Why do people count Calories

[revelarts]

This something I've never been able to figure out. For years i've mentioned to my wife and Mom , trying in vain to make the points in this video.
A calorie is a unit of energy. It's not Fat. the Nutrient Content and the the form (fat, protein, fiber, starch, natural vs processes etc.) amount of Sugars are the main thing to consider. The bad stuff compared to amount of good stuff in food should be the MOST important thing to look at when eating NOT the calories. seems pretty clear to me.

A soda has less calories than organic milk. But one can cause a lot of damage over time.
Why the hyper concern over calories, it's a frustratingly misplaced concerned to me.
But i'm a man I don't understand. and i shouldn't worry about it. ... As I watch a woman comment on the the amount of calories in slice of wheat bread.

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[Marcus Aurelius]

in simplest terms...

more calories taken in than expended, equals calories stored as fat in the body, which equals weight gain.

Fewer calories taken in than expended, equals fat burned by the body for energy, which equals weight loss.

[revelarts]

in simplest terms...

more calories taken in than expended, equals calories stored as fat in the body, which equals weight gain.

Fewer calories taken in than expended, equals fat burned by the body for energy, which equals weight loss.

I guess my point is if you focus on eating sane amounts good healthy foods your not likely to gain unhealthy weight.

the calories are not as important as hydrogenated fats/oils, the amount of sugar, amount of fiber etc.

calories alone are depective. And Health always trumps weight, IMO at lest.

[Marcus Aurelius]

http://www.debatepolicy.com/images/debate_policy/misc/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by Marcus Aurelius http://www.debatepolicy.com/images/debate_policy/buttons/viewpost-right.png (http://www.debatepolicy.com/showthread.php?p=648996#post648996)
in simplest terms...

more calories taken in than expended, equals calories stored as fat in the body, which equals weight gain.

Fewer calories taken in than expended, equals fat burned by the body for energy, which equals weight loss.



I guess my point is if you focus on eating sane amounts good healthy foods your not likely to gain unhealthy weight.

the calories are not as important as hydrogenated fats/oils, the amount of sugar, amount of fiber etc.

calories alone are depective. And Health always trumps weight, IMO at lest.

Point 1: I agree completely.
Point 2: Not completely true. While hydrogenated oils, excessive fat and sugar. etc., are certainly not healthy, it's not just the weight gain at issue there. There are other health adverse effects involved even with weight 'safe' amounts.
Point 3: Not completely true. If you eat nothing but very healthy foods, but eat more calories daily than you expend, you 'will' gain weight.

[jimnyc]

I guess my point is if you focus on eating sane amounts good healthy foods your not likely to gain unhealthy weight.

the calories are not as important as hydrogenated fats/oils, the amount of sugar, amount of fiber etc.

calories alone are depective. And Health always trumps weight, IMO at lest.

This may all be true, but what Marcus wrote is the answer to your question. Calories taken in daily must be less than calories burned, and you will lose weight. Calories taken in being more than what was burned will lead to weight gain. People tend to be blind to the things you point out, and the overall healthiness of what they eat, and become focused on the calorie count with weight loss in mind.

One can be 180lbs and healthy, and another 150lbs and ready to die from a heart attack from the crap they eat.

The key? Eat in moderation, eat healthy foods & give your body the appropriate amount of exercise. It's SO easy that I can't even do that for a single day! LOL

[revelarts]

Point 1: I agree completely.
Point 2: Not completely true. While hydrogenated oils, excessive fat and sugar. etc., are certainly not healthy, it's not just the weight gain at issue there. There are other health adverse effects involved even with weight 'safe' amounts.
Point 3: Not completely true. If you eat nothing but very healthy foods, but eat more calories daily than you expend, you 'will' gain weight.

Yea! point 1

Point 2 I think we are saying the same thing, the health issues with bad food choices trump the weight gain or the fact that one doesn't gain weight.


Point 3 Yep, you might gain weight, if you eat to much good food. at that point calorie counting might come in handy but only at that point IMO.
healthy foods 1st. exercise 2nd. calorie counting 3rd if ever.

[Trigg]

counting calories makes no sense to me either.

Simply limit junk food to special occasions, skip dessert most of the time and don't eat until you bust. Combine that with moderate exercise and you're golden.

Going into well.......not my 30's, I have to be a little more strict, but following the above rules generally keeps me within 5 pounds of where I want to be.

