The validity of Calorie input vs. output and its effect on weight loss/gain
July 14, 2008
I am doing an experiment right now testing the validity of Calorie input vs. output and its effect on weight loss/gain. My hypothesis is that calories have little to nothing to due with weight loss and weight gain! Please give me your opinion!!
For example how can 4 oz. of chicken with 196 cal. have the same effect on the body as 2 Oreo Double Stuff Cookies with 140 cal.? All calories are counted as if they are the same. 4 oz. of lean ground beef has 308 cal. ---1/4 cup of M&M's has 210 cal, a McDonald's hamburger has 260 cal.--- 1/2 cup seedless raisins has 250 cal., 1 cup cooked white rice has 160 cal.--- 1 cup cooked brown rice has 166 cal.!!!! How can those be compared? Brown rice has more calories than white!
To give it a fair chance, I am writing down everything I eat and counting all the calories as well as grams of fat, carbs, protein, fiber, and refined sugar and taking note of how many servings of fruit and vegetables I am eating. I write down what kind and how much exercise I get every day and also how active I have been that day. This Dietminder, personal food and fitness journal really is very helpful, it has places for all these entries and more. I am keeping track of my weight and measurements (the journal also has a section for tracking your weekly progress), after what I consider an adequate period of time I will determine whether my hypothesis is correct or needs adjusting. Then I plan to try different methods! I would like to hear your suggestions for those too!
Sept. 8, 2008
Okay here is an update. I have not lost much weight, maybe half a pound, but I have lost 2 inches from each of these areas waist, hips and each thigh! 8 inches all together! I have actually increased my eating some because writing down makes me more aware of meal times. And I try to exercise three times a week and just be more active in general. Last month was hard for me emotionally because it was the one year anniversary of our infant son's death. And I know its bad but I did do some emotional eating (which generally is unusual for me) and some weeks I just didn't have the strength to exercise. But I am back on track! My husband, Tyler, and I have started to play tennis! I want to play at least once a week, I really could do that for the rest of my life!! Tyler has always loved tennis and is quite good, I had never played before. He is teaching me, and I just love it! Last time we played (the first time in 3 years and only the third time in my life) we played for an hour and a half and it only felt like 30 min!!! I am having so much fun, living is a lot easier now (because I am much stronger) and Tyler is ecstatic!
Okay, now I have been learning about calories. I was very surprised when I heard someone say that all things can turn to body fat. Of course I had heard that Carbs and sugar did, but this lady said that protein and fat also will turn to fat in your body if you do not burn it off right after you eat. Now I have never believed that before but I would like to hear what you have to say about it. If it is true than why is the Atkin's diet so effective (although I do not believe that it is healthy). And meat is very very high in calories! (one 8 oz. steak is 846 calories)
Also I have another question. If I were to work very hard to lose weight now, lets say I started exercising 6 days a week. I do not plan to exercise 6 days a week for the rest of my life but according to this same lady if I lost the weight exercising 6 days a week then I cut down to 3 times a week I would gain back the weight. Is that true? It seems to me that I would have to work much harder to lose the weight than I would to maintain my lower weight once I reach it. So please, if you can, shed some light on this issue for me!
Something else that she says is that you should eat your body weight times ten-- so if you weigh 150 pounds, than you should eat 1500 calories to keep your metabolism the same and if you eat less than your metabolism will go down. (Which means you will be burning muscle not fat.) I have never heard such a thing before, but to me 1500 cal. sounds like not very much food! (one 8 ounce steak, one potato with 2 tablespoons of butter and 16 oz of milk equal more than that!! It would equal 1566 cal.)
Lastly, I have a question on the opposite side of the issue. My husband lost a lot of weight when our son died and we want him to gain it back (plus some!). So what are your suggestions about gaining weight in a healthy way, he really would like to bulk up too, is there a way to do that in a healthy way without protein powder and other strange and processed things (like creotine etc.). He does a lot of walking at work and we think that he has a particularly high metabolism.
I appreciate your insight and I can't wait to hear your responses to these issues that are puzzling me. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and respond!
Nov. 23, 2008
Sorry it has been so long since I have added to the discussion/experiment, Eva, my baby has been teething for months!!!! Any way, I have lost a number of pounds, though I am not sure exactly how many, (we don't have a scale and it has been over a month since I weighed myself last.) I'm thinking around 10 lbs. We found out at the beginning of this month that I am pregnant. So now I am planning to continue the experiment but tailor it to pregnancy. Thank you so much for reading and leaving comments!!
