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Is a calorie equal to a calorie?
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This thread is like the circle of life in a totally negative way. We just keep coming back around to the beginning, reliving the pain and sadness over and over and over and over and...
If someone wanted to understand MFP forums, we could send them to this thread.
That is, if we wanted them to question what was wrong with us and why we spend time here at all . . .7 -
stevencloser wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »How can a calorie be just a calorie as calories are supposed to = energy
In my experience I can eat bad foods and have a lot of calories and very little energy besides constant hunger
However since changing my diet to mostly whole foods I find I have more energy less hunger on much less calories.
I had tried to lose wieght in the past with the Idea that a calorie is just a calorie and worked on cutting calories it was a constant fight and I ended up binging. Now I eat right most of the time and find still I can indulge in anything (pizza, Burgers whatever) as long as I eat good whole foods most of the time
The idea that a calorie is simply a way to measure energy in a food doesn't mean that the same calorie amounts of different types of food will translate into the exact same "feeling" of energy for everyone.
"Energy" in calorie terms is different than a feeling of energy that an individual might have.
Think of it this way: if I drink a beverage with a lot of caffeine, I may feel more energy than usual (especially if I don't have it often). This doesn't mean it is a high calorie beverage -- in fact, things like coffee don't have many calories at all. If I drink a high calorie beverage with a lot of alcohol, I might suddenly feel sleepy . . . despite the fact that I just consumed a bunch of calories.
This idea, that calories somehow magically equate to a "feeling" of energy, can be profoundly misleading. The truth is that you can have sufficient energy to run your body and still feel hungry (due to nutritional factors). In fact, you can even be consuming *more* than you need, store the excess energy as fat, and still feel low energy.
It's two completely different things.
Exacly, thats why a calorie is not a calorie
No, it's why "calorie" doesn't tell us everything we need to know about a food.
We'd never say that vitamin C isn't vitamin C because vitamin C doesn't meet our needs for fat, would we? It's the same way with calories.
A calorie *is* a calorie. It's incredibly useful information to have about a food when planning our diets, but it's not the only information that we need.
I found that advice had done more harm then good for me and kept me in a struggle for too long,
Now I know a calorie is not a calorie and I can sustain more energy and stay full on less and now I have lost 60 Lbs since last April. After reading an article how calorie is not really equal to a calorie. This was the first time I heard this and it changed my life
Yeah, when you misunderstand what a calorie is (a specific unit of measurement) and what it is telling you about a food and then attempt to use that information to craft your diet without regard to your nutritional needs, it can result in harm or unnecessary struggle.
It sounds like that is what you were doing. The problem isn't with the information, it's with your misapplication of it.
Not sure what you mean a calories is a unit of measure in energy
If you have 300 calories in pure suger vrs 300 calories in complex carbs you will have difrent longevity of energy
that would be like going to the Indy 500 with a beat up old car because a car is a car
Having to walk 1 km over hot coals might "feel" like it's longer than 1 km of pillows, but it isn't. How energetic you "feel" is individual and says absolutely nothing.
I've heard it said that meth makes you feel pretty darn energetic, yet it's calorie-free. Take that, nutritional science.10 -
myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »How can a calorie be just a calorie as calories are supposed to = energy
In my experience I can eat bad foods and have a lot of calories and very little energy besides constant hunger
However since changing my diet to mostly whole foods I find I have more energy less hunger on much less calories.
I had tried to lose wieght in the past with the Idea that a calorie is just a calorie and worked on cutting calories it was a constant fight and I ended up binging. Now I eat right most of the time and find still I can indulge in anything (pizza, Burgers whatever) as long as I eat good whole foods most of the time
The idea that a calorie is simply a way to measure energy in a food doesn't mean that the same calorie amounts of different types of food will translate into the exact same "feeling" of energy for everyone.
"Energy" in calorie terms is different than a feeling of energy that an individual might have.
Think of it this way: if I drink a beverage with a lot of caffeine, I may feel more energy than usual (especially if I don't have it often). This doesn't mean it is a high calorie beverage -- in fact, things like coffee don't have many calories at all. If I drink a high calorie beverage with a lot of alcohol, I might suddenly feel sleepy . . . despite the fact that I just consumed a bunch of calories.
