Calories are NOT the enemy!
CyclingRoadie6
Posts: 59 Member
What I mean by this, is that there are good calories and of course, there are bad ones too. What gets my shorts in a knot is hearing people say, "Oh, I shouldn't get that food because it has too many calories". When I hear that, it tells me that their perception of calories is not correct, which in turn could really affect their eating habits. It is those people who I believe know they are not eating well to begin with.
I'm going to take this in a different direction now, and mention that there is a significant difference between 'disordered eating' and 'eating disorders'. If you have never thought about the difference between the two, I ask that you research what the differences are. Both are a concern, but one can be deadly if not treated immediately.
The reason why I went in another direction with that, is because there are so many people out there with a disordered sense of what they can and can't eat, based on how many calories might be labeled next to that particular item. Yes, there are foods that have bad fats in them. Yes, there are foods that have bad sugars in them. But, if you are managing your weekly meals to make sure you are consuming enough fruit, vegetables, protein, and all the other necessary nutrients, why can you not indulge in a treat for yourself once in a while? Personally, for me, it's called 'sanity'. I enjoy a beer when I want one. I enjoy pizza, because it's SO DAMN GOOD!! And, I definitely enjoy a good ice cream cone, especially during the summer months. With that said, I don't eat these sanity foods all the time, as I do understand what effects it would have on my body if I ate them regularly. The important thing is that I like to treat myself from time-to-time, and I don't feel guilty about it. And neither should you.
The point is, if you are reading the calories on a menu item, and those numbers deter you from enjoying yourself, it may be time to re-evaluate what really makes you happy. Personally, if you are healthy, that is all that matters. I know not everyone will agree with me on this, but at the end of the day if you are happy with all that you do in life, then keep on smiling.
I'm going to take this in a different direction now, and mention that there is a significant difference between 'disordered eating' and 'eating disorders'. If you have never thought about the difference between the two, I ask that you research what the differences are. Both are a concern, but one can be deadly if not treated immediately.
The reason why I went in another direction with that, is because there are so many people out there with a disordered sense of what they can and can't eat, based on how many calories might be labeled next to that particular item. Yes, there are foods that have bad fats in them. Yes, there are foods that have bad sugars in them. But, if you are managing your weekly meals to make sure you are consuming enough fruit, vegetables, protein, and all the other necessary nutrients, why can you not indulge in a treat for yourself once in a while? Personally, for me, it's called 'sanity'. I enjoy a beer when I want one. I enjoy pizza, because it's SO DAMN GOOD!! And, I definitely enjoy a good ice cream cone, especially during the summer months. With that said, I don't eat these sanity foods all the time, as I do understand what effects it would have on my body if I ate them regularly. The important thing is that I like to treat myself from time-to-time, and I don't feel guilty about it. And neither should you.
The point is, if you are reading the calories on a menu item, and those numbers deter you from enjoying yourself, it may be time to re-evaluate what really makes you happy. Personally, if you are healthy, that is all that matters. I know not everyone will agree with me on this, but at the end of the day if you are happy with all that you do in life, then keep on smiling.
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Replies
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What happens to your body if you eat pizza regularly?
I mean, it's just a collection of ingredients -- often including bread, tomato sauce, vegetables, some kind of protein, and cheese. What effect does it have on your body if you eat those foods regularly?
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If you consume more calories than you burn, you'll gain weight. If you consume fewer than you burn, you'll lose weight. "Good" or "bad" has nothing to do with it, but you're correct they they aren't the enemy. It's just that you do have to pay attention to them whether you're looking to gain or lose weight.21
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I am not entirely sure what you are getting at here. Calories are not an enemy per se, nor is food. However, like many other situations in life anything in excess can become problematic. For our purposes here, excess calories cause excess weight. This is why MFP exists: to track calories and avoid this excess. People who ignore calories do so at their own peril.
For the record, I drink beer and eat pizza on occasion also, but I do so with the full knowledge of what the implications of those additional calories are. This is why such occasions are infrequent.17 -
extra_medium wrote: »If you consume more calories than you burn, you'll gain weight. If you consume fewer than you burn, you'll lose weight. "Good" or "bad" has nothing to do with it, but you're correct they they aren't the enemy. It's just that you do have to pay attention to them whether you're looking to gain or lose weight.
The challenge with that is genetics. Good and bad have quite a bit to do with it, depending on how your body reacts to certain foods. Even if you eat at a deficit, some people are not able to lose weight.
My point is, if you see something that you really want to eat, than eat it. And yes, pay attention to what you want to enjoy, and then you can always enjoy a "healthier" option later.54 -
janejellyroll wrote: »What happens to your body if you eat pizza regularly?
