General Discussion

jeff47

(26,549 posts)

59. No, actually your body does treat the calories the same

Thu Oct 1, 2015, 03:17 PM

Oct 2015

In the end, it all gets turned into ATP.

Where simple carbohydrates vs complex carbohydrates/proteins/fats differs is how fast we can burn them. The more complex molecules take much longer to digest, so you feel "full" longer. Simple carbohydrates digest very quickly, so you get a spike of energy, which quickly collapses and you feel hungry again.

Keep in mind, the "war on fats" was started from a study in the 1960s. A nearly identical study in the 1990s has started the "war on carbs". If the first study was so wrong, we should probably be a bit cautious about assuming the second one is correct.

Artificial sweeteners are also to blame. The ones made from sugar alcohols still contain carbohydrates even though they are labelled "zero calories." That means that your body still treats them like simple sugars and burns them before it burns through its fat stores.

Not quite.

First, most artificial sweeteners are not "sugar alcohols". Saccharine and aspartame (NutraSweet) aren't sugar-derived and do not behave as sugar when digested.

Sucralose (Splenda) is a large ring with a several sugar molecules attached. The enzyme we use to break down sugar can't attach to the sugar molecules because of the ring. In the majority of people, that means the Sucralose...leaves out the back door, shall we say. Some bacteria are able to break the ring. If you have those bacteria in your gut, you will get some sugar, and thus calories, from sucralose. Those bacteria is also why some people report "digestive issues" after eating food with sucralose - the bacteria are thriving on the sucralose.

The main way artificial sweeteners can hurt is if you don't consume anything with calories. Let's say you drink a Diet Coke (aspartame). Your body detects the incoming sweet, and says "Hey, we're about to get a bunch of sugar. Go ahead and release some stored sugar into the bloodstream". Then you don't get the sugar, because aspartame isn't sugar. That causes you to feel hungry, as your body seeks to replace the released sugar. If you eat something along with that Diet Coke, you'll have received some sugars and not have this effect.

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It's Gotten Harder to Lose Weight- And Not for the Reasons You Think [View all] TygrBright Oct 2015 OP

K&R hedgehog Oct 2015 #1

The amount of sugars in our diets have changed our gut bacteria Marrah_G Oct 2015 #2

All bacteria thrives on sugar. It doesn't select "bad" bacteria. jeff47 Oct 2015 #11

Low carb changed my whole life. Great book..... Logical Oct 2015 #21

I am sick of hearing this �learned helplessness" PNW_Dem Oct 2015 #48

You seem to know it all so no need to comment! Nt Logical Oct 2015 #63

So glad you said this - because I needed more people telling me how lazy I am nadine_mn Oct 2015 #69

^^^^^^^ phylny Oct 2015 #95

People who don't use food as a drug have no idea what people with snagglepuss Oct 2015 #96

+1 laundry_queen Oct 2015 #98

Just put on a happy face. What the hell is wrong with you? Ed Suspicious Oct 2015 #102

We love and support you here. You are one of us a Democrat. classykaren Oct 2015 #117

Thank you so much - I needed that nadine_mn Oct 2015 #126

I notice PNW_DEM didn't bother to respond AndreaCG Oct 2015 #133

94 > 135 PNW_Dem Oct 2015 #136

Isn't there a yahoo newstory artislife Oct 2015 #88

I'm amused. phylny Oct 2015 #94

Bacteria does not cause obesity. Feron Oct 2015 #134

Keep up the fight PNW_Dem Oct 2015 #135

I know from changing the places and the things I eat that for poor Maraya1969 Oct 2015 #97

You sound like you would could find a soulmate in this lady. Ed Suspicious Oct 2015 #101

Sure. Again, a low-carb diet is easier to stay on. jeff47 Oct 2015 #55

I disagree, never hungry is the low carb! Thus no snacking. And carbs feed sugar issue. Nt Logical Oct 2015 #62

Never hungry = easier to stay on. (nt) jeff47 Oct 2015 #64

Nothing else ever worked including calorie restriction. So ther is more to it.... Logical Oct 2015 #68

Low carb is calorie restriction. "Counting carbohydrates" is a proxy for counting calories. jeff47 Oct 2015 #72

"Low carb is calorie restriction." Not necessarily, if you're eating more fats. n/t eShirl Oct 2015 #118

We will just need to disagree on this. Nt Logical Oct 2015 #121

You'd be surprised how many calories you can eat. ladyVet Oct 2015 #73

Not-carbs that include meat also include all the steroids that are causing ANGER ISSUES loudsue Oct 2015 #107