This idea, that calories somehow magically equate to a "feeling" of energy, can be profoundly misleading. The truth is that you can have sufficient energy to run your body and still feel hungry (due to nutritional factors). In fact, you can even be consuming *more* than you need, store the excess energy as fat, and still feel low energy.
It's two completely different things.
Exacly, thats why a calorie is not a calorie
No, it's why "calorie" doesn't tell us everything we need to know about a food.
We'd never say that vitamin C isn't vitamin C because vitamin C doesn't meet our needs for fat, would we? It's the same way with calories.
A calorie *is* a calorie. It's incredibly useful information to have about a food when planning our diets, but it's not the only information that we need.
I found that advice had done more harm then good for me and kept me in a struggle for too long,
Now I know a calorie is not a calorie and I can sustain more energy and stay full on less and now I have lost 60 Lbs since last April. After reading an article how calorie is not really equal to a calorie. This was the first time I heard this and it changed my life
Yeah, when you misunderstand what a calorie is (a specific unit of measurement) and what it is telling you about a food and then attempt to use that information to craft your diet without regard to your nutritional needs, it can result in harm or unnecessary struggle.
It sounds like that is what you were doing. The problem isn't with the information, it's with your misapplication of it.
Not sure what you mean a calories is a unit of measure in energy
If you have 300 calories in pure suger vrs 300 calories in complex carbs you will have difrent longevity of energy
that would be like going to the Indy 500 with a beat up old car because a car is a car
A calorie is a unit of measure for the amount of energy in the food, not the amount of energy the food would give you directly. They're too different measures that can't be linked directly. You could just as easily use calories to measure the amount of energy in rocket fuel or windex or aluminum foil, though none of those things would give the human body energy.8 -
myinsbroker wrote: »
Great you want to make a car trade, All things being equal
Oh also, calories aren't things you can distinguish over properties like cars. They're a measurement of energy content. They're a property themselves. You can have two cars and you can compare then and tell which one is better, you can't say "this calorie is better than that calorie", that doesn't make anny goshdarn sense.5 -
janejellyroll wrote: »This thread is like the circle of life in a totally negative way. We just keep coming back around to the beginning, reliving the pain and sadness over and over and over and over and...
If someone wanted to understand MFP forums, we could send them to this thread.
That is, if we wanted them to question what was wrong with us and why we spend time here at all . . .
14 -
myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »How can a calorie be just a calorie as calories are supposed to = energy
In my experience I can eat bad foods and have a lot of calories and very little energy besides constant hunger
However since changing my diet to mostly whole foods I find I have more energy less hunger on much less calories.
I had tried to lose wieght in the past with the Idea that a calorie is just a calorie and worked on cutting calories it was a constant fight and I ended up binging. Now I eat right most of the time and find still I can indulge in anything (pizza, Burgers whatever) as long as I eat good whole foods most of the time
The idea that a calorie is simply a way to measure energy in a food doesn't mean that the same calorie amounts of different types of food will translate into the exact same "feeling" of energy for everyone.
"Energy" in calorie terms is different than a feeling of energy that an individual might have.
Think of it this way: if I drink a beverage with a lot of caffeine, I may feel more energy than usual (especially if I don't have it often). This doesn't mean it is a high calorie beverage -- in fact, things like coffee don't have many calories at all. If I drink a high calorie beverage with a lot of alcohol, I might suddenly feel sleepy . . . despite the fact that I just consumed a bunch of calories.
This idea, that calories somehow magically equate to a "feeling" of energy, can be profoundly misleading. The truth is that you can have sufficient energy to run your body and still feel hungry (due to nutritional factors). In fact, you can even be consuming *more* than you need, store the excess energy as fat, and still feel low energy.
It's two completely different things.
Exacly, thats why a calorie is not a calorie
No, it's why "calorie" doesn't tell us everything we need to know about a food.
We'd never say that vitamin C isn't vitamin C because vitamin C doesn't meet our needs for fat, would we? It's the same way with calories.
A calorie *is* a calorie. It's incredibly useful information to have about a food when planning our diets, but it's not the only information that we need.