[aboutime]

This something I've never been able to figure out. For years i've mentioned to my wife and Mom , trying in vain to make the points in this video.
A calorie is a unit of energy. It's not Fat. the Nutrient Content and the the form (fat, protein, fiber, starch, natural vs processes etc.) amount of Sugars are the main thing to consider. The bad stuff compared to amount of good stuff in food should be the MOST important thing to look at when eating NOT the calories. seems pretty clear to me.

A soda has less calories than organic milk. But one can cause a lot of damage over time.
Why the hyper concern over calories, it's a frustratingly misplaced concerned to me.
But i'm a man I don't understand. and i shouldn't worry about it. ... As I watch a woman comment on the the amount of calories in slice of wheat bread.

<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KMGUmcveQeg?feature=player_embedded" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" width="640"></iframe>



Rev. Before you asked those questions above about WHY we count calories.

Perhaps it would help you to read some information on HEART DISEASE, and how calories, combined with other
factors in human blood. Tend to create deposits in your arteries, and veins that can cause your HEART to just STOP, or
begin to Beat Uncontrollably....trying to push blood through CLOGGED arteries and veins.

See. I can talk about calories, and WHY people pay attention to them because. FOUR years ago last month.
I had my second heart attack. Caused by clogged arteries near my heart.
And the doctor's kept me alive with a QUADRUPLE BYPASS, where part of an artery was taken from my left leg,
below my knee. Then placed around the damaged artery over my heart.
Honestly. If you still don't care, or you wonder why WE COUNT CALORIES.
Forget it if you are young. Abuse yourself, and enjoy life...until....Those things you don't want to know about.

Get you your own...FUNERAL.

[jafar00]

Calories are the last thing I count.

I count Carbs, and Fats. My diet of 60% Fat, 35% Protein, 5% Carbs lost me on average 4kg (8.81lb) a month and a total of 20kg (44lb) over the last 5 months all without exercising more than a 1/2 hour walk to the ferry every day.

Fat is quite filling and if you eat it, you end up eating less calories because you are not hungry most of the time. I often skip a meal because I'm simply not hungry.

For example, if I have a Bulletproof Coffee (Coffee, Coconut Oil, unsalted Butter) in the morning at 7am, I will completely forget about lunch until 2-3pm. Say I have a late lunch of a steak with creamed vegetables (Pumpkin, peas, beans with sour cream and cream cheese), I will most likely not be hungry come dinner time especially due to drinking plenty of water and a few coffees made with cream in the middle of it all. At most I would make a low carb chocolate mousse or cheese cake later on if I need to adjust my fat macros.

The main reason so many people are fat these days is too many carbs. Huge, sugary sodas, white bread, pasta by the bucketload, sugar loaded sauces and convenience meals, "low fat" products that just counter productively replace fat with sugar....

There is a lot to be said for switching to a Ketogenic or Paleo diet for good health and healthy weight. It's all about eating wholesome foods in moderation with a good amount of fat, and less carbs.

Check out the Inuit high fat diet, and they are a healthy bunch!

[jimnyc]

Calories are the last thing I count.

I count Carbs, and Fats. My diet of 60% Fat, 35% Protein, 5% Carbs lost me on average 4kg (8.81lb) a month and a total of 20kg (44lb) over the last 5 months all without exercising more than a 1/2 hour walk to the ferry every day.

Fat is quite filling and if you eat it, you end up eating less calories because you are not hungry most of the time. I often skip a meal because I'm simply not hungry.

For example, if I have a Bulletproof Coffee (Coffee, Coconut Oil, unsalted Butter) in the morning at 7am, I will completely forget about lunch until 2-3pm. Say I have a late lunch of a steak with creamed vegetables (Pumpkin, peas, beans with sour cream and cream cheese), I will most likely not be hungry come dinner time especially due to drinking plenty of water and a few coffees made with cream in the middle of it all. At most I would make a low carb chocolate mousse or cheese cake later on if I need to adjust my fat macros.

The main reason so many people are fat these days is too many carbs. Huge, sugary sodas, white bread, pasta by the bucketload, sugar loaded sauces and convenience meals, "low fat" products that just counter productively replace fat with sugar....

There is a lot to be said for switching to a Ketogenic or Paleo diet for good health and healthy weight. It's all about eating wholesome foods in moderation with a good amount of fat, and less carbs.

Check out the Inuit high fat diet, and they are a healthy bunch!

BUT....

Can you eat Twinkies? They are due back on the shelves soon! And no blueberry danish? And I like to eat Pringles while I munch on some good beef jerky. And Funyons? Pop Tarts (only the frosted kind, of course). I'd add in Count Chocula, but I have trouble finding it as of late. Double fudge brownies? Linden's chocolate chip cookies. Doritos!

