A Calorie is NOT just a Calorie

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  • yolifoli
    yolifoli Posts: 20 Member
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    So true. 1500 of junk is gross. I am just learning to eat right. I paying attention yet I occasionally have slip ups but it doesnt deter my motivation.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    Wow, is this like a question of identity or have I misunderstood the thread title?

    A Calorie is NOT just a Calorie, is of the form: An X is not just an X.

    so therefore we have:

    X=/=X

    Which brings us to:

    Mind=blown.

    It's kind of a bit misleading as the report the OP was posting up in front of the open minded people who have joined this thread is calories in - don't necessarily - equal calories out.

    That bit of the OP report has been lost in translation,
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    So true. 1500 of junk is gross. I am just learning to eat right. I paying attention yet I occasionally have slip ups but it doesnt deter my motivation.

    We all have slip ups. That's why we need support when were going through such lifestyle changes.

    Keep with!! :smile: :smile:
  • loveculturefitmom
    loveculturefitmom Posts: 6
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    A pound is a pound. true! what I have learned from my journey to healthy me is to take control, be smart and be creative. you can eat whatever you want and some way still lose as long as you don't go over your daily color intake. Then again it comes down to your goal and the time period. I don't deprive myself . if I want something I just have it but I don't seat 1500 calorie of ice cream just because I want it . . We still need to use portion control. Eating 1500 calories of ice cream is just plain wrong in my opinion! once we understand food and there purpose in our body it make it so much easier to make healthy food choices.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    So true. 1500 of junk is gross. I am just learning to eat right. I paying attention yet I occasionally have slip ups but it doesnt deter my motivation.
    Nor, if you're reasonably healthy, will it actually affect your health either.
    In fact, the worst part of it is probably beating yourself up about it if you do, rather than seeing it as a good experience!
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    So true. 1500 of junk is gross. I am just learning to eat right. I paying attention yet I occasionally have slip ups but it doesnt deter my motivation.
    Nor, if you're reasonably healthy, will it actually affect your health either.
    In fact, the worst part of it is probably beating yourself up about it if you do, rather than seeing it as a good experience!

    Agreed a little of what we like once in while will do no harm, Even a lot will probably only put you back a day or 2 until your body (hormones) re-balances.
  • TX_Rhon
    TX_Rhon Posts: 1,549 Member
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    TL:DR

    I'm just amused that this thread is going and going and going...........
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    "I guess 42lbs and 8% BF loss is not sucess...how much do I have to lose to be considered a success?"

    Actually my first GW was 165..hit it..
    I am a success because I am here doing what I need to do to hit my goals...I could give a flying fart about my weight...it's about measurments from a tape and BF...I calculate I will be at maintenance for now as of June 15th (Yah just in time for pool side beer) and my bikini...

    And I am not dieting...that implies I will stop doing what I am doing now when I hit maintenance...I will be here to count calories even at maintenance, I will hit my macros while in maintenance and still lift 3x a week...

    My success is not way off I am living my success now..in the present because I am here and doing what I need to do to get where I want to be...that is success...as I will never be perfect I will always be a work in progress...and willing to accept that...

    ETA: this got bumped in my list...blame the guy above me...

    First you say that your 42 lbs and 8% body fat lost is success. Now you say your success is something else. And that you are not dieting. Fine. You can define success any way you want.

    But if you are not dieting, then it makes me wonder what you have been successful at? And if you are deliberately eating at a caloric deficit, which is here the definition of dieting, and the only way that one can diet, then I'm at a loss for what you mean when you say you are not dieting. When you are on maintenance you will stop what you are doing now. Now, you are eating at a deficit. On maintenance you will presumably be eating at equilibrium.

    Basically I feel about this the same way I do about smoking. I know lots of people who have quit smoking, again and again and again. They get upset with me when I tell them that it's ok to say that they are quitting smoking, but not to say that they have quit smoking. When they have gone four or five years without a smoke, then they can say that they have quit. Yo-yo dieting is probably even more common. Everyone wants to think they have succeeded at their diet just because they've lost some weight or body fat or whatever. But we say that all the fad diets are failures because people just gain the weight right back and more. Thus, a diet hasn't really worked until a person has gotten to a healthy weight and demonstrated that they can and will maintain that weight indefinitely. Short of that, claiming success may be a nice stroke for the ego, and might even be helpful in achieving success, but I think it's inaccurate.

