George W. Cherry wrote:

"John" wrote in message
...

Bob,

On noticing a distinct improvement in the tone of your posts, I
decided to answer this one.

The proof you are looking for is right under your nose - in your
own refrigerator, in fact. I'm going to skip over most of the
last post to focus on exactly what I'm talking about.

On Tue, 25 May 2004 18:15:07 -0400, "Bob (this one)"
wrote:

But you say none of that matters. That only the weight is at
issue, and, you imply, it'll all work out somehow. I can't see
the conditions where packaged foods will contain the same
nutrient composition because they weigh the same. I just went
downstairs to look in my freezer at some prepared foods. I just
picked the ones at the front. No special searching to affect
the ratios. Here are some foods, portion sizes specified on the
package and caloric content.

Food port. cal. cal/g

Mini quiches 139 g 440 cal 3.16
personal pizzas 155 g 390 cal 2.52
chicken bakes (in crust with veg) 227 g 290 cal 1.28
roasted potatoes w/herbs 154 g 270 cal 1.75
veg pot pie w/turkey 198 g 450 cal 2.27
pot stickers (shao mai) 150 g 280 cal 1.87
corn pudding 125 g 138 cal 1.10
cut wax beans 120 g 20 cal 0.17
vegetable kofta pilaf 128 g 229 cal 1.79

I don't have any full meals prepared in single packages, so I
can't speak to that directly. But the USDA has them in the
database and here's a sampling:

BANQUET, OUR ORIGINAL Fried Chicken Meal, frozen, with Mashed
Potatoes & Corn, Seasoned Sauce 228 g 470 cal 2.06 MARIE
CALLENDER'S Escalloped Noodles & Chicken, frozen entree 368 g
629 cal 1.71 TYSON Roasted Chicken with Garlic Sauce, Pasta and
Vegetable Medley, frozen entree 255 g 214 cal 0.84 BANQUET
EXTRA HELPING Salisbury Steak Dinner, with Gravy, Mashed
Potatoes and Corn in Seasoned Sauce, frozen meal 468 g 782 cal
1.67 STOUFFER'S LEAN CUISINE HOMESTYLE Beef Pot Roast with
Whipped Potatoes, frozen entree 255 g 207 cal 0.81 STOUFFER'S
HOMESTYLE Salisbury Steak in Gravy & Macaroni and Cheese,
frozen entree 272 g 386 cal 1.42

The range of possibilities shown above is rather wide.
Obviously, more food than just this is necessary to reach the 2
pounds. Caloric beverages. More fruit and veg.

If only eating two meals a day for a total of 2 pounds and
assuming a lightish breakfast as you imply; two poached eggs,
large 100 g 294 cal 1/2 cup muesli with 1/2 cup milk 93 g 195
cal apple, medium 138 g 72 cal makes for a total of 331 g 561
calories.

I calculated the average caloric density of the items you report
as being in your refrigerator (plus the above breakfast and USDA
meals) and I see 18 items with an average density of 1.64 cal/gm.
Two pounds of randomly selected food from your refrigerator (and
the other stuff you mentioned) would provide 1500 calories. A
1500 cal/day diet is not a "concentration camp" diet. But many
people would probably lose weight on this level of consumption.

Under the 2PD diet, you don't need to read the labels, worry
about exactly how big a "portion" is, etc - you just weigh what
you actually eat. You stop eating for the day when the total
hits 2 pounds. In so doing, you will average 1500 cal/day based
on the contents of your own refrigerator. It's safe to assume
that it is food you like and find appealing or else it wouldn't
be in your refrigerator. If we assume you eat everything in
there before refilling it (and restock it identically), the above
statistic will continue to apply.

Some days you'll consume more than 1500 calories, other days
you'll consume less but you'll average 1500 cal/day.

Thanks for the data. I rest my case. ;-)

John

Bob ought to stock his refrigerator with foods which have lower
calorie density.

Bob does stock his fridge with better foods than these. The ones at
the top of the list are, indeed, in my freezer, but not for me. The
rest were picked off the USDA database as exemplars for calculations,
not something I'd eat.

Caloric density only means that I need to be moderate in my
consumption of them, if it's high, not that I need to discard anything
high in calories for that reason alone.

Vegetables and fruits typically have a calorie density of 0.5 or
less. Fat-free plain yogurt has a calorie density of about 0.5. So
does oatmeal. So does tofu. A cucumber has a calorie density of
only 0.1 or so. Eat food like this to satiety and then eat some
nuts or seeds and swallow a couple of Menhaden fish oil capsules.

I'm afraid I find this sort of menu unappealing. I know it works for
many people, but for me, food is more than just fuel. I do eat all the
foods mentioned (except fat-free yogurt - I make my own), I just don't
eat them this way. Nor am I interested in this sort of spartan
approach to calorie restriction. I'd rather eat foods that appeal to
me. That gives me more satisfaction and better satiety. A vegetarian
dietary regimen isn't something I would do.

I take 4 fish oil caps a day but I certainly don't consider them part
of my food allotment.

Bob