Are all calories created equal?

So I thought by definition that a calorie is a unit of energy am I right so far?  So theoretically all calories are the same, if they come from fat, sugar, carbs.  Well I will admit I love my sugar and carbs.  After doing many years of adkins man it seems good to eat them :)

Anyway I have been running 5k 6 times a week, and doing push ups, sit ups, re stance band arm moves etc. 2-3 times a week  Been doing this for 4 weeks. Haven't lost a thing.  Well it fluctuates a few lbs.  I eat 1400 calories a day which is my BMR and no luck.  Do i need to limit my carbs?  This in the past has worked with atkins, but I just can't do that for the rest of my life!  I eat good, lots of fruit, salad, and usually a protein filled dinner.  But the majority of my calories come from carbs.  Any suggestions to help me lose?

 

Although it is true that a calorie is simply a unit of measure, my personal experience is that it does make a difference where your daily calories come from.  My personal guidelines are as follows:

1.  No more than 25% of my calories can come from fat and I do my best to avoid saturated fats and trans fats.  I try to get my fats from fish, nuts, and olive or canola oil.

2.  While I don't totally restrict carbs, I do avoid as much sugar as possible, especially in the form of high fructose corn syrup, refined white sugar, and other refined sugar.

3.  I don't count fiber at all when limiting my carbs.

4.  I eat very little red meat and get most of my protein from lean animal protein, such as chicken, turkey, and fish.

That being said, I think that the most successful diet is one that takes into account the way you like to eat and the foods you like.  I created my own diet that allows me to enjoy the Mexican, Chinese, and Italian foods that I love.  The key for me is just moderation.

No, all calories are not created equal. Some foods are much better for you and your health, than others. For instance, a piece of fruit provides nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and other benefits that you cannot get from a processed 100 calorie snack. Also, no one knows what all the sugar substitutes really do to people (they haven't been on the market long enough to draw good conclusions). The best thing to do is to eat healthy most of the time, and let yourself splurge every now and then. You'll feel better inside and out.

Hope that helps,

Elizabeth

1400 Calories doesn't really seem like enough with all of the exercises you are doing. I noticed that upping my calories on workout days helped me to start losing again.

No, unfortunately, a calorie is not a calorie is not a calorie. I could eat a fast food burger/fries/coke and get my entire daily calories in one meal and eat nothing for the rest of the day, or I could space out my calories, eating whole grains, fruit/veg, lean meats/eggs and get the same amount of calories. Not hard to see which is healthier for you lol.

You daily calories should be break down to be about 50% from carbs, 25% from protein, and 25% from fats. I try to get some from all 3 categories in each small meal/snack, but not everyone does it exactly that way.

BTW, I tried atkins for 2 weeks - lost a ton of weight......put it all back on. It's just not realistic or healthy to be depriving your body of a basic food group. Considering 50% of your intake should be carbs, it's no wonder you can't live on the atkins' diet.

I agree with litebright - you might not be eating enough calories, which will cause your body to hold on to everything you put into it. It won't burn calories as it has none to spare. Do you use the burn meter on here? When you log your activity, what is your daily calories burned? Your deficit should be no greater then 500-1000 calories.

One last thing, don't forget that not all carbs are created equal. Refined sugar or white flour has no nutritional value to it, so you're getting the carbs, but it's not doing your body any good. Make sure you're eating whole grains, brown rice, potatoes, oatmeal, whole grain pasta/cereal, etc as your source and that will give your body a lot more energy for a longer period of time.

Good luck! :)

Yep, as far as LOSING weight goes, a calorie is a calorie. BUT in terms of nutrition, obviousy the types of foods you are eating matter--ounce per ounce, fatty foods will have more calories, too. Clear as mud, right?

