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#1
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Good Calories versus Bad?
I am curious about something. Most of the folks here abouts stress the
importance of eating GOOD FOOD, and reducing calories, rather than just reducing calories. What I am wondering is this...If you are reducing calories (and exercising, of course), and let's say that you keep your calories below a certain level. How does the "quality" of the food you eat affect the diet? Let me give you an example. Let's say I like something that is nutritionally atrocious. Armor Treet for example, which I just made a sandwich of. Now accordinag to the label, this stuff is only 130 calories per serving (which there are two servings per container. Since I used about 1/6th of a container that means that the calories in what I ate was about 40 calories). This is good because there are lots of other things I could eat that would be A LOT higher in calories. However, according to the label, it is also 17% fat. Not so good. It also has a bus load of sodium and cholesteral at 370 mg and 25 mg respecively (per serving). So I am wondering if it is better to eat more calories of good stuff or less calories of bad stuff? I mean, if I eat more calories of good stuff, I can't eat as much of it - or if I do, I don't lose weight. Whereas, if I eat bad stuff I eat less calories, but the nutrition level suffers. I am confused. Em |
#2
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Good Calories versus Bad?
Auntie Em wrote:
I am curious about something. Most of the folks here abouts stress the importance of eating GOOD FOOD, and reducing calories, rather than just reducing calories. What I am wondering is this...If you are reducing calories (and exercising, of course), and let's say that you keep your calories below a certain level. How does the "quality" of the food you eat affect the diet? Good question, and I found the answer somewhat surprising and non-intuitive. It turns out that it's not a closed system. Your body doesn't just burn 2000 calories no matter what you eat, it might burn MORE calories if you eat stuff that revs up your metabolism and it might burn FEWER calories if you eat stuff that makes you sluggish. One of the surprising things I discovered was that eating more of my calories from fat actually worked better for me. I can't say I measured my metabolism at any particular point, but I can tell you that the essential fatty acids I got from seed and nut oils and fish oils has made a world of difference in my skin elasticity. Dry scaly patches on my elbows (that I had for years!) are totally gone. What happened was that my body grabbed those oils and used them to repair cells - work that just wouldn't have happened if those particular calories hadn't come in. Because my body is able to use the calories for specific metabolic functions, those functions get done (burning calories) and those calories don't get sent to storage as fat as easily. Let me give you an example. Let's say I like something that is nutritionally atrocious. Armor Treet for example, which I just made a sandwich of. Now accordinag to the label, this stuff is only 130 calories per serving (which there are two servings per container. Since I used about 1/6th of a container that means that the calories in what I ate was about 40 calories). This is good because there are lots of other things I could eat that would be A LOT higher in calories. I don't know what Armor Treet is, but it sounds dreadful. Was it some sort of sludge-based protein source? 17% fat sounds low-fat, but it's high if it's all from saturated fats! It's possible you got some protein out of this, but probably a huge dose of sodium, too. Plus, you put it into a sandwich which means two slices of bread. How can you have left THAT off of the analysis? Bread is rarely worth the calories. Unless it was sprouted whole wheat bread sliced mighty thin with maybe some walnuts mixed in, it probably doesn't have much fiber or phytonutrients to recommend it. However, according to the label, it is also 17% fat. Not so good. It also has a bus load of sodium and cholesteral at 370 mg and 25 mg respecively (per serving). So I am wondering if it is better to eat more calories of good stuff or less calories of bad stuff? I mean, if I eat more calories of good stuff, I can't eat as much of it - or if I do, I don't lose weight. Whereas, if I eat bad stuff I eat less calories, but the nutrition level suffers. I am confused. Eat good things in moderate calories. No one is saying you can eat more than you burn as long as it's healthy food. But you can probably increase your burn if you eat healthy food. So, to pull an example out of my hat, Eat 1200 calories of crap, burn 1600 calories. Eat 1400 calories of good fuel, burn 1800 calories. I guess I'm trying to say you can eat more calories of good fuel than of bad fuel and still lose weight as long as you're still eating catabolically. Does that make any sense? The whole trick, Em, is to find foods that allow you to feel sated, energetic and that work with your lifestyle... within your calorie budget. I think most of us have found that crappy foods just don't fit in the calorie budget without making us feel crappy. :-) By the way, how about having an apple sliced up and dipped in some natural peanut-butter for a snack? Or mix some yogurt with some skimmed-milk cottage cheese. Or have one slice of whole meal bread with peanutbutter on it. Or have some pickled whitefish along with some celery sticks. Or some ryvata crackers with a really delicious cheese sliced thinly on it. What is Armor Treet, anyway? (I'm sorry, but it sounds like a cat food.) Dally |
#3
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Good Calories versus Bad?
