A Calorie is not a Calorie

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cee134
cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43501352/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/

"You can't just say a calorie is a calorie."
"The idea that there are no 'good' or 'bad' foods is a myth that needs to be debunked," said Frank Hu of Harvard, who worked on the research.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43506239/ns/local_news-baltimore_md/t/study-some-foods-linked-long-term-weight-gain

Foods that appeared to have helped people lose weight included vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts and yogurt.

Replies

  • smashpants22
    smashpants22 Posts: 33 Member
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    oh awesome! i just ate lots of fruit and went way over on sugar and was all "wehhh" even though i knew it was healthy sugar. wasnt sure if it would be a bad thing or not
  • Avalonis
    Avalonis Posts: 1,540 Member
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    First of all, a calorie IS a calorie. It is the EXACT same amount of energy. HOWEVER: Your body processes those calories differently.

    For example: Sugars only take about 5% of their calorie value of to break down, whereas your body uses nearly 30% of the calories in protein just to digest it.

    Plus, the article clearly states that
    "Results showed that a four-year weight change was most strongly associated with the intake of potato chips, potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages, unprocessed red meats and processed meats.
    Foods that appeared to have helped people lose weight included vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts and yogurt. "

    Well, DUH. The study says nothing about people eating the same amount of calorie diets, which just different foods.

    Also, the article quotes a nutritionalist:
    But licensed nutritionist Monica Reinagel, author of

    "Nutrition Diva's Secrets for a Healthy Diet,"

    said it's important to not assign blame or praise to individual foods. She said people who eat some of those foods associated with weight gain -- unprocessed meat, for example -- could have a dietary pattern that's not conducive to weight management.

    Sorry, I am a logical analyst in my day job. Just pointing out the logical errors in your conclusion, but you are meaning well and I understand the point you are trying to make.
  • BethanyCee
    BethanyCee Posts: 70
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    But then you also have people like Professor Mark Haub, who went on a twinkie diet and lost 27 lbs. Granted, he ate veggies, protein shakes, and took vitamin pills too, but at the end of the day dude still lost weight and bettered several other health markers.

    http://www.geekosystem.com/twinkie-diet/

    Does that mean you can eat nothing but twinkies? No, not really, but I do think it means people shouldn't try to police food. Eat what works for you. If it stops working for you, make changes and try again.
  • maryritt529
    maryritt529 Posts: 82
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    If your ultimate goal is weight loss then eat twinkies and nachos til your hearts desire until you reach your "calorie allotment for the day"...but if your goals are HEALTH related to have more energy and feel better....I think you need to evaluate what you put in your mouth. YOU can lose weight eating junk food. Remember the documentary "SUPER SIZe ME"? that dude gained weight on an all Burger King diet ...Burgr King for Breakfast lunch and dinner...well there is another documentary called "Fat head" this guy debunked the myth and LOST weight on an all fast food diet. HOW?? He watched his calories and carbohydrates. So....moral of the story is you can lose weight on pizza and ice cream...but is it good for you in the long run? NO !Good News is...an occasional treat won't wreak havoc on your health here and there and you can also continue to lose weight. So...if you have a special occasion such as a wedding or birthday etc. is it going to sabatoge your healthy lifestyle if you have a piece of cake or indulge oin some lobster with butter?? NO! Get back on track and eat healthy most of the time and you will be fine.
    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Stepping off the soapbox now<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
  • Chuckw40
    Chuckw40 Posts: 201
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    If your ultimate goal is weight loss then eat twinkies and nachos til your hearts desire until you reach your "calorie allotment for the day"...but if your goals are HEALTH related to have more energy and feel better....I think you need to evaluate what you put in your mouth. YOU can lose weight eating junk food. Remember the documentary "SUPER SIZe ME"? that dude gained weight on an all Burger King diet ...Burgr King for Breakfast lunch and dinner...well there is another documentary called "Fat head" this guy debunked the myth and LOST weight on an all fast food diet. HOW?? He watched his calories and carbohydrates. So....moral of the story is you can lose weight on pizza and ice cream...but is it good for you in the long run? NO !Good News is...an occasional treat won't wreak havoc on your health here and there and you can also continue to lose weight. So...if you have a special occasion such as a wedding or birthday etc. is it going to sabatoge your healthy lifestyle if you have a piece of cake or indulge oin some lobster with butter?? NO! Get back on track and eat healthy most of the time and you will be fine.
    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Stepping off the soapbox now<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

    I love your post but I can't help but correct you. It was McDonalds, not Burger King :tongue:
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    If your ultimate goal is weight loss then eat twinkies and nachos til your hearts desire until you reach your "calorie allotment for the day"...but if your goals are HEALTH related to have more energy and feel better....I think you need to evaluate what you put in your mouth. YOU can lose weight eating junk food. Remember the documentary "SUPER SIZe ME"? that dude gained weight on an all Burger King diet ...Burgr King for Breakfast lunch and dinner...well there is another documentary called "Fat head" this guy debunked the myth and LOST weight on an all fast food diet. HOW?? He watched his calories and carbohydrates. So....moral of the story is you can lose weight on pizza and ice cream...but is it good for you in the long run? NO !Good News is...an occasional treat won't wreak havoc on your health here and there and you can also continue to lose weight. So...if you have a special occasion such as a wedding or birthday etc. is it going to sabatoge your healthy lifestyle if you have a piece of cake or indulge oin some lobster with butter?? NO! Get back on track and eat healthy most of the time and you will be fine.
    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Stepping off the soapbox now<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
    YEA! Take that.
  • kklindsey
    kklindsey Posts: 382 Member
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    I read this article last night before it was put on here. These studies drive me nuts. It clearly says they don't know and that it is likely that the people who ate the junk foood just ate more in general. They only tracked their types of foods and the weight they gained. The did not track how many calories they ate and let the people tell them what portion sizes they had. Then they went on to say that the type of food you ate, not how many calories you consumed determined weight gain.

    I will always say when it comes to weight loss a calorie is a calorie. Weight loss and health are not the same thing. I would never tell someone to do the twinkie, super size me, cabbage soup or any other silly diet. But I do tell people it IS calories in vs calories out. Eat all your calories in candybars but stick to your deficit and you will lose weight, until you get sick. Eating junk food exclusively will cause you lots of problems and the biggest one will be that you wont get enough food to stay full and you won't get enough nutrients and you will go over your calories very quickly in order to correct the issue.
  • maryritt529
    maryritt529 Posts: 82
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    I stand corrected...It was McDonald's ;)!

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