When exercising how does the body distinguish which calorie to burn off?

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Replies

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Hey, @Fragmoss . I'm pretty sure the idea you can "shrink" your stomach has been debunked.

    I don't think there's a better/best here. They both have their place.

    I think a combination of calorie dense and fluff gives me the best bang for my buck. Let's take a Mediterranean salad, for instance. There'll be leafy greens and cucumber which will be low calorie but high volume. All that lovely fiber will be keeping my lower intestinal tract chugging away for some time. Then there'll be the olives and the feta cheese (fat and protein) which will be calorie-dense and also take a while for the body to digest. The slice of fresh bread, tomatoes, and the small glass of wine (carb, carb, carb!), however, will zip right through. It all works together, see?
  • Fragmoss
    Fragmoss Posts: 66 Member
    Fragmoss wrote: »
    ahoy_m8 wrote: »
    I would love for someone to eat all of their fat from trans fat (the processed stuff) and let me know how they feel within a few days.

    To be fair, OP asked about metabolic pathways for different nutrients. "How does the body distinguish..." She didn't ask about how different nutrients make you feel.

    Right I didn't.
    One quick mini question to add: Is there a "better" choice between higher calorie dense foods that have good nutrition (vs) low calorie foods you can eat a lot of that have good nutrition as well? I'm referring to the volume one consumes in their belly to feel "full" Is it better to *not* over fill you stomach space by eating smaller quanties (to shrink the size of ones belly space) if both the higher calorie nutrient food AND the lower calorie but still nutrient foods are equal in reaching your daily calorie intake?

    Hypothetically, like if I swallowed one, 1 inch pebble that weighed 1 pound. VS swallowing a foot size boulder that weighed 1 oz. So I could swallow more boulders to get to that 1 pound of daily calorie intake. I know this is a distorted analogy but I'm trying to give you a picture to go by.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Fragmoss wrote: »
    Fragmoss wrote: »
    ahoy_m8 wrote: »
    I would love for someone to eat all of their fat from trans fat (the processed stuff) and let me know how they feel within a few days.

    To be fair, OP asked about metabolic pathways for different nutrients. "How does the body distinguish..." She didn't ask about how different nutrients make you feel.

    Right I didn't.
    One quick mini question to add: Is there a "better" choice between higher calorie dense foods that have good nutrition (vs) low calorie foods you can eat a lot of that have good nutrition as well? I'm referring to the volume one consumes in their belly to feel "full" Is it better to *not* over fill you stomach space by eating smaller quanties (to shrink the size of ones belly space) if both the higher calorie nutrient food AND the lower calorie but still nutrient foods are equal in reaching your daily calorie intake?

    Hypothetically, like if I swallowed one, 1 inch pebble that weighed 1 pound. VS swallowing a foot size boulder that weighed 1 oz. So I could swallow more boulders to get to that 1 pound of daily calorie intake. I know this is a distorted analogy but I'm trying to give you a picture to go by.

    But our daily calorie goals aren't determined by the weight of the food that we eat. A calorie is a unit of measurement, not of weight. The weight of the foods that we eat is irrelevant to our weight loss goals.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    The volume of the food has no bearing on how flat your belly is going to be if that's your worry. If you feel better with eating high volume food with low calories, do that.
  • Fragmoss
    Fragmoss Posts: 66 Member
    Fragmoss wrote: »
    Fragmoss wrote: »
    ahoy_m8 wrote: »
    I would love for someone to eat all of their fat from trans fat (the processed stuff) and let me know how they feel within a few days.

    To be fair, OP asked about metabolic pathways for different nutrients. "How does the body distinguish..." She didn't ask about how different nutrients make you feel.

    Right I didn't.
    One quick mini question to add: Is there a "better" choice between higher calorie dense foods that have good nutrition (vs) low calorie foods you can eat a lot of that have good nutrition as well? I'm referring to the volume one consumes in their belly to feel "full" Is it better to *not* over fill you stomach space by eating smaller quanties (to shrink the size of ones belly space) if both the higher calorie nutrient food AND the lower calorie but still nutrient foods are equal in reaching your daily calorie intake?

    Hypothetically, like if I swallowed one, 1 inch pebble that weighed 1 pound. VS swallowing a foot size boulder that weighed 1 oz. So I could swallow more boulders to get to that 1 pound of daily calorie intake. I know this is a distorted analogy but I'm trying to give you a picture to go by.

    But our daily calorie goals aren't determined by the weight of the food that we eat. A calorie is a unit of measurement, not of weight. The weight of the foods that we eat is irrelevant to our weight loss goals.
    Ahhh! Got it! Doh! Silly me.
  • Fragmoss
    Fragmoss Posts: 66 Member
    Fragmoss wrote: »
    Fragmoss wrote: »
    Fragmoss wrote: »
    ahoy_m8 wrote: »
    I would love for someone to eat all of their fat from trans fat (the processed stuff) and let me know how they feel within a few days.

    To be fair, OP asked about metabolic pathways for different nutrients. "How does the body distinguish..." She didn't ask about how different nutrients make you feel.

