Are All Calorie Sources the Same?

24

Replies

  • SugarySweetheart
    SugarySweetheart Posts: 154 Member
    RichardD83 wrote: »
    We've probably all seen 'Sugar the bitter truth' and so you know how the body treats sugar and alcohol in the same way, as a poison. And they both cause direct weight gain.

    Why doesn't my fitness pal do the same?

    I've been hitting 2000 calories a day but not lost weight. I thought I could trust my fitness pal. Why doesn't it take into account the glycemic index. We all know how that works I'm sure. If I'm dumping lots of sugar in my blood it will be laid down as fat. So a calorie is not just a calorie. Shouldn't my fitness pal take this into account?

    I'm not sure I can trust this app

    It's not the APP... could it be YOU? If you have the knowledge that sugar turns into fat, then why eat "sugar" in processed carbs, alcohol or fruit with high sugar content??

    Perhaps you didn't have this knowledge before but you have it now so make proper choices.. you can't blame an app for your own weight loss or gain.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    So full of disinformation I don't even know where to start. Sugar is not a poison like alcohol and is not treated the same way by the body. Basic physiology proves that to be completely false. Neither sugar nor alcohol "cause direct weight gain", that is also false. Weight gain is caused by a calorie intake in excess of your output.

    As far as glycemic index, it's only a concern when eating a certain food in isolation. The GI is modulated when eaten with other, lower GI foods. And "dumping a lot of sugar in your blood" will result in fat gain only if you're in a caloric surplus. Obviously we don't "all know how that works", because that's not how it works.

    It may be better to stop watching bogus propaganda/scaremongering videos and studying basic nutrition and physiology. Lustig is a known crackpot who preaches junk science.

    The answer to the question in your thread title (Are all calorie sources the same?) is that speaking purely in terms of weight loss, they are. Speaking in terms of weight loss combined with body composition, performance and overall health, they are not.

    This
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    I really don't get this sugar water shtick. I have never ever seen anyone ever even imply that you could live on sugar water. The mere suggestion is ridiculous. We are not hummingbirds. What on earth is the point of spending so much time and effort setting up such ludicrous strawmen?

    I'm trying to make a point as to why it's important to limit your added sugar intake. It's not just empty calories -- it's removing nutrients your body needs to function. Maybe you already know this, but some people just haven't figured it out yet.

    ALSO -- HUMMINGBIRDS WILL DIE if they live on bird feeders of sugar water alone. They need nutrients, too.

    You know what you're forgetting?

    PLEASURE.

    People can enjoy things like desserts with added sugar in moderation and be just fine health wise. And not only that, they will enjoy savoring the simple pleasure of something delicious.

    That dessert isn't going to strip them of all their nutrients. Just like a glass of wine per week isn't going to destroy a liver.
  • Ensmardj
    Ensmardj Posts: 12 Member
    It is true that all calories are the same, but you must take into consideration the macros. If you hit 2.000 calories with 200+ Grams of fat or sugar, that means that you are not eating healthy at all. My fitness Pal is a great app that will DO help you losing body fat or weight (whatever you wanna call it, but have in mind that losing body fat, and weight are two very different things,) but you still have to eat a little bit clean. You can either have 2.000 calories by eating light/low fat/low sugar/or whatever it is on the market Ice cream, burgers, and fries, or hit those 2.000 calories with whole foods like oatmeal, white eggs, peanut butter, fruits, vegetables, cooked meats, etc that will help you to lose weight. It's just a matter of how bad you want things. You either want to lose weight, or eat that burger with fries, and have ice cream or donuts latter on.

    What has been helping me to reach my goal is eating 500 calories below of what MFP told me to eat every day, and of course, watching my fats, sugars, protein, and sodium intake. If I go over my limits in any of these 4 Macros I call it a cheat day, and if at the end of the week (which is the day I track my progress) I haven't lose any body fat, I know for damn sure that it was my fault (Even though not all days were cheat days) and need to change the way I eat.

    Hope this help you. Keep grinding!
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited May 2016
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  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    edited May 2016
    Ensmardj wrote: »
    It is true that all calories are the same, but you must take into consideration the macros. If you hit 2.000 calories with 200+ Grams of fat or sugar, that means that you are not eating healthy at all. My fitness Pal is a great app that will DO help you losing body fat or weight (whatever you wanna call it, but have in mind that losing body fat, and weight are two very different things,) but you still have to eat a little bit clean. You can either have 2.000 calories by eating light/low fat/low sugar/or whatever it is on the market Ice cream, burgers, and fries, or hit those 2.000 calories with whole foods like oatmeal, white eggs, peanut butter, fruits, vegetables, cooked meats, etc that will help you to lose weight. It's just a matter of how bad you want things. You either want to lose weight, or eat that burger with fries, and have ice cream or donuts latter on.

