Is calories in vs calories burn't a myth?

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JackPudding
JackPudding Posts: 37 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've always believe calorie in vs calorie out to be true. After working out my base metabolic rate and counting calorie deficits , my weight loss adds up and the sums work. However, my grand mother for example only eats around 1000 calories a day and has done for the last 20 years. How come she doesn't starve to death? She is more active than me throughout the day so it's unlikely that her base metabolic rate is much lower than mine.

Also how do you explain people on a CRON diet? Surely they would lose weight until there was nothing left to lose if calorie in vs calorie out was a sound concept.

Don't want to overcomplicate anything as it works for me ;) Am just naturally curious
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Replies

  • logg1e
    logg1e Posts: 1,208 Member
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    You think that your grandmother has a comparable calorie requirement t a 19 year old male, albeit a rather inactive one?
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
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    Calorie in vs calorie out holds, but metabolism can shift related to various factors.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    no it's not a myth and how do you know what your grandmother eats, are you with her every second?
  • PDarrall
    PDarrall Posts: 114 Member
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    Yes and no.

    The problem is actually the question itself.
  • simplydelish2
    simplydelish2 Posts: 726 Member
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    IMO, calories in vs. calories out is a guide - not an absolute. You have to consider age, metabolism, and other body chemistry when you view calorie requirements.

    The contention that you must eat at a deficit to lose weight however remains a fact.
  • JackPudding
    JackPudding Posts: 37 Member
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    No, but have lived with her for periods of time and know that she tends to eat pretty much the same things everyday. I don't see why her BMR would be any lower than mine considering I often barely do any form of activity, sitting must of the day, whereas she walks at least 3 miles a day and does the garden.

    Also how do you explain CRON dieters?
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    IMO, calories in vs. calories out is a guide - not an absolute. You have to consider age, metabolism, and other body chemistry when you view calorie requirements.
    How are the factors you list not simply part of an accurate assessment of calories out?
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    It's not a myth. The problem is that people really have a poor idea of how much they eat, even if they log. People also have a poor idea of what they burn. TDEE and BMR calculators are just estimations. Even a heart rate monitor is not 100% perfect. We also don't know what percentage of what we burn is glycogen, fat, muscle, etc. So if you have an imperfect calorie count + an imperfect TDEE combined with the fact that we don't know what our body is using for fuel and the fact that weight loss isn't linear due to water retention, glycogen saturation, etc it can seem like CICO doesn't add up. In reality it does, it ALWAYS does.

    In the long run, if you truly eat less then you burn in a day, weight will go down. It will, for the reasons above, RARELY correlate exactly with how much you THINK or have calculated that it should go down.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    It is not a myth...by and large, CICO is the most important factor to controlling weight. What people get all wrapped up in though are absolutes...there is nothing absolute about calorie counting and intake, etc. It's all based on estimation...nobody has a TDEE of exactly XXXX calories, etc. This and other calculators and calorie estimates are just good and reasonable starting points, they aren't set in stone.

    To that end, you also have to consider an individuals age, their lean mass, hormones, nutritional deficiencies, natural slowing of the metabolism when you undereat, etc.

    It is far more complicated that CICO...but CICO is by and large the most important factor. Also, there's no way you can compare yourself as a 19 year old male to your grandmother...so just stop that
  • dont_tap_my_aces
    dont_tap_my_aces Posts: 125 Member
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    1) guarantee unless grandma is weighing out everything she eats, shes estimating at best she eats 1000kcals. And we all know where estimation leads us.... 95% of us are on this site thanks to years of 'estimation'

    2) even if that were the case, what's her height/weight compared to you? these factors are pretty important, as a young male age 19 most likely is larger and therefore has more of a caloric/fuel need on a weekly basis than an elderly woman.

    but to answer your question, as the others have stated, No, it's not a myth. it's actually kinda one of the fundamental laws of physics. don't believe the HAES/Fat-logic crowd, calorie in vs calorie out works. you just actually have to measure and be as accurate as possible if you want results. estimation will lead to failure in most people.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    You're a 19 year old male, you can't compare yourself to an older woman and you have no idea what she really eats.
  • JackPudding
    JackPudding Posts: 37 Member
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    If someone eats half the amount an average person eats and does not lose weight it stands to reason that their metabolism is twice as effective at processing calories. If that person then doubled their calorie in take to around 2000 calories would they then put on weight? This would blow the whole in vs out thing out of the water...

    Btw, it works for me so i'm just playing devils advocate ;)
  • traceywoody
    traceywoody Posts: 233 Member
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    Different people have differing caloric needs. Its really that simple.
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
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    No, but have lived with her for periods of time and know that she tends to eat pretty much the same things everyday. I don't see why her BMR would be any lower than mine considering I often barely do any form of activity, sitting must of the day, whereas she walks at least 3 miles a day and does the garden.

    Also how do you explain CRON dieters?
    There are many factors and variables between individuals in the calories out part of the equation.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    No, but have lived with her for periods of time and know that she tends to eat pretty much the same things everyday. I don't see why her BMR would be any lower than mine considering I often barely do any form of activity, sitting must of the day, whereas she walks at least 3 miles a day and does the garden.

    Also how do you explain CRON dieters?
    Why do people not die on the CRON diet, they aren't 100% compliant 100% of the time, that's how.
  • oksanatkachuk
    oksanatkachuk Posts: 149 Member
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    But yet we saw ppl die from starvation around the world. Some faster, some slower. Malnutrition will weaken the organs and eventually will kill.
    Thermodynamics is a proven fact.

    The Q is how long it will take to die from lack of calories + very difficult to be sure if one is in true deficit constantly.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    It's not a myth.

    Some people have slower metabolisms: thyroid, elderly, very petite, body fat to muscle ratio

    Some people just think they are eating only 1,000 calories

    Some people just think they are active, or lightly active (whatever)
  • tomcornhole
    tomcornhole Posts: 1,084 Member
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    1900 = BMR of 19 year old male, 160 lbs, 5' 10"
    1000 = BMR of 70 year old female, 110 lbs, 5' 4"

    Does that answer your question?
  • defauIt
    defauIt Posts: 118 Member
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    Your question is like asking if gravity exists, how do planes fly?!

    Calories in vs. calories out is very basic science and a proven fact. The reason why people don't think it works is because we have to estimate both sides of the equation and that estimation always has some error attached. If someone is over estimating the calories they burn and underestimating the calories they eat, they can very easily turn a minor deficit into a surplus. Instead of thinking to themselves "I must have made an error somewhere", they instead assume they're perfect and special and the laws of physics don't spply to them.
  • JackPudding
    JackPudding Posts: 37 Member
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    @vismal This makes sense to me actually.

    Is it possible that a metabolism adjusts to a lower calorie intake? Or is that just complete BS.

    It is surprising that different people's BMR's or required calorie intake can be so far apart. Is this the reason it is possible for some people to be able to eat massive calorie surplus without putting on weight because really it technically isn't a surplus but a variety of different factors such as a fast metabolism/ high energy requirements. If this was true it would stand to reason that their is such a thing as a fat gene and skinny one...

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