[woqe]

> And the idea that fat = calories in - calories burned is a simplistic view that no serious nutritionist on either side of the debate believes.

I want to preface this comment by saying I am not attempting to be rude or combative, I am genuinely curious.

If a calorie is a measure of energy contained in food, and food is the only source of energy for a body, and one mechanism by which the body uses that energy is to store fat, then a positive change in fat matter stored can maximally be the value of calorie intake converted to mass (in some discrete time).

Or, a positive change in fat stored (mass) <= calories in (again, in some discrete time).

Is this still too simplistic?

[christophilus]

I think that saying: "A calorie is a calorie" is too simplistic because it's never just calories vs calories. 1000 calories of bananas comes with a lot of other content vs 1000 calories of ice cream. You get a lot of different nutrients, you get a lot of fiber, etc. The holistic combination of things you get in unrefined foods makes an impact on how your body processes and stores calories.

[Edit: I hope it's clear that I don't advocate eating 1000 calories of any one food. :)]