I found that advice had done more harm then good for me and kept me in a struggle for too long,
Now I know a calorie is not a calorie and I can sustain more energy and stay full on less and now I have lost 60 Lbs since last April. After reading an article how calorie is not really equal to a calorie. This was the first time I heard this and it changed my life
Yeah, when you misunderstand what a calorie is (a specific unit of measurement) and what it is telling you about a food and then attempt to use that information to craft your diet without regard to your nutritional needs, it can result in harm or unnecessary struggle.
It sounds like that is what you were doing. The problem isn't with the information, it's with your misapplication of it.
Not sure what you mean a calories is a unit of measure in energy
If you have 300 calories in pure suger vrs 300 calories in complex carbs you will have difrent longevity of energy
that would be like going to the Indy 500 with a beat up old car because a car is a car
We are taking about energy in the "physics" sense. The energy your body uses to beat your heart and grow your hair and digest your food. Not energy like how energetic you feel.
If you think the energy from one calorie obtained from food translates in some way to how energetic you feel, perhaps you should brush up on your physics and biology before continuing the discussion.7 -
myinsbroker wrote: »
Great you want to make a car trade, All things being equal
Who here, besides you, is claiming that "it's a car" is the only thing you need to know about a car any more than "it has 100 calories" is the only thing you need to know about a food?
If someone wanted to sell you a car, you wouldn't just toss your money at the first one, would you? You'd ask questions about it because you know that "being a car" isn't the only thing you want. You'd want to know gas mileage, features, repair history (if used), etc.
It's the same way with food. Nobody is saying you should make decisions on calories alone. You want to consider things like protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, fiber.
Calories are just one piece of information, just like "it's a car" is. If you can understand how cars can be different and still be cars, I have confidence that you might be able to understand how foods can have the same calorie content yet also have differences that diners will want to consider.
6 -
stevencloser wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »
Great you want to make a car trade, All things being equal
Oh also, calories aren't things you can distinguish over properties like cars. They're a measurement of energy content. They're a property themselves. You can have two cars and you can compare then and tell which one is better, you can't say "this calorie is better than that calorie", that doesn't make anny goshdarn sense.
Of course it makes sense I can compare and say calories from this works better for energy and sustaining hunger the those calories
I needed to learn to eat because I never eat properly my whole life and going to experts that told me a calorie is a calorie just work on less calories and you will lose weight.
I spent so much time trying to lose weight on lean cuisine and lean pockets and every diet thing I could find in the supermarket
It wasn't until I read about how all calories are not created equal di I begin to lose weight that and learning that drinking artificial sugar all day was Also causing me to be hungry
Revolutionary, I now lose weight without trying and have way more energy then ever17 -
myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »How can a calorie be just a calorie as calories are supposed to = energy
In my experience I can eat bad foods and have a lot of calories and very little energy besides constant hunger
However since changing my diet to mostly whole foods I find I have more energy less hunger on much less calories.
I had tried to lose wieght in the past with the Idea that a calorie is just a calorie and worked on cutting calories it was a constant fight and I ended up binging. Now I eat right most of the time and find still I can indulge in anything (pizza, Burgers whatever) as long as I eat good whole foods most of the time
The idea that a calorie is simply a way to measure energy in a food doesn't mean that the same calorie amounts of different types of food will translate into the exact same "feeling" of energy for everyone.
"Energy" in calorie terms is different than a feeling of energy that an individual might have.
Think of it this way: if I drink a beverage with a lot of caffeine, I may feel more energy than usual (especially if I don't have it often). This doesn't mean it is a high calorie beverage -- in fact, things like coffee don't have many calories at all. If I drink a high calorie beverage with a lot of alcohol, I might suddenly feel sleepy . . . despite the fact that I just consumed a bunch of calories.
This idea, that calories somehow magically equate to a "feeling" of energy, can be profoundly misleading. The truth is that you can have sufficient energy to run your body and still feel hungry (due to nutritional factors). In fact, you can even be consuming *more* than you need, store the excess energy as fat, and still feel low energy.
It's two completely different things.
Exacly, thats why a calorie is not a calorie
No, it's why "calorie" doesn't tell us everything we need to know about a food.