I mean, it's just a collection of ingredients -- often including bread, tomato sauce, vegetables, some kind of protein, and cheese. What effect does it have on your body if you eat those foods regularly?
You are correct, but there are also certain pizza options that may not be the best choice. As much as I love to eat it, the 'Meat Lovers' is probably on the lower end of the scale.20 -
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CyclingRoadie6 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »What happens to your body if you eat pizza regularly?
I mean, it's just a collection of ingredients -- often including bread, tomato sauce, vegetables, some kind of protein, and cheese. What effect does it have on your body if you eat those foods regularly?
You are correct, but there are also certain pizza options that may not be the best choice. As much as I love to eat it, the 'Meat Lovers' is probably on the lower end of the scale.
Okay, yeah. There are higher and lower calorie kinds of pizza. The same can be said of soups or sandwiches or casseroles or even bowls of oatmeal.
This doesn't mean that that eating soups or sandwiches or casseroles or oatmeal regularly will have a specific effect on our body. It means we should understand the calorie content of the foods we're eating and choose accordingly. Just because a food is in the "pizza" category doesn't mean we can't eat it regularly.
Eating pizza regularly has no predetermined or set impact on the body. It's going to come down to portion size, the ingredients in the pizza, and the context of the rest of the diet.17 -
JustRobby1 wrote: »I am not entirely sure what you are getting at here. Calories are not an enemy per se, nor is food. However, like many other situations in life anything in excess can become problematic. For our purposes here, excess calories cause excess weight. This is why MFP exists: to track calories and avoid this excess. People who ignore calories do so at their own peril.
For the record, I drink beer and eat pizza on occasion also, but I do so with the full knowledge of what the implications of those additional calories are. This is why such occasions are infrequent.
I don't disagree with you, but I did not say that food is the enemy. In fact what I said was, we should enjoy it, but stop complaining when you see the calorie count next to the menu item.
MFP is good for those who have things managed well. I'd be curious to know the percentages of those who actually micro-manage their calorie tracking. For the most part I think MFP is used for accountability and motivation, which is great in itself, and has helped many people.2 -
CyclingRoadie6 wrote: »extra_medium wrote: »If you consume more calories than you burn, you'll gain weight. If you consume fewer than you burn, you'll lose weight. "Good" or "bad" has nothing to do with it, but you're correct they they aren't the enemy. It's just that you do have to pay attention to them whether you're looking to gain or lose weight.
The challenge with that is genetics. Good and bad have quite a bit to do with it, depending on how your body reacts to certain foods. Even if you eat at a deficit, some people are not able to lose weight.
My point is, if you see something that you really want to eat, than eat it. And yes, pay attention to what you want to enjoy, and then you can always enjoy a "healthier" option later.
who exactly are these people that do not lose weight in a calorie deficit??
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Muscleflex79 wrote: »CyclingRoadie6 wrote: »extra_medium wrote: »If you consume more calories than you burn, you'll gain weight. If you consume fewer than you burn, you'll lose weight. "Good" or "bad" has nothing to do with it, but you're correct they they aren't the enemy. It's just that you do have to pay attention to them whether you're looking to gain or lose weight.
The challenge with that is genetics. Good and bad have quite a bit to do with it, depending on how your body reacts to certain foods. Even if you eat at a deficit, some people are not able to lose weight.
My point is, if you see something that you really want to eat, than eat it. And yes, pay attention to what you want to enjoy, and then you can always enjoy a "healthier" option later.
who exactly are these people that do not lose weight in a calorie deficit??
Typically those who are genetically obese or overweight. They can eat at a deficit regularly, but are not able to lose weight the same as others. Regularly eating at a deficit is what I mean by disordered eating. Of course if one exercises regularly, it is hard to replenish all the calories burned. So there is a possibility of losing some fat percentages, but not necessarily weight.46 -
CyclingRoadie6 wrote: »Muscleflex79 wrote: »CyclingRoadie6 wrote: »extra_medium wrote: »If you consume more calories than you burn, you'll gain weight. If you consume fewer than you burn, you'll lose weight. "Good" or "bad" has nothing to do with it, but you're correct they they aren't the enemy. It's just that you do have to pay attention to them whether you're looking to gain or lose weight.
The challenge with that is genetics. Good and bad have quite a bit to do with it, depending on how your body reacts to certain foods. Even if you eat at a deficit, some people are not able to lose weight.
My point is, if you see something that you really want to eat, than eat it. And yes, pay attention to what you want to enjoy, and then you can always enjoy a "healthier" option later.
who exactly are these people that do not lose weight in a calorie deficit??
