Comments on: Honesty is the best policy

By: Mistress Krista

Mistress Krista — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 11:01:43 +0000

@Evan: You can only precisely measure BMR with a metabolic chamber.

The real, REAL problem with calories in/out is that this is not how the body truly works — or I should say that we cannot fully know our energy balance simply by measuring calorie intake/expenditure, because a vast number of factors affect our calorie utilization — GI tract health and the nature of the microfloral ecosystem (bacterial flora do much of our “digestion”); the complex nature of whole foods (which aren’t just “protein” or whatever); our hormonal environment, etc.

My advice: Fuck BMR. Fuck calorie counting in general. If you want to lose fat, eat less. Check regularly whether this is occurring. If it isn’t, recalibrate your intake. Same goes for gaining mass, or achieving any other physical goal. Set your parameters, observe carefully and “objectively”, evaluate regularly, correct course as necessary. Use outcome-based decision making at all times.

By: Evan

Evan — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 03:24:22 +0000

Excellent article. There are many great sites and apps for mobile devices which make tracking EVERYTHING you put into your mouth easier than ever!

My question is about BMR. As an Engineer I fully support the notion of meticulous and persistent measurement. However, the closest idea I have of my BMR is a height/weight/activity level calculation.

This is loosely like asking someone how much the eiffel tower weighs. You know how tall it is, you know it’s shape, and you can guess the density of the metals – voila. Maybe the formulas for BMR are slightly more accurate than that, but you get the idea and my dilemma.

Is there a cost-effective way to actually measure one’s BMR? Is this a service that a local university or gym might provide? Would the same facility be able to precisely measure BF and VO2Max? Or is a measurement of BMR for real looneys.

It just seems to me that the most difficult part of the equation is not how many calories go in (see my statement on the ease of tracking) but rather how many calories go out! We can get a good idea of how many calories are burned from various exercises (though I have an issue with the one size fits all calculators based on weight, sex and age.. fat people burn calories differently than lean people of the same mass). But we are really just guessing at BMR…

Which I guess would be fine if the formula was accurate to within 100-200 calories, but depending on activity level, they can vary by over 500-800 calories per day.. that’s a big variance on a scale which goes from “Sedentary” to “Moderate” to “Active” to “Very Active”.. totally subjective terms without clear definition.

Sorry if it seems like I’m ranting – I’m more curious than anything else :)

By: kckp

kckp — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 16:50:33 +0000

I’ve been a regular reader of your website for a couple of years now, but I still come back to this article for a self-check.
Am I *really* working as hard as I think I am? Sure, I go to jiujitsu 3 times a week, but two of those days are classes, so I probably only get appreciable exercise for a half hour on those two days, even though open mat day is respectably tough. My still-pretty-n00b strength workouts (twice weekly) feel like they’re difficult enough, at least.
And do I *really* eat well? Sure I do, when I don’t go to restaurants too much — but the more time I spend at BJJ practice, the more often I’d rather not have to make my own dinner.

Honesty. Honesty is good for me.

By: The Scale. Won't. Move. - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community Featherweights

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 18:50:03 +0000

[...] is a nice article to read about this subject http://www.stumptuous.com/honesty-is-the-best-policy __________________ 7 years of maintenance 2004-present with one pregnancy break. Back to [...]

By: Should I lose fat first then build muscle?

Should I lose fat first then build muscle? — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 18:07:42 +0000

[...] http://www.stumptuous.com/honesty-is-the-best-policy [...]

By: Zahra Brown

Zahra Brown — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:56:48 +0000

Overestimating activities is also done by the calculators that estimate calorie intakes. On a forum for maintainers, they said how the numbers given by the calculators were too high. I feel the same way. When I ate what was recommended, I maintained or started to gain.

The calculators just aren’t clear on the differences between ‘light’, ‘sedentary’ etc. I could choose the ‘very active’ (exercise 6 days a week) activity level, but exercising is the only time I’m active all day, so I’d be eating too much.

By: Stacy

Stacy — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 22:50:35 +0000

Very good info. People really dont realize how much they ere over-eating generally until they do this! Most people just eat blindly (when they are not hungry or just because its a certain time, or just because its there), instead of listening to their bodies to guide them to when they are actually hungry and full.
It does make a huge dif as well to make an effort to push yourself beyond your comfort level each time you excersize or train!

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 18:37:05 +0000

Absolutely love this article. Well written, funny and a sharp reality check.

Thanks very much!

By: allie

allie — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 11:53:30 +0000

Very interesting point about food service vs fod in relation to portion sizes. GREAT article- so many helpful points!

By: DensityDuck

DensityDuck — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 20:48:22 +0000

Portion sizes is a money thing.

See, food providers figured out that the cost of food service is in the SERVICE, not in the FOOD–but that customers think it’s exactly the opposite.

So you double the price and double the portion size, the customer thinks that it’s the same “value” (twice as much for twice as much, right?) and your profit goes through the roof.