    What has been helping me to reach my goal is eating 500 calories below of what MFP told me to eat every day, and of course, watching my fats, sugars, protein, and sodium intake. If I go over my limits in any of these 4 Macros I call it a cheat day, and if at the end of the week (which is the day I track my progress) I haven't lose any body fat, I know for damn sure that it was my fault (Even though not all days were cheat days) and need to change the way I eat.

    Hope this help you. Keep grinding!
    No, one does not have to eat clean to lose weight. I did a combination of clean and dirty eating and oh looky, 85lbs down. My blood panels are perfect. I am not at risk for heart disease like the rest of my family. I run, bike, kickbox... I actually gained while on a clean vegetarian diet. Why? I didn't count calories. Also, I restricted myself so much that I developed an eating disorder. So.... No, I eat all foods and that to me is a healthy mindset.

    500 below what mfp told you? Why? Mfp aleady HAS a deficit built in which is what mfp tells you to eat. I'm confused...

  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    edited May 2016
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  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Ensmardj wrote: »
    It is true that all calories are the same, but you must take into consideration the macros. If you hit 2.000 calories with 200+ Grams of fat or sugar, that means that you are not eating healthy at all. My fitness Pal is a great app that will DO help you losing body fat or weight (whatever you wanna call it, but have in mind that losing body fat, and weight are two very different things,) but you still have to eat a little bit clean. You can either have 2.000 calories by eating light/low fat/low sugar/or whatever it is on the market Ice cream, burgers, and fries, or hit those 2.000 calories with whole foods like oatmeal, white eggs, peanut butter, fruits, vegetables, cooked meats, etc that will help you to lose weight. It's just a matter of how bad you want things. You either want to lose weight, or eat that burger with fries, and have ice cream or donuts latter on.

    What has been helping me to reach my goal is eating 500 calories below of what MFP told me to eat every day, and of course, watching my fats, sugars, protein, and sodium intake. If I go over my limits in any of these 4 Macros I call it a cheat day, and if at the end of the week (which is the day I track my progress) I haven't lose any body fat, I know for damn sure that it was my fault (Even though not all days were cheat days) and need to change the way I eat.

    Hope this help you. Keep grinding!

    @Ensmardj - sugars and sodium are not macros. Fat, protein and carbs are macros ( alcohol is technically a 4th macro)
  • Ensmardj
    Ensmardj Posts: 12 Member
    Ensmardj wrote: »
    It is true that all calories are the same, but you must take into consideration the macros. If you hit 2.000 calories with 200+ Grams of fat or sugar, that means that you are not eating healthy at all. My fitness Pal is a great app that will DO help you losing body fat or weight (whatever you wanna call it, but have in mind that losing body fat, and weight are two very different things,) but you still have to eat a little bit clean. You can either have 2.000 calories by eating light/low fat/low sugar/or whatever it is on the market Ice cream, burgers, and fries, or hit those 2.000 calories with whole foods like oatmeal, white eggs, peanut butter, fruits, vegetables, cooked meats, etc that will help you to lose weight. It's just a matter of how bad you want things. You either want to lose weight, or eat that burger with fries, and have ice cream or donuts latter on.

    What has been helping me to reach my goal is eating 500 calories below of what MFP told me to eat every day, and of course, watching my fats, sugars, protein, and sodium intake. If I go over my limits in any of these 4 Macros I call it a cheat day, and if at the end of the week (which is the day I track my progress) I haven't lose any body fat, I know for damn sure that it was my fault (Even though not all days were cheat days) and need to change the way I eat.

    Hope this help you. Keep grinding!

    @Ensmardj - sugars and sodium are not macros. Fat, protein and carbs are macros ( alcohol is technically a 4th macro)

    Yep, messed up some Macros with Micros. Good catch
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    I really don't get this sugar water shtick. I have never ever seen anyone ever even imply that you could live on sugar water. The mere suggestion is ridiculous. We are not hummingbirds. What on earth is the point of spending so much time and effort setting up such ludicrous strawmen?

    I'm trying to make a point as to why it's important to limit your added sugar intake. It's not just empty calories -- it's removing nutrients your body needs to function. Maybe you already know this, but some people just haven't figured it out yet.

    You're not doing your cause any favors by making ludicrous arguments that have no basis in real life.

    Follow the science, this is pretty basic 101 stuff here.

    I'm not that bright. Can you at least post sources for me?

    It's better you look up how sugar is metabolized on your own, that way you can find a source you trust. I encourage everyone to do their own research at this point.

    I tried.
    I even googled phrases you used.
    I can't seem to find this information.

    You can't find how sugar is metabolized anywhere on the internet?

    I am talking about your post where only sugar and water is consumed, white blood cells and all that in your post.