Why is 3,500 calories = 1 lb of fat so hard for many to understand?

[bobandkelly]

Talking about the overweight trying to lose and Ethiopians starving is two different subjects.

I thought we were talking about trying to lose weight. I gave my opinion based on my own experience. When I started exercising more and eating less I stopped losing. When I added to what I was eating I started to lose.

kelly

[Binch]

I don't think Ethiopians are working out several hours a day.

Did you actually just say that?

[SABOT]

reading the snide remarks being made about what someone else said. Thanks "ladies".

 

[happysinglemom]

One or two posters here need to have their fingers taped together so they can think before they post. If you take posts personally, and cannot refrain from making personal attacks, you have no business posting on such a board. This IS an anonymous message board, and generally a respectful one. I'd like to keep it that way. We can all disagree, and still keep it respectful and polite. :cool: I for one find this board to be enormously helpful and motivating!!

[Gathina]

LOL..if this is you in the picture you sure look like you gained more than 5!

 

reading the snide remarks being made about what someone else said. Thanks "ladies".

 

[Binch]

Talking about the overweight trying to lose and Ethiopians starving is two different subjects.

Except for the fact that one group is voluntarily restricting calorie intake and the other isn't, how are they different, exactly, in terms of 3,500 calories = 1 pound of fat?

[Salsa Dancer]

This does not change the fact that 1 pound of human fat contains 3500 calories worth of energy, however.

If what were not true? "Weight loss plateau" is another popular diet myth. The perception/belief that one is stuck at a certain weight "no matter how much I diet" always ends up being the result of 1) person is cheating on their diet and lying to themselves 2) Exercise is building muscle, so that while weight stays the same, body fat is still steadily decreasing.

 

In short, you can't cheat the math. Burn (or don't eat) 500 calories a day less than your body needs, and you WILL lose about a pound of fat a week. That's just a mathematical fact.

 

 

Hey Binch....I think your questions are interesting and I love pondering various topics but I have to add my two bits to the contrary here. I lived a plateau one year. A real live plateau. I was being perfectionistic about my eating--almost no sugar, no chocolate, no cheating whatsoever and for twelve weeks, one summer, (?'97) my weight loss stalled. The scale was frozen. I lost steadily for 10 weeks, 2 lbs. a week totalling 20 lbs., then the plateau came. Twelve excruciatingly painful weeks of waiting it out. The only thing that had encouraged me was to talk to other successful losers who had gone through it, too. It seems insane and unfair and "mathologically" incorrect. :D It didn't last forever but it was a real thing, unlike Bigfoot;) . I never caved in the entire time and was diligent to eat low-cal, low-fat, fruits, veggies, protein, no sweets, no fried foods, no munchies. It was the most frustrating thing I had ever gone through. Looking back, my perfectionism and tight calorie alottment might have triggered it.

[misty57]

Hey Binch....I think your questions are interesting and I love pondering various topics but I have to add my two bits to the contrary here. I lived a plateau one year. A real live plateau. I was being perfectionistic about my eating--almost no sugar, no chocolate, no cheating whatsoever and for twelve weeks, one summer, (?'97) my weight loss stalled. The scale was frozen. I lost steadily for 10 weeks, 2 lbs. a week totalling 20 lbs., then the plateau came. Twelve excruciatingly painful weeks of waiting it out. The only thing that had encouraged me was to talk to other successful losers who had gone through it, too. It seems insane and unfair and "mathologically" incorrect. :D It didn't last forever but it was a real thing, unlike Bigfoot;) . I never caved in the entire time and was diligent to eat low-cal, low-fat, fruits, veggies, protein, no sweets, no fried foods, no munchies. It was the most frustrating thing I had ever gone through. Looking back, my perfectionism and tight calorie alottment might have triggered it.

 

Just curious, did you do any regular excercise during your plateau, before or after? If so, what type.. cardio.. weights...? Did you change your calorie intake at all during the plateau?

