HA! It's official. A calorie is NOT a calorie.

[mistertrickster]

". . . it doesn’t get any bigger than this,” said Karen Miller-Kovach, the chief scientific officer for Weight Watchers International. “Fifteen years ago we said a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. If you ate 100 calories of butter or 100 calories of chicken, it was all the same. Now, we know that is not the case, in terms of how hard the body has to work to make that energy available. And even more important is that where that energy comes from affects feelings of hunger and fullness.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/04/nyregion/04watchers.html?_r=1&hp

File that in the "damn, I knew it!" drawer.

(edited to include link)

[XemaSab]

1. How interesting!

:thumbsup:

[hobbit709]

2. But the calories in chocolate don't count.

[laconicsax]

3. That's because they're not real calories.

Same with bacon.

[msanthrope]

4. Nor birthday cake, since the act of cutting it makes the calories fly out. n/t

[PeaceNikki]

5. I am on the new program it was just introduced this week.

The new Points Plus calculations don't even factor in calories. It's a calculation that factors in fat, fiber, carbs, and protein. Carbs now calculate to be high hitting points and all fresh fruits are zero points.

It's interesting.

[boppers]

6. Well, not quite.

A calorie is still a calorie, it's a scientific measurement, what WW is realizing that not all calories in a given food are absorbed, and that the process itself is calorie intensive... the human body is an incredibly inefficient food processing system.

edit: add comma

[taught_me_patience]

7. The law of thermodynamics is still the law of thermodynamics, though

less calories in than calories burned = weight loss.

[Obamanaut]

9. You will not gain popularity saying things like that. nt

[Vickers]

8. Any diabetic (or parent of a diabetic) could've told you this. n/t

[quaker bill]

12. yup

On the low GI diet and under control.

[NuclearDem]

10. Calories are not calories when they're ajar

Oh wait, wrong joke :crazy:

[stray cat]

11. At least if you are an adherent of weight watchers new point system

[Lucian]

13. The whole point system is pointless.

If you want to lose weight, you have to consume less calories than you burn while exercising. It's really that simple.

[BadgerKid]

14. Thanks, but nothing new. See: thermal effect of food.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermic_effect_of_food