Is it really not calories in that matters?
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Anonymous
| I’ve been listening to a lot of information recently that suggests that the number of calories we consume isn’t highly correlated to gaining weight. I’m curious if people who are currently overweight think they ate too many calories, or simply the wrong kind of calories. When I gain a few pounds, I definitely feel like I’ve eaten too much food, and typically it is unhealthy food. I guess I find it’s hard to over eat really healthy food. So it seems all mixed up, as to whether it’s the total number of calories that matter or the quality of those calories. How do other people think about this? |
Anonymous
| I eat too many calories and don’t move enough. It’s also the kinds of calories for me. But no amount of exercise is overcoming a terrible diet for me. |
Anonymous
| I think eating high glycemic index foods spikes insulin which can more easily lead to weight gain than eating protein and good fat. |
Anonymous
| You can only eat Oreos all day and be skinny. You’ll be unhealthy and feel pretty gross... but if you’re looking to be skinny and not healthy it’s calories. |
Anonymous
| Move more, eat less. |
Anonymous
But if you wanted to limit yourself to 2,000 calories/day, you'd only be eating about 20 Oreos. Probably wont' get too fat from that. |
Anonymous
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It’s really just not that simple. Even if you took the car analogy of putting in gas, that gas has been specifically tailored to make the engine work at its most efficient. If you put high octane gas in a car that is supposed to take regular, it doesn’t work as well. If you put diesel in a car designed for regular gas you’re looking at a major repair bill.
And those are just machines. Our bodies are complex systems of living organisms, each that take “fuel” in different ways and may be tied to different circadian rhythms, etc. If you consumed all of your calories in the form of Crisco, you’d be looking at a coronary bypass. If you consume all of your calories in the form of beer, you have different issues. If you don’t get enough Vitamin C, you get scurvy. Etc. Different bodies have evolved differently over thousands of years based on their local diets. It’s only recently that large scale, long distance food distribution has become viable. |
Anonymous
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This is a complex question and no one really knows the answer. We still rely on studies done in the 1890s that determined how many calories are in a gram of fat, protein or carbohydrate. Understanding how a food contributes to your body composition is really almost impossible. It’s likely a combination of genetics, environment, hormones, medications and bacteria. Also labels are not accurate (calorie and nutrient contact can be drastically off). I’ve worked in nutrition for 20 years - 10 years in a clinical setting and ten in a sports setting. I’ll be the first to admit we know very little about nutrition other than some real basics:
1. Eat whole foods- try to avoid foods that have been processed, had nutrients stripped or nutrients added. If you are trying to get lean, put the focus on lean proteins, vegetables, fruit and, to a lesser extent, whole grains. 2. Drink less alcohol 3. Try to get enough sleep for your body. 4. Exercise 5. Try intermittent fasting. 6. Find things to celebrate about your body and stop worrying so much about fitting in to a certain standard. It’s a huge waste of time and energy. I think that will help in two ways - it will free you from the time suck of dieting and, hopefully, allow you to enjoy your food more. Taking the worry out of eating allows you to eat more intuitively, enjoy your meals and not feel like overeating. I hope some of this helps! |
Anonymous
Yes, exactly. Absolute number of calories matters for weight gain and loss. It's simple math. HOWEVER sticking to a specific number of calories is much easier if you eat the right kinds of calories (high in protein, high in fiber) because you won't feel hungry/have cravings all day like you will if you eat only sugar or high carbs. People who say calories don't matter are usually overweight and lying to themselves about their ability to do anything about it. Also, most people don't need 2000 calories. Many people will be overweight on that amount. |
Anonymous
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There has been some research that it is not just calories in, calories out. I tend to agree with this. But, I also have an obese mother who eats very healthily. Cabbage, green beans, spinach, tomatoes, fish, etc..She is always saying "some people eat worse than me and are not heavy..." But, what she forgets is that she adds slices of bread with something every day, that she grazes all day long in addition to her main meals. So, I think people that gain a lot of weight while claiming to eat healthily are fooling themselves, like my mother does, what you do in between your healthy meals does count. But, I also think there is a fat gene and a skinny gene, and that it is not all black and white, genetics play a role. But, many overweight people fool themselves thinking it is the genes, when you see obese parents with obese kids, usually it is the way they eat, not just their genes.
I know that people say I eat a lot and don't gain much weight, but people see what they want to see. In the end, there are many factors, but it would be best to understand that for most people it is about calories and that most people are deluded about how much they eat. It is a defense mechanism. |
Anonymous
OP here. Thank you, you sound like you have a very good head on your shoulders. I agree that it’s complicated. One challenge I face is that when I eat only healthy food, I am always hungry. I can’t seem to be interested in eating enough healthy food to get full. |
Anonymous
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90% of it is just too many calories.
10% of it then becomes what type of calories, and now I think it’s what “time” we eat calories. I hit a plateau after losing 50 pounds and no matter what I did, nothing budged. Limiting eating to a 10 hour time period for the day jump started my weight loss again. The food hasn’t changed. |
Anonymous
DP, fasting can help with that. If you skip a meal you will slowly start being less hungry at that time of day. For example, I do fast on and off, often 24 hours, and lately I have been eating around noon, right now I feel famished(doing it today) because my body is sending me signals that this is the time I eat, it is not so much that I am truly hungry, it is that my body is used to getting food at this time a day. If you skip it, you body reprograms not to expect food at this time. If you go for longer fasts, even 3 days, you will actually not be hungry. I truly works this way. After I fast for 36 hours(never longer for me) I am not hungry at all. This is not found in short IF cycles but once you go over 24 hours, gaba kicks in, and you are calmer and brain is clearer. I thought it was BS, but tried it and it happened. |
Anonymous
Oreos have 53 calories per cookie. 70 in double stuff. This is easily Googleable info and the math is also elementary school level. You could eat 37 Oreos or 28 double stuff Oreos if you wanted to eat 2000 calories worth of Oreos. Not a good idea but a lot more than 20 cookies. |
Anonymous
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I think something that’s woefully overlooked in these conversations is that people’s bodies are different, and respond differently to different diets.
I eat bread regularly, don’t eat meat often (maybe twice a week), don’t eat dairy, and eat a lot of plants. I’ve lost fifteen pounds this year, and am at my goal weight/size. For some people, eating processed carbs would mean they gain weight. For others, sugar and salt are a problem. I think what it comes down to is finding what works for you and eating sensibly. Single servings at meals, and no snacking. |