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All calories may not be equal
Replies
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SusanMFindlay wrote: »
No, but it can be really time consuming to measure with cups and spoons which need scraping out and cleaning. Much easier to put toast on plate on scale, hit tare, add almond butter, hit tare, add honey than dinking around with tablespoons and teaspoons. And if you always weigh out the same amount, the logging is much faster too. I strongly suspect that most people who complain about the effort of measuring food are using cups/spoons.
Yep, I definitely can not be bothered flaffing about with measuring cups and spoons. That, i do not have the time or patience for.
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Oooh. A bit of a insult there to others.
So training over 1000 people in the last 20 years or so, all with different goals and personalities as well as preferences, I think I got Pyschology 101 down pretty well.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
So you're rude to your clients because, why, you're successful so you earned the right to?
You believe that something good can come out of belittling someone?
You believe that the knowledge you possess at this time, is the universal and eternal truth?
No? You don't? Well then, my comment was not meant to include you.1 -
xjessicaxrx wrote: »I think if a "Newbie" was to read this thread it would scare and put them off straight away! So many judgemental, rude, aggressive people getting their back up!!
I also noticed that a lot of people on here may have developed OCD with weighing and numbers, weighing a pre packaged yogurt haha come on REALLY!
I dont take a food scale out of the house and carry it around with with me, that is just sad.
I have and I am still losing weight just fine.
I was really stunned to learn that people take the yogurt out of the container and weigh it. The container says 120 calories, but that's not good enough. Like I said, if you are that concerned that it is an under-count, just log 135 calories.
And I agree with you. It gets to the point where it is OCD. The OCD response could be, "how can you log 135 calories when it could be 141 calories?"1 -
I've only got around 5-6lbs left to lose. A few extra calories here and there means the difference between losing and maintaining. No, i am not ocd with weighing and logging, which is why I've been stuck at around this same weight for flippan ages!6
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gonetothedogs19 wrote: »I was really stunned to learn that people take the yogurt out of the container and weigh it. The container says 120 calories, but that's not good enough.
Personally, I weigh yogurt because it's cheaper to buy the big tubs and weigh some into a bowl.9 -
SusanMFindlay wrote: »
Personally, I weigh yogurt because it's cheaper to buy the big tubs and weigh some into a bowl.
True, I buy the 1L tubs and only buy the small single servings when they don't have my flavour/brand in the larger tubs.1 -
Put the full yogurt tub on the scale and note the weight. Eat the yogurt. Put the empty tub on the scale and subtract that weight from the first one. Ta da. Six extra seconds and you don't have to wash a bowl or measuring cup.12
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clicketykeys wrote: »As a newbie, I find the process of measuring and weighing everything to be tedious and very nearly overwhelming. IMO it's more important to make a habit of keeping track of what you eat. If measuring and weighing helps me to be more accurate when I keep track, that will be a good thing. But if it lengthens my prep time significantly, I'm probably not going to keep doing it. I'm not going to risk being late to work in the morning or play practice in the evening. I'm not willing to cut back on sleep, and I would certainly prefer not to cut back on what little exercise time I have.
Well done. As long as you're getting your results, then what you are doing is working just fine.0 -
gonetothedogs19 wrote: »
I was really stunned to learn that people take the yogurt out of the container and weigh it. The container says 120 calories, but that's not good enough. Like I said, if you are that concerned that it is an under-count, just log 135 calories.
And I agree with you. It gets to the point where it is OCD. The OCD response could be, "how can you log 135 calories when it could be 141 calories?"
I mean some people are OCD but one behavior that you wouldn't personally do isn't necessarily OCD. Like it's fine if weighing and measuring isn't for you. But your advice is that all newbies buy almost exclusively prepackaged foods. That also might work for some but it sounds kind of restrictive to me. And, the fact is, not every individual serving container is going to contain necessarily what it says on the package.
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lisabridwell wrote: »It's true that a calorie is a calorie, just like one pound of muscle and one pound of fat are still each equal to one pound. One calorie of high fructose corn syrup and one calorie of blueberries are both still one calorie each. But there's also no doubt that different foods are metabolized and processed differently by our bodies and affect not only our satiety and weight but also our energy, sleep and mental clarity, to name a few. It's not the same to eat 1,200 calories of junk food a day, versus 1,200 calories of healthy, low-glycemic food a day. It may be possible to lose weight eating junk, but it's still a bit of a struggle that includes feelings of hunger and deprivation. In contrast, eating 1,200 calories of healthy foods is easy and satisfying!!