    No dieting implies a short term change in eating habits. This is not a short term, this is for life.

    Success for me is understanding and accepting why I got over weight and changing those habits.

    I have done that, part of that success is the weight lost, bf gone, sizes small and me being stronger.

    And as I said before
    My success is not way off I am living my success now..in the present because I am here and doing what I need to do to get where I want to be...that is success...as I will never be perfect I will always be a work in progress...and willing to accept that...

    See the thing is this...you as a faceless stranger on the www are not allowed to tell me if I am a success or not...you can't put your limitations on my life.

    I am my own person and can define my success anyway I want. Funny how that works eh...

    If you "can't" understand why the people here who are meeting their goals, educating themselves, getting better everyday at understanding why they gain weight/lose weight/maintain weight/meet bf% goals etc are successes you have a very narrow and unpleasant way of looking at life and all it has to offer and the happiness that these small things give those of us with a broader view...

    You have my sympathy...


    PS my ego doesn't need stroked trust me...my confidence level hasn't changed with my weight, I have always been confident in myself and my abilities to do whatever I set my mind to...see there is something else that makes me a success...maybe not in your world but it does in mine and at the end of the day that is all that matters to this woman (and by extension my husband, my son and the rest of my friends and family)


    The thing is some of the members (probably only a small amount) in MFP don't get the concept that these forum are for encouraging others and sharing ideas for members to research for themselves and draw their own conclusions.

    I gotta ask where you got that the purpose of these forums is to be supportive? There is a motivation and support section which is absolutely for getting motivation and support, but this is an online community. Communities have different facets, personalities, purposes.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    "I guess 42lbs and 8% BF loss is not sucess...how much do I have to lose to be considered a success?"

    Actually my first GW was 165..hit it..
    I am a success because I am here doing what I need to do to hit my goals...I could give a flying fart about my weight...it's about measurments from a tape and BF...I calculate I will be at maintenance for now as of June 15th (Yah just in time for pool side beer) and my bikini...

    And I am not dieting...that implies I will stop doing what I am doing now when I hit maintenance...I will be here to count calories even at maintenance, I will hit my macros while in maintenance and still lift 3x a week...

    My success is not way off I am living my success now..in the present because I am here and doing what I need to do to get where I want to be...that is success...as I will never be perfect I will always be a work in progress...and willing to accept that...

    ETA: this got bumped in my list...blame the guy above me...

    First you say that your 42 lbs and 8% body fat lost is success. Now you say your success is something else. And that you are not dieting. Fine. You can define success any way you want.

    But if you are not dieting, then it makes me wonder what you have been successful at? And if you are deliberately eating at a caloric deficit, which is here the definition of dieting, and the only way that one can diet, then I'm at a loss for what you mean when you say you are not dieting. When you are on maintenance you will stop what you are doing now. Now, you are eating at a deficit. On maintenance you will presumably be eating at equilibrium.

    Basically I feel about this the same way I do about smoking. I know lots of people who have quit smoking, again and again and again. They get upset with me when I tell them that it's ok to say that they are quitting smoking, but not to say that they have quit smoking. When they have gone four or five years without a smoke, then they can say that they have quit. Yo-yo dieting is probably even more common. Everyone wants to think they have succeeded at their diet just because they've lost some weight or body fat or whatever. But we say that all the fad diets are failures because people just gain the weight right back and more. Thus, a diet hasn't really worked until a person has gotten to a healthy weight and demonstrated that they can and will maintain that weight indefinitely. Short of that, claiming success may be a nice stroke for the ego, and might even be helpful in achieving success, but I think it's inaccurate.

    No dieting implies a short term change in eating habits. This is not a short term, this is for life.

    Success for me is understanding and accepting why I got over weight and changing those habits.

    I have done that, part of that success is the weight lost, bf gone, sizes small and me being stronger.

    And as I said before
    My success is not way off I am living my success now..in the present because I am here and doing what I need to do to get where I want to be...that is success...as I will never be perfect I will always be a work in progress...and willing to accept that...

    See the thing is this...you as a faceless stranger on the www are not allowed to tell me if I am a success or not...you can't put your limitations on my life.

