Tag: t_limit@calTheory

H2O ] foods

Posted on by tiger40490

I don’t remember any calorie-counting guide mention this fundamental factor — “Water content in foods seriously affect satiation, calorie density (kcal/100g) etc”

— eg: smoothie .. ice is filling (satiation)
Protein powder without ice is completely ineffective as a meal replacement.
— eg: congee .. water content improves calorie density.
Chinese soup has a similar feaure but usually has more oil.
— eg: lotus root powder .. I tend to put in mix 20g with 500g of water… much better calorie density
— eg: chia .. iFF soaked in water, chia would become filling.
It is ineffective to put it in milk or hot soup

satiation_efficacy^weight_gain_coefficient

Posted on by tiger40490

SEff (not a number) := the marginal increase in satiety for every gram (or oz) of a specific food consumed
WGC is a number := body weight gain / every gram (or oz) of a specific food consumed

My system aims at high SEff low WGC. This system qualifies as a challenge to the calorie framework

  • eg: smoothie with lots of ice… As an ingredient, the ice improves SEff, at zero WGC.
    • ! eg: ice cream… Again, the ice content improves SEff.
  • eg: peanuts esp. unshelled .. has higher calorie density therfore higher WGC than starch, but SEff is better.
  • ! eg: chocolates.. bad WGC, but surprisingly, good SEff.
  • eg: fish or lean meat .. WGC? unsure, but SEff slightly better than starch because in my exprience, I reach fullness fairly early with these foods.
  • eg (obvious): skin on fried chicken .. worst WGC. SEff similar to starch, therefore poor bargain.
  • — starchy foods:
  • eg (heaviest): cakes .. poor SEff as I tend to keep eating and eating… Loss of control almost every time in my experience, unless when I stopped myself.
  • eg: potatos + yams .. the fiber is supposed to enhance SEff, but I really don’t know. I tend to eat more and more, often due to the killer combo of starch+sugar+fat
  • eg: porridge (not too thick): thanks to the water, I don’t keep eating and eating, so SEff is better than other starch. The water also improves WGC

Surprise ! Exercise unfortunately brings down SEff of all foods indirectly, as it increases your appetite.

Surprise! The LCHF (low-carb-high-fat) diets fly in the face of traditional weight management theories. These diets work for many individuals because despite the scary WGC, many fatty foods offer not slightly but significantly better SEff than starch. In other words, these foods suppress appetite for some dieters. To replace 100g of starch, we are talking about 50g or less of fatty food. For some, even 30g of fatty food would achieve the same satiation.

##meal replacements

Posted on by tiger40490

For all of the meal replacements below, big question is

Q: does it feel filling enough?

My “system” receives the “satiation” signal from starch or a high amount of solid_protein. Chia and ice help provide satiation. Other fiber-rich foods don’t work.

The meal replacements below feature below 10% of the regular amount of starch, and almost no solid_protein.

— when wife was hospitalized and unable to eat most foods, she was receiving IV drips for days.
— some frail people (often old) can’t digest solid foods, so congee is the main food to keep them from hunger. It would not be filling for me.
— Taiwan 豆花 with chia
— Chendol made with rice (!) and chia
lots of ice
— smoothie with beans or rice, and chia
lots of ice
— leafy salad without starch, usually with high amount of solid_protein including tofu, mushroom, beans

measurement precision=#1 limitation@calorie theory

Posted on by tiger40490

Knuth put rigor into the field of algorithm analysis… “putting straight a story that had been very badly told.” On a smaller scale, someone should point out this obvious limitation ..

The growing body of calorie theory has one questionable pillar — level of calorie in each food can be measured, but with very poor precision. In contrast, the weight of a food can be measured with extreme precision.

https://www.nutrition-charts.com/mcdonalds-nutrition-facts-calorie-information/#burgers uses only rounded calories numbers, because 650 and 654 calories really make no difference, when the measurement noise is so high.

weight-loss theories: conflicting evidence

Posted on by tiger40490

Unbelievably, even if i eat lots of fruits, meat and low starch, i could still put on weight. I may need to accept it. Calorie theory breakdown? Perhaps see an expert dietitian for both me and my son.

Perhaps more important than what to eat — avoid eating when not hungry.

There are many diverging scientific opinions on calorie restriction and weight loss. Even the scientists disagree, citing conflicting evidence. If you are serious about weight loss, you must choose what to believe. Here are a few pillar beliefs I choose to hold tight.

  • my personal safe BMI is 18.5. A good summary is the letter to Susan Lee, but I have many blog posts under t_j4slim, written from different angles.
  • I don’t worry about malnutrition as I do eat non-trivial amount of starch + fat
  • raw vegetables are safe .. can eat as much as I like; most fruits are safe, even if sweet. The starchy fruits are unpalatable and I won’t eat too much anyway.
    • home cooked vegetables are safe. Can eat with a bit of starch — green peas, yam.. are safe but rice is a slippery slope
  • it’s tough but safe to reduce oily and starchy food all the way towards zero
  • protein powder is generally safe. I have no tendency to over-consume this food

The calorie theory on weight loss is a life-science theory, not a physical science theory, so there are many exceptions.
See my blogpost on https://btv-open.dreamhosters.com/wp-admin/edit.php?tag=t_limitcaltheory

3 challenges to fundamental calorie theory

Posted on by tiger40490

chia and other resistant starch .. can make me feel full for a while. Some lose the satiety effect soon 🙁 Some actually make me gain weight. So the calorie theory is inconssitent, confusing,,,

nuts .. very high cal density … too high to believe

juices, protein power, meal replacement power, or whole milk is supposed to provide lots of calories, but I don’t feel full at all.

