general population make these LIFESTYLE changes for healthier body and weight loss. Yes being at a healthy weight does not mean you will have perfect health as genetics play a role in everything, but being overweight does mean you are at increased risk for many chronic, avoidable diseases like Heart disease, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and stroke to name a few. I agree that different nutrients effect your body differently and that we need to watch the types of foods we are eating along with calories.
The increase in caloric intake is a mentality that America has. Over the last 20 years our portions have grown, why? not really sure of one specific cause, but the idea that it is impossible for the general population to decrease their portions and change their eating HABITS is completely asinine. The way we eat, the amounts we eat, and what we eat are all habits that we have formed over the years. It takes time to form a habit and time to break one. If you work at it, then healthy eating and weight loss can be achieved and maintained (with less effort than the initial weight loss). The claim "Some people may be able to consciously eat less calories and manage it with portion control and / or calorie counting. But they have to stick with it for life." just makes me believe the author is a quick fix type of person like many Americans. I want it fixed and I want it now. The author does not take the time to learn the tools and skills needed to lead a healthy life because she doesn't want to maintain it? really? These claims are not science based and are very inaccurate.

You guys really seem narrow minded.

This is my first experience with MFP - are you a cult?

Eat in moderation, at a calorie deficit, including a good amount of whole foods, but also including foods with somewhat lower nutritional value.

OR

Eat from a specific list of foods, made up by someone who wants to copy the diet of primitive ancestors, when it wasn't really how they ate anyway, plus they only lived to 40 anyway.

Which is plan is more "narrow minded"?

Not sure which diet your referring to but it's not primal?

The other day I ate a whole cookie - would you get away with eating a whole carrot?

That's probably because they got ate by the dinosaurs! Sorry, had to bring a little humor into this heated debate. LOL!