In article , Dally
wrote: One of the surprising things I discovered was that eating more of my calories from fat actually worked better for me. Ditto that--that's the problem I had with WW point system--even the good fats are too high in points for most. People don't want to "waste" their points so they'll skip the high-point fats and eat of ton of low point foods, but never feel sated because they're skipping the fats. Well, that's how it worked for me, anyway. Others may be a whole lot smarter than I. What is Armor Treet, anyway? (I'm sorry, but it sounds like a cat food.) It's a version of SPAM in a can. Amy 168/115 |
#4
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Good Calories versus Bad?
You answered your own question. Taking vitamins is a waste of money because clinical studies show that anti-oxidants from pills don't work as well as anti-oxidants from food. Also fiber from supplements doesn't work as well as fiber from food. And you have to exercise. Food alone is not going to improve your health. "Auntie Em" wrote in message ... I am curious about something. Most of the folks here abouts stress the importance of eating GOOD FOOD, and reducing calories, rather than just reducing calories. What I am wondering is this...If you are reducing calories (and exercising, of course), and let's say that you keep your calories below a certain level. How does the "quality" of the food you eat affect the diet? Let me give you an example. Let's say I like something that is nutritionally atrocious. Armor Treet for example, which I just made a sandwich of. Now accordinag to the label, this stuff is only 130 calories per serving (which there are two servings per container. Since I used about 1/6th of a container that means that the calories in what I ate was about 40 calories). This is good because there are lots of other things I could eat that would be A LOT higher in calories. However, according to the label, it is also 17% fat. Not so good. It also has a bus load of sodium and cholesteral at 370 mg and 25 mg respecively (per serving). So I am wondering if it is better to eat more calories of good stuff or less calories of bad stuff? I mean, if I eat more calories of good stuff, I can't eat as much of it - or if I do, I don't lose weight. Whereas, if I eat bad stuff I eat less calories, but the nutrition level suffers. I am confused. Em |
#5
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Good Calories versus Bad?
Auntie Em wrote:
What I am wondering is this...If you are reducing calories (and exercising, of course), and let's say that you keep your calories below a certain level. How does the "quality" of the food you eat affect the diet? Speaking for myself, personally, the quality of the food serves the purpose of 2 popular phrases, "More bang for the buck" and "killing two birds with one stone". For an extreme example: If I set a goal of say, 1800 calories per day, and eat only donuts that day totalling 1800 calories, sure, my body has the calories, but like in the classic Wendy's commercial... "Where's the beef?". I'm not saying one ONLY has to eat pure food that they just picked from their garden, but giving your body the nutrients it wants really does take away the cravings and the desire to overeat. So I am wondering if it is better to eat more calories of good stuff or less calories of bad stuff? I mean, if I eat more calories of good stuff, I can't eat as much of it - or if I do, I don't lose weight. Actually, you do lose weight if you portion it out accordingly. I'd rather have one small plate of something calorie-dense that has "good stuff" in it than 3 plates of something I didn't really want anyway. For me, I learned to put less importance on "how much", and just enjoy the fact that I actually could still eat what I want and lose weight. If I have to downsize something higher calorie that is good, I take a cue from my beautiful, thin mother-in-law, take small fork/spoonfuls at a time and savour each bite. ;-) Something calorie-dense does weigh heavy on the stomach and make me feel full, even though size-wise it's small. (I have tried this with a tablespoon - 120 calories - of flax seed oil... it *Fills* me) As a former binge-eater, I had to train myself to eat slowly. That way, I get to spend the same amount of *time* as everyone else eating, and yet don't have to keep refilling my plate in order to do so. I hope that this makes sense... this has been my week for being misunderstood (not that I am complaining, I was long overdue hehe) so I'll timidly hit "send" LOL Crafting Mom -- The post you read contains just my opinion. Please interpret accordingly |
#6
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Good Calories versus Bad?
