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by paulojreis 3425 days ago
"1. Calories in, calories out is the golden rule."

Yes, but I'd argue it's not a very helpful rule. As it has been said before, it's pretty much like saying that the golden rule to get rich is "money in vs. money out". Correct, but not very helpful.

2 comments

How is it unhelpful to be told what you need to do?

Are you saying you need more specifics?

If you want to improve your financial position, either earn more money (get a side job, take a higher paying job with more responsibility), or spend less money (buy beans and rice in bulk, prepare your own meals, sell your luxury car to get rid of the payments and drive a paid-for beater, take public transit and read a book on your commute instead of driving a car).

Similarly, to lose unhealthy weight, either reduce calories in (stop drinking sweet sodas and eating candy bars, order 500-800 calorie items from appetizer menus instead of 2000 calorie entrees) or increase calories out (exercise, take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk instead of ride, lift weights to improve resting calorie burning.)

But it's hard to come up with specifics that apply to everyone, since everyone is different. That's why we just say the general rule, instead of assuming people have an expensive car to sell or go through a 2 liter of Coke a day.

Sure, you're right. I just meant that the real challenge is how to skew (and keep) the balance in the direction you want, in a sustainable, significant and achievable fashion.
If you want the font on your webpage to be larger, change the pattern of magnetic data stored on your hard drive.

This is what you need to do. Do you need more specifics?

That is the worst analogy I think I've ever heard. A better analogy is, if you want more hard drive space, stop installing stuff and/or delete more stuff than you install.

This is not complicated. The calories are listed on everything you eat. Eat fewer of them until you start losing weight.

I've found it to be a very useful golden rule in my own life. I used it to lost about a hundred and fifty pounds.