Typically those who are genetically obese or overweight. They can eat at a deficit regularly, but are not able to lose weight the same as others. Regularly eating at a deficit is what I mean by disordered eating. Of course if one exercises regularly, it is hard to replenish all the calories burned. So there is a possibility of losing some fat percentages, but not necessarily weight.
I don't know what it means to be "genetically obese" (obesity describes a state the body is in, it doesn't refer to gene or potential). But if someone is overweight and eating at a deficit, they will lose.
Regularly eating at a deficit is only disordered in circumstances where weight loss can be harmful. In other cases, regularly eating at a deficit is a great tool to reduce body weight.
I'm not sure why you consider it hard to replenish calories that are burnt through exercise, especially in our current food environment with multiple calorie-dense foods. For most people in the US (where I am assuming most readers are), the challenge is limit our consumption to match the calories we burn. Eating enough typically isn't a problem.15 -
IMO, the relevant question - within the context of an overall nutritious, balanced way of eating - is whether any given food item is worth its calories to me, given its particular contributions to nutrition, satiation, and pleasure.
Calories alone are not a good yardstick. But ideas about "bad sugars", " bad fats", or the goodness or badness of particular foods or types of food (pizza, ice cream, beer) irrespective of context or contents - those can be equally misleading.
Poison food is bad, spoiled food is bad, a few things like trans fats are kinda bad, but otherwise it's all about context and dosage.22 -
Where is all this coming from? Is it possible you've been reading too many Cosmo magazines?
Eat less than you use and you lose weight. If you want to exercise, it is good for you and helps burn off a couple hundred calories.
No one is "genetically obese." They just ate too much.25 -
CyclingRoadie6 wrote: »Muscleflex79 wrote: »CyclingRoadie6 wrote: »extra_medium wrote: »If you consume more calories than you burn, you'll gain weight. If you consume fewer than you burn, you'll lose weight. "Good" or "bad" has nothing to do with it, but you're correct they they aren't the enemy. It's just that you do have to pay attention to them whether you're looking to gain or lose weight.
The challenge with that is genetics. Good and bad have quite a bit to do with it, depending on how your body reacts to certain foods. Even if you eat at a deficit, some people are not able to lose weight.
My point is, if you see something that you really want to eat, than eat it. And yes, pay attention to what you want to enjoy, and then you can always enjoy a "healthier" option later.
who exactly are these people that do not lose weight in a calorie deficit??
Typically those who are genetically obese or overweight. They can eat at a deficit regularly, but are not able to lose weight the same as others. Regularly eating at a deficit is what I mean by disordered eating. Of course if one exercises regularly, it is hard to replenish all the calories burned. So there is a possibility of losing some fat percentages, but not necessarily weight.
If they are not losing weight they are by definition not in a calorie deficit.
Maybe they have slower metabolisms, or they are overestimating their expenditure or underestimating their intake or any combination of the two, but being that would just mean the method of tracking is flawed. The next step is to "measure progress and adjust accordingly" not "bad genes, food elimination diet time"15 -
Typically those who are genetically obese or overweight. They can eat at a deficit regularly, but are not able to lose weight the same as others. Regularly eating at a deficit is what I mean by disordered eating. Of course if one exercises regularly, it is hard to replenish all the calories burned. So there is a possibility of losing some fat percentages, but not necessarily weight.
No one is genetically obese. You are obese because you eat more calories than your body burns. Eating at a deficit is not "disordered" eating, it is managing your food intake to lose weight. That's how you go from being obese to being a healthy weight. Studies have shown that successful weight loss is 80% controlling your diet and about 20% increasing your exercise. Most of us cannot exercise enough to counter the sheer amount of calories we take in daily to any significant extent without also controlling our intake. I, for one, do make my food choices based on the calorie counts on a daily basis. However, if I want a high-calorie food, I eat it, just not every day, and when I do eat it, I log it and adjust my other food intake accordingly.17 -
My apologies @Iamnotasenior and @cmriverside . What I should have said is that certain individuals are genetically susceptible to being obese through a number of causes. Eating is only one of these.
I'm not even sure how it got to this point, because this was never a part of my original post.15 -
CyclingRoadie6 wrote: »Muscleflex79 wrote: »CyclingRoadie6 wrote: »extra_medium wrote: »If you consume more calories than you burn, you'll gain weight. If you consume fewer than you burn, you'll lose weight. "Good" or "bad" has nothing to do with it, but you're correct they they aren't the enemy. It's just that you do have to pay attention to them whether you're looking to gain or lose weight.
