The forever mirerepresented first law of thermodynamics in d

On my blog:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/KavemanKarg/view/first-law-of-thermodynamics-as-it-applies-to-the-body-158848

The first law of thermodynamics is an expression of the principle of conservation of energy.

The law states that energy can be transformed, i.e. changed from one form to another, but cannot be created nor destroyed. It is usually formulated by stating that the change in the internal energy of a system is equal to the amount of heat supplied to the system, minus the amount of work performed by the system on its surroundings.

The law, as applied by those who adhere to the calorie is a calorie theory is as follows:

Energy stored = energy in - energy utilized

What is often forgotten, OFTEN, is that this application of the law applies ONLY to closed loop systems. In other words, the system is complete in and of itself and does not share anything on the right hand side of the = with other systems

Unfortunately, the fat storage and muscle creation systems in our bodies are not closed loop systems. They interact with the digestive system, the endocrine system, then blood stream, and thousands of other biological processes from the cellular level on up to the entire body as one level, known as homeostasis.

To state a calorie is a calorie is to incorrectly apply this law, for the reason given above.

Let me give you an example of a closed loop, and an open loop system.

Assume your fat cells are a bath tub.

Water stored = Water in - water drained

In a closed loop bath tub, nothing else would interfere with the water level. THAT is a closed loop system.

In an open loop system, other factors and systems interchange. The weather system may greatly lower humidity and raise heat, evaporation. A child may come along and pour in a tonne of salt, changing water density and interfering with how much water the tub can hold, something may come along and pull the plug on the tub.

I realise this is not a perfect comparison, but it illustrates the point. Fat cells are not closed loop systems.

Another fault with calorie is a calorie is that it assumes all food is used for energy instead of other processes

Protein is not burned for energy unless fat and blood glucose is unavailable (see rabbit starvation), fiber is not burned for energy at all, and in fact does not have to be even listed as calories on food labels, which is why the carb count and calorie counts do not always jibe.

Protein can be shunted off to be used to build muscle instead, and its calories remain intact and unused as energy, just as fiber is used for something wholey different then energy production. Sugar alcohols like erythritol have calories but the body does not utilize them as calories even though it digests sugar alcohols well enough.

This is actually a trick, it is a repeat of my first point. Storing fat is not a closed loop system. If we feed the body, different macronutrients take different roles and only one of those possible roles is energy production.

Another fault in calorie is a calorie, excretion without using as energy (Just passing through!)

Calorie for a calorie ignores the fact that the body has other ways to eliminate food and calories that does not involve burning at all.

We use the bathroom. I urinate ketones, and when I do, that is energy that is simply urinated away. As such, it cannot be recooped and stored as fat if unused. A wondeful example that illustrates fat storage is not a closed loop system.

We also urinate sugar. Thats right. Even healthy people do it sometimes. This is another example of calories going down the drain instead of to fat cells.

How does calorie is a calorie explain this? The first law of thermodynamics has not been broken, because that law applies to closed loop systems. At no time in these examples is energy destroyed without being used. However, other systems in an open system environment carried the energy away locked in, looked in other substances. Which is perfectly allowable by physics.

What about the effects of synergists and catalysts and antagnosists?

Lets look at Mad Max's car, Mr. Road Warrior. His car runs on gas, we run on calories. When he wants to go faster, he kicks in the supercharger and nitrogen, which acts as a catalyst for the gas, making it more explosive (he uses MORE GAS FASTER but on average his mileage drops!). If he added a bit of oil to the gas instead of nitrus, it would become less explosive or possibly useless. This is an antagonistic affect.

The body is full of catalysts, antagonists and synergists. Calorie is a calorie would have us deny these exists.

The ability of the body to expel calories without burning them

Covered above in excretion, this is further affected by insulin, leptin, etc... basically our insulin system, which is another OPEN loop system that interacts with the OPEN LOOP system of fat storage.

If insulin is very low, fat cells can only take in fat and carbs at a finite rate, however, your urinary system and bowels, fueled with ample water, can eliminate the extra. Bile is secreted by the liver into the bowels. Bile is created from lipids (fats). And is often just dropped in the bowl behind us after it fulfills its job.

"Calorie is a calorie" ignores this happens. It also ignores positive results in urine sugar tests where we simply urinate out sugar as our fat cells and muscles are not primed to uptake it fast enough due to limits set by the amount of present hormones.

I hope I have illustrated the following points to your satisfaction

At no time does the first law of thermodynmics break, ever
The law of energy stored=energy in - energy utilized applies to closed loop systems ONLY
That the above law of conservation and the simple calories in>calories spent = fat gain does not apply as fat gain is an OPEN looped system
That the body can eliminate calorie containing substances, even pure sugar, without burning it, due to built in self regulation systems such as your endocrine system
That catalysts, synergists and antagnosists can greatly influence energy utilization in the body
That calorie regulation on intake (caloric restriction goals) is only one of many factors that affect how much storing of nutrients your fat cells pull off