    I am my own person and can define my success anyway I want. Funny how that works eh...

    If you "can't" understand why the people here who are meeting their goals, educating themselves, getting better everyday at understanding why they gain weight/lose weight/maintain weight/meet bf% goals etc are successes you have a very narrow and unpleasant way of looking at life and all it has to offer and the happiness that these small things give those of us with a broader view...

    You have my sympathy...


    PS my ego doesn't need stroked trust me...my confidence level hasn't changed with my weight, I have always been confident in myself and my abilities to do whatever I set my mind to...see there is something else that makes me a success...maybe not in your world but it does in mine and at the end of the day that is all that matters to this woman (and by extension my husband, my son and the rest of my friends and family)


    The thing is some of the members (probably only a small amount) in MFP don't get the concept that these forum are for encouraging others and sharing ideas for members to research for themselves and draw their own conclusions.

    I gotta ask where you got that the purpose of these forums is to be supportive? There is a motivation and support section which is absolutely for getting motivation and support, but this is an online community. Communities have different facets, personalities, purposes.

    Hey Rogers,

    Good to see you back again.

    Maybe I'm too quick to judge people. I personally would use it to be supportive, I thought maybe others going through a journey of weight loss and improved health and fitness would likewise,

    I know you don't subscribe to such humanistic weakness!!! (that a tounge in cheek remark by the way) I'm sure you're a very caring kind of guy.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    Not that I can even begin to be bothered to read most of the replies on here, but this topic is so redundant it's practically completely impotent.

    A calorie IS just a calorie. A calorie is a UNIT OF ENERGY. It is the approximate amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius. It is not one calorie of fat, nor one calorie of protein, nor a calorie of carbs. It can only be what it is. ENERGY.

    Where the misunderstanding lies is the NUTRITIONAL VALUE in the foods that provide those calories.

    YES, if you stuff your face with burgers at the appropriate deficit, you WILL lose weight. It's that simple.

    If you stuff your face with healthy foods, you will get the NUTRITIONAL benefits that come along with it, but a 1,000 calories of broccoli still has the same amount of ENERGY as in 1,000 calories worth of junk. The composition of these foods are different, therefore have different effects on the body.

    So - Calories = A unit of energy
    Nutrition = The composition of the foods you eat

    A CALORIE IS JUST A CALORIE.



    Oh, and whilst we're at it... Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat either. 1lbs of muscle weighs the same as 1lbs of fat. The fat just takes up more room.


    Edit for spellinz from angry typing.

    ^^^^ all of this

    calorie = unit of energy. khalas*


    *that's Arabic for enough!/finished!/done!/shut up!/go away and leave me alone!/at least stop arguing now and leave me in peace! kind of sentiments

    Sorry do all of these posts go into your personal inbox?

    Didn't realise, maybe we should keep the noise down!

    I thought only people who were up for the discussion logged in to have their 2 penneth worth!

    where did I say people weren't allowed to debate or discuss?

    my comment "calorie = a unit of energy, khalas" was me saying that this is all there is to the meaning of the word "calorie" - An American might have written "calorie = a unit of energy, period" but I'm not American, I live in an Arabic speaking country where people throw Arabic words into conversations in English. The Arabic word IMO fitted the situation well. The humorous translation was just that.... humorous. I had no intention to imply that people weren't allowed to debate.... look at my post count. I get involved in a lot of debates around here.

    As to why people want to debate that any given unit is not the same as the same unit measuring something else... well that's up to them, but the whole debate is silly and anyone who tries to argue against that point doesn't understand units. The issue as to how much *other* nutrition (i.e. besides energy) you get from any particular food is a separate issue, some foods are more nutritious than others, i.e. you can get more protein, vitamins, minerals etc for the same amount of calories from some foods than others, but that does not and never will negate the fact that a calorie is a calorie, because all a calorie is is a unit of energy. Khalas. Just like an inch is a unit of length. Khalas. (or Period if you prefer... but period sounds weird if you're British, we call them full stops).
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    "I guess 42lbs and 8% BF loss is not sucess...how much do I have to lose to be considered a success?"

