All calories are the equal! ... or not quite?

Ever notice how once people get that counting calories, proteins, fats, and carbs is key, they start echoing this "profound" thought that not all calories are created equal?

So, we're counting calories, proteins, fats, and carbs, but still can't lose weight. Then, they bombard experts with questions like, "Maybe I should cut carbs, especially at night?"

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Let's break down the basics again with some cool examples.

First off, some basic truths:

Now, let's dive into some wild weight loss stories.

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1. Beer and Sausages Diet

It sounds like Oktoberfest, but nope. In 2013, American traveler and blogger Evo Terra made waves by dropping from 87.8 to 79.7 kg (over 8 kg) eating just sausages and beer, and even wrote a book about it.

Here's the catch: He limited himself to 1500 calories a day with classic fatty (fast-food-style) sausages and tried about 200 beer types in 30 days.

Health-wise? Questionable.

Macro-wise? Terrible keto plus carbs from beer.

Micro-wise? Clearly lacking.

But calorie deficit, as always, worked.

He enjoyed his diet with favorite foods, and his blood cholesterol dropped by 30%.

Again showing obesity itself is more harmful than a diet of "sinfully fatty, non-kosher, non-halal, anti-health, and heavily processed sausages."

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2. The Subway Diet

Another tale. American Jared Fogle lost weight eating solely at fast-food chain Subway.

Taking his words (and his book "Jared, the Subway Guy: Winning Through Losing: 13 Lessons for Turning Your Life Around") with a grain of salt, he started at 425 pounds (about 190 kg) and lost 110 in less than a year.

His success became known in 1999, and by 2000, Subway made him their spokesperson for 15 years.

His diet? A 15 cm turkey sub for lunch and a 30 cm veggie sub for dinner, both without cheese and mayo.

The first had 290 calories and 4g fat, the second 460 calories and 4.5g fat.

We can debate his choices, but bottom line: a 750-calorie daily limit would make anyone skinny.

Was it a good or healthy diet? Doubtful.

Effective? Absolutely.

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Truth be told, we're skeptical he stuck to just two sandwiches a day. Ultra-low-calorie diets work in controlled environments, not in real life.

Those who claim to "live on 800 calories a day and not lose weight" are either not really on 800 calories or can't maintain it for long.

However, Subway does have some decent options, like the "Chicken Teriyaki" sub for meeting protein needs without going overboard on fat and calories, especially if you skip the high-calorie sauces.

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What's the takeaway from these stories (and there are many)?

The law of energy conservation still applies. A calorie is always a calorie. A calorie deficit always leads to weight loss.

Of course, the question remains: how to lose weight without losing muscle mass or health?

Stay tuned for our next posts to dive into that!