Do I HAVE to count calories?

NOMORECARS · April 2014

Many people ridicule me for saying that not all calories are the same and you do not need to eat less in order to lose weight. Here is some information I found in Runners' World Magazine:

If you’ve been trying to lose weight, you’ve probably heard this rule: It’s just a matter of calories in, calories out. That is, simply burn more calories than you consume, and the pounds will melt off. Right? Well, not exactly.

If you are trying to lose weight, then you know that it’s not that simple—or that easy.

It turns out, some calories count more than others. Sure, there are 100 calories in two tablespoons of chocolate chips, and the very same 100 calories in broccoli. But there’s a huge difference in the way that they affect your appetite, your energy level, and your long-term health.

Here’s what you need to know:

LOOK FOR COLORS About half of each meal should be fruits and vegetables. Not only are they low in calories, high in fiber, and filling, but a wide variety of produce will provide nutrients and minerals that help stave off diseases like cancer, and keep your bones, muscles, metabolism, heart, and lungs in top form. Dark green veggies like kale and spinach will give you iron—to maintain health of red blood cells, which deliver oxygen-rich blood to the body; oranges and strawberries provide vitamin C to help the body absorb the iron. Red tomatoes and peppers have vitamin C, lycopene, lutein, potassium, beta-carotene, and vitamin B6. Blueberries, blackberries, beets, and eggplants are sources of potassium—which helps the muscles contract properly—and anthocyanins, which help prevent cancer. Orange and yellow fruits and vegetables like corn, butternut squash, pineapple, yellow peppers, mangos, carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and apricots are rich in beta-carotene, lutein, potassium, manganese, copper, folate, and vitamins C, A, and B6.

LOOK BEYOND LABELS. Often products that sound healthy are junk foods in disguise. For instance, a Banana Berry smoothie from Jamba Juice has 400 calories and 82 grams of sugar—as much as four Mounds bars. Even Yoplait Original 99% Fat Free Lemon Burst Yogurt has 180 calories and 30 grams of sugar. Not even all chocolate is created equal. A Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar, for instance, has 210 calories, 24 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of fat compared with Chocolove’s Extra Strong Dark Chocolate—with 77% cocoa, which has 170 calories, 11 grams of carbs, and six grams of sugar in a 30-gram serving. Look for varieties that are 70% cocoa or higher for the least amount of sugar and the most antioxidants, which have been shown to reduce high blood pressure and inflammation.

FIND THE FIBER. Found in fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains, fiber fills you up fast with fewer calories, and because it takes longer to eat and digest, it keeps you feeling satisfied longer. Aim for 25 to 35 grams of fiber each day. Spread your fiber intake throughout the day, and try to consume at least five grams of fiber per meal. Water-soluble fiber, found mostly in fruits, vegetables, and beans, helps lower cholesterol and blood-sugar levels. Insoluble fiber, found mostly in whole grains—keeps the colon clean, which may help prevent cancer and digestive disorders. To avoid an upset stomach, be sure to get the timing right. It takes about two hours for fiber to leave the stomach and get to the intestine. So save high-fiber foods for after your workouts, or at least two hours beforehand.

DON’T FEAR FAT. There has been a flood of low-fat and fat-free products into the market in recent years. But we now know that unsaturated fats like the ones you can get from olive oil, avocados, canola oil, nuts, seeds, and almonds—actually help boost your heart health. They also leave you feeling fuller for longer and even lower risk of injuries like stress fractures. Stay away from saturated fat and trans fat; they raise your "bad" cholesterol levels and decrease your "good" cholesterol levels, and that can raise your risk for heart disease. You still want to keep fats in moderation. Get more advice about the difference between good and bad fat.

WATCH THE SUGAR Sure, those Skittles seem harmless enough—after all, one bag has only 250 calories and 2.5 grams of fat. That sounds pretty tame for candy. But the 47 grams of sugar per serving has a cascade of negative side effects: You’ll get a sugar high and crash that will send your energy levels on a rollercoaster ride and set the stage for more craving down the line. Indulging those cravings can lead to weight gain and health problems like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Look for products with the fewest grams of sugar, and aim for less than 2.5 grams of sugar/100 calories. The World Health Organization recommends keeping sugar intake to no more than 10% of daily calories. For many folks that’s a limit of 50 grams of sugar per day. Aim much lower if you’re trying to shed pounds. Your best source of sugar is fresh fruit, which provides vitamins and minerals, along with fiber. If you must indulge in candy, enjoy it right after a tough workout. In the 20 to 30 minutes immediately following a run that’s longer or faster than you usually go, your body is especially efficient at metabolizing sugar. In fact, pairing these carbs with protein will help your muscles recover.

