• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

A Calorie is not a Calorie?

Guzzler

Guzzler

Master
Messages
10,577
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Poor grammar, bullying and drunks.

Kettles and Calories with Zoe Harcombe. About 40 mins from PHC.


Someone asked just recently how a unit of measurment could be 'wrong', I think it may have been @Diakat (sorry if it wasn't you).
 
Guzzler said:

Kettles and Calories with Zoe Harcombe. About 40 mins from PHC.


Someone asked just recently how a unit of measurment could be 'wrong', I think it may have been @Diakat (sorry if it wasn't you).
Click to expand...
It was me. Guilty as charged.
 
Diakat said:
It was me. Guilty as charged.
Click to expand...

I wanted to answer you at the time but I find it a difficult concept to explain properly so I jumped when this presentation popped up in my YouTube feed this morning. Enjoy!
 
Thank you for this, it was truly mind expanding. Lots for me to think about although the messages are pretty simple.
 
Included: Sam Feltham as an example of CICO (Psycho? Good one, Zoe). Insulin, glucagon and alcohol.
Why we do not disappear when in calorie deficit, BMR and why it does matter.
Not included: Where Dr. Harcombe bought that gorgeous dress (Yes, you can call me shallow :)).
 
Dr. Zoe Harcombe claimed to have no idea where the formula 1lb of fat = 3,500 Cals came from....

One pound equals 454 grams
Pure fat contains about 9 calories per gram
Body fat tissue is about 87% fat
454 x 9 x 0.87 = 3,554

I an not saying that the equivalence is true, just where the erroneous figure obviously came from.
 
Mr_Pot said:
Dr. Zoe Harcombe claimed to have no idea where the formula 1lb of fat = 3,500 Cals came from....

One pound equals 454 grams
Pure fat contains about 9 calories per gram
Body fat tissue is about 87% fat
454 x 9 x 0.87 = 3,554

I an not saying that the equivalence is true, just where the erroneous figure obviously came from.
Click to expand...

Dr. Harcombe addresses that very equation in her lecture on CICO previous to this one a couple of years ago. I think I may still have the lecture in my saved list if you would care to view that presentation, too?
Though I must add that this (current) presentation is better than the last one as she has added in the results of further research.
 
Guzzler said:
Dr. Harcombe addresses that very equation in her lecture on CICO previous to this one a couple of years ago. I think I may still have the lecture in my saved list if you would care to view that presentation, too?
Though I must add that this (current) presentation is better than the last one as she has added in the results of further research.
Click to expand...
So why did she say she had no idea where the figure came from and went through all the rigmarole of asking all the leading authorities?
 
Mr_Pot said:
So why did she say she had no idea where the figure came from and went through all the rigmarole of asking all the leading authorities?
Click to expand...

Because that is the point that she is making, no one knows who devised that equation (or when it raised its head).
 
It is obvious where it came from. The equation was used on my DESMOND course, so it's hardly a secret.
 
Mr_Pot said:
It is obvious where it came from. The equation was used on my DESMOND course, so it's hardly a secret.
Click to expand...

No one is saying it is a secret. If the origins were known then the formula and the way it was arrived at could be investigated at its roots, then it could be tested.
 
Guzzler said:
No one is saying it is a secret. If the origins were known then the formula and the way it was arrived at could be investigated at its roots, then it could be tested.
Click to expand...
It is arrived at by using the formula above. If you were to ask how many Calories in a pound of body fat, that is the answer you get. The mistake was to assume that taking in that amount of Calories would generate that amount of body fat.
 
Mr_Pot said:
It is arrived at by using the formula above. If you were to ask how many Calories in a pound of body fat, that is the answer you get. The mistake was to assume that taking in that amount of Calories would generate that amount of body fat.
Click to expand...

But as Zoe points out, you mention energy and then weight...
 
Guzzler said:
But as Zoe points out, you mention energy and then weight...
Click to expand...
She was talking about the weight that people put on by consuming a certain amount of calories is not equivalent, which I agree with. What is not disputed is that all substances have a calorific value and for fat that is 9 Cals/gram. From which the figure of 3,500 Cals/lb is calculated. This must have been obvious to Zoe Harcombe, the claim that she had no idea where it came from was just theatre.
 
Mr_Pot said:
She was talking about the weight that people put on by consuming a certain amount of calories is not equivalent, which I agree with. What is not disputed is that all substances have a calorific value and for fat that is 9 Cals/gram. From which the figure of 3,500 Cals/lb is calculated. This must have been obvious to Zoe Harcombe, the claim that she had no idea where it came from was just theatre.
Click to expand...
More disturbing surely is that none of the "experts" she asked could tell her either?
 
Mr_Pot said:
She was talking about the weight that people put on by consuming a certain amount of calories is not equivalent, which I agree with. What is not disputed is that all substances have a calorific value and for fat that is 9 Cals/gram. From which the figure of 3,500 Cals/lb is calculated. This must have been obvious to Zoe Harcombe, the claim that she had no idea where it came from was just theatre.
Click to expand...

Sometimes you just come across as contrary.
 
Back
Top