We'd never say that vitamin C isn't vitamin C because vitamin C doesn't meet our needs for fat, would we? It's the same way with calories.
A calorie *is* a calorie. It's incredibly useful information to have about a food when planning our diets, but it's not the only information that we need.
I found that advice had done more harm then good for me and kept me in a struggle for too long,
Now I know a calorie is not a calorie and I can sustain more energy and stay full on less and now I have lost 60 Lbs since last April. After reading an article how calorie is not really equal to a calorie. This was the first time I heard this and it changed my life
A calorie IS by definition a unit of measure, nothing more.
Definition of calorie
a : the amount of heat required at a pressure of one atmosphere to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree Celsius that is equal to about 4.19 joules —abbreviation cal — called also gram calorie, small calorie
b : the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water one degree Celsius : 1000 gram calories or 3.968 Btu —abbreviation Cal — called also large calorie
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calorie
Once again, calories are being conflated with nutrition.
So that's why "calorie is a calorie" discussions always get us in hot water! I never knew.
More definitions:
syn·ec·do·che
[səˈnekdəkē]
NOUN
a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa, as in Cleveland won by six runs (meaning “Cleveland's baseball team”).
nu·tri·ent
[ˈn(y)o͞otrēənt]
NOUN
a substance that provides nourishment essential for growth and the maintenance of life:
"fish is a source of many important nutrients, including protein, vitamins, and minerals"
mean·ing
[ˈmēniNG]
NOUN
what is meant by a word, text, concept, or action:
"the meaning of the word “supermarket”" · [more]
synonyms: definition · sense · explanation · denotation ·
ab·strac·tion
[abˈstrakSH(ə)n]
NOUN
the quality of dealing with ideas rather than events:
"topics will vary in degrees of abstraction"6 -
myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »How can a calorie be just a calorie as calories are supposed to = energy
In my experience I can eat bad foods and have a lot of calories and very little energy besides constant hunger
However since changing my diet to mostly whole foods I find I have more energy less hunger on much less calories.
I had tried to lose wieght in the past with the Idea that a calorie is just a calorie and worked on cutting calories it was a constant fight and I ended up binging. Now I eat right most of the time and find still I can indulge in anything (pizza, Burgers whatever) as long as I eat good whole foods most of the time
The idea that a calorie is simply a way to measure energy in a food doesn't mean that the same calorie amounts of different types of food will translate into the exact same "feeling" of energy for everyone.
"Energy" in calorie terms is different than a feeling of energy that an individual might have.
Think of it this way: if I drink a beverage with a lot of caffeine, I may feel more energy than usual (especially if I don't have it often). This doesn't mean it is a high calorie beverage -- in fact, things like coffee don't have many calories at all. If I drink a high calorie beverage with a lot of alcohol, I might suddenly feel sleepy . . . despite the fact that I just consumed a bunch of calories.
This idea, that calories somehow magically equate to a "feeling" of energy, can be profoundly misleading. The truth is that you can have sufficient energy to run your body and still feel hungry (due to nutritional factors). In fact, you can even be consuming *more* than you need, store the excess energy as fat, and still feel low energy.
It's two completely different things.
Exacly, thats why a calorie is not a calorie
No, it's why "calorie" doesn't tell us everything we need to know about a food.
We'd never say that vitamin C isn't vitamin C because vitamin C doesn't meet our needs for fat, would we? It's the same way with calories.
A calorie *is* a calorie. It's incredibly useful information to have about a food when planning our diets, but it's not the only information that we need.
I found that advice had done more harm then good for me and kept me in a struggle for too long,
Now I know a calorie is not a calorie and I can sustain more energy and stay full on less and now I have lost 60 Lbs since last April. After reading an article how calorie is not really equal to a calorie. This was the first time I heard this and it changed my life
Yeah, when you misunderstand what a calorie is (a specific unit of measurement) and what it is telling you about a food and then attempt to use that information to craft your diet without regard to your nutritional needs, it can result in harm or unnecessary struggle.
It sounds like that is what you were doing. The problem isn't with the information, it's with your misapplication of it.
