" Can you explain why you feel calorie-counting is a flawed approach to weight loss?
There was an American chemist in the 19th century called Wilbur Olin Atwater who calculated the calorie numbers for different foods, by working out the total energy intake you get from them. But his calculations never took into account the energy it takes our cells to metabolise food in order to use it. This is important. It’s why for example a calorie of protein makes you feel fuller than a calorie of fat, because protein is more complex to metabolise. For every 100 calories of protein you eat, you only ever absorb 70.
So we need to consider the type of food we’re eating, rather than fixating purely on the calorie content. You could be aiming to eat 800 calories a day, but how much energy your body actually absorbs will depend on whether you’re eating sugar, celery, or steak."
Counting calories is the only thing that has worked for me. I’ve tried changing the type of food I eat, I’ve tried tons of diets. None of them have helped me lose.
However, I know this method will help some, I don’t deny that. But everybody is different and what works for one person doesn’t always work for another.
He goes on about how food is metabolised by the body differently, genetic disparity and making your body work to process food in the gut all affect the way calories are processed.
I find I lose weight better when I keep my bloodsugar average and stable. If it’s too high too often, I start gaining.
And if it gets too low, there’s a risk of me going feral and eating everything in sight.
I just started taking Huel powders that are quick and easy to make and are 400 calories per shake. (It is easy to calculate 350 precisely too.) Perhaps, out of convenience that would better than precisely measuring the food intake?
Calories are the only quantifiable unit of measure for energy burned & energy consumed by humans in regards to food. Until an alternative unit of measure is developed, people around the world will continue using the calorie unit.
The type of food does count as the four major food groups are meats, breads, dairy as well as fruits and vegetables.
I actually started drinking Huel because of this. I’m still not 100% sure if Lurasidone works with liquid food as well as it does with solids. Sometimes I feel like I get less sedation, so I wonder if it isnt working. Probably worth asking a Pdoc.
I think it’s more important to be conscious of what you eat, vs obsessing over calories and eating junk, I think either way being conscious of calories is good enough if you eat healthy and exercise. If you’re eating 2000 cals a day but its all fast food or high saturated fat foods that the typical American diet is made of good luck losing any weight even if you count calories. But everyone one is different everyone needs different calorie limits. Personally I’ve exercised as long as I’ve been on meds, only recently have I been losing weight due to cutting gout almost all fast food, chips, fried foods, soda, and I can’t have beef or processed meats bcuz of gout and limited dairy due to hyperthyroid. I’ve also come to realize that many people who are overweight/unhealthy won’t change their diet or habits even if they get diabetes or other health defects so my opinion doesn’t matter anyway.
Yes meds are a definite factor, just in my experience of being on different meds including the notorious zyprexa the only time I’ve been able to lose weight even with regular exercise came down to diet. At one point I was working out twice a day some days but then I would go get Popeyes chicken sammies and fries and blamed the meds lol. Just my experience of course.
i mostly eat crap its not good the people that talk about food and diet have really screwed up tthe way i think about food and they are still screwing with me, i worry a lot about food and i dont feel i can break the cycle of the ■■■■ i eat
I don’t eat lunch, ever. I’m never hungry. My weight is fine.
I eat about 350 calories for breakfast because I have to, its a requirement for Lurasidone, my AP.
Same with dinner. I take Lurasidone twice a day.
All these diets that say do this and do that are dumb. Everyone has to experiment and find out what works for them, There is no one size fits all solution.
its not good