    Right I didn't.
    One quick mini question to add: Is there a "better" choice between higher calorie dense foods that have good nutrition (vs) low calorie foods you can eat a lot of that have good nutrition as well? I'm referring to the volume one consumes in their belly to feel "full" Is it better to *not* over fill you stomach space by eating smaller quanties (to shrink the size of ones belly space) if both the higher calorie nutrient food AND the lower calorie but still nutrient foods are equal in reaching your daily calorie intake?

    Hypothetically, like if I swallowed one, 1 inch pebble that weighed 1 pound. VS swallowing a foot size boulder that weighed 1 oz. So I could swallow more boulders to get to that 1 pound of daily calorie intake. I know this is a distorted analogy but I'm trying to give you a picture to go by.

    But our daily calorie goals aren't determined by the weight of the food that we eat. A calorie is a unit of measurement, not of weight. The weight of the foods that we eat is irrelevant to our weight loss goals.
    Ahhh! Got it! Doh! Silly me.

    Yes I know its not about the weight of the food, shoot maybe I used the wrong subject scenerio. Weight in that scenerio would be equal to calorie. Maybe that's what I meant. Weight of rock = calorie
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    @Fragmoss I think you will make your way out of your semantic nightmare by switching to VOLUME instead of WEIGHT/MASS.

    Difference between eating a sponge and a penny both with the same MASS, but different VOLUME.
    The sponge would be the salad and the penny, the dressing. Possibly equal in calorie but different in volume.
    Or popcorn with the butter. Popcorn has relatively low calories for volume.
    A glass of water with, well anything. Water is zero calories for the volume.

    Is it "better" to subsist on salad, popcorn, and water for the volume? That's why I suggested above that it is preferable to have a mixture of both.
  • Fragmoss
    Fragmoss Posts: 66 Member
    edited September 2015
    The reason why I asked the rock, belly question was---- I see many people posting what they eat in a day, teeny tiny portions!! Omg! A child size in some instances. How can one feel full, if their stomach volume capacity is maybe 1\5 full? Drink more water yes to fill up the void. But still, why not eat things lower in calories example: 1 large head of cauliflower has very few calories, is good for you and can "fill" you up (vs) a 1\2 sandwich or a frozen entree. <--- just an example

    Is feeling "full" a deterrent for snacking?
    Eating tiny portions might leave you still hungry even though you ate your allotted calories but you used those calories on caloric dense foods that are small in portions?
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Cauliflower will fill your stomach, but (as was pointed out above), volume isn't the only thing that drives feelings of satiety. Fat, protein, and fiber can also promote satiety even when you aren't completely filling your stomach. This is why things like a few nuts can be a satisfying snack for many people.
  • Fragmoss
    Fragmoss Posts: 66 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    @Fragmoss I think you will make your way out of your semantic nightmare by switching to VOLUME instead of WEIGHT/MASS.

    Difference between eating a sponge and a penny both with the same MASS, but different VOLUME.
    The sponge would be the salad and the penny, the dressing. Possibly equal in calorie but different in volume.
    Or popcorn with the butter. Popcorn has relatively low calories for volume.
    A glass of water with, well anything. Water is zero calories for the volume.

    Is it "better" to subsist on salad, popcorn, and water for the volume? That's why I suggested above that it is preferable to have a mixture of both.
    Ah, thank you thank you for the help in semantics! Phew! I flubbed up on that one big time!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I'm on a roll. Cauliflower for the volume, and a little cheese sauce for the calorie punch.
  • Fragmoss
    Fragmoss Posts: 66 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    Hey, @Fragmoss . I'm pretty sure the idea you can "shrink" your stomach has been debunked.

    I don't think there's a better/best here. They both have their place.

    I think a combination of calorie dense and fluff gives me the best bang for my buck. Let's take a Mediterranean salad, for instance. There'll be leafy greens and cucumber which will be low calorie but high volume. All that lovely fiber will be keeping my lower intestinal tract chugging away for some time. Then there'll be the olives and the feta cheese (fat and protein) which will be calorie-dense and also take a while for the body to digest. The slice of fresh bread, tomatoes, and the small glass of wine (carb, carb, carb!), however, will zip right through. It all works together, see?
    I do!!! Yes balance! Thank you sooooo much!
  • VykkDraygoVPR
    VykkDraygoVPR Posts: 465 Member
    Fragmoss wrote: »
    The reason why I asked the rock, belly question was---- I see many people posting what they eat in a day, teeny tiny portions!! Omg! A child size in some instances. How can one feel full, if their stomach volume capacity is maybe 1\5 full? Drink more water yes to fill up the void. But still, why not eat things lower in calories example: 1 large head of cauliflower has very few calories, is good for you and can "fill" you up (vs) a 1\2 sandwich or a frozen entree. <--- just an example

    Is feeling "full" a deterrent for snacking if you leave the dinner table still hungry even though you ate your allotted calories but you used those calories on caloric dense foods that are small in portions?

    I'm fine with snacking on rabbit food in the morning. I usually do. But I need protein and fat for lunch and supper. I don't eat large portions, but volume isn't what makes me feel satisfied. I actually feel pretty icky when I get "full."

