A Calorie is NOT A Calorie?

[dseiler]

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/14/well/eat/how-a-low-carb-diet-might-help-you-maintain-a-healthy-weight.html

It has been a fundamental tenet of nutrition: When it comes to weight loss, all calories are created equal. Regardless of what you eat, the key is to track your calories and burn more than you consume.

But a large new study published on Wednesday in the journal BMJ challenges the conventional wisdom. It found that overweight adults who cut carbohydrates from their diets and replaced them with fat sharply increased their metabolisms. After five months on the diet, their bodies burned roughly 250 calories more per day than people who ate a high-carb, low-fat diet, suggesting that restricting carb intake could help people maintain their weight loss more easily.

The new research is unlikely to end the decades-long debate over the best diet for weight loss. But it provides strong new evidence that all calories are not metabolically alike to the body. And it suggests that the popular advice on weight loss promoted by health authorities — count calories, reduce portion sizes and lower your fat intake — might be outdated.

[Hypertrophy]

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/14/well/eat/how-a-low-carb-diet-might-help-you-maintain-a-healthy-weight.html

It has been a fundamental tenet of nutrition: When it comes to weight loss, all calories are created equal. Regardless of what you eat, the key is to track your calories and burn more than you consume.

But a large new study published on Wednesday in the journal BMJ challenges the conventional wisdom. It found that overweight adults who cut carbohydrates from their diets and replaced them with fat sharply increased their metabolisms. After five months on the diet, their bodies burned roughly 250 calories more per day than people who ate a high-carb, low-fat diet, suggesting that restricting carb intake could help people maintain their weight loss more easily.

The new research is unlikely to end the decades-long debate over the best diet for weight loss. But it provides strong new evidence that all calories are not metabolically alike to the body. And it suggests that the popular advice on weight loss promoted by health authorities — count calories, reduce portion sizes and lower your fat intake — might be outdated.

True in my personal experience. I went low carb a few years back, never counted calories, and dropped 25 pounds in about 4 months. Got ripped as can be. However, I was bicycle racing a lot at the time and found the low carb state killed my race performances. I was good at a high, steady tempo but when the pace shot up for brief periods I was dead.

I carbed up and my performance improved immediately and started placing top 10 again. So now I do a mixed diet, on average about 100 gms-150 gms protein a day and 150-200 gms carbs. The rest is fat. I calorie count because it is easy to overdo the carbs and I need to keep track of the macros. I can eat anything I want as long as I keep the macros balanced. I keep calories at ~2500 for maintenance, 2200 for weight loss. Works perfectly. Body weight stays in a 5 pound zone year round.

[IroNat]

Naw.  A calorie is a calorie.

People who drop carbs eat less calories.

[anabolicguru]

A calorie is a calorie only if it is being used as fuel, so if you are going to burn it off either training or some form of cardio, then a calorie is a calorie.  stored calorie is a different story

[Coach is Back!]

Not this shit again. This is stupid. NO, a calorie is not a calorie.

Thanks for the Youtube content idea

[liquid_c]

There are other metabolic ward studies that don't show this.  They seem to show while protein is a bit different, whether the energy calories come mostly from fat or carbs makes a negligible difference.

[Hypertrophy]

Naw.  A calorie is a calorie.

People who drop carbs eat less calories.

A guy did an experiment on the web showing him consuming 5000+ calories a day but only fats and protein with minimal carb, and he didn't gain weight. It does matter what you eat. I thought low carb meant low calories but when I added up the calories I was consistently over 3000. If I do that with carbs I gain fat.

https://www.dietdoctor.com/what-happens-if-you-eat-5800-calories-daily-on-an-lchf-diet

[milone79]

calorie is still a calorie sorry!!!

[liquid_c]

If you think you can eat way over your expended calories using fat instead of carbs you should volunteer for a metabolic ward study where they carefully monitor your calories themselves and activity.  You would be the very first person ever to prove this under controlled scientific conditions. 

[Humble Narcissist]

There are other metabolic ward studies that don't show this.  They seem to show while protein is a bit different, whether the energy calories come mostly from fat or carbs makes a negligible difference.

This.  A calorie is a calorie for the needs of most people but for a person dieting in the last week before a contest maybe not.

[Hypertrophy]

If you think you can eat way over your expended calories using fat instead of carbs you should volunteer for a metabolic ward study where they carefully monitor your calories themselves and activity.  You would be the very first person ever to prove this under controlled scientific conditions.  

I'll volunteer. You definitely can eat past your maintenance level via counting calories and not gain weight if you go very low carb.

Just because you ingest something doesn't mean you metabolize it. A calorie (Kilocalorie) is a thermodynamic measurement, not a mass measurement. That's the problem with this "a calorie is a calorie" belief. To measure the calorie content of food you use a "bomb calorimeter" to measure the heat content. I used them often in organic chemistry to determine properties of compounds we synthesized.

How a food is metabolized determines the true metabolic calorie value. Put a piece of cellulose based paper in a bomb calorimeter and it will definitely release thermal energy. But the nutritional calorie content of cellulose is zero. Why? Because human digestive enzymes can't break it down.

[Wiggs]

It's more than the law of thermodynamics. You must account for the hormonal reactions of the food that play critical part on metabolism and other functions related.

I've said this for years but didn't have the education to back it up. I do now so there yout have it.

[Hypertrophy]

It's more than the law of thermodynamics. You must account for the hormonal reactions of the food that play critical part on metabolism and other functions related.

I've said this for years but didn't have the education to back it up. I do now so there yout have it.

Exactly!

[IroNat]

We are here to learn.

[dseiler]

I'll volunteer. You definitely can eat past your maintenance level via counting calories and not gain weight if you go very low carb.

Just because you ingest something doesn't mean you metabolize it. A calorie (Kilocalorie) is a thermodynamic measurement, not a mass measurement. That's the problem with this "a calorie is a calorie" belief. To measure the calorie content of food you use a "bomb calorimeter" to measure the heat content. I used them often in organic chemistry to determine properties of compounds we synthesized.

How a food is metabolized determines the true metabolic calorie value. Put a piece of cellulose based paper in a bomb calorimeter and it will definitely release thermal energy. But the nutritional calorie content of cellulose is zero. Why? Because human digestive enzymes can't break it down.

This is why I post here. There are some smart apples among the bruised fruit.

[Go 4 It]

I'm telling you guys, carnivore gains for the win.

[anabolicguru]

I'm telling you guys, carnivore gains for the win.

There is truth to this, RED MEAT > SOY BEANS

[AbrahamG]

Not this shit again. This is stupid. NO, a calorie is not a calorie.

Thanks for the Youtube content idea

I could not agree more.  If I eat 2000 calories consisting of protein and fat, I gain muscle and lose fat.  2000 calories of sugar and carbs and I get fucking soft.  My 14 year old son?  Maybe to his metabolism, a calorie is a calorie.  Cannot believe morons go around trumpeting the True AdAnus Principle.

[wes]

Protein calories are just a tad better for your physique than calories derived from Oreos.

[IroNat]

Further research is needed by the Getbig laboratory.

[Humble Narcissist]

Protein calories are just a tad better for your physique than calories derived from Oreos.

High fat/protein satisfies you longer so you eat less.  If all you eat are carbs you are always hunger and therefore eat more calories.  The Anabolic Diet by Dipasquale is a great diet to use for lifters.