Is A Calorie Just A Calorie?
The guys at Bodyweight Coach have just started what I believe is a great discussion. They invited John Barban to help explain the concept of the calorie and to clear a few things up. I’ve stated before that the quality of a calorie is very important for fat loss. Well apparently I was wrong, according to John, but I still believ I’m right and I’ll explain why later on. First I want tou to head over to http://www.bodyweightcoach.com/01/good-calorie-bad-calorie/and listen to the short interview (15 min give or take).
The calorie is a unit of energy so it really doesn’t matter where it comes from. It lie the riddle, what weighs more a ton of rocks or a ton of feathers? Answer is they both weight the same; obviously the feathers occupy a lot more space. The point is that a calorie of lettuce will get you just as fat as a calorie of chocolate cake (Hmmmm chocolate cake). I found this to be great news cause chocolate cake taste a whole lot better than lettuce and day of the year. Does this mean you can stop eating salads? Hell no. This is where I draw the line.
A calorie is just a calorie if losing weight were just calories in vs calories out, but it is not. Humans are not a bucket with a hole. If you pour less water than comes out of the hole the bucket would weigh less, but if you pour more than what comes out, the bucket will get heavier. It just simple logic. The problem lies in the fact that the human body is a bit more complex than a bucket. Our body has a lot of self defense mechanisms that complicate weight loss or facilitate it. Our body doesn’t respond to calories in the same way.
We know by reading Adam and Ryan’s blog that some foods create cravings. There are some foods we could just eat forever like Pringles, popcorn, almonds, etc; everybody has their “domino food” ( I believe Timothy Ferris coined this term). These foods create cravings an others don’t because they affect us in a different way. Eating 120 calories of lettuce probably won’t spike insulin levels enough to great cravings, but 120 calories of brownies sure might. This is why I believe they are not the same.
I also believe there is a nutrient density that has to be taken into account. A 120 calories salad (a really diverse salad) has a lot more nutrients than a 120 calorie brownie. Some of these nutrients are needed to fight disease repair tissues and help us feel better; brownies got none of this.
In conclusion a calorie is just a calorie, but it really isn’t. I still believe you can eat what ever you want and lose weight just as long as you don’t over do it; that is, resist your cravings after you had a bite.
I still prefer a whole food diet with an occasional cheat day where I can eat whatever I like. What are your opinions?
Filed under: others weight loss
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
I agree with you brother. THe quality of food will play a big part in how you feel. I’ll go out with my friends and have some pizza without over doing it and still stay cut because I didn’t exceed the calories my body needs. Yes it is a good tool to know how to use when you want to eat something you normally don’t. However I also like to eat whole foods 97% of the time just because I enjoy how much better I feel.
It’s amazing how so many people are ignorant to the benefits of eating whole foods. They simply can’t believe that a salad a day can actually help them feel that much better.