"Auntie Em" wrote in message
... I am curious about something. Most of the folks here abouts stress the importance of eating GOOD FOOD, and reducing calories, rather than just reducing calories. For me it's a matter of more bang for my caloric buck. If I'm limiting myself to 2000 calories per day I want to make sure that I maximize the nutrition for them. Everything has to count for me and for my WOE to work. For me, and I am just an example.. I am sticking to my WOE for the health of it. The weightloss is just a nice perk. I'll start at the top of my head and list the benefits I feel are from changing my eating habits. I had a malady of health complaints prior to my changes. a.) My hair which was always "good hair" has become healthier, shinier, and I think it grows faster (may or may not be fact, but *I* feel it does.)(head) b.) I have become more alert and focused in my thinking.(brain) c.) I have less allergies than I used to and I believe it is because I may have had a few food allergies I was unaware of. (nose and skin) d.) I have rosacea and it is completely disappeared in less than 1 year of stopping the crappy food intake. (nose and skin) e.) My dentist is a happy man now days since I stopped drinking sodas and sugar. I have had good reports the last 2 visits. (teeth and dental health) f.) My shoulders would always droop when I was packing around those 90 extra lbs and now my posture is MUCH better(shoulders and spine and of course my ta ta's look MUCH better when I'm standing up straight lol) g.) I suffered for years from some unknown/undiagnosed/misdiagnosed "boils" or cysts which I fought constantly with every antibiotic and over the counter med out there. I believe they were caused by several things, mostly the sugar intake with a dash of inactivity aggravating them once they were there. I haven't had an outbreak in over 6 months.(skin, groin, under breasts, under arms etc) h.) I was diagnosed with acid reflux about 4 months prior to my starting my WOE and since day 1 and that is no exaggeration - day 1- I have not had a case of reflux or acid indigestion.(stomach and digestive tract) i.) My blood pressure has dropped back to a normal person range instead of a stroke victim.(heart) j.) My back doesn't hurt constantly any longer due to exercise and proper nutrition.(spine) k.) Sex... woo I don't think I have to expound on this subject much. Let's just leave it to say that my sex life has VASTLY improved since the rest of my body is working far more properly than it was before. My drive is greater, my confidence is much higher and my stamina is far greater. l.) I used to battle periods of constipation - I have become regular. m.) I used to be one of those folks who "creaked" when they got up from the chair after sitting for an extended period.. Now, I can get up normally without feeling like every joint in my body is screaming. My hips were the worst. I believe this has been reduced/eliminated by better eating and exercise. n.) My menstral cycle is slow but surely coming to grips with my new eating habits and exercise habits - It was worse there for awhile but last month was not as bad as before, so that issue is a work in progress still. o.) My thighs and legs are getting much better looking. I also suffered a fall the Christmas prior to my start date and injured my knee. I feel that my better nutrition has been the main factor of knee recovery. I assisted my healing with better eating. It's my belief that your body will heal itself regardless of what you eat, but you can speed/assist it with better nutrition. p.) My feet don't hurt. I don't know if it's because of the pre diabetes being under control or because of the 90 lb loss. Or because of better circulation etc. Don't know and don't care. All I know is that my feet don't hurt.. and that is a Godsend to me. q.) The whole process encouraged me and gave me the drive to stop smoking. Which I have a 1 year quit anniversary coming up Sept 8th for that. The benefits of that are too long to list, for myself AND my family. r.) I'm not hungry anymore. The cravings have ceased. Almost completely. s.) I was diagnosed in March of last year as having Dysthymia and every site/bit of information I read encouraged the nutritional change route as a way of helping control/treat it. I didn't want to take antidepressants or go to therapy. So I made the decision to "control" it myself with my diet and lifestyle. For me it has worked. So there you have it, top to bottom and I am sure I am missing something somewhere in all that. But the end result is I feel better when my body has a diet of better nutrition rather than empty calories. I don't know if that answers your question of bad vs. good calories but it's enough for me. Like I said before, the weightloss is simply a wonderful side effect of getting healthy. If I never lost another lb I'd be "ok" with it as long as I felt better and I knew my body was in better health. Susan (recovering top poster, trying hard to reform) 280/190/140 |
#7
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Good Calories versus Bad?