The challenge with that is genetics. Good and bad have quite a bit to do with it, depending on how your body reacts to certain foods. Even if you eat at a deficit, some people are not able to lose weight.
My point is, if you see something that you really want to eat, than eat it. And yes, pay attention to what you want to enjoy, and then you can always enjoy a "healthier" option later.
who exactly are these people that do not lose weight in a calorie deficit??
Typically those who are genetically obese or overweight. They can eat at a deficit regularly, but are not able to lose weight the same as others. Regularly eating at a deficit is what I mean by disordered eating. Of course if one exercises regularly, it is hard to replenish all the calories burned. So there is a possibility of losing some fat percentages, but not necessarily weight.
If they don't lose, they aren't at a deficit. Not everyone the same age, size and activity level burns exactly the same number of calories. That doesn't mean there are "genetically fat" people who "can't lose".
If one needs to lose weight, regularly eating at a sensible, moderate deficit is not disordered eating (though obsessively doing so may be disordered).
In no way is it hard to replenish exercise calories, at least at most sub-elite levels of exercise. I was very active, a competitive athlete at times, while obese. I had no difficulty out-eating hundreds of calories of daily exercise, and staying obese for a dozen years.
And how is someone losing body fat, but not weight? If they do so, it's via recomposition, which happens at/near maintenance calories (not in a deficit) and is a slow process under the best of conditions.
Where are these ideas coming from?!?18 -
CyclingRoadie6 wrote: »My apologies @Iamnotasenior and @cmriverside . What I should have said is that certain individuals are genetically susceptible to being obese through a number of causes. Eating is only one of these.
I'm not even sure how it got to this point, because this was never a part of my original post.
Because you made the claim that if someone is "genetically overweight" eating "bad foods" will keep them from losing weight, even if they're in a deficit.
Or am I misunderstanding your argument?7 -
CyclingRoadie6 wrote: »My apologies @Iamnotasenior and @cmriverside . What I should have said is that certain individuals are genetically susceptible to being obese through a number of causes. Eating is only one of these.
I'm not even sure how it got to this point, because this was never a part of my original post.
Well, if we want to go there, all of my older family members on both sides are or were (before they died) obese.
I am not.
I was at one point, but it only lasted just about five years and now I've been back at a healthy weight for the last ten.
We could make the argument that since everyone in my family is obese, then I have a genetic predisposition? Is that your argument? My rebuttal to that would be (beside what I already said,) that everyone is genetically predisposed to obesity if they eat too much. Most people don't watch their calories and over time put on pounds. Eating is the only cause of this.13 -
CyclingRoadie6 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »What happens to your body if you eat pizza regularly?
I mean, it's just a collection of ingredients -- often including bread, tomato sauce, vegetables, some kind of protein, and cheese. What effect does it have on your body if you eat those foods regularly?
You are correct, but there are also certain pizza options that may not be the best choice. As much as I love to eat it, the 'Meat Lovers' is probably on the lower end of the scale.
[img][/img] 11 -
I was reading this I then immediately I thought of the YouTube video I ones watched.
There was a little boy of 3 or 4 years old ,I think in Indonesia but I'm not sure, he was very obese. His parents were saying that from his birth on he was eating. And he was always very heavy and they couldn't do anything about it.
A few months ago I saw a video of that same boy. He was helped by doctors or dieticians I don't know who but had lossed all the overweight and had a normal weight now.
A lot of people are thinking or saying that they can't lose the weight because all of their family are overweight.
I don't believe most of them. I'm overweight but I'm honest.
I know why. I ate too much.And when I did a diet I ate not enough. (crashdiet).
I'm now tracking my food for 2 weeks and I'm shocked to see how much calories I can eat and still lose weight.
I think first you must be honest about your weight. For a few people there are medical issues and then you must consult a doctor but even then you can lose weight.
But this is my opinion.
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What on earth is a bad calorie?8
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CyclingRoadie6 wrote: »What I mean by this, is that there are good calories and of course, there are bad ones too. What gets my shorts in a knot is hearing people say, "Oh, I shouldn't get that food because it has too many calories". When I hear that, it tells me that their perception of calories is not correct, which in turn could really affect their eating habits. It is those people who I believe know they are not eating well to begin with.
Re the two bold comments - oh the delicious unintentional irony!
Please take a few seconds to research what a calorie is then you wouldn't appear quite so clueless.13 -
CyclingRoadie6 wrote: »extra_medium wrote: »If you consume more calories than you burn, you'll gain weight. If you consume fewer than you burn, you'll lose weight. "Good" or "bad" has nothing to do with it, but you're correct they they aren't the enemy. It's just that you do have to pay attention to them whether you're looking to gain or lose weight.