Not sure what you mean a calories is a unit of measure in energy
If you have 300 calories in pure suger vrs 300 calories in complex carbs you will have difrent longevity of energy
that would be like going to the Indy 500 with a beat up old car because a car is a car
We are taking about energy in the "physics" sense. The energy your body uses to beat your heart and grow your hair and digest your food. Not energy like how energetic you feel.
If you think the energy from one calorie obtained from food translates in some way to how energetic you feel, perhaps you should brush up on your physics and biology before continuing the discussion.
A person 1st learning to lose weight needs to know what will work in the real world8 -
myinsbroker wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »
Great you want to make a car trade, All things being equal
Oh also, calories aren't things you can distinguish over properties like cars. They're a measurement of energy content. They're a property themselves. You can have two cars and you can compare then and tell which one is better, you can't say "this calorie is better than that calorie", that doesn't make anny goshdarn sense.
Of course it makes sense I can compare and say calories from this works better for energy and sustaining hunger the those calories
I needed to learn to eat because I never eat properly my whole life and going to experts that told me a calorie is a calorie just work on less calories and you will lose weight.
I spent so much time trying to lose weight on lean cuisine and lean pockets and every diet thing I could find in the supermarket
It wasn't until I read about how all calories are not created equal di I begin to lose weight that and learning that drinking artificial sugar all day was Also causing me to be hungry
Revolutionary, I now lose weight without trying and have way more energy then ever
It isn't the calories that are working better for energy or "sustaining hunger," it's completely different properties in the food (things like protein or fiber or whatever drives satiety for you).
The differences you're talking about have nothing to do with calories. Nothing.
None of it changes the fact that calories exist and the role they play in weight loss/gain.1 -
myinsbroker wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »
Great you want to make a car trade, All things being equal
Oh also, calories aren't things you can distinguish over properties like cars. They're a measurement of energy content. They're a property themselves. You can have two cars and you can compare then and tell which one is better, you can't say "this calorie is better than that calorie", that doesn't make anny goshdarn sense.
Of course it makes sense I can compare and say calories from this works better for energy and sustaining hunger the those calories
I needed to learn to eat because I never eat properly my whole life and going to experts that told me a calorie is a calorie just work on less calories and you will lose weight.
I spent so much time trying to lose weight on lean cuisine and lean pockets and every diet thing I could find in the supermarket
It wasn't until I read about how all calories are not created equal di I begin to lose weight that and learning that drinking artificial sugar all day was Also causing me to be hungry
Revolutionary, I now lose weight without trying and have way more energy then ever
Degrees from a heater are better for getting warm than degrees from a blanket.
It's nonsense.8 -
"They" told me that a calorie was a calorie. Yet the 100 calories of feta cheese that I put into my cake batter didn't sweeten the cake like 100 calories of sugar did.
8 -
myinsbroker wrote: »Not sure what you mean a calories is a unit of measure in energy
If you have 300 calories in pure suger vrs 300 calories in complex carbs you will have difrent longevity of energy
that would be like going to the Indy 500 with a beat up old car because a car is a car
Maybe come back when you have an understanding of what 'energy' is (in the sense of 'energy balance', which is what defines how weight is lost or gained) and it will make more sense to you.myinsbroker wrote: »A person 1st learning to lose weight needs to know what will work in the real world
Now you're making sense. What will work in the real world is that to lose weight, you have to eat less calories than you expend. There are many, many ways to arrive there, but what matters is calories in < calories out. Period.4 -
myinsbroker wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »How can a calorie be just a calorie as calories are supposed to = energy
In my experience I can eat bad foods and have a lot of calories and very little energy besides constant hunger
However since changing my diet to mostly whole foods I find I have more energy less hunger on much less calories.
I had tried to lose wieght in the past with the Idea that a calorie is just a calorie and worked on cutting calories it was a constant fight and I ended up binging. Now I eat right most of the time and find still I can indulge in anything (pizza, Burgers whatever) as long as I eat good whole foods most of the time
The idea that a calorie is simply a way to measure energy in a food doesn't mean that the same calorie amounts of different types of food will translate into the exact same "feeling" of energy for everyone.
"Energy" in calorie terms is different than a feeling of energy that an individual might have.