"Auntie Em" wrote in message
... I am curious about something. Most of the folks here abouts stress the importance of eating GOOD FOOD, and reducing calories, rather than just reducing calories. For me it's a matter of more bang for my caloric buck. If I'm limiting myself to 2000 calories per day I want to make sure that I maximize the nutrition for them. Everything has to count for me and for my WOE to work. For me, and I am just an example.. I am sticking to my WOE for the health of it. The weightloss is just a nice perk. I'll start at the top of my head and list the benefits I feel are from changing my eating habits. I had a malady of health complaints prior to my changes. a.) My hair which was always "good hair" has become healthier, shinier, and I think it grows faster (may or may not be fact, but *I* feel it does.)(head) b.) I have become more alert and focused in my thinking.(brain) c.) I have less allergies than I used to and I believe it is because I may have had a few food allergies I was unaware of. (nose and skin) d.) I have rosacea and it is completely disappeared in less than 1 year of stopping the crappy food intake. (nose and skin) e.) My dentist is a happy man now days since I stopped drinking sodas and sugar. I have had good reports the last 2 visits. (teeth and dental health) f.) My shoulders would always droop when I was packing around those 90 extra lbs and now my posture is MUCH better(shoulders and spine and of course my ta ta's look MUCH better when I'm standing up straight lol) g.) I suffered for years from some unknown/undiagnosed/misdiagnosed "boils" or cysts which I fought constantly with every antibiotic and over the counter med out there. I believe they were caused by several things, mostly the sugar intake with a dash of inactivity aggravating them once they were there. I haven't had an outbreak in over 6 months.(skin, groin, under breasts, under arms etc) h.) I was diagnosed with acid reflux about 4 months prior to my starting my WOE and since day 1 and that is no exaggeration - day 1- I have not had a case of reflux or acid indigestion.(stomach and digestive tract) i.) My blood pressure has dropped back to a normal person range instead of a stroke victim.(heart) j.) My back doesn't hurt constantly any longer due to exercise and proper nutrition.(spine) k.) Sex... woo I don't think I have to expound on this subject much. Let's just leave it to say that my sex life has VASTLY improved since the rest of my body is working far more properly than it was before. My drive is greater, my confidence is much higher and my stamina is far greater. l.) I used to battle periods of constipation - I have become regular. m.) I used to be one of those folks who "creaked" when they got up from the chair after sitting for an extended period.. Now, I can get up normally without feeling like every joint in my body is screaming. My hips were the worst. I believe this has been reduced/eliminated by better eating and exercise. n.) My menstral cycle is slow but surely coming to grips with my new eating habits and exercise habits - It was worse there for awhile but last month was not as bad as before, so that issue is a work in progress still. o.) My thighs and legs are getting much better looking. I also suffered a fall the Christmas prior to my start date and injured my knee. I feel that my better nutrition has been the main factor of knee recovery. I assisted my healing with better eating. It's my belief that your body will heal itself regardless of what you eat, but you can speed/assist it with better nutrition. p.) My feet don't hurt. I don't know if it's because of the pre diabetes being under control or because of the 90 lb loss. Or because of better circulation etc. Don't know and don't care. All I know is that my feet don't hurt.. and that is a Godsend to me. q.) The whole process encouraged me and gave me the drive to stop smoking. Which I have a 1 year quit anniversary coming up Sept 8th for that. The benefits of that are too long to list, for myself AND my family. r.) I'm not hungry anymore. The cravings have ceased. Almost completely. s.) I was diagnosed in March of last year as having Dysthymia and every site/bit of information I read encouraged the nutritional change route as a way of helping control/treat it. I didn't want to take antidepressants or go to therapy. So I made the decision to "control" it myself with my diet and lifestyle. For me it has worked. So there you have it, top to bottom and I am sure I am missing something somewhere in all that. But the end result is I feel better when my body has a diet of better nutrition rather than empty calories. I don't know if that answers your question of bad vs. good calories but it's enough for me. Like I said before, the weightloss is simply a wonderful side effect of getting healthy. If I never lost another lb I'd be "ok" with it as long as I felt better and I knew my body was in better health. Susan (recovering top poster, trying hard to reform) 280/190/140 |
#8
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Good Calories versus Bad?
