Calories In, Calories Out - What is the Truth?
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
I think we have all heard the statement, CALORIES IN, CALORIES OUT. You hear it over & over again on TV, from fitness experts & in books - "It is all about calories in and calories out". While this makes sense to a certain point, I have always said FOR ME, it is not only this but the actual foods I eat. I have found along the way that I can eat more calories if my foods are mostly of the "healthier & whole food kinds". When I used to eat differently & it was more foods that were not as "whole foods" & also some of those low/non fat goodies, my body did look near as good as now. So for me, although I do pay attention to calories, I still think that it is NOT all about calories but a mixture of that PLUS the types of food you eat. I honestly feel that if you eat healthier whole foods rather than the packaged, frozen, mini pack goodies & such, you can eat more calories & look better too.
I came upon an article that actually spoke to this in a straight forward way. They made the comparison of a donut at 250 calories, 18g of carbs, 2g of protein and 20g of fat. Then you have a roasted chicken breast with skin coming in at 251 calories, 2g of carbs, 37g of protein and 10.8g of fat. The article spoke to although the calories were almost the same, the "thermic effect" was NOT.
The donut will have a much smaller thermic effect. As we all know, the after effect of foods like donuts make us hungrier & can change our brain chemistry to actually want to eat more. It effects our insulin & blood sugar which leads to fat storage. We get those spikes in blood sugar & then that crash.. OH NO! I think we have all been there, done that!
The chicken breast, per this article, leads to a larger response from glucagon which signals fat usage. Protein will keep us full longer & provide energy & actually help our thought process more. Have any of you compared having a sugary breakfast vs. let's say an egg & whole grain toast with PB. The egg/toast meal will sustain you longer, you will feel better & be more alert & will feel full longer.
The article pointed out that based on the thermic effect, the donut supplies 247 calories & the chicken breast 239 calories. You might be saying, heck, that is only 8 calories. BUT, think in terms of this over & over again with food multiplied by what your brain chemistry is doing & telling you in terms of eating more of the junk food, the less energy, the crashing after the sugar, more fat storage vs. less fat usage. THIS IS WHAT I SAW ON MY BODY WAY BACK WHEN I WAS NOT EATING AS CLEAN AS I AM NOW! I ate less calories but did not look as lean even with my weight lifting.
As the article points out, the quality of the calories DO make a difference & also the "metabolic consequence" of the food you are eating. Some may not agree but I have found for me, a calorie is not always a calorie.
I think we have all heard the statement, CALORIES IN, CALORIES OUT. You hear it over & over again on TV, from fitness experts & in books - "It is all about calories in and calories out". While this makes sense to a certain point, I have always said FOR ME, it is not only this but the actual foods I eat. I have found along the way that I can eat more calories if my foods are mostly of the "healthier & whole food kinds". When I used to eat differently & it was more foods that were not as "whole foods" & also some of those low/non fat goodies, my body did look near as good as now. So for me, although I do pay attention to calories, I still think that it is NOT all about calories but a mixture of that PLUS the types of food you eat. I honestly feel that if you eat healthier whole foods rather than the packaged, frozen, mini pack goodies & such, you can eat more calories & look better too.
I came upon an article that actually spoke to this in a straight forward way. They made the comparison of a donut at 250 calories, 18g of carbs, 2g of protein and 20g of fat. Then you have a roasted chicken breast with skin coming in at 251 calories, 2g of carbs, 37g of protein and 10.8g of fat. The article spoke to although the calories were almost the same, the "thermic effect" was NOT.
The donut will have a much smaller thermic effect. As we all know, the after effect of foods like donuts make us hungrier & can change our brain chemistry to actually want to eat more. It effects our insulin & blood sugar which leads to fat storage. We get those spikes in blood sugar & then that crash.. OH NO! I think we have all been there, done that!
The chicken breast, per this article, leads to a larger response from glucagon which signals fat usage. Protein will keep us full longer & provide energy & actually help our thought process more. Have any of you compared having a sugary breakfast vs. let's say an egg & whole grain toast with PB. The egg/toast meal will sustain you longer, you will feel better & be more alert & will feel full longer.