Yep. I'm with ya. emmadoggy Oct 2015 #108

What Emma said! It's useless to blame individual people because our whole culture Nay Oct 2015 #128

I think it's more complicated, especially when you throw metabolic issues into the mix such as Ed Suspicious Oct 2015 #103

In a week of giving up bread you feel so much better. classykaren Oct 2015 #116

There are differences in how our body uses fructose and glucose though Marrah_G Oct 2015 #35

Yes, but those are both carbohydrates jeff47 Oct 2015 #54

Sugar is definitely enemy #1 Cosmocat Oct 2015 #38

Sugar is definitely my crack nadine_mn Oct 2015 #66

Suggestion... Qutzupalotl Oct 2015 #78

Thank you for such a thoughtful and helpful response nadine_mn Oct 2015 #82

I've gone on the one-cheat-a-week plan. backscatter712 Oct 2015 #87

Beans! Not the BPA-canned kind, but the kind you cook yourself. Beans with butter. Yum! valerief Oct 2015 #125

mmm beans nadine_mn Oct 2015 #127

I like this idea so much. I'm going to give it a try for a while. Ed Suspicious Oct 2015 #104

Thank you this is very similar to the carb addicts diet classykaren Oct 2015 #119

Oh, me too! emmadoggy Oct 2015 #109

So have the antibiotics we take from time to time. They use them in animals' feed to fatten them up pnwmom Oct 2015 #76

I have taken multiple doses of antibiotics Lilyhoney Oct 2015 #86

Good luck! pnwmom Oct 2015 #105

That's also part of it laundry_queen Oct 2015 #99

Keep going, Marrah! I can't even walk down the cereal aisle anymore, it smells sugary gross! Dont call me Shirley Oct 2015 #80

Obesity rates have seemed to rise in correlation to the increasing amount of crap allowed in our Mnemosyne Oct 2015 #3

Because we have digestive tracts. jeff47 Oct 2015 #6

Thanks jeff47 for that information! haikugal Oct 2015 #34

The "no fat" foods of the 70s have not helped at all. Nt Logical Oct 2015 #19

You've got that right! get the red out Oct 2015 #29

I think it prevents the gas Demeter Oct 2015 #114

A bunch of speculation, which the Kuk made clear ... GeorgeGist Oct 2015 #4

so you discount all the research referenced in the article? are you okay with the "it's all your niyad Oct 2015 #8

She admits "the explanations are still only hypotheses" progressoid Oct 2015 #67

in the documentary "designing healthy communities", one of the points made was that the niyad Oct 2015 #5

+1.I read that people who live in suburbs are 6-10 lbs. heavier than folks in the city or country. appalachiablue Oct 2015 #41

let me know what you think when you have finished. niyad Oct 2015 #91

I agree with this whole heartedly. We live in the suburbs nadine_mn Oct 2015 #89

nothing silly about your last statement at all--that is one of the reasons that mall walk groups niyad Oct 2015 #93

Thank you. It's hard to live a healthy life, hard to find foods, avoid toxins... MindfulOne Oct 2015 #7

stress is a huge factor taught_me_patience Oct 2015 #9

Yes. a la izquierda Oct 2015 #49

A lot of people think "hormone problems" are just an excuse. Manifestor_of_Light Oct 2015 #10

Yep LittleGirl Oct 2015 #45

That's good! Manifestor_of_Light Oct 2015 #92

Yes LittleGirl Oct 2015 #113

Everyone seems to glanced over this phrase:(the explanations are still only hypotheses) Deadshot Oct 2015 #12

And, of course they compound the problem... Wounded Bear Oct 2015 #37

For the overwhelming majority of people, healthy eating and exercise is enough mythology Oct 2015 #13

Lean meats are pretty much just as good. I ate an apple, 4 chicken breasts, 2 buns, 2 pieces of MillennialDem Oct 2015 #30

everyone has a different metabolism. My husband had a heart attack 4 and half months ago so liberal_at_heart Oct 2015 #124

Calories in, calories out is a bunch of propaganda created by the food industry. Chakab Oct 2015 #14

Cutting carbs solved my weight issue! Nt Logical Oct 2015 #23

Works fast too! get the red out Oct 2015 #31

I was shocked by that. Compared to normal diets it was amazing. Nt Logical Oct 2015 #32

To me, protein makes me full rather than fat or sugar. MillennialDem Oct 2015 #24