SWEET THINGS

Here are two ways to figure out whether a product has sugar.

Check the ingredients. The ingredient list is usually printed below the Nutrition Facts panel. Below is a list of different names for different types of sugar:

Corn syrup
Corn sugar
High fructose corn syrup
Maltodextrin
Sucrose
Dextrose
Honey
Molasses
Turbinado sugar
Brown sugar

Look at the order. Ingredients are ordered by weight, so the ingredient that is listed first makes up a greater percentage of the product compared with the last ingredient listed. If sugar (or one of the other sources) is listed as one of the first two or three ingredients, you know that the food is high in sugar.

Sjenny5891 · April 2014

I didn't realize how much I was eating until I started tracking my meals with MFP.
It is going to seem like it is impossible to make it especially if you have a goal of 1200 Calories a day.
If staying under your goal is too stressfull you can raise it a little ( to say lose .5lb a week) until you get the hang of logging everything.

Do some research on the food you like and play with the numbers so you know what you can have- I pre log everything before I go to work so I know what I have left for the rest of the day. I also like to pack each days snack in sandwich bags on shopping day so I can "budget" what I snack on each day.

jennalennafur · April 2014

Same here! It was kind of an eye opener for me really.

chrisdavey · April 2014

I had a lady asking me how I stay lean while eating so much food (including the eating challenges I do occasionally). I told them I track cals (macros) and stick to them the majority of the time.

Her answer: oh, that's so much work. Can't I just eat clean?
me: well you "could" do that and then punish yourself for eating "bad" food or you could spend 10mins a day logging and then just fit that "bad" food into your plan.

chrisdavey · April 2014

Hate to tell you this mate but deprivation is not the cause of adaptive thermogenesis.

And I'd say deprivation would be doing something like, cutting out entire food groups for no apparent reason.

onefortyone · April 2014

I can't imagine losing weight instinctively or I wouldn't be here in the first place, but some people obviously can get by without counting, because there are skinny people all over everywhere.

As far as it being too much, being a grownup means staying on top of a lot of different things. I track where my money is coming from and going, and I track where my calories are coming from and going, they take about the same amount of time per day to keep an eye on. Mentally, we have to juggle housework, bills, work, down-time, running errands, exercise, buying, cooking and eating food, and a thousand other tiny but hugely significant tasks.

The question Do I HAVE to count calories? to me, as an overweight person, sounds like an overspender asking, do I HAVE to balance my checkbook? No, you don't, but it's a great habit to get into and it'll definitely help in the long run.

ZombieEarhart · April 2014

This is legit crazy talk right here. What.

loonylovegood0715 · April 2014

Buncha malarky.

tahneesummers88 · April 2014

I used to be a "clean eater". I find this way much much better for me. This way, I can eat that treat if I want it.. as long as it fits into my calorie intake to be able to still lose weight. If I want a treat that is 500 calories, like a mcflurry from McDonalds (I have a slight addiction) I just make sure I go to the gym and do a huge session so I'm able to eat it. It's all about balance. Clean eating and cutting out ALL junk was too hard for me. I need my treat when I need it (or want it more like it) lol.. Or i will go crazy and binge like never before.. meaning I stop all calorie counting and just give up. This way isn't hard for me.. It works REALLY well for me. I guess you have to just find what works best for you, because everyone is different. YES you can eat too much healthy food (in a losing weight sense). Before I found MFP, I was eating so much healthy food and not losing weight, and I got very confused and frustrated because I didn't understand what I was doing wrong. If you eat 3000 calories a day of healthy food and no junk, and need to have a 1800 calorie intake per day to be able to lose weight, you won't lose any weight. Whatever you do, you need to eat less than what your calorie intake is for your body to be able to lose weight. How you go about that, is completely up to you. Again, what works for someone else, might not work for another. Good luck.. and I hope you find something that works for you.

jonnythan · April 2014

All these things are factually wrong and your advice has been proven over and over to be largely counterproductive and ineffective.