[happysinglemom]

Hey Binch....I think your questions are interesting and I love pondering various topics but I have to add my two bits to the contrary here. I lived a plateau one year. A real live plateau. I was being perfectionistic about my eating--almost no sugar, no chocolate, no cheating whatsoever and for twelve weeks, one summer, (?'97) my weight loss stalled. The scale was frozen. I lost steadily for 10 weeks, 2 lbs. a week totalling 20 lbs., then the plateau came. Twelve excruciatingly painful weeks of waiting it out. The only thing that had encouraged me was to talk to other successful losers who had gone through it, too. It seems insane and unfair and "mathologically" incorrect. :D It didn't last forever but it was a real thing, unlike Bigfoot;) . I never caved in the entire time and was diligent to eat low-cal, low-fat, fruits, veggies, protein, no sweets, no fried foods, no munchies. It was the most frustrating thing I had ever gone through. Looking back, my perfectionism and tight calorie alottment might have triggered it.

 

So when you started losing again, it was under the identical calorie consumption and exercise? If so, I do think that is an anomaly. I've never encountered anyone that has experienced this situation. I'm a bit of a mentor for many that I work with, and in every case, they had simply reached a certain status quo...as soon as the increased their calorie expenditure, the pounds started coming off again. Not doubting you, but all things being equal, it really defies logic. I'm sure it must have been frustrating! :confused:

[Salsa Dancer]

Just curious, did you do any regular excercise during your plateau, before or after? If so, what type.. cardio.. weights...? Did you change your calorie intake at all during the plateau?

 

Part of what triggered the plateau, too, was that I went from walking 2 miles a day to not walking, due to a back injury. I did a workout wrong on a home gym and hurt myself. But having said that, my calorie count had been low before the plateau...not super-low, but low enough to lose weight without exercise (1200 and lower some days), if need be. I flat-lined entirely and stayed flat-lined for 3 months. My calorie consumption was about 700 calories lower than what I was burning, so I should have lost SOMETHING each month.

 

I know someone who had been on Jenny Craig's plan, was losing weight steadily and working out and plateaued while faithfully sticking to the same routine. Her plateau lasted several weeks. Her calorie burn was well above her consumption level and NADA for weeks. It happens. She had to ride it out, and eventually snapped out of the plateau and lost the rest of the weight.

[Salsa Dancer]

I forgot to add....I eventually began to lose weight again after a weekend of shopping and a slight change in eating that particular weekend. I didn't get back to walking again because of my back, though. Just the change of habits on that one weekend and I began to lose again and lost 7 lbs. in a couple of weeks.

 

 

Is anyone else having trouble editing their own posts? The system isn't working right.

[Salsa Dancer]

http://exercise.about.com/cs/weightloss/a/weightplateaus.htm

 

The first article refers to the body lowering its own metabolic rate in response to calorie decrease/weight loss, etc. Also mentions the fact that with fat/weight loss, our body mass index is lower; so you have two factors to deal with.

 

http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/health_omag_200308_plateau

 

This second article refers more to the BMI changing due to weight loss and how it can create a plateau.

 

I've heard and read about plateaus for so many years. It would take a group of research scientists with a LOT of data substantiating a claim that plateaus don't exist. Even since beginning on the forum, I encountered one that lasted for 5 weeks. I weighed 181 on June 23rd, 179.5 on the 30th, 180 on the 7th of July, 180 on the 14th, 180 on the 21st, then 179 on the 28th and held that for three weigh-ins. Most days during that plateau, I weighed 180. After it was over, I began to drop weight again while eating the same as before it began. Sometimes they last a short while, like a couple of weeks, but that one was long and bothersome because it began so soon after I began on June 3rd.

[Odoyal Rulez]

BMI is bs...the system is bs...the concept is bs and the whole thing needs to be replaced with body fat testing..bmi has outlived its usefullness

[happysinglemom]

BMI is bs...the system is bs...the concept is bs and the whole thing needs to be replaced with body fat testing..bmi has outlived its usefullness

 

 

Agreed. BMI is a worthless number. Body fat % is the one to use.

[happysinglemom]

http://exercise.about.com/cs/weightloss/a/weightplateaus.htm

 

The first article refers to the body lowering its own metabolic rate in response to calorie decrease/weight loss, etc. Also mentions the fact that with fat/weight loss, our body mass index is lower; so you have two factors to deal with.

