The Ice Diet

[Superman]

Guys, I'm curious. For example, I want to know why the sky is blue. And a bunch of other stuff. But here's one you can perhaps help me with.

I assume a "calorie" as printed on food packaging means the same as a "calorie" in the sense of heat energy. That is, I assume a serving with 150 calories will produce, in our bodies, 150 calories of heat energy.

A calorie is the heat energy required to raise one gram of water one degree celsius. In an amazing twist of physics, it takes something like 800 calories to change a gram of ice at 0 degrees Celsius to a gram of liquid water at 0 degrees Celsius.

So, do you guys see this coming? What if a dieter were to suck on ice. A cube of ice must be several grams, and if each gram burns 800 calories..........

Help me out here. In truth, at 165 lbs and being actively and voraciously hungry always for the richest and most decadent food, I really don't seem to have a problem burning calories without sucking ice cubes.

[IanW505]

Not that i really paid attention during physics or chemistry classes, but aren't there 2 different types of calories? one is spelled with a capitol C if i remember, the other is a lowercase.

"The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit of water, at or near the temperature of maximum density, one degree Celsius (or Centigrade [C]); expressed as a "small calorie" (the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water one degree C), or as a "large calorie" or "kilogram calorie" (the amount of heat required to raise one kilogram [1,000 grams] of water one degree C); capitalization of the word calorie indicates a kilogram-calorie. "

-Ian

[djmcmath]