NOMORECARS · April 2014

LOL, NO WONDER THERE IS AN OBESITY EPIDEMIC. I GIVE UP. ENJOY YOUR DORITOS AND BE SURE TO TAKE YOUR METHFORMIN REGULARLY.

sullus · April 2014

It's disingenuous at best. I will admit that if one were to say "Henceforth, I shall eat nothing but steamed whitefish and mixed greens. And drink water only", I believe that it would be physically impossible to get 3000 calories of that down in a day. and yup, it's trivially easy to get down 3000 calories of fast or restaurant food. That can be extrapolated into "sure sure, more whole foods, lean protein and whatever the **** else you want to define as "real food" will make it easier to stuff your face without consuming massive amounts of calories" .. but who ****ing cares.

NOMORECARS · April 2014

Credit for this belongs to a blog by Doug from HartlandPersonalTraining.com

Blog

Crank Your Metabolism, Eat MORE Food?
18 May

Nutrition Tip of the Day!
Today I want to discuss something called the thermic effect of food. If you have been to one of my nutrition seminars then you know that I teach my clients to eat meals containing a lean protein, a starchy/complex carbohydrate (i.e. brown rice, sweet potatoes, oatmeal), and a fibrous carbohydrate (i.e. vegetables) every 3 hours. While this is not always possible, the goal is to do the best you can.

There are many reasons why eating this way is vital to burning body fat and one of those reasons is the thermic effect food. Any time muscles contract or a bodily process takes place, calories are burned. The same holds true for the digestion of food. When you eat the right foods you burn a good amount of calories in the digestion process. The burning of calories through digestion is called the thermic effect of food.

For example, when you consume fats, it is very easy for the body to break down the fat for digestion. All the body has to do is break the small fat molecules into smaller fat molecules and then into smaller fat molecules and eventually into fatty acid chains that can then be stored or burned. This is a simple process for the body.

FAT
For every 100 calories of fat consumed; only 5 calories are burned during digestion. That is a 5% metabolic boost.

Complex or starchy carbohydrates on the other hand are large chains of glucose (sugar) molecules that the body now has to break apart. First, the mouth uses saliva to start breaking down these glucose chains. Second, the glucose chains move from the mouth to the stomach where the chains are further broken down until they reach the intestines where they absorb into the bloodstream. Third, the pancreas has to produce insulin which takes the glucose and stores it either in the liver or muscles. There are many more steps to breaking down complex carbs as compared to fats.

CARBS
For every 100 calories of complex carbs that are ingested, 10 calories are burned in digestion. That is a 10% metabolic boost. That’s twice the boost you get from fats.

One gram of fat contains 9 calories while one gram of complex carbs contains 4 calories. When you cut the fats out of the diet you get less then half of the calories yet double the calories burned in digestion. That is why it’s possible to eat MORE food and still burn body fat if you cut down the fat intake.

It’s even better news when it comes to proteins. It takes a lot of work for the body to break down proteins. Proteins are complex chains of 22 amino acids. The body has to break down these chains into smaller amino acid chains called dipeptides and tripeptides because that is how the body absorbs protein. Then, during protein synthesis, those chains are rebuilt into cells. That’s a lot of effort. It’s like boot camp for the body : )

PROTEIN
For every 100 calories of proteins ingested, up to 25 calories are burned during digestion. That’s a 25% metabolic boost.

Like carbs, proteins have 4 calories per gram. When you cut fat out of your diet and replace it with lean protein and complex carbohydrates, you can eat twice the amount of food and still consume fewer calories. You also get 7 times the metabolic boost. Wow! That’s why it is possible to eat more food and burn more fat. Seems counterintuitive but it works!

Whenever possible, make it your goal to eat meals consisting of a significant lean protein serving, a complex carb, and a vegetable/fiber source to help move the food through the body. You should eat these meals every 2 ½ to 3 hours. Do this as much as possible and turn your body into a food, fat, and calorie burning machine!

chrisdavey · April 2014

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/hormonal-responses-to-a-fast-food-meal-compared-with-nutritionally-comparable-meals-of-different-composition-research-review.html

Credit to a guy who has a clue.

TEF of food has nothing do with the nutrient timing, it is total macronutrients consumed.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/meal-frequency-and-energy-balance-research-review.html

jonnythan · April 2014

Yes, you hit the nail on the head. There's an obesity epidemic because everyone counts calories.

On another note, I think it's funny you keep mentioning Doritos. Doritos are ground whole corn fried in vegetable oil. Almost 100% of the calories in Doritos come from whole corn and vegetable oil with a little bit of maltodextrin. Surely you don't consider that "chemicals which resemble food"? All the other ingredients are pretty much zero-calorie things that are in the coating: salt, cheese, garlic powder, buttermilk, whey, onion powder, tomato powder, and a few other flavors along with some colors and preservatives.