Think of it this way: if I drink a beverage with a lot of caffeine, I may feel more energy than usual (especially if I don't have it often). This doesn't mean it is a high calorie beverage -- in fact, things like coffee don't have many calories at all. If I drink a high calorie beverage with a lot of alcohol, I might suddenly feel sleepy . . . despite the fact that I just consumed a bunch of calories.
This idea, that calories somehow magically equate to a "feeling" of energy, can be profoundly misleading. The truth is that you can have sufficient energy to run your body and still feel hungry (due to nutritional factors). In fact, you can even be consuming *more* than you need, store the excess energy as fat, and still feel low energy.
It's two completely different things.
Exacly, thats why a calorie is not a calorie
No, it's why "calorie" doesn't tell us everything we need to know about a food.
We'd never say that vitamin C isn't vitamin C because vitamin C doesn't meet our needs for fat, would we? It's the same way with calories.
A calorie *is* a calorie. It's incredibly useful information to have about a food when planning our diets, but it's not the only information that we need.
I found that advice had done more harm then good for me and kept me in a struggle for too long,
Now I know a calorie is not a calorie and I can sustain more energy and stay full on less and now I have lost 60 Lbs since last April. After reading an article how calorie is not really equal to a calorie. This was the first time I heard this and it changed my life
Yeah, when you misunderstand what a calorie is (a specific unit of measurement) and what it is telling you about a food and then attempt to use that information to craft your diet without regard to your nutritional needs, it can result in harm or unnecessary struggle.
It sounds like that is what you were doing. The problem isn't with the information, it's with your misapplication of it.
Not sure what you mean a calories is a unit of measure in energy
If you have 300 calories in pure suger vrs 300 calories in complex carbs you will have difrent longevity of energy
that would be like going to the Indy 500 with a beat up old car because a car is a car
We are taking about energy in the "physics" sense. The energy your body uses to beat your heart and grow your hair and digest your food. Not energy like how energetic you feel.
If you think the energy from one calorie obtained from food translates in some way to how energetic you feel, perhaps you should brush up on your physics and biology before continuing the discussion.
A person 1st learning to lose weight needs to know what will work in the real world
Yes, they do. And many different dieting strategies exist that work for different people. Because of the different satiety issues and behavioral issues that different people have, finding what works for someone is a personal journey. A calorie is a calorie. If you can sustain a calorie deficit and don't have medical issues that get in the way, you will lose weight. This doesn't mean that a food is equal to every other food or that people shouldn't try different things to see what works out for them. They're two separate issues.3 -
myinsbroker wrote: »Not sure what you mean a calories is a unit of measure in energy
If you have 300 calories in pure suger vrs 300 calories in complex carbs you will have difrent longevity of energy
that would be like going to the Indy 500 with a beat up old car because a car is a car
Maybe come back when you have an understanding of what 'energy' is (in the sense of 'energy balance', which is what defines how weight is lost or gained) and it will make more sense to you.
I do now, The point is at one time I didn't, I looked for advise from those that are supposed to be experts. to say a calorie is a calorie and then say well you need to learn physics is ridiculous.
I am not going to sell and Insurance policy without breaking it down to an understandable language that people can understand in a practical real world way
Same way giving that advice to a person new to losing weight is harmful
and that's the last I will say on it11 -
myinsbroker wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »How can a calorie be just a calorie as calories are supposed to = energy
In my experience I can eat bad foods and have a lot of calories and very little energy besides constant hunger
However since changing my diet to mostly whole foods I find I have more energy less hunger on much less calories.
I had tried to lose wieght in the past with the Idea that a calorie is just a calorie and worked on cutting calories it was a constant fight and I ended up binging. Now I eat right most of the time and find still I can indulge in anything (pizza, Burgers whatever) as long as I eat good whole foods most of the time
The idea that a calorie is simply a way to measure energy in a food doesn't mean that the same calorie amounts of different types of food will translate into the exact same "feeling" of energy for everyone.
"Energy" in calorie terms is different than a feeling of energy that an individual might have.
Think of it this way: if I drink a beverage with a lot of caffeine, I may feel more energy than usual (especially if I don't have it often). This doesn't mean it is a high calorie beverage -- in fact, things like coffee don't have many calories at all. If I drink a high calorie beverage with a lot of alcohol, I might suddenly feel sleepy . . . despite the fact that I just consumed a bunch of calories.
