Any suggestions on alternatives?

[Steve]

Hey Steve, thanks for the welcome.

Check out johnberardi.com for some references. With regards to breakfast, if you look at the some of the research done you see that the tendencies of people who don't eat breakfast are to overeat throughout the remainder of the day, hence leading to weight gain. That's one possibility. They've also stated that the types of food eaten for breakfast may play a role as well.

However, if you browse the site above I believe he references a study where they kept the calories/nutrients etc. the same, but instead of eating late in the evening they ate breakfast instead. With all else being equal, the change resulted in weight loss.

I'm very aware of JBs stuff.

I'm more a fan of Lyle McDonald's when it comes to nutrition researchers to be honest. He tends to be more truthful and unbiased with the research from my experience.

As far as the calorie is not a calorie, here was my train of thought on that...

If you consume 2000 calories/day and it all comes from fat it will not have the same effect as consuming 2000 calories/day that all comes from protein. If it did, then it wouldn't matter how much protein, carbs, or fat you consumed on a daily basis as long as you took in the same number of calories.

Calories are always calories.

However, the available energy provided by each macronutrient is different. Even within macronutrients, the energy they provide per gram is differnet. A short chain fatty acid provides different energy to a long chain fatty acid.
Per gram one amino acid will provide different energy to another amino acid.

But 1 calorie is always 1 calorie.

The difference is the nutrients, which you obviously know. But when you say not all calories are equal, you are wrong.

 

[CAndersonCSCS]

Yeah, I know what you're saying Steve. In the literal definition of a calorie, saying that 1 calorie is not the same as 1 calorie is wrong no matter where the calorie comes from...same as 2 miles is 2 miles. But 2 miles of uphill running is far different than 2 miles of downhill running. That's the only point I'm trying to make.

In other words, the composition of the calories matters.

Nonetheless, I understand what you're saying and you understand what I'm saying...no reason to beat a dead horse.