Challege to conventional kcals in = kcals out

[Guest guest]

Have you ever worked with a client who should have have lost more weight

following your exercise/diet interventions?

I am looking for RD reaction to this recent Zoe Harcombe slide show; Calories,

Energy Balance, Thermodynamics, and Weight loss.

She is an obesity researcher who along with Toubes, states that " kcals in =

kcals out " theory is not valid in humans. According to Zoe, human metabolism

doesn't follow the laws of thermodynamics because human metabolism is not a

closed system (required condition for 1st law of thermodynamics) and is not in

equilibrium (required condition for the 2nd law of thermodynamics).

Her slides and her online presentation if you view it, blast holes in the

mathematically predicted wt loss equations.

http://theharcombedietclub.co.uk/assets/downloads/pdfs/Premier-Fitness-Presentat\

ion-201105.pdf

www.zoeharcombe.com

Osowski MS, RD, LD

Registered Dietitian

[Guest guest]

Just skimmed the slides:

Of course we don't live in a closed system. Our recommendations are based on

averages and " your mileage may vary " is a common theme when it comes to human

nutrition & weight management. No one diet fits all, no one exercise program

fits all; but in the grand scheme you still have to burn more energy than you

consume in order to lose weight - if you can keep your engine running (i.e.

starvation shuts it down).

So we start with a guideline of 3500 kcal deficit needed to lose a lb of fat and

adjust based on individual response.  Weight loss in a human body will often

include fluid shift (up and down) AND changes in body composition if muscle mass

is increased. 

So many variables - our 'engines' do not select only one source of our energy

(comes from fats, carbs & protein). And the biggest variable of all is

individual metabolism that adjust itself to diet, activity, environmental

influences (incl. is it hot or cold weather?). We also know that people who

self-report diet & exercise are not always accurate. Two people doing the same

workout burn different amounts of calories but the exercise 'machines' don't

take that into account.  The only way to know for sure is an enclosed space

that

measures heat (calorie) output calorimetry and that doesn't represent real

world.

A  " pound " of body fat includes fluid in the weight so that calculation may

have

some flaws.

I notice she doesn't think much about dietitians (and part of her reasoning is

the corporate sponsorship).

She appears to be a nutritionist who blames the government for giving out bad

advice when the vast majority of people (both in the UK and the US) don't follow

Dietary Guidelines in the first place - so how can you blame the Pyramid, etc

for obesity epidemic.

Agree very much about eating " real " foods and eliminating

processed/non-nutritional foods.

Instead of being so negative, I wish she would be POSITIVE in her message.

 

Holly

----------

Holly Lee Brewer, MS RD CDE

Pediatric Dietitian, Diabetes Educator

Medical Nutrition Therapist, Las Vegas, NV

Maj Holly Brewer, USAFR BSC http://hollyinbalad.blogspot.com

301st MDS, NAS JRB Fort Worth (Carswell), TX

Joint Base Balad, Iraq (Jan-Jul 2009)

________________________________

To: SN ; CVandWellness ; rd-usa

Sent: Tue, May 31, 2011 1:31:19 PM

Subject: Challege to conventional kcals in = kcals out

Have you ever worked with a client who should have have lost more weight

following your exercise/diet interventions?

I am looking for RD reaction to this recent Zoe Harcombe slide show; Calories,

Energy Balance, Thermodynamics, and Weight loss.

She is an obesity researcher who along with Toubes, states that " kcals in =

kcals out " theory is not valid in humans. According to Zoe, human metabolism

doesn't follow the laws of thermodynamics because human metabolism is not a

closed system (required condition for 1st law of thermodynamics) and is not in

equilibrium (required condition for the 2nd law of thermodynamics).

Her slides and her online presentation if you view it, blast holes in the

mathematically predicted wt loss equations.

http://theharcombedietclub.co.uk/assets/downloads/pdfs/Premier-Fitness-Presentat\

ion-201105.pdf

www.zoeharcombe.com

Osowski MS, RD, LD

Registered Dietitian