 

Yes the body does lower it's metabolic rate in response to a lower caloric consumption, that's a well-published fact. But the change is very very small...and no where near enough to compensate for the lower caloric intake.

[perkyblue]

BMI is bs...the system is bs...the concept is bs and the whole thing needs to be replaced with body fat testing..bmi has outlived its usefullness

 

I agree that the BMI is not entirely accurate for a lot of people, but the one good thing about it is that it's convenient and easy. Plug in two numbers online, and you get your result. For body fat measuring, I've heard about the calipers (and that they can be pretty inaccurate) and a water-dunking method. (You have to go to a special facility and pay for that.) I have seen websites where you enter some measurements and it supposedly tells you your body fat percentage. Do you know of a good accurate website for calculating body fat, or another inexpensive accurate way to measure body fat by yourself at home? I'd be interested to see what mine is.

 

ETA: How accurate are the scales that measure body fat as well as weight? I actually have one of those, but I think it's messed up. My body fat percentage never seemed to make sense, so I got frustrated and quit checking my body fat over a year ago. I think the whole scale is messed up though. Most days, when I step on the scale it gives me a number I think is too high, so I check again a minute later, and it gives me a completely different weight. (For example, yesterday it said my weight was 127.8. I stepped off the scale and then stepped right back on, and it said 125.8! I guess we just need to get a new scale!)

[happysinglemom]

I agree that the BMI is not entirely accurate for a lot of people, but the one good thing about it is that it's convenient and easy. Plug in two numbers online, and you get your result. For body fat measuring, I've heard about the calipers (and that they can be pretty inaccurate) and a water-dunking method. (You have to go to a special facility and pay for that.) I have seen websites where you enter some measurements and it supposedly tells you your body fat percentage. Do you know of a good accurate website for calculating body fat, or another inexpensive accurate way to measure body fat by yourself at home? I'd be interested to see what mine is.

 

ETA: How accurate are the scales that measure body fat as well as weight? I actually have one of those, but I think it's messed up. My body fat percentage never seemed to make sense, so I got frustrated and quit checking my body fat over a year ago. I think the whole scale is messed up though. Most days, when I step on the scale it gives me a number I think is too high, so I check again a minute later, and it gives me a completely different weight. (For example, yesterday it said my weight was 127.8. I stepped off the scale and then stepped right back on, and it said 125.8! I guess we just need to get a new scale!)

 

Frankly I think you just need a new scale. The older ones are much less accurate than latest body composition scales. Still, use them to measure your progress only. Don't compare your body fat percentage to tables or to your friends score. It is probably inaccurate no matter what the manufacturers say. Also, remember that scales use Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, and one factor that will affect the amount of body fat this test measures is the amount of liquid one has consumed before the test. As electricity travels more easily through water, a person who has consumed a large amount of water before the test will measure as a lower body fat percentage. Less water will increase the percentage of body fat.

 

This is from a Good Housekeeping article:

We tested seven scales and compared their results with those of the Bod Pod, a $32,000 machine that's the medical benchmark. All seven overestimated body fat -- but they came a lot closer than the caliper method (favored by many health clubs), which was off by 50 percent. "These scales, even pricey ones, aren't absolutely accurate," says GH Institute Technical Director John Kupsch. "But they can track whether your body fat is fluctuating over time."

 

So it is critical that you use the scale method in a consistent manner, meaning first thing in the morning, after emptying your bladder and before consuming anything. If you do that, you will get a much more useful indication of your progress.

[Salsa Dancer]

BMI is bs...the system is bs...the concept is bs and the whole thing needs to be replaced with body fat testing..bmi has outlived its usefullness

 

 

Odoyal...I happen to agree with you on that. I've been saying it over and over. BMI doesn't show fat losses and size changes. People go on starvation diets and lose "weight" and I've seen the toll that simple "weight" loss takes. Too much muscle loss in the process. When I put up the link regarding BMI, it was in reference to weight/height only in regard to the change in metabolism as the body weight changes. A 160 lb. woman burns more calories, just breathing and moving, than a 120 lb. woman. Along with that, of course, a lean and fit 120 lb. woman burns more than a fat 120 lb. woman, which the article did not address, likely because that wouldn't have been on topic. That was how the information was treated in the article and that was my reference point in regard to the topic of plateaus. The article suggested lowering your calorie consumption, as you lower your weight.