  • #1 limitation — measurability=#1 limitation@calorie theory
  • #2 Challenge: fiber and resistant starch. RS’s real calories might be only half as labeled… resistant starch=subtype@fiber: half the calorie density
  • Challenge: whole nuts may pass out not fully consumed.. peanuts: calorie-dense, Extremely
  • Challenge: carrot and chia seeds are relatively calorie-dense (carbs) but I don’t feel they are 20% as heavy as the traditional starchy foods (like rice/cakes). These foods are proven effective for slimming, even if consumed daily in high quantity.
  • Challenge: nonfat milk has higher calorie density than many substitutes, but I believe it is a slimming food. See https://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/features/foods-to-help-you-lose-weight#1
  • https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/8-weight-loss-tips-to-ignore#section8 liss a few challenges to the theory

Beside these challenges, the fundamental theory of calorie balance is remarkably stable and well-accepted

  • One tablespoon of salad dressing or mayo … does it make a big difference? Calorie theory would say it’s 94 calories, equivalent to lots of vegies and fruits. I choose to accept this number.

resistant starch=subtype@fiber: half the calorie density

Posted on by tiger40490

Research in RS is relatively new. It appears the more resistant starches content there is in a food, the fewer usable calories it will have. Since RS is incompletely digested, 100 grams of resistant starch is (estimated) worth 200 calories, while 100 grams of other starch gives us 400 calories. All based on nascent research.

https://www.prebiotin.com/prebiotin-academy/what-are-prebiotics/dietary-fiber/ classifies RS as a subtype of fiber.

https://fiberfacts.org/fibers-count-calories-carbohydrates/  and https://www.verywellfit.com/why-are-there-calories-in-soluble-fiber-2242320 and https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ask-the-macro-manager-does-fiber-count-in-calories.html basically equate RS to fiber.

For reference, “insoluble fiber” is supposed to be calorie-free since it is never broken down never digested. Resistant starch appears to have the same effect as fiber i.e. Adding resistant starch to meals increases feelings of fullness and makes people eat fewer calories

Many calorie counters argue that fiber (+RS) should be subtracted from total carbs when calculating and labeling calories. https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ask-the-macro-manager-does-fiber-count-in-calories.html says “If there is any caloric difference due to fiber, it’s small enough”. I agree that calorie calculation is inherently imprecise in many ways.

Here are a few foods rich in resistant starch but mostly starchy. Among them, my top choice is green banana followed by green peas.

  • 1) cooked then cooled potatoes, then eaten cold
  • 3) cooked then cooled white rice.
    • Brown rice offers same amount of resistant starch but offers more fiber.
  • 2) green banana — its resistant starch slowly becomes regular starch when it ripens.

MRP xp #powder no satiety

Posted on by tiger40490

Without starch, even if I load up 2000 calories worth of powder, it will not fill my stomach.

Similarly, if I eat a small sandwich with a thick butter chunk (2000 calories in total), it has no chance of filling my stomach.

This is a challenge to the calorie theory.

Meal replacement powder (MRP) usually comes in 200-400 calories per serving, designed to replace the smallest meal of the day and offer slightly fewer calories than a regular meal. My GNC Meal replacement powder is rich in protein + fiber and also contains 3.5g of fat and 8g of starch in a 52g serving. In contrast to pure protein, this shake should be more filling. I asked the GNC salesman “Can I take another serving if still hungry?”. He said “Give it a day. Next day you may try two servings.” I could follow that and start 2nd day with 2 shakes each time. One bottle has 16 shakes, about 8 meals.

Don’t expose to temptations like cakes, biscuits, nuts etc. If you are unprotected from the temptation, then don’t expect this meal replacement to work. If no temptation, i think one “MRP meal” can last 4 hours. With temptation, it is 20 minutes!

A guy at Downtown Pharmacy (Marin Blvd) shared his experience that MRP can’t really replace a meal.

Overall, I feel powder (or any liquid) can’t provide satiety. I feel the meal-replacement feature simply doesn’t work for me. I get hungry faster than other people. Consider a 2000-cal peanut butter shake with ice cream float. I feel such a heavy drink may have a chance to work only with some solid foods like raw veg.

Consider mixing one scoop MRP + one scoop of whey + teaspoon of chia
🙂 cheaper than MRP alone
🙂 precise calorie budgeting and tracking
🙂 more filling
🙁 2 open bottles to manage

— 25 Jan I tried my first MRP exactly as prescribed — 2 level scoops mixed with cold water not milk. Should provide 210 calories. It looks like 10->20-25% of a regular meal. Indeed, to some testers, it might feel like 10% of regular meal. It’s unthinkable that this small shake is designed to replace a breakfast or a lunch.

Finished this meal around 4.15pm NY time. At 2.5 hour mark I still felt full. At 4hr mark, i felt a tolerable hunger, thanks to absence of temptation.

— 1 Feb I took 2 level scoops after 8pm 1 Feb. I felt slightly hungry within an hour but didn’t eat anything substantial until 10.30pm when wife offered me the left-over noodles

— 7 Feb after LIRR, in b@a lobby I had 2 scoops around 6.30am. Soon I felt hungry without obvious temptations. By 8am  in office, I felt very hungry, but I decided to /tough it out/. I only had some almond milk + steamed pepper around 10am.