Crazy Experiment Debunks many Weight Loss Myths
Is a calorie the same as a calorie?
There are an infinite number of different sophisticated types of diets. Low carb, interval fasting, and high carb diets are just some of them. Since special attention is paid to the composition of macronutrients, they follow the premise that one calorie does not equal one calorie, because the metabolism reacts differently.
Even nutrition experts seem unable to agree on this question.
To answer the question we have to go back a step. Let’s take a close look at what a calorie is by definition.
A calorie, or if you want to be precise, a kilocalorie is
the amount of energy needed to heat one kilogram of water by one degree Celcius.
According to this definition, one calorie of protein must have the same energy as one calorie of carbohydrate and one calorie of fat. However, depending on the macronutrient, how many of the calories supplied are burned off again during digestion varies. For example, a lot of energy is used in the digestion of proteins. Up to 24% of the supplied kcal to be exact. With carbohydrates and fats, however, it is different. Only a much smaller proportion is burned directly during digestion.
So is one calorie not the same as one calorie after all?
It seems like it’s not. Nevertheless, this does not change the fact that the decisive factor when trying to lose weight is the energy balance.
If you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. The other way around, you lose weight.
It’s as simple as that. The different amounts of energy consumed during digestion are included in the calculation.
The Twinkie Experiment
Mark Haub is a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University. He experimented on himself to prove that only energy balance matters when it comes to losing weight. He ate only unhealthy foods like Twinkies, Doritos, Oreos, and other treats for 10 weeks. However, he made sure that he ate fewer calories than he burned. The results were remarkable. He lost 27 pounds in those 10 weeks.
Of course, this is not healthy and is not recommended to anyone. Important nutrients and vitamins are naturally missing from this diet, which makes you sick in the long run. However, it was impressively shown that a calorie is equal to a calorie in the energy balance when it comes to losing weight.
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