I am doing an experiment right now testing the validity of Calorie input vs. output and its effect on weight loss/gain. My hypothesis is that calories have little to nothing to due with weight loss and weight gain! Please give me your opinion!!
For example how can 4 oz. of chicken with 196 cal. have the same effect on the body as 2 Oreo Double Stuff Cookies with 140 cal.? All calories are counted as if they are the same. 4 oz. of lean ground beef has 308 cal. ---1/4 cup of M&M's has 210 cal, a McDonald's hamburger has 260 cal.--- 1/2 cup seedless raisins has 250 cal., 1 cup cooked white rice has 160 cal.--- 1 cup cooked brown rice has 166 cal.!!!! How can those be compared? Brown rice has more calories than white!
To give it a fair chance, I am writing down everything I eat and counting all the calories as well as grams of fat, carbs, protein, fiber, and refined sugar and taking note of how many servings of fruit and vegetables I am eating. I write down what kind and how much exercise I get every day and also how active I have been that day. This Dietminder, personal food and fitness journal really is very helpful, it has places for all these entries and more. I am keeping track of my weight and measurements (the journal also has a section for tracking your weekly progress), after what I consider an adequate period of time I will determine whether my hypothesis is correct or needs adjusting. Then I plan to try different methods! I would like to hear your suggestions for those too!
Sept. 8, 2008
Okay here is an update. I have not lost much weight, maybe half a pound, but I have lost 2 inches from each of these areas waist, hips and each thigh! 8 inches all together! I have actually increased my eating some because writing down makes me more aware of meal times. And I try to exercise three times a week and just be more active in general. Last month was hard for me emotionally because it was the one year anniversary of our infant son's death. And I know its bad but I did do some emotional eating (which generally is unusual for me) and some weeks I just didn't have the strength to exercise. But I am back on track! My husband, Tyler, and I have started to play tennis! I want to play at least once a week, I really could do that for the rest of my life!! Tyler has always loved tennis and is quite good, I had never played before. He is teaching me, and I just love it! Last time we played (the first time in 3 years and only the third time in my life) we played for an hour and a half and it only felt like 30 min!!! I am having so much fun, living is a lot easier now (because I am much stronger) and Tyler is ecstatic!
Okay, now I have been learning about calories. I was very surprised when I heard someone say that all things can turn to body fat. Of course I had heard that Carbs and sugar did, but this lady said that protein and fat also will turn to fat in your body if you do not burn it off right after you eat. Now I have never believed that before but I would like to hear what you have to say about it. If it is true than why is the Atkin's diet so effective (although I do not believe that it is healthy). And meat is very very high in calories! (one 8 oz. steak is 846 calories)
Also I have another question. If I were to work very hard to lose weight now, lets say I started exercising 6 days a week. I do not plan to exercise 6 days a week for the rest of my life but according to this same lady if I lost the weight exercising 6 days a week then I cut down to 3 times a week I would gain back the weight. Is that true? It seems to me that I would have to work much harder to lose the weight than I would to maintain my lower weight once I reach it. So please, if you can, shed some light on this issue for me!
Something else that she says is that you should eat your body weight times ten-- so if you weigh 150 pounds, than you should eat 1500 calories to keep your metabolism the same and if you eat less than your metabolism will go down. (Which means you will be burning muscle not fat.) I have never heard such a thing before, but to me 1500 cal. sounds like not very much food! (one 8 ounce steak, one potato with 2 tablespoons of butter and 16 oz of milk equal more than that!! It would equal 1566 cal.)
Lastly, I have a question on the opposite side of the issue. My husband lost a lot of weight when our son died and we want him to gain it back (plus some!). So what are your suggestions about gaining weight in a healthy way, he really would like to bulk up too, is there a way to do that in a healthy way without protein powder and other strange and processed things (like creotine etc.). He does a lot of walking at work and we think that he has a particularly high metabolism.
I appreciate your insight and I can't wait to hear your responses to these issues that are puzzling me. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and respond!
