Item — HN Reader

>>Whether or not the raw numbers correspond 1:1 to actual calories doesn't really matter. What matters is that you adjust your caloric intake based on whether you are gaining or losing weight, and which direction you need to be moving in. Even though the relative amounts aren't necessarily exactly correct, it gives you a basis for adjustment.

But that's the point: you cannot make accurate adjustments unless you also keep track of the type of food you eat (cooked, processed, raw, etc.). Because you have no way of knowing whether you gained weight due to taking too many calories, or because the food you ate last week was processed and cooked.

2 comments

That's one of the reasons that people who make modulating their body composition a key priority (bodybuilders) often stick to very consistent diets. By not varying the type, quality, and preparation of the food, they can modulate quantity for desired effects (bulking, cutting).

Yep, my diet is ridiculously consistent. I cook my food in bulk (saves time and money), drink lots of protein shakes, and when I eat out I usually order the same foods. My typical weekly meal list probably contains fewer than ten items that I switch around. Most of the variety comes from experimenting with new zero-calorie ingredients like condiments (e.g. cinnamon) and salt/pepper.

It adds noise, but you compensate for that noise as you go. If the noise causes you to take in too many calories one week and gain weight, then you can make that up by reducing your calories the next week. If you lose weight too quickly, you can increase your intake. As long as the calorie estimates are within a reasonable range of the real value, it shouldn't matter much in the long run.