Which one matters more when you’re trying to lose weight? Â The basic argument for quantity being more important goes something like this: Calories expended need to exceed calories consumed in order for one to lose weight. In order to maintain weight, calories in must equal calories out. It’s hard to argue the math.
But who wants to keep counting calories? Eventually, dieters stop counting or end their diet when they reach their target weight. Those who strive to prove that quality is better, agree that counting calories will work – in the short run. A dieter may be able to lose 15 lbs. in two months successfully, simply by limiting overall caloric intake, but six to nine months after the diet has ended, the majority of dieters will find that all of the weight once lost is now regained. Supporters of quality believe that a complete lifestyle change is necessary to lose weight and maintain that new weight.
Have you heard of the Twinkie diet? Mark Haub, a nutrition professor, no less, from Kansas State University, decided to see if he could lose weight by limiting himself to a diet of Twinkies and other heavily processed foods (such as powdered donuts) for several weeks. He did take a daily multivitamin and consumed the occasional vegetable in front of his children to “set a good example.” Six weeks into the diet, he had lost 19 pounds. He decided to continue the diet until he had shed a total of 27 pounds, a difference that brought him from technically obese to “normal.” But a diet like that can’t be healthy, right? It’s full of fats and simple sugars. A surprising result of Haub’s experiment was that his “bad” cholesterol levels went down and his good cholesterol went up. So does that mean we should all try the Twinkie diet?
Not so fast, say the quality calorie promoters. Of course his cholesterol levels would improve if he lost so much weight, but they would have improved even more if he had lost the weight while eating more healthful foods. There has been far too little research on the subject; one man’s successful diet should not be applied to the world. There needs to be research done on the potential long-term effects (e.g. cancer) of eating copious amounts of processed foods. It would be beneficial if Haub (and others) would conduct a similar “experiment” that involved a restricted diet of “healthy” foods rather than Twinkies. Then, we would have some reference points with which we could compare the Twinkie diet data.
There’s no clear-cut winner. Restricting caloric intake will certainly help one lose weight, but is not an idealistic long term solution.
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