Nov. 23, 2008
Sorry it has been so long since I have added to the discussion/experiment, Eva, my baby has been teething for months!!!! Any way, I have lost a number of pounds, though I am not sure exactly how many, (we don't have a scale and it has been over a month since I weighed myself last.) I'm thinking around 10 lbs. We found out at the beginning of this month that I am pregnant. So now I am planning to continue the experiment but tailor it to pregnancy. Thank you so much for reading and leaving comments!!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Randy McFarland on -
Hi Tina,
I started the program 2 1/2 years ago and after 1 year I lost the 25lbs in which 18 of it was in the first 12 weeks. In addition I took 4 inches off my waist and dropped my body fat about 5 % from 23 to 18. I have maintained that weight now for the 1 1/2 years after the end of the first year. Baked potatoes and white rice have high glycemic indexes in the 70's. Prolonged eating of these types of foods will cause weight gain especially when we get in our middle ages. On the other hand sweet potatoes and yams are low glycemic. The other part of the program revolves around getting your metabolic rate back in check. If you are a yo yo dieter and lets say you were on and off 5 diets in the passed 3 or 4 years. Each time your metabolic rate slows down 10 to 15%. Then just do the math which means a reduction in your metabolism of 50 to 75% which now means your body will not burn up those calories as fast. How we break eating habits is 30 days of staying off a particular comfort food and your body will not longer desire those foods. I do many programs with groups and what I found out if you treat this program as a diet and not a lifestyle change it will be ineffective. 2 websites to check to get more information are www.transitionslifestylesystem.com or www. marketamerica.com/sheran. The second one will require going into the health and nutrtion area and finding the transitions products we carry. The progam is designed for 12 weeks and has start up kits which include a journal, 12 dvd series, and 2 supplements, all designed by Dr. Sharie Lieberman. The supplements are not necessary for the lifetime of the program. Usually used to kick start you weight loss and then faze you off of them depending on the level of committment to the program. If you have any questions on navigating throught the website let me know. Hope this is informative and helpful.
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Permalink Reply by Tina on -
Wow! Okay, that helps me understand much better! I am so glad that you are here to inform us about it. It sounds like a truly healthy weight loss method and I hope that this information will helps many in their search for true weight loss methods that are safe, healthy and natural!
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Permalink Reply by Randy McFarland on
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Hi Tina,
This is Randy again. The one website I gave you for the Transitions was incorrect. It is www.transitionslifestyle.com. Sorry
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Permalink Reply by Alena on -
Well, my two cents are pretty worthless right now, as I do not have a kitchen, so I am not really in control of our diets right now. Never the less, here it is.
I agree with Tina that it is not so much about the number of calories that you consume (though even a healthy diet, taken to an extreme daily consumption, can be devistating to your health), and that what counts is the TYPE of food you eat, in ratio to the amount of exercise you get, and other lifestyle factors. I also agree that the more restricted your caloric intake, the more likely you are to not only gain weight, but to also get sick.
I'll post more thoughts later - I have to get to work.
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Permalink Reply by Cindy Kelly on -
We need an update :)
How are things going? Any weight loss?
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Permalink Reply by Jen on -
This is quite interesting, especially to read what everybody has to say too. Now, one thing that I noticed you put in on one of your responses is that you are nursing. I believe, I read that your baby was 3 or 4 months old and so if you are exclusively nursing then you are able to eat more and still be melting off the pounds. I know that it helped me get back to regular weight very quickly. Regardless, good for you for still being conscious on what you and others are eating and trying to make everyone aware.
In my case, I didn't purposely diet after my second child, but I nursed a bit longer than with the first and my diet changed a lot too out of choice and becoming aware of how food affects the body depending what you put in it. I USED to drink diet soda ( but, not while prego or nursing), fat free milk, fat free / low fat cheese, lowfat / sugarfree cookies...all that type of stuff and then I started reading and realizing things. I made a permanent change and went straight to full fat organic milk, I eat more fruits and veggies, I quit soda altogether, little to no cake or candy / cookies...(if there is a Bday once every so often I will have some, but otherwise no). Brown rice versus white and so on. I have added coconut oil to cook with or I may use it in place of butter. I eat whenever I am hungry. So if you look at my diet, I was on fat free or lowfat everything and then I did a 360 and added a good amount of fat- but healthy good fats and in moderation- I dropped about 10-12 pounds. I wasn't even trying, I just switched to those foods because I realized that the right type of fat is good for the body and that sugar is the main cause of disease. Now, that I have pretty much eliminated sugar, I never get sick. I do add a high quality vitamin and mineral supplement and fish oil, but that is it.
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