[Odoyal Rulez]

When insurance time rolls around our company gives us a 5 part test to determine how much our insurance is going to be.

 

They judge BP, Cholesterol, Trygliceries, whether or not you smoke..and BMI. Your BMI counts for HALF the discount given. I carry around 245 pounds on a 5 foot 9 inch frame...granted ive got some extra skin and fat...but at least 200 of that is mucle.

 

A 200 pound man at 5'9 is obese..id have to be 165-170 to be NORMAL. If 165 is NORMAL then im glad to be a freak...but i shouldnt be punished for not having my ribs show beneath my skin.

[BuilderMan]

When insurance time rolls around our company gives us a 5 part test to determine how much our insurance is going to be.

 

They judge BP, Cholesterol, Trygliceries, whether or not you smoke..and BMI. Your BMI counts for HALF the discount given. I carry around 245 pounds on a 5 foot 9 inch frame...granted ive got some extra skin and fat...but at least 200 of that is mucle.

 

A 200 pound man at 5'9 is obese..id have to be 165-170 to be NORMAL. If 165 is NORMAL then im glad to be a freak...but i shouldnt be punished for not having my ribs show beneath my skin.

 

Unless a special tool (caliper?) is used to measure BMI, the "formula" in extremely inaccurate. According to the "formula" most football players and bodybuilders would be obese!

 

Lynn

[happysinglemom]

When insurance time rolls around our company gives us a 5 part test to determine how much our insurance is going to be.

 

They judge BP, Cholesterol, Trygliceries, whether or not you smoke..and BMI. Your BMI counts for HALF the discount given.

 

Having a BMI as part of your insurance stats is nuts - I've never heard of any company doing that. Ours does body fat % - they don't even calc a BMI. :cool: I would write some letters.

[Odoyal Rulez]

Well if you complain they give us this "handheld" thing to measure our body fat..which is totally innacurate..i lost 15 lbs since last year and put on a TON of muscle..im talking thick slabs all over...and it said i lost 2% or 3% body fat from last year...no freaking way...its a sham..the best part is they have this table full of dum-dum suckers and tootsie rolls you can grab on the way out..its like Hey congrats on being fat..heres some candy!

[bobandkelly]

I just read that Alabama is going to start charging thier state employees for health insurance if they are overweight (obese.) They are going to use BMI as part of thier decision. They will let them go up to 35 (30 being obese) but should be showing that they are making progress.

I hope that someone finds a way to fight this. I am all for helping people becoming healthy. But to use something that is not accurate is crazy!

kelly

[perkyblue]

I just read that Alabama is going to start charging thier state employees for health insurance if they are overweight (obese.) They are going to use BMI as part of thier decision. They will let them go up to 35 (30 being obese) but should be showing that they are making progress.

I hope that someone finds a way to fight this. I am all for helping people becoming healthy. But to use something that is not accurate is crazy!

kelly

 

Surely they will use some common sense when applying this rule. Although we are talking about Alabama, so probably not! (I lived there for 8 years, so it's okay for me to make fun of it! ;) ) But there's an obvious difference between someone who's obese and someone who's got a lot of muscle mass. I would hope that even in Alabama, they could tell the difference!

[Gathina]

Just how inaccurate is this thing? I don't see what the big deal is if it's a small percentage inaccurate, if it's a big percentage inaccurate then yes it should go. I know if it's only 2% inaccurate that might put someone into a category they don't want to be in, but on the other hand, if they were that close to the edge they probably needed to still lose the weight, IMO. Same thing with scales, they are probalby all inaccurate What matters is if it goes down or up!

 

I just read that Alabama is going to start charging thier state employees for health insurance if they are overweight (obese.) They are going to use BMI as part of thier decision. They will let them go up to 35 (30 being obese) but should be showing that they are making progress.

I hope that someone finds a way to fight this. I am all for helping people becoming healthy. But to use something that is not accurate is crazy!

kelly