Nope, as to the bold part. For weight loss, your body only knows a calorie is a calorie, it does not distinguish between "healthy, low-glycemic food" and "junk" (besides, one mean's "junk' may be another man's only meal). Eat more calories than you burn and you will gain weight, eat less calories than you burn and you will lose weight and eat just about the right amount of calories and you will maintain.1 -
gonetothedogs19 wrote: »
I was really stunned to learn that people take the yogurt out of the container and weigh it. The container says 120 calories, but that's not good enough. Like I said, if you are that concerned that it is an under-count, just log 135 calories.
And I agree with you. It gets to the point where it is OCD. The OCD response could be, "how can you log 135 calories when it could be 141 calories?"
Nah.......this is plain silly, and a bit on the judgmental side as well. Just because someone uses a certain tool that works for them does not mean OCD is involved.
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Who said rude? You seem to think that refuting what you say seems rude when it's just cordial debate. It's not an attack on your person, it's a disagreement with your approach. How you decipher it is based on how you see it.Isabelle_1929 wrote: »
So you're rude to your clients because, why, you're successful so you earned the right to?
Didn't see where you were belittled. Copy and paste it.You believe that something good can come out of belittling someone?
And there's a difference of belittling someone and being flat up honest and truthful. Trust that I've heard just about every reason on how someone should lose weight. And I always let them try it. If it works, then fine. If it doesn't work, then I have them count calories. And believe it or not, it's like a light bulb moment for many.
I still research and learn on a daily/weekly basis. The knowledge I have is from information passed on by Journals of science, physiology, kinesiology, endocrinology and metabolism, etc. I didn't invent it.You believe that the knowledge you possess at this time, is the universal and eternal truth?
Should I feel offended that I wasn't included?No? You don't? Well then, my comment was not meant to include you.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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gonetothedogs19 wrote: »
I was really stunned to learn that people take the yogurt out of the container and weigh it. The container says 120 calories, but that's not good enough. Like I said, if you are that concerned that it is an under-count, just log 135 calories.
And I agree with you. It gets to the point where it is OCD. The OCD response could be, "how can you log 135 calories when it could be 141 calories?"
But people who use food scales don't do that lol. Like @diannethegeek already wrote, you weigh the full container of yogurt, eat the yogurt, weigh the container after and note the gram difference. It's really not that hard or serious. I feel like the people who overcomplicate weighing food have either never done it or, if they do, have no idea how to use a food scale to its maximum potential. Also, it doesn't have to be done every time. Whenever I buy single servings of Fage or Chobani yogurt, I no longer bother to weigh them because I know the gram difference is going to be + or -3 grams 99% of the time. However, protein, granola, or snack bars? I'm always going to weigh them as long as I'm using a food scale because no matter which brand I buy, the gram weights are always off and usually by 5 grams or more. In the long run that extra 30 to 50 calories in one bar, not even considering the rounding of the nutrition info that is already done on the package itself, makes a big difference for people close to goal weight/maintaining. When I was heavier it didn't matter as much because there was so much room for error.8 -
clicketykeys wrote: »As a newbie, I find the process of measuring and weighing everything to be tedious and very nearly overwhelming. IMO it's more important to make a habit of keeping track of what you eat. If measuring and weighing helps me to be more accurate when I keep track, that will be a good thing. But if it lengthens my prep time significantly, I'm probably not going to keep doing it. I'm not going to risk being late to work in the morning or play practice in the evening. I'm not willing to cut back on sleep, and I would certainly prefer not to cut back on what little exercise time I have.
I have found when i was a newbie that it was unnecessary to weigh food. I didnt stsrt until i got more lean and had less room for error. I suggest the same for any person i work with unless they want improved accuracy. It really dependa on your goals. Mine is abs. I have unsuccessfully tried without weighing, so i am back to weighijg my food. You can always change your course when something isnt working.5 -
clicketykeys wrote: »Well, I don't know if it's the weighing or the logging, but my previous post was just before I started making lunch for tomorrow, and I just finished logging it. So ~ 40 min, which is 2-3 times what it would take to just put things together.
