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Since people are sharing anecdotes I might as well share mine. I’ve personally tried IF, keto, calorie counting, and various combinations of all three. I’ve onl

Since people are sharing anecdotes I might as well share mine. I’ve personally tried IF, keto, calorie counting, and various combinations of all three. I’ve only ever lost weight when doing some form of calorie counting, and since that’s easiest for me without putting other restrictions on my diet, I’ve settled on just tracking calories long term.

leetrout 7y ago
I have a lot of success with high fat / high protein diets because they let me function better with lower calories. I subscribe to the church of keto / slow carb in broad strokes. I think there is a hormonal element that we don’t fully appreciate that relates to our ability to lose weight effectively. My frustration with pure calories in / calories out is the rumination I do with how much calories we really extract from certain foods. I am convinced (as some science agrees) 100 calories of sugar and 100 calories of bacon aren’t handled the same. I also wonder about how some people must have faster digestive systems and if it moves through faster are you still extracting the same calories as someone else...
- didibus 7y ago
  From what I understand, 100 calories of bacon and 100 calories of sugar is the same. Though there are other compounds in those that may trigger effects in your body. That said, how calories are measured is from an average approximation. It is true that different people may yield slightly more or less calories from the same foods. Calories are what your body extracts from the food post digestion. That said, I've never seen strong indicators that the maximum and minimum are that far apart. So it could be that you are a huge outlier and your body extracts way more calories from food A then the average person, or way less. But I think those chances are slim, that is, for you to be such an outlier.

leetrout 7y ago

I have a lot of success with high fat / high protein diets because they let me function better with lower calories. I subscribe to the church of keto / slow carb in broad strokes. I think there is a hormonal element that we don’t fully appreciate that relates to our ability to lose weight effectively. My frustration with pure calories in / calories out is the rumination I do with how much calories we really extract from certain foods. I am convinced (as some science agrees) 100 calories of sugar and 100 calories of bacon aren’t handled the same. I also wonder about how some people must have faster digestive systems and if it moves through faster are you still extracting the same calories as someone else...

didibus 7y ago
From what I understand, 100 calories of bacon and 100 calories of sugar is the same. Though there are other compounds in those that may trigger effects in your body. That said, how calories are measured is from an average approximation. It is true that different people may yield slightly more or less calories from the same foods. Calories are what your body extracts from the food post digestion. That said, I've never seen strong indicators that the maximum and minimum are that far apart. So it could be that you are a huge outlier and your body extracts way more calories from food A then the average person, or way less. But I think those chances are slim, that is, for you to be such an outlier.