 

Thanks everyone.  I was just wondering if my eating habits are effecting my weight loss. As far as my calorie intake goes, I used to eat 1000 calories a day I know horrible.  My BMR is estimated between 1350-1500 calories so I try to stay within that range.  I have been eating that amount now for 2 weeks and nothing still in weight loss. Yes I am very afraid I put my body into starvation mode when I was eating very little.  Well I am trying to eat more protein. I think I will try tofu.

If you did put your body into starvation mode, it'll take a few weeks or months for your metabolism to sort itself out, so you won't lose any weight just yet - you might even gain a couple of pounds. But stick with it, it'll come off healthily when your body is ready. :)

Are you counting your condiments like mayo and salad dressings? It's very easy to pour more than one serving size on your salad. Teaspoons and Tablespoons.

With cardio, try interval training and work within a certain heart rate. Running a 5k at a low heart rate is good for endurance, but you could minimize your exercise time and lose weight more efficiently doing interval training. I did interval training for two months and had to stop because I was losing TOO MUCH WEIGHT!

Also, Measure your body fat percentage. You may find that your body fat percentage has substantially decreased, but your weight will remain static. If you run a 5k six days a week and do push ups, you're increasing your muscle mass.

And then, there is the popular assumption of your body recovering from starvation mode.

I'm just curious on how many calories you need when you do your 5k's six days a week. If you're BMR is 1,400 calories a day and you burn off 500 calories doing a 5k, you're only getting 900 calories. If you consume too few calories, it WILL SLOW DOWN YOUR METABOLISM, just your body's basic defense mechanism to survive in famines.

Original Post by kukua:

You daily calories should be break down to be about 50% from carbs, 25% from protein, and 25% from fats. I try to get some from all 3 categories in each small meal/snack, but not everyone does it exactly that way.

I think that the ratio you gave between carbs, protein, and fats is really dependent on the person.  I read somewhere (in a book if I recall correctly), that in studies of people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off for significant periods, that there is no solution that works for everyone.  Some people in the study were on diets like Atkins and it worked for them, while others had more carb rich diets.  So what works for you may not work for the originator of this thread.  Personally, I think that the most effective diet is one that you make for yourself that takes your personal likes and dislikes and responses to different types of food into account.  That is what I did and I've lost 116 pounds so far without feeling deprived of the foods I love to eat.

Please don't throw tomatoes at me because I know most people won't agree with me, but on many occasions I eat what I want within my caloric limit and still lose.

Yes, that includes McDonalds, Pizza, Chocolate etc.

I don't do it every day nor do I endorse it as healthy, but it helps me stick to my diet because I know I can eat, what I want, when I want, and still lose.

Mary

Original Post by huckaberry:

Are you counting your condiments like mayo and salad dressings? It's very easy to pour more than one serving size on your salad. Teaspoons and Tablespoons.

With cardio, try interval training and work within a certain heart rate. Running a 5k at a low heart rate is good for endurance, but you could minimize your exercise time and lose weight more efficiently doing interval training. I did interval training for two months and had to stop because I was losing TOO MUCH WEIGHT!

Also, Measure your body fat percentage. You may find that your body fat percentage has substantially decreased, but your weight will remain static. If you run a 5k six days a week and do push ups, you're increasing your muscle mass.

And then, there is the popular assumption of your body recovering from starvation mode.

I'm just curious on how many calories you need when you do your 5k's six days a week. If you're BMR is 1,400 calories a day and you burn off 500 calories doing a 5k, you're only getting 900 calories. If you consume too few calories, it WILL SLOW DOWN YOUR METABOLISM, just your body's basic defense mechanism to survive in famines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As for the HIIT yes I want to do it!! I made a post and people responded that HIIT should be your only cardio.  I think I will do it in addition a couple days a week and see how that goes.  Thanks for your post.  Oh and my HRM says I burn 370 calories on my 5k run is all.  But I do make sure my HR stays in the high range, the HRM beeps at me when I get low, which never happens when I run the 5k.  So do you think I can do HIIT on top of cardio?  I figured I could take 2 days off from doing 5k and make those my HIIT days, what do ya think?