No, actually your body does treat the calories the same jeff47 Oct 2015 #59

I think the "Industry" is to blame. Marketing and Buisness practices. MasonDreams Oct 2015 #15

Damn right! cheapdate Oct 2015 #52

When i stopped carbs and sweets it solved my weight problem. Nt Logical Oct 2015 #16

Huge amount of calories in the sugars and carbs. backscatter712 Oct 2015 #20

I run on diet dr pepper and i was able to lose 1/2 a pound a day for 2 months last year. I also MillennialDem Oct 2015 #25

me, too NJCher Oct 2015 #100

I won't say that calories is the only part of the equation. But it's a huge part. backscatter712 Oct 2015 #17

I've been avoiding PatSeg Oct 2015 #18

Make the base of your meals (60%) Vegatables. You will lose weight. WestCoastLib Oct 2015 #22

The one thing I noticed on Twitter is there seems to be a lot yuiyoshida Oct 2015 #26

Man made food is bad for the human body. Spitfire of ATJ Oct 2015 #27

To quote Spock - 3catwoman3 Oct 2015 #28

I've also been following some of the fitness and bodybuilding circles. backscatter712 Oct 2015 #33

A married couple (friends of mine) went gluten free and stayed with it.... C Moon Oct 2015 #36

I had to go gluten AND diary free LittleGirl Oct 2015 #47

Poverty hibbing Oct 2015 #39

And a lot of poor neighborhoods are food deserts. backscatter712 Oct 2015 #43

A load of pet theories here, my anecdote TexasProgresive Oct 2015 #40

This message was self-deleted by its author backscatter712 Oct 2015 #42

I have sport horses and agree, the differing metabolism is a huge factor riderinthestorm Oct 2015 #51

You made me remember about some friends' horses TexasProgresive Oct 2015 #58

Oo, oo, I have a similar story. EVERY TIME Mr Nay and I go on vacation, we lose Nay Oct 2015 #129

How about when the Nay's go on vacation stateside? TexasProgresive Oct 2015 #131

For most people, it's calories in - calories out Prism Oct 2015 #44

There's danger in floating conjecture which contradicts "calories in - calories out" Major Nikon Oct 2015 #84

Sigh... gcomeau Oct 2015 #46

Sigh... TygrBright Oct 2015 #61

It seems as though people are looking for ways to blame everything but themselves Deadshot Oct 2015 #65

Yes melman Oct 2015 #70

As a yo-yo dieter all my 59 years, I decided 5 years ago to change my life and my diet because I was Holly_Hobby Oct 2015 #50

Its not enough fiber, too much sugar, too much sitting. nt ErikJ Oct 2015 #53

Moderation is much easier to adhere to than dietary exclusion. <nt> AtomicKitten Oct 2015 #56

my mom and i always talk about how in india every once in a while you'll get some GI disease La Lioness Priyanka Oct 2015 #57

And, conversely, the antibiotics more readily available here contribute to weight gain. pnwmom Oct 2015 #75

Your assertion isn't found in your link Major Nikon Oct 2015 #90

I've been happier since I put on weight PasadenaTrudy Oct 2015 #60

This post makes me very sad. grossproffit Oct 2015 #123

I'm happy, you're sad...oh well! n/t PasadenaTrudy Oct 2015 #132

Pasadena, I've loved getting old for the same reason. nt Nay Oct 2015 #130

perhaps we should subsidize local fruits and veggies instead of corn? killbotfactory Oct 2015 #71

kick Blue_Tires Oct 2015 #74

I'm 91 and fit, and I will tell you how MosheFeingold Oct 2015 #77

Well you sound fitter than most persons malaise Oct 2015 #81

You've nailed it! Move more, eat less. Enjoy what you do, and when it starts creeping up, underahedgerow Oct 2015 #111

Sugar, artificial ingredients, pesticides, gmos, chemicals, lack of living organisms beneficial Dont call me Shirley Oct 2015 #79

Sure, because anyone who dares contradict pseudoscience nonsense Major Nikon Oct 2015 #85

I dropped about 20 pounds when madville Oct 2015 #83

Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2015 #106

Cost is what? Howmany jobs do you work? rpannier Oct 2015 #120

Another study chimes in about zalinda Oct 2015 #110

K&R!!!!!! burrowowl Oct 2015 #112

And the poor can not afford organic non-GMO food. classykaren Oct 2015 #115

I don't profess to know much about gut bacteria and such Trajan Oct 2015 #122