And what about Fritos? Are Fritos "chemicals which resemble food"? Before your knee-jerk answer devoid of any understanding of metabolism, food production, and biochemistry, here's the ingredients list: whole corn, corn oil, salt.

Sounds like real food to me. I guess I can eat all the Fritos I want and my body will just tell me when to stop. That's some great freakin advice, there.

NOMORECARS · April 2014

You should know that 90% of the corn commercially available in the United States and Canada is no longer corn as we once knew it. The Monsanto Corporation has modified the seeds and patented them. The corn has been modified, not for nutrition, but for resistance to Roundup(Glycophosphate) , a potent pesticide which kills all life not resistant to it. Modern corn therefore will withstand massive doses of pesticides but will offer almost no nutrirional value. GMO had the potential to benefit mankind but Monsanto misused the technology for its own profit.

Vegetable oil is not food. Seeds naturally contain very healthy oil in conjunction with vitamins , minerals, and fibre which make them good food. But when the oil is extracted by heat and chemical treatment during the refining process it is transformed from a food into a non-food chemical . When the body recognizes a substance which has no nutrition, it immediately stores that substance in fat cells to keep it from contaminating the body.

But gullible individuals read whole grain corn and pure vegetable oil and think it is good for them. PEPSICO LOVES PEOPLE LIKE YOU

jonnythan · April 2014

You must be a blast at parties.

Answer a serious question: have you ever been obese?

NOMORECARS · April 2014

Do you own Monsanto Stock or something?

jonnythan · April 2014

I ask my question again. I'd like to have an actual conversation with you, if that's possible.

NOMORECARS · April 2014

I have been obese most of my life because I followed advice from all the experts. Just recently, I have been doing my own research which has changed my life. The Food Industry will tell any lie to convince us to part with our money and they don't care whether we live or die. PEPSICO , the maker of Doritos wants us to believe that their garbage is good for us.

WendyTerry420 · April 2014

Or you could just stay your current weight. Whatever's clever. Your body, your choice.

WendyTerry420 · April 2014

Dr. Mercola? Is that you?

ETA: Enjoying a diet Mt. Dew as I laugh...

jonnythan · April 2014

In your opinion, does calorie control (in terms of creating a calorie deficit) lead to weight loss?

Do you think eating, say, protein powder, donuts, diet soda, pizza, cookies, and Taco Bell inherently harm weight loss?

NOMORECARS · April 2014

Anyone who wants to lose weight and become healthy should follow the program here on MFP. It is excellent and it works. By logging everything you eat and drink, you find out what it is doing to you and you can choose to make the appropriate changes.

jonnythan · April 2014

Oh, great! So you don't actually have to avoid Doritos, you just need to make sure they fit into the program MFP lays out.

Fantastic. We agree 100%.

NOMORECARS · April 2014

I spend about 10 hours per day walking, running, cycling and otherwise moving under my own power. Since I am almost never home, the food I want is not always available to me and I consume junk. However, I mitigate my consumption of junk by constant activity and my Fitbit tells me to eat 4000 calories per day. I do a Marathon nearly every day and I will be 61 next month. I consume the highest quality protein powder from organic pasture raised New Zealand Cattle. As for Taco Bell, I hardly ever see my 20 year old son and he loves to eat there. I rarely drink soda, but when I do it is with sugar and no artificial sweeteners. I do enough muscular activity to prevent insulin spikes, which are thought to be the primary cause of obesity.

jonnythan · April 2014

Forgive me, but this seems in direct contrast to your earlier posts.

NOMORECARS · April 2014

In my earlier posts I explained what to do to stay healthy and fight obesity. Because my own routine does not absolutely follow these recommendations, it does not alter their validity.

NOMORECARS · April 2014

Calorie deprivation will certainly lead to weight loss but it may not be the healthy thing for your body. You should make sure your body gets the proper nutrients in the proper amounts. Then, you will be so healthy you may not have to worry about your weight. Instead of being obsessed with weight , we should be concerned with proper nutrition. Weight is not always related to health; there are many thin people who have one foot in the grave.

NOMORECARS · April 2014

The only problem is that MFP only tells you to eat food and PEPSICO does not make food. On the contrary, PEPSICO takes what used to be food, makes sure there is no nutrition in it, then makes it YUMMY so idiotic sheep will give them money and make them rich.

Do I HAVE to count calories?

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