This idea, that calories somehow magically equate to a "feeling" of energy, can be profoundly misleading. The truth is that you can have sufficient energy to run your body and still feel hungry (due to nutritional factors). In fact, you can even be consuming *more* than you need, store the excess energy as fat, and still feel low energy.
It's two completely different things.
Exacly, thats why a calorie is not a calorie
No, it's why "calorie" doesn't tell us everything we need to know about a food.
We'd never say that vitamin C isn't vitamin C because vitamin C doesn't meet our needs for fat, would we? It's the same way with calories.
A calorie *is* a calorie. It's incredibly useful information to have about a food when planning our diets, but it's not the only information that we need.
I found that advice had done more harm then good for me and kept me in a struggle for too long,
Now I know a calorie is not a calorie and I can sustain more energy and stay full on less and now I have lost 60 Lbs since last April. After reading an article how calorie is not really equal to a calorie. This was the first time I heard this and it changed my life
Yeah, when you misunderstand what a calorie is (a specific unit of measurement) and what it is telling you about a food and then attempt to use that information to craft your diet without regard to your nutritional needs, it can result in harm or unnecessary struggle.
It sounds like that is what you were doing. The problem isn't with the information, it's with your misapplication of it.
Not sure what you mean a calories is a unit of measure in energy
If you have 300 calories in pure suger vrs 300 calories in complex carbs you will have difrent longevity of energy
that would be like going to the Indy 500 with a beat up old car because a car is a car
We are taking about energy in the "physics" sense. The energy your body uses to beat your heart and grow your hair and digest your food. Not energy like how energetic you feel.
If you think the energy from one calorie obtained from food translates in some way to how energetic you feel, perhaps you should brush up on your physics and biology before continuing the discussion.
A person 1st learning to lose weight needs to know what will work in the real world
The fact that conflating disparate concepts has allowed you to tell yourself the story you needed to hear to succeed doesn't make that story true.
You finally lost weight because you found a way to eat that made it easier for you to eat the right amount of calories.
I lost weight and continue to maintain a healthy weight for 2 years now while eating Lean cuisines and Hot Pockets and ice cream, in addition to veggies and lean protein and whole grains. Because a calorie is a calorie.5 -
myinsbroker wrote: »myinsbroker wrote: »Not sure what you mean a calories is a unit of measure in energy
If you have 300 calories in pure suger vrs 300 calories in complex carbs you will have difrent longevity of energy
that would be like going to the Indy 500 with a beat up old car because a car is a car
Maybe come back when you have an understanding of what 'energy' is (in the sense of 'energy balance', which is what defines how weight is lost or gained) and it will make more sense to you.
I do now, The point is at one time I didn't, I looked for advise from those that are supposed to be experts. to say a calorie is a calorie and then say well you need to learn physics is ridiculous.
I am not going to sell and Insurance policy without breaking it down to an understandable language that people can understand in a practical real world way
Same way giving that advice to a person new to losing weight is harmful
and that's the last I will say on it
A lot of people take time out of their days to try and pass on what they've learned here. It is hard to answer the hundreds of questions we get here daily with a level of detail that hits every person's exact needs. If you're not happy with the advice being given, why not jump in and help instead of critiquing those of us who are doing it? We always need more posters who are willing to give more nuanced answers. If you're not willing to be one of them, why hold the rest of us up to a higher standard?
Are you really concerned about what a calorie is or more concerned about putting those of us who give advice down?5 -
You really can't get any simpler than calories. And then also talk about nutrition. Which is really what you're talking about. The nutritional profile of the foods you eat which make up your daily calorie needs.
Nutrition is not the same thing as calories and you're the one making it confusing.
Did we regress to page one?3 -
skinnyjingbb wrote: »I don't have the link, but I remember reading about your body spend more energy digesting the 100 cal apple( more volume, more chewing, more harder to digest fiber ect. ) than digesting 100 cal of Oreo. Therefore although the energy intake is the same your net energy gain is smaller when eating the apple.
The differences in calories burned through digestion are not enough to be significant...1
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