Now, in fairness, next time I make those particular recipes I won't have to type them in. We'll see how it goes.
How did that take you so long? Putting someting on a scale is a 5 second thing. And unless you're eating Welsh villages for lunch, typing it into the log takes only a few seconds too. And if you don't feel like logging it right away you can just write it down somewhere and log later.6 -
Nah.......this is plain silly, and a bit on the judgmental side as well. Just because someone uses a certain tool that works for them does not mean OCD is involved.
If I went around and said in a low carb thread they're all OCD with their fear for carbs, I'd be behind bars before I could say "double standard".13 -
stevencloser wrote: »
If I went around and said in a low carb thread they're all OCD with their fear for carbs, I'd be behind bars before I could say "double standard".
You don't know the definition of OCD. They are not counting and agonizing over each little single carb. They are just avoiding them (other than from green veggies). Big difference between that, and obssessing over the fear that the calories on the label could be 10% lower than the actual number of calories.0 -
Who said rude? You seem to think that refuting what you say seems rude when it's just cordial debate. It's not an attack on your person, it's a disagreement with your approach. How you decipher it is based on how you see it. Didn't see where you were belittled. Copy and paste it.
And there's a difference of belittling someone and being flat up honest and truthful. Trust that I've heard just about every reason on how someone should lose weight. And I always let them try it. If it works, then fine. If it doesn't work, then I have them count calories. And believe it or not, it's like a light bulb moment for many. I still research and learn on a daily/weekly basis. The knowledge I have is from information passed on by Journals of science, physiology, kinesiology, endocrinology and metabolism, etc. I didn't invent it. Should I feel offended that I wasn't included?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
@ninerbuff You should read the whole thread, if you had a solid 30 minutes to waste ...
I was originally replying to someone who, in my opinion, was arrogant in his reply to OP.
Then I was referring to those who confuse "bragging / showing off" and "helping /giving advice".
As we say where I live: if the hat does not fit you, just don't wear it. ;-)1 -
I wonder if this is a good time to point out that I, the person who set this person off on their wild repeated mental illness accusations, don't actually weigh anything outside of raw meat...because my deficit is high enough that I don't have to worry about a 20% (now that it's been pointed out to me, actually more than 20%) variance. Unfortunately, I won't always have this large deficit as I get closer to my goal and many people don't, so for them the difference between eating 1500 and 1800 calories a day is important.
Sometimes I wonder about people who think it's appropriate to pull out "if you don't do things the way I do them you must be mentally ill!" What a terrible thing to say.15 -
gonetothedogs19 wrote: »
You don't know the definition of OCD. They are not counting and agonizing over each little single carb. They are just avoiding them (other than from green veggies). Big difference between that, and obssessing over the fear that the calories on the label could be 10% lower than the actual number of calories.
So someone who tells others to meticulously look on ingredient lists for "hidden carbs" ranging in the low single digits and avoid them at all costs is not OCD? Good to know only the people you personally disagree with may be accused of mental illness.18 -
stevencloser wrote: »
So someone who tells others to meticulously look on ingredient lists for "hidden carbs" ranging in the low single digits and avoid them at all costs is not OCD? Good to know only the people you personally disagree with may be accused of mental illness.
Speaking for myself here and not for other low carbers, but I don't look at ingredient lists. Because I eat mostly nuts, seeds, oils, meat and full fat dairy (milk and cheese) and green vegetables. No need to look at ingredients because it's pretty obvious that spinach contains...well, spinach. 2 -
gonetothedogs19 wrote: »
I was really stunned to learn that people take the yogurt out of the container and weigh it.
You do know that many people buy yogurt in sizes other than a single-serving, right? It can be cheaper, even.
What was ridiculous was claiming that people should replace whole foods or change the way they eat to packaged stuff in order to log. I wouldn't weigh a single serving of yogurt, personally, but I wouldn't change my eating so that I had to eat single-serving packages of yogurt or all stuff with calories on the label, as you were pushing.
Given that you were recommending such a change, I don't think you are on firm ground mocking people who weight everything (not a bad habit, although not something I ever did) as obsessive or whatever.5 -
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gonetothedogs19 wrote: »
You don't know the definition of OCD. They are not counting and agonizing over each little single carb. They are just avoiding them (other than from green veggies). Big difference between that, and obssessing over the fear that the calories on the label could be 10% lower than the actual number of calories.
I'm not sure you know the definition of OCD either. It's not just one behavior that you perceive as obsessive because you personally wouldn't do it.
Literally everyone is going to do something trying to lose weight that someone else will think is a little out there. But throwing around a term used to describe a very real and often debilitating mental health issue for those who actually deal with it isn't exactly making your point for you.
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bethannien wrote: »
I'm not sure you know the definition of OCD either. It's not just one behavior that you perceive as obsessive because you personally wouldn't do it.
Literally everyone is going to do something trying to lose weight that someone else will think is a little out there. But throwing around a term used to describe a very real and often debilitating mental health issue for those who actually deal with it isn't exactly making your point for you.
There are plenty of people with OCD who have spouses and children, and successful careers. I know a few who are so pathologically neat that they could be classified as OCD. Other OCD's are much more debilitating.
Counting every single calorie, years after you met your weight goal, is OCD. Not a debilitating OCD. Not an OCD that requires therapy. Just and OCD like the pathological neat-freak who can't leave a crumb on the kitchen counter, or has to make the bed no matter what.0 -
stevencloser wrote: »
So someone who tells others to meticulously look on ingredient lists for "hidden carbs" ranging in the low single digits and avoid them at all costs is not OCD? Good to know only the people you personally disagree with may be accused of mental illness.
There is nothing OCD about removing grains from your diet to reduce your carbohydrate intake. Just like there is nothing OCD about being a vegan.
OCD means you are doing something active, like counting and obsessing over every calorie years after you met your weight goal. Removing something from your diet (grains, or sugar, or animal fats) is not OCD.0 -
I wonder if this is a good time to point out that I, the person who set this person off on their wild repeated mental illness accusations, don't actually weigh anything outside of raw meat...because my deficit is high enough that I don't have to worry about a 20% (now that it's been pointed out to me, actually more than 20%) variance. Unfortunately, I won't always have this large deficit as I get closer to my goal and many people don't, so for them the difference between eating 1500 and 1800 calories a day is important.
Sometimes I wonder about people who think it's appropriate to pull out "if you don't do things the way I do them you must be mentally ill!" What a terrible thing to say.
Unfortunately, telling other people they are wrong is becoming the way of the internet in general.
I've never weighed food through my loss or maintenance. I guess I just guess close enough that it balances out over time. But I do spend time figuring out more accurate calorie burn estimates for my exercise. I guess I've got it all wrong.
But I suspect that in your case, your wrong method should work just as well as mine, because if it's working now, it will probably work when you hit maintenance.
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Here's my take on food OCD, wright or wrong..
People who never eat outside of their home because they can't get an accurate calorie count/ people who take their food scale everywhere and weigh every crumb on their plate and log it there and then before deciding to eat it.
If they prelog 150g of broccoli, they will take off every tiny spear until it weighs exactly 150g. Their diaries must show perfectly rounded numbers.
If they weigh a prepackaged food that says 60g but it is 63g, they will cut off bits until it reaches 60g and throw that extra 3g in the trash.
They will NEVER accept foods from someone else.
If they buy a small tub of yogurt that weighs more or less than what is stated on the label, they will go in to full on panic mode and may stress over this conundrum for hours, and in the end will not eat it.
They will panic over a 6oz increase on the scale.
They will deny social invitations because it falls within their meal time/exercise schedule.
Someone who simply weighs their food is NOT ocd.11 -
Food OCD would be like counting every granule of sugar on a donut, then removing a few to make sure it fits into your calories.
Counting calories even while at maintenance, not so much.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition 5 -
gonetothedogs19 wrote: »
There is nothing OCD about removing grains from your diet to reduce your carbohydrate intake. Just like there is nothing OCD about being a vegan.
OCD means you are doing something active, like counting and obsessing over every calorie years after you met your weight goal. Removing something from your diet (grains, or sugar, or animal fats) is not OCD.
Not everyone who counts calories is obsessive about them. I count calories. If I miss a meal, I don't stress. If I can't be completely accurate I don't stress. How is that OCD? Some of us have goals far beyond a healthy a BMI an requires more precision than "no more grains".
Sincerely,
The Guy who hit his goal weight over two years ago, but has dropped from 20%bf to 6% since then counting calories.
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