Quote:
Originally Posted by photon
This'll be as bad as religious or political debates I'm sure, but my 2 cents would be that since the body isn't a perfect furnace extracting all calories from all input, the answer will be more complicated than simple thermodynamics.
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Which is why calories are adjusted based on metabolism. For example, a gram of protein actually contains over 9 calories, but taking into account metabolism we only get about 4 calories per gram.
Edit: The "health movements" of the past have always focused on low fat, ignoring calories and the type of fat. For some reason, likely a misinterpretation of literature, this changed to low carbs. "Fats" and "carbohydrates" are large categories encompassing many, many different types. Mono & poly unsaturated fats are good. Complex (whole
grain, not just whole wheat) carbohydrates are good. For weight loss, it's about having a good diet that includes all the good stuff but still puts you at a caloric deficit for weight loss. Luckily, most of the good stuff (complex carbs, vegetables, etc) also fills up you with not many calories.