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Don't let r/fitness see this or you will get absolutely destroyed. I agree with you - but saying a calorie is a calorie makes people feel like they are gifted

Don't let r/fitness see this or you will get absolutely destroyed. I agree with you - but saying a calorie is a calorie makes people feel like they are gifted physicists preaching to people that live in the dark ages. Nutrition's become a bit of a religious/political issue.

qeternity 10y ago
The reason r/fitness says this is because for active people it largely holds true, with the exception of certain bulking/cutting phases for lifters. It's people who are sedentary, or in chronic caloric surplus where the macros become more of a concern. You're not going to wreak havoc on your insulin sensitivity by having a Coke every day if you get up and run a 10k every morning, because things like glycogen levels will be replenished. But if you're sedentary, your body deals with it very differently.
- xherberta 10y ago
  The composition of one's microbiome is also a major factor in metabolism (and is interrelated with activity level, too.) https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Firmicutes_and_Obesity https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Firmicutes_and_Obes... The article didn't tread much into the satiety effect: while sugar- and carb-laden foods generally leave you wanting more, it's difficult to overeat naturally fatty things like bacon, cream, or eggs. Until just now, these foods have been frowned upon so hard that few people think of combining them with veggies to create tasty, affordable, satisfying, and nutritious meals.
  - kmm 10y ago
    The linked page doesn't say the microbiome influences metabolism, only that it is suspected to be involved in digestion and fat absorption. Metabolism doesn't happen in the gut, but in the cells and mostly in the mitochondria. It is controlled by the hypothalamus, which keeps your body at the same temperature, as this is the bulk of what food energy is used for.
  - kapauldo 10y ago
    This does not explain the 600% obesity increase.
- jrowley 10y ago
  Yes this is it exactly. It's not so clean cut to say a 'calorie isn't a calorie' because for me an active recreational distance runner, I can pretty much eat/drink my calories however I please while remaining relatively thin.
- Y201K 10y ago
  Definitely. However, it's also just the most important factor in weight control, with macronutrients, nutrient timing, and food composition playing lesser roles.
narag 10y ago
Nutrition's become a bit of a religious/political issue. It just makes sense if you believe that studies are biased. It seems like trust in authorities (in this case to determine dietetic recommendations) would be a common factor with religious/political differences between persons. Edit: or you could say that some people seems to trust facts more, other ones trust persons more.
EpicEng 10y ago
Well, /r/fitness isn't necessarily meant for everyone. I work out regularly and heavily. For me, a calorie is pretty much a calorie. I'm well above average in terms of fitness and can eat a ton of food without gaining any weight. Not good advice for Joe schmoe
- antisthenes 10y ago
  The sequitur from this isn't that "calorie is a calorie" is wrong, it's that Joe Schmoe is wrong about nutrition and uneducated about the consequences of his habits. Whatever happened to personal responsibility? Has the concept been abolished in the last decade? Another tidbit in evidence of CIAC holding true is that 99.9% of people would lose weight if they cut their meal sizes in the same proportion (let's say by 20%). They wouldn't lose equal amounts, but they would all lose weight.

qeternity 10y ago

The reason r/fitness says this is because for active people it largely holds true, with the exception of certain bulking/cutting phases for lifters. It's people who are sedentary, or in chronic caloric surplus where the macros become more of a concern. You're not going to wreak havoc on your insulin sensitivity by having a Coke every day if you get up and run a 10k every morning, because things like glycogen levels will be replenished. But if you're sedentary, your body deals with it very differently.

xherberta 10y ago
The composition of one's microbiome is also a major factor in metabolism (and is interrelated with activity level, too.) https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Firmicutes_and_Obesity https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Firmicutes_and_Obes... The article didn't tread much into the satiety effect: while sugar- and carb-laden foods generally leave you wanting more, it's difficult to overeat naturally fatty things like bacon, cream, or eggs. Until just now, these foods have been frowned upon so hard that few people think of combining them with veggies to create tasty, affordable, satisfying, and nutritious meals.
- kmm 10y ago
  The linked page doesn't say the microbiome influences metabolism, only that it is suspected to be involved in digestion and fat absorption. Metabolism doesn't happen in the gut, but in the cells and mostly in the mitochondria. It is controlled by the hypothalamus, which keeps your body at the same temperature, as this is the bulk of what food energy is used for.
- kapauldo 10y ago
  This does not explain the 600% obesity increase.
jrowley 10y ago
Yes this is it exactly. It's not so clean cut to say a 'calorie isn't a calorie' because for me an active recreational distance runner, I can pretty much eat/drink my calories however I please while remaining relatively thin.
Y201K 10y ago
Definitely. However, it's also just the most important factor in weight control, with macronutrients, nutrient timing, and food composition playing lesser roles.

narag 10y ago

Nutrition's become a bit of a religious/political issue. It just makes sense if you believe that studies are biased. It seems like trust in authorities (in this case to determine dietetic recommendations) would be a common factor with religious/political differences between persons. Edit: or you could say that some people seems to trust facts more, other ones trust persons more.

EpicEng 10y ago

Well, /r/fitness isn't necessarily meant for everyone. I work out regularly and heavily. For me, a calorie is pretty much a calorie. I'm well above average in terms of fitness and can eat a ton of food without gaining any weight. Not good advice for Joe schmoe

antisthenes 10y ago
The sequitur from this isn't that "calorie is a calorie" is wrong, it's that Joe Schmoe is wrong about nutrition and uneducated about the consequences of his habits. Whatever happened to personal responsibility? Has the concept been abolished in the last decade? Another tidbit in evidence of CIAC holding true is that 99.9% of people would lose weight if they cut their meal sizes in the same proportion (let's say by 20%). They wouldn't lose equal amounts, but they would all lose weight.