The article pointed out that based on the thermic effect, the donut supplies 247 calories & the chicken breast 239 calories. You might be saying, heck, that is only 8 calories. BUT, think in terms of this over & over again with food multiplied by what your brain chemistry is doing & telling you in terms of eating more of the junk food, the less energy, the crashing after the sugar, more fat storage vs. less fat usage. THIS IS WHAT I SAW ON MY BODY WAY BACK WHEN I WAS NOT EATING AS CLEAN AS I AM NOW! I ate less calories but did not look as lean even with my weight lifting.
As the article points out, the quality of the calories DO make a difference & also the "metabolic consequence" of the food you are eating. Some may not agree but I have found for me, a calorie is not always a calorie.
What are your thoughts on calories in vs. calories out? Have you seen direct results in your body based on the types of foods you put in it? Have you noticed that when you eat pretty clean, you can eat more calories & look better & leaner? Love to hear your take on this!
PS: Thx to all of you for your amazing comments on why you love to lift weights! For those that have not entered the towel giveaway, you have until Thursday, 6pm PST, 9pm EST.
Posted by truth2beingfit at 3/3/2010 12:01 AM 
Categories: Food,Nutrition,Weight Loss,Dieting
Tags: Nutrition Weight Loss fat burning Diets fat storage food
Categories: Food,Nutrition,Weight Loss,Dieting
Tags: Nutrition Weight Loss fat burning Diets fat storage food
This was a great post! And most definitely something that I (and most people) don't consider enough. My diet's pretty clean (i.e. not much processed food, water 99.9% of the time, lots fruit and veg). When I have a splurge of a cookie (or 2-3), I will see it immediately the next day.
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Thx Lisa! It is amazing how quickly those sugary foods show up on us & it takes a lot longer to get it off!
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yesyesyesyes!!
the best advice I was ever given (and i actually mentioned this in an interview yesterday too!) is that A CALORIE ISNT A CALORIE ISNT A CALORIE.
quality real foods make all the difference....for me anyway
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Yeah Miz! I hope we get to hear the interview!
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yup. I don't worry too much about calories from whole foods. I didn't gain my weight from whole foods...
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Great point Kat!
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Our bodies respond differently to the type of food we eat. Carbs especially simple ones make insulin spike, insulin is responsible for production and storage of fat, our bodies love having some fat reserves == we like sweets.
There is a fascinating article about making small changes and how they really don't adapt to big changes: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/01/in-obesity-epidemic-whats-one-cookie/?em for me it actually makes sense though I so wish it the findings were different.
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Ewa, thx for this link! I have not had a chance to read it yet but I will later or tomorrow morn!
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I know my own calorie intake hasn't been the best, and i need to start tightening up on it. i really need to start making eating smarter a habit and then a lifestyle. i always find myself falling into the same patterns.
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Cher, you can do this! Do it for you!
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In my earlier dieting decades, I used to count calories. I'd think, "Oh, I can have that extra piece of cake if I just skip dinner." Then I'd be so hungry, setting the stage for a binging lifestyle.
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I remember those days Gina.. skip the real food so we can have the sweets!
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A calorie is a calorie
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OK, Dr. J.... thx for the medical side of it! I do still go by that my bod looks different!
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I think of it as "best bang for my calorie buck." Whatever I eat, I want it to supply my body with the things it needs. This doesn't mean I don't have treats - I love dessert! But I make my own treat foods and make sure they're low in sugar and full of healthy things like organic nut butter, raisins, rolled oats, and the like.
With just a little planning, it can be as easy to eat 250 calories of something nutritious as to eat the same amount of empty calories.
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bunnygirl, YES, it is about planning. Great points! THX!
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OH Thank you for this post! I have been saying that for a long just in different words. I remember 10 years ago in a nutrition class, the instructor kept pushing this! And I kept saying, but I don;t eat that much. Over the years, I realize, I didn't eat that much MOST of the time but I sure as heck ate a lot of those high fat high carb high sugar calories
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Jules, it is interesting to think back about those foods we used to eat & how they effected our bodies AND our head!
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i think the content of the calories makes a big difference - not just in how you feel in general or how it can cause you to crave more sugar, but on how satiated you feel as well.
having empty calories is ok once in a while for a treat, but they should not be the norm imo.
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Yes, love2eatinpa... those sugar highs & lows.. NOT GOOD!
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