Saturday, January 27, 2007

A calorie is a calorie

Yep - diet or exercise or both - do whatever works for you. Take 3500 calories out of the equation by whatever method you like (more or less), and you'll lose a pound. It's just not going to come off your tummy, no matter how many crunches you do. Sorry.

If you include exercise you'll probably be healthier.

It's pretty straightforward. It's not rocket science.

And yeah, a lower percentage of body fat is more important than hitting the "right" weight range in the charts.

7 comments:

Flo said...

Intersting study. I've never fallen for that good food bad food stuff, a calorie is a calorie and your body doesn't care where it comes from only that it comes.

I'm not sold on that muscle not burning more calories though. Fat is metabolically inactive where as muscle is metabolically active. So having more muscle would burn more calories. Oh wait, I talked myself right into it. Unless you're a bodybuilder it's not going to make that much difference. I get it. Sorry to write such a long comment but sometimes these things take time to work out :)

Runner Susan said...

soooo true! I'm working on inventing the first home lipo-suction kit. I'll let you know when I'm done! Hee.

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

Healthy diet and exercise? Who'da thunk it?

What's scary is that this information has to make the headlines every few years. People want an easier way, and there are always money-grubbing folks willing to offer it in the form of pills, surgeries and fad diets that in the end, rarely work for very long, when the even work at all.

Eat right. Exercise. Our bodies may be complex, but daily maintenance is really quite simple.

Comm's said...

A calorie is a calorie. However Flo is right, a person with a higher percentage of lean body mass (muscle) will burn more calories than a person with a lower percentage all other factors being equal.

Unknown said...

And there's no such thing as spot reduction? Go figure! ;-)

KLN said...

On the "good" and "bad" calories, what matters is feeling full and content so you can continue to make that 3500 weekly deficit. If I ate pancakes, chips & soda, and pizza every day, I'd never be able to survive on just that. Volume rules!

As for the effect of muscle, if that's not true, why do men, who have generally more base muscle, have such an easier time losing than women?

Nancy Toby said...

Testosterone, for one. If we women were abusing anabolic steroids, we'd have a much easier time, too. I was tempted to get into the unfairness of men only needing to cut out 2500 calories per pound and women needing to cut out 3500 calories, but I decided not to wade into that issue!!