    Actually my first GW was 165..hit it..
    I am a success because I am here doing what I need to do to hit my goals...I could give a flying fart about my weight...it's about measurments from a tape and BF...I calculate I will be at maintenance for now as of June 15th (Yah just in time for pool side beer) and my bikini...

    And I am not dieting...that implies I will stop doing what I am doing now when I hit maintenance...I will be here to count calories even at maintenance, I will hit my macros while in maintenance and still lift 3x a week...

    My success is not way off I am living my success now..in the present because I am here and doing what I need to do to get where I want to be...that is success...as I will never be perfect I will always be a work in progress...and willing to accept that...

    ETA: this got bumped in my list...blame the guy above me...

    First you say that your 42 lbs and 8% body fat lost is success. Now you say your success is something else. And that you are not dieting. Fine. You can define success any way you want.

    But if you are not dieting, then it makes me wonder what you have been successful at? And if you are deliberately eating at a caloric deficit, which is here the definition of dieting, and the only way that one can diet, then I'm at a loss for what you mean when you say you are not dieting. When you are on maintenance you will stop what you are doing now. Now, you are eating at a deficit. On maintenance you will presumably be eating at equilibrium.

    Basically I feel about this the same way I do about smoking. I know lots of people who have quit smoking, again and again and again. They get upset with me when I tell them that it's ok to say that they are quitting smoking, but not to say that they have quit smoking. When they have gone four or five years without a smoke, then they can say that they have quit. Yo-yo dieting is probably even more common. Everyone wants to think they have succeeded at their diet just because they've lost some weight or body fat or whatever. But we say that all the fad diets are failures because people just gain the weight right back and more. Thus, a diet hasn't really worked until a person has gotten to a healthy weight and demonstrated that they can and will maintain that weight indefinitely. Short of that, claiming success may be a nice stroke for the ego, and might even be helpful in achieving success, but I think it's inaccurate.

    No dieting implies a short term change in eating habits. This is not a short term, this is for life.

    Success for me is understanding and accepting why I got over weight and changing those habits.

    I have done that, part of that success is the weight lost, bf gone, sizes small and me being stronger.

    And as I said before
    My success is not way off I am living my success now..in the present because I am here and doing what I need to do to get where I want to be...that is success...as I will never be perfect I will always be a work in progress...and willing to accept that...

    See the thing is this...you as a faceless stranger on the www are not allowed to tell me if I am a success or not...you can't put your limitations on my life.

    I am my own person and can define my success anyway I want. Funny how that works eh...

    If you "can't" understand why the people here who are meeting their goals, educating themselves, getting better everyday at understanding why they gain weight/lose weight/maintain weight/meet bf% goals etc are successes you have a very narrow and unpleasant way of looking at life and all it has to offer and the happiness that these small things give those of us with a broader view...

    You have my sympathy...


    PS my ego doesn't need stroked trust me...my confidence level hasn't changed with my weight, I have always been confident in myself and my abilities to do whatever I set my mind to...see there is something else that makes me a success...maybe not in your world but it does in mine and at the end of the day that is all that matters to this woman (and by extension my husband, my son and the rest of my friends and family)


    The thing is some of the members (probably only a small amount) in MFP don't get the concept that these forum are for encouraging others and sharing ideas for members to research for themselves and draw their own conclusions.

    I gotta ask where you got that the purpose of these forums is to be supportive? There is a motivation and support section which is absolutely for getting motivation and support, but this is an online community. Communities have different facets, personalities, purposes.

    Hey Rogers,

    Good to see you back again.

    Maybe I'm too quick to judge people. I personally would use it to be supportive, I thought maybe others going through a journey of weight loss and improved health and fitness would likewise,

    I know you don't subscribe to such humanistic weakness!!! (that a tounge in cheek remark by the way) I'm sure you're a very caring kind of guy.

    I mostly agree. I just happen to think that most of the board is supportive. Of course, threads like this pop up where it turns into a pissing match, and the support goes out the window, but overall, there is a ton of support. Support just doesn't involve agreeing with or spreading misinformation.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    There's definitely a lot of misinformation going on!
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    There's definitely a lot of misinformation going on!

    But who has the "real" information?
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    There's definitely a lot of misinformation going on!

    But who has the "real" information?

    That's the beauty of researching multiple sources and making your own informed conclusion.