I have almost made the switch from Vitamin water to regular water now though! :)

[jafar00]

BUT....

Can you eat Twinkies? They are due back on the shelves soon! And no blueberry danish? And I like to eat Pringles while I munch on some good beef jerky. And Funyons? Pop Tarts (only the frosted kind, of course). I'd add in Count Chocula, but I have trouble finding it as of late. Double fudge brownies? Linden's chocolate chip cookies. Doritos!

I have almost made the switch from Vitamin water to regular water now though! :)

I don't know what a Twinkie is exactly but I'm sure I could make something similar. I can make different kinds of chocolate mousse in 5 minutes. One is Avocado mashed with cocoa and stevia sweetener. The other way is 1 tsp coconut oil with 2tbs Sour Cream, 1tbsp Cocoa and Stevia sweetener. Both are delicious!:chocolate:

I can also make pretty good muffins from coconut flour or almond meal. Pringles? Have you tried cheese chips? Spread out a heaped tablespoon of shredded cheddar on baking parchment per "chip" and nuke them for 30-40 seconds. You end up with awesome cheesy chips that can be dipped in Guacamole while you much your beef jerky (not cured with sugar type!).

If you look around you can find low carb (search for "Keto" xxxxxxxx) alternatives for what you like.

My next goal is to make a good low carb Tiramisu to annoy my wife with. ;) She is on a different kind of diet and can't have it because of the fat content.

This morning's breakfast was on the run so I chugged a coffee with cream, and chomped on a Fat Bomb (Coconut Oil, Peanut Butter, Cocoa, Stevia) on the way out the door. I think I'll grab 1/2 chicken for lunch on the way back from the butcher. Yummy!

[tailfins]

Check out the Inuit high fat diet, and they are a healthy bunch!

But that only works if you spend months at a 60 below zero climate. Perhaps you could camp out in a walk-in freezer.

[gabosaurus]

The weight loss industry is the second most profitable in the country. After porn. :p

[jafar00]

But that only works if you spend months at a 60 below zero climate. Perhaps you could camp out in a walk-in freezer.

Why so? A Ketogenic diet or High Fat/Low Carb diet brings your body in line with a more natural state. The aim is to bring the body into Ketosis where the body changes fat into Ketones to fuel the brain and other bodily functions. Gluconeogenesis in the liver converts proteins into what little glucose the body needs, and fat becomes an energy source replacing the carbs in the western high carb diet.

You don't need a deep freeze for Ketosis. All you need is good, wholesome food. Grass fed beef, butter, cream, eggs, fresh greens etc...


The weight loss industry is the second most profitable in the country. After porn. :p

I lost 2kg in 13 weeks with WW. I lost over 14kg in the same time with a ketogenic diet.

[jimnyc]

I don't know what a Twinkie is exactly but I'm sure I could make something similar.

Nevermind the political and religious discussions - this is the most blasphemous thing anyone has ever stated here! America almost stopped turning due the the loss of our beloved Twinkies, but luckily the company was purchased and they will be back on the shelves soon.

http://lonelyconservative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Hostess-Twinkies-box.jpg

http://knightnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/twinkies.jpg

[Marcus Aurelius]

Check out the Inuit high fat diet, and they are a healthy bunch!

Proof, yet again, that you haven't got the slightest fucking clue what you ever post about.


http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/jf10/inuit-health.asp

Relatively recent health concerns, such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease, are having devastating effects among northerners. Northerners being Inuit.


http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fniah-spnia/diseases-maladies/index-eng.php

First Nations people and Inuit face some serious health-related challenges, such as high rates of chronic and contagious diseases and shorter life expectancy. For example, 15 per cent of new HIV and AIDS infections occur in Aboriginal people.

Compared to the general Canadian population,


Heart disease is 1.5 times higher;
Type 2 diabetes is 3 to 5 times higher among First Nations people and rates are increasing among the Inuit; and
Tuberculosis infection rates are 8 to 10 times higher.




http://www.naho.ca/inuit/overview-of-inuit-health/

The average lifespan for Inuit women is 14 years less than that of the average Canadian woman.
Tuberculosis rates are 70 times the Canadian average.
On most indicators where there is health data available for Inuit, Inuit fare far worse than not only their non-Aboriginal Canadian counterparts, but their First Nations and Métis counterparts as well.


http://www.inuitknowledge.ca/graph?dsid[]=296&dsid[]=249&dsid[]=337&dsid[]=257
20% of their population develop heart problems after age 55.
26% of their population develop high blood pressure after age 45.
77% are diagnosed with one or more chronic conditions after age 55.

dumb ass.