Yes, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie - except: 1) eating high
fiber foods decreases your appetite. 2) eating "empty" calories - sodas, for example, is poor nutrition. 3) for many people, eating high refined carb/sugar foods leads to a blood sugar spike leading a blood sugar crash leading to hunger. 4) if you eat foods that taste too good (candy, potatoe chips, etc) you will tend to eat more. "Auntie Em" wrote in message ... I am curious about something. Most of the folks here abouts stress the importance of eating GOOD FOOD, and reducing calories, rather than just reducing calories. What I am wondering is this...If you are reducing calories (and exercising, of course), and let's say that you keep your calories below a certain level. How does the "quality" of the food you eat affect the diet? Let me give you an example. Let's say I like something that is nutritionally atrocious. Armor Treet for example, which I just made a sandwich of. Now accordinag to the label, this stuff is only 130 calories per serving (which there are two servings per container. Since I used about 1/6th of a container that means that the calories in what I ate was about 40 calories). This is good because there are lots of other things I could eat that would be A LOT higher in calories. However, according to the label, it is also 17% fat. Not so good. It also has a bus load of sodium and cholesteral at 370 mg and 25 mg respecively (per serving). So I am wondering if it is better to eat more calories of good stuff or less calories of bad stuff? I mean, if I eat more calories of good stuff, I can't eat as much of it - or if I do, I don't lose weight. Whereas, if I eat bad stuff I eat less calories, but the nutrition level suffers. I am confused. Em |
#9
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Good Calories versus Bad?
One dark day on Usenet, Crafting Mom said:
Something calorie-dense does weigh heavy on the stomach and make me feel full, even though size-wise it's small. (I have tried this with a tablespoon - 120 calories - of flax seed oil... it *Fills* me) snip Given the healthy properties of flax oil, I can see why one would want to do this, but not sure how one *could* do this. I just can't imagine putting a spoonful of oil in my mouth. How does it taste? J.J. in WA -- just curious... |
#10
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Good Calories versus Bad?
byakee wrote:
One dark day on Usenet, Crafting Mom said: Something calorie-dense does weigh heavy on the stomach and make me feel full, even though size-wise it's small. (I have tried this with a tablespoon - 120 calories - of flax seed oil... it *Fills* me) snip Given the healthy properties of flax oil, I can see why one would want to do this, but not sure how one *could* do this. I just can't imagine putting a spoonful of oil in my mouth. How does it taste? It tastes kind of nutty and grassy at the same time. It's extremely difficult to get in a very fresh state. When I am lucky enough to get a fresh bottle, I store it in the freezer. I don't do it very frequently because I have very rigid narrow standards as to how I like my flax oil. Small bottle, *recently pressed*, stored in the freezer. I can certainly understand the squeamishness... It's difficult to wrap one's mind around the idea of putting a spoonful of oil in their mouth, but it's really not that far off the mark from when people used to dip their spoons and lick the beaters off a big vat of butter and sugar frosting. People eat vats of oil sometimes without even realizing it ;-), they're just not used to the idea of eating it alone. I don't care for flax oil in a salad dressing or anything like that, just at a near freezing temperature and it slides right down. Hope this explains it a bit for you |
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