    My personal view would be - take everything you hear at face value (I include my own beliefs).

    If you read something that sparks your interest look into get the facts and either use it or chuck it away.

    Knowledge is power dude. - Blind faith (well that another thing).
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    There's definitely a lot of misinformation going on!

    But who has the "real" information?

    That's the beauty of researching multiple sources and making your own informed conclusion.

    My personal view would be - take everything you hear at face value (I include my own beliefs).

    If you read something that sparks your interest look into get the facts and either use it or chuck it away.

    Knowledge is power dude. - Blind faith (well that another thing).
    Yes, but I believe that you said you really like Mark's Daily Apple because he links to scientific articles. Here's another good blog for you to check out, and she also lists the science articles that are her sources:

    https://gokaleo.com/

    Of course, she takes the opposite stance on things, and god forbid, she suggests eating mostly nutrient dense food, but eating calorically dense foods in moderation if they fit into your goals. She actually goes so far to state that labeling foods as bad and refusing to eat them can lead to disordered eating.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    Options
    There's definitely a lot of misinformation going on!

    But who has the "real" information?

    That's the beauty of researching multiple sources and making your own informed conclusion.

    My personal view would be - take everything you hear at face value (I include my own beliefs).

    If you read something that sparks your interest look into get the facts and either use it or chuck it away.

    Knowledge is power dude. - Blind faith (well that another thing).
    Yes, but I believe that you said you really like Mark's Daily Apple because he links to scientific articles. Here's another good blog for you to check out, and she also lists the science articles that are her sources:

    https://gokaleo.com/

    Of course, she takes the opposite stance on things, and god forbid, she suggests eating mostly nutrient dense food, but eating calorically dense foods in moderation if they fit into your goals. She actually goes so far to state that labeling foods as bad and refusing to eat them can lead to disordered eating.

    Thanks I'll give it a look.

    I follow the science, you should read marks daily apple, you may find there's common ground.

    I used to be a Christian until I discovered Judaism now I'm a happy Muslim/Buddhist.
  • MireyGal76
    MireyGal76 Posts: 7,334 Member
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    This has been so much fun, I think I should start another thread... A Calorie IS just a Calorie


    Thoughts?
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    This has been so much fun, I think I should start another thread... A Calorie IS just a Calorie


    Thoughts?

    How about one on the energy balance equation - after all isn't that what the original OP report was getting at (to a degree).
  • MireyGal76
    MireyGal76 Posts: 7,334 Member
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    This has been so much fun, I think I should start another thread... A Calorie IS just a Calorie


    Thoughts?

    How about one on the energy balance equation - after all isn't that what the original OP report was getting at (to a degree).

    pfft. where's the fun in THAT? lol
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    Options
    There's definitely a lot of misinformation going on!

    But who has the "real" information?

    That's the beauty of researching multiple sources and making your own informed conclusion.

    My personal view would be - take everything you hear at face value (I include my own beliefs).

    If you read something that sparks your interest look into get the facts and either use it or chuck it away.

    Knowledge is power dude. - Blind faith (well that another thing).
    Yes, but I believe that you said you really like Mark's Daily Apple because he links to scientific articles. Here's another good blog for you to check out, and she also lists the science articles that are her sources:

    https://gokaleo.com/

    Of course, she takes the opposite stance on things, and god forbid, she suggests eating mostly nutrient dense food, but eating calorically dense foods in moderation if they fit into your goals. She actually goes so far to state that labeling foods as bad and refusing to eat them can lead to disordered eating.

    Thanks I'll give it a look.

    I follow the science, you should read marks daily apple, you may find there's common ground.

    I used to be a Christian until I discovered Judaism now I'm a happy Muslim/Buddhist.
    I'm actually on his digest as I was looking into paleo for a while. He actually doesn't post much right now. Some of his stuff I read. Some I delete immediately. There's a lot of stuff that I like about the concept, but find paleo just too restrictive for reasons I don't understand. And I really like peanut butter. And just because one article or two backs up a theory doesn't mean there aren't 10 others that disagree with it. A lot of the more "extreme" (and weird) exclusions I can't find an overwhelming acceptance for them being bad.

    But, overall, I like the nutrient dense foods and the 80/20 concept.

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