    If I actually feel hungry, then 100 grams of chicken breast is far more satisfying for me than 200 grams of carrots.
  • Fragmoss
    Fragmoss Posts: 66 Member
    Cauliflower will fill your stomach, but (as was pointed out above), volume isn't the only thing that drives feelings of satiety. Fat, protein, and fiber can also promote satiety even when you aren't completely filling your stomach. This is why things like a few nuts can be a satisfying snack for many people.
    Got it! Thanks, its kinda what I've been doing.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    Fragmoss wrote: »
    The reason why I asked the rock, belly question was---- I see many people posting what they eat in a day, teeny tiny portions!! Omg! A child size in some instances. How can one feel full, if their stomach volume capacity is maybe 1\5 full? Drink more water yes to fill up the void. But still, why not eat things lower in calories example: 1 large head of cauliflower has very few calories, is good for you and can "fill" you up (vs) a 1\2 sandwich or a frozen entree. <--- just an example

    Is feeling "full" a deterrent for snacking?
    Eating tiny portions might leave you still hungry even though you ate your allotted calories but you used those calories on caloric dense foods that are small in portions?

    To some extent, eating the less physically dense food isn't that far removed from just drinking the extra water - that is most of the extra volume of food that lacks calories is. That's also why the volume of food isn't going to drastically alter your stomach's size - once digestion starts, water removal is a part of the process, and the body can fairly easily dump water to accommodate volume (though managing water exiting the intestines does seem to be a time consuming process).
    Now, actual physical volume of food does have some impact on satiety, but it is far from the only signal that creates mental fullness.
  • Fragmoss
    Fragmoss Posts: 66 Member
    Fragmoss wrote: »
    The reason why I asked the rock, belly question was---- I see many people posting what they eat in a day, teeny tiny portions!! Omg! A child size in some instances. How can one feel full, if their stomach volume capacity is maybe 1\5 full? Drink more water yes to fill up the void. But still, why not eat things lower in calories example: 1 large head of cauliflower has very few calories, is good for you and can "fill" you up (vs) a 1\2 sandwich or a frozen entree. <--- just an example

    Is feeling "full" a deterrent for snacking if you leave the dinner table still hungry even though you ate your allotted calories but you used those calories on caloric dense foods that are small in portions?

    I'm fine with snacking on rabbit food in the morning. I usually do. But I need protein and fat for lunch and supper. I don't eat large portions, but volume isn't what makes me feel satisfied. I actually feel pretty icky when I get "full."

    If I actually feel hungry, then 100 grams of chicken breast is far more satisfying for me than 200 grams of carrots.

    How much fat is proper to consume daily? Are sugars included in the fats? Such as natural sugars in fruits?
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Fragmoss wrote: »
    Fragmoss wrote: »
    The reason why I asked the rock, belly question was---- I see many people posting what they eat in a day, teeny tiny portions!! Omg! A child size in some instances. How can one feel full, if their stomach volume capacity is maybe 1\5 full? Drink more water yes to fill up the void. But still, why not eat things lower in calories example: 1 large head of cauliflower has very few calories, is good for you and can "fill" you up (vs) a 1\2 sandwich or a frozen entree. <--- just an example

    Is feeling "full" a deterrent for snacking if you leave the dinner table still hungry even though you ate your allotted calories but you used those calories on caloric dense foods that are small in portions?

    I'm fine with snacking on rabbit food in the morning. I usually do. But I need protein and fat for lunch and supper. I don't eat large portions, but volume isn't what makes me feel satisfied. I actually feel pretty icky when I get "full."

    If I actually feel hungry, then 100 grams of chicken breast is far more satisfying for me than 200 grams of carrots.

    How much fat is proper to consume daily? Are sugars included in the fats? Such as natural sugars in fruits?

    MFP gives you a recommended amount of fat each day. Sugar is a carb, not a fat, so no kind of sugar is included in the fats.
  • Fragmoss
    Fragmoss Posts: 66 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    Fragmoss wrote: »
    Fragmoss wrote: »
    The reason why I asked the rock, belly question was---- I see many people posting what they eat in a day, teeny tiny portions!! Omg! A child size in some instances. How can one feel full, if their stomach volume capacity is maybe 1\5 full? Drink more water yes to fill up the void. But still, why not eat things lower in calories example: 1 large head of cauliflower has very few calories, is good for you and can "fill" you up (vs) a 1\2 sandwich or a frozen entree. <--- just an example

    Is feeling "full" a deterrent for snacking if you leave the dinner table still hungry even though you ate your allotted calories but you used those calories on caloric dense foods that are small in portions?

    I'm fine with snacking on rabbit food in the morning. I usually do. But I need protein and fat for lunch and supper. I don't eat large portions, but volume isn't what makes me feel satisfied. I actually feel pretty icky when I get "full."

    If I actually feel hungry, then 100 grams of chicken breast is far more satisfying for me than 200 grams of carrots.

    How much fat is proper to consume daily? Are sugars included in the fats? Such as natural sugars in fruits?

    MFP gives you a recommended amount of fat each day. Sugar is a carb, not a fat, so no kind of sugar is included in the fats.

    Thank you