The challenge with that is genetics. Good and bad have quite a bit to do with it, depending on how your body reacts to certain foods. Even if you eat at a deficit, some people are not able to lose weight.
My point is, if you see something that you really want to eat, than eat it. And yes, pay attention to what you want to enjoy, and then you can always enjoy a "healthier" option later.
1. Whilst some people may have disorders such as a slower metabolism that may make it harder for them to lose weight eating the same calories as someone with the same stats as someone with a fast metabolism does NOT mean they won't lose weight. They may just lose it slower. An appropriate deficit for that person will result in weight loss.
2. But therein lies the very problem - for many people "later" never comes. So no, quite often I don't just eat what I fancy, that's what led me to where I am now! And when you judge those people in your presence who are not eating whatever they really fancy, maybe they ate what they fancied for breakfast and are making the decision to not do this time, and this is their "later".3 -
What a fascinating and honest discussion, thank you everyone!1
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I almost never eat pizza. It's not very nutritious and it's a lot of calories, which means I'll be hungry at some point to make up for it. Really good pizza is worth it, but this is Seattle not New York, we have mushy cardboard with cheese. It's not worth it to me, I'd rather spend my calories on other things.
On the other hand, you could leave a trail of salt and vinegar chips and I'd follow it right into Hell, crunching all the way. Starbucks has these bags of really good ones, they're small and come to 270 kcal. I can have a treat without blowing my calorie budget for the day.2 -
janejellyroll wrote: »CyclingRoadie6 wrote: »My apologies @Iamnotasenior and @cmriverside . What I should have said is that certain individuals are genetically susceptible to being obese through a number of causes. Eating is only one of these.
I'm not even sure how it got to this point, because this was never a part of my original post.
Because you made the claim that if someone is "genetically overweight" eating "bad foods" will keep them from losing weight, even if they're in a deficit.
Or am I misunderstanding your argument?
I don't think that was his argument. This thread would have gone better if he'd never brought it up, it seems like it was more of a tangent. I think his main argument is everything in moderation, including moderation.2 -
NorthCascades wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »CyclingRoadie6 wrote: »My apologies @Iamnotasenior and @cmriverside . What I should have said is that certain individuals are genetically susceptible to being obese through a number of causes. Eating is only one of these.
I'm not even sure how it got to this point, because this was never a part of my original post.
Because you made the claim that if someone is "genetically overweight" eating "bad foods" will keep them from losing weight, even if they're in a deficit.
Or am I misunderstanding your argument?
I don't think that was his argument. This thread would have gone better if he'd never brought it up, it seems like it was more of a tangent. I think his main argument is everything in moderation, including moderation.
Yeah I didn't really get that at all...5 -
CyclingRoadie6 wrote: »extra_medium wrote: »If you consume more calories than you burn, you'll gain weight. If you consume fewer than you burn, you'll lose weight. "Good" or "bad" has nothing to do with it, but you're correct they they aren't the enemy. It's just that you do have to pay attention to them whether you're looking to gain or lose weight.
The challenge with that is genetics. Good and bad have quite a bit to do with it, depending on how your body reacts to certain foods. Even if you eat at a deficit, some people are not able to lose weight.
My point is, if you see something that you really want to eat, than eat it. And yes, pay attention to what you want to enjoy, and then you can always enjoy a "healthier" option later.
No. If you eat at a deficit you lose weight. "Good/bad" is subjective and literally has nothing to do with weight management.
There may be specific issues that impact metabolic rate, but genetics and disease states play a very small part in this - from clinical results this amounts to < 5%. This amounts to 80 kcals/day out of a 1600 kcal/day calorie budget.4 -
CyclingRoadie6 wrote: »What I mean by this, is that there are good calories and of course, there are bad ones too. What gets my shorts in a knot is hearing people say, "Oh, I shouldn't get that food because it has too many calories". When I hear that, it tells me that their perception of calories is not correct, which in turn could really affect their eating habits. It is those people who I believe know they are not eating well to begin with.
Re the two bold comments - oh the delicious unintentional irony!
Please take a few seconds to research what a calorie is then you wouldn't appear quite so clueless.
So much this! A calorie is a unit of measure. Specifically the energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through 1 °C. A unit of measure is not inherently "good" or "bad", it just is.
Are grams, joules, kilowatts, megabytes, etc. inherently bad or good?
Also to suggest that people in a calorie deficit won't lose weight or are "genetically" incapable shows a fundamental lack of understanding on multiple fronts. Perhaps read some of the sticky/most helpful posts.6
This discussion has been closed.
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