Comments on: How many extra calories cause weight gain?

By: Calorie counts and serving sizes | Life and Health Insurance

Calorie counts and serving sizes | Life and Health Insurance — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 01:54:57 +0000

[...] interesting coverage, see Marion Nestle, Time Magazine, Slate’s Explainer, and Food [...]

By: Holly

Holly — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:23:54 +0000

As important as portion control is, limiting exposure to restaurant food is crucial, too. The amount of oil and butter used in most restaurants is insane. Even “steamed” vegetables can contain upwards of 4 tablespoons of butter in a rational portion!

By: interview tips

interview tips — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:51:23 +0000

according to me obesity can be controlled mainly by strong determination in mind, food control is necessary along with mind control

By: Karen

Karen — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:45:25 +0000

Last year, I lost 45 lbs of extra weight I was carrying and I feel better than ever. Part of my journey to better health was reading food labels and paying attention to calorie counts. I refused to stick my head in the sand anymore. On the very occasional visit to a restaurant, I made a point to look online for nutritional information and calorie counts of the menu items. I was shocked and disappointed to find that many common chain restaurants either didn’t have the information I needed for an informed choice, or had it available online, but not available when I arrived at the restaurant. I shared my frustration wtih my friend who worked for the Center for the Science in Public Interest in DC and she invited me to testify before a committee of the Maryland Legislature. In March of 2009, I sat in front of a committee of elected officials and asked them to consider making menu labeling mandatory in Maryland. Unfortunately, it never made it to the floor for a vote, but I’m very pleased that the county in which I reside voted to make it mandatory. Hopefully, our state will soon follow. Here’s a link to my testimony:

http://testdrivekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/03/you-want-truth-you-cant-handle-truth.html

By: Weekly Summaries » Nutritional Blogma - Discussing New Research & Conventional Nutrition Dogma

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:53:32 +0000

[...] Nestle reviews recent studies about food labels and calorie estimations that result in fat gain. I want to highlight a passage [...]

By: Lori

Lori — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 17:03:41 +0000

Portion sizes are key to preventing weight gain . Most people grossly underestimate how much they really eat. A muffin sold at the coffee shop today is 3 times larger than the muffin sold there 15 years ago. And yet, people today eat that muffin as a snack.

A key sentence in this article is “700 calorie-a-day rise in the availability of energy in the food supply “. That muffin is part of the increase.

I can remember my grandmother not giving us a coke unless we had already had a glass of water to quench the thirst. And that was IF she had the coke in the house AND it was an 8 oz bottle (ok can’t really remember but the bottles were smaller). Kids today drink Gatorade as if it were a healthy drink – more than one bottle a day. Again, part of that 700 calorie-a-day increase.

By: Drew

Drew — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 11:09:10 +0000

In my nutrition classes we learned about a setpoint, that people can’t lose weight because of their body fights for equilibrium. Since few people are looking to gain weight, you never hear people complaining about a setpoint that prevents weight gain. But it seems quite reasonable that we are gaining weight not because we are slightly off balance over a very long period, but that we are way off. Thank for laying it out in this post.

I see the plain evidence that too-big portions are the guilty party, but I question whether it can be used as an effective message. Clients are turned off when the blame lands on them and their lack of self-control. Fairly, I’d say. Cutting portions down to size and leaving the table feeling hungry is far too ascetic to be a long-term solution. Far better to look at the quality of foods, allow people to eat portions as they please of low energy dense foods and leave the table content, but with far fewer calories. To me this seems like a approachable message that turns the nutritional professional from a foe into an ally.

By: Top 10 Links of the Last 3 Weeks: 12/25/09 – 1/7/10 (1/8/10) | Nutrition Blog

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 23:05:23 +0000

[...] Politics FDA warns Nestlé – Juicy Juice misbranded! How Many Extra Calories Cause Weight Gain? What’s up With Food and Nutrition in 2010? Three solid quickies from Marion Nestle. The Juicy [...]

By: rjm

rjm — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:24:35 +0000

When it comes to weight loss, you need to count calories. Otherwise, your situation is like traversing a maze with a blind fold on and hoping that you’ll reach the exit. Of course, exercise also accelerates the weight loss process. The key is to consistently stay in a caloric deficit. In addition to counting calories, you need to know your BMR, and be able to effectively measure how many calories you burn through exercise. Above all else, you must be honest with yourself. Too many times I’ve talked to people that were not honest with themselves. They would have me believe that they were taking in far less calories than what their body size suggested they were taking in. When confronted, they would, with reluctance, admit that there were other foods(oh, a little wine here, a little of this there, etc.).

Anyone that follows the above recommendations will lose weight. For some reason, people have a tendency to treat the situation like there is “magic” involved. If you eat too much, then the excess energy from foods has to go somewhere. Where? Your body will store it in the form of triglycerides. When your body needs energy for performing a task, one of the places it will get it from is from the triglycerides(among other places).

By: Liz T

Liz T — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:27:48 +0000

This makes so much sense to me, and I believe it also applies to weight loss. Many weight-loss guides state that cutting out one small thing a day will result in a loss of however many pounds over a year, and my experience is that it’s simply not true.

As someone who has been on a 20-pound gain and loss roller coaster for over 20 years, it takes a hell of a lot more than cutting 100 calories a day to get the number on the scale to start to drop. And the older I get, the harder it gets.

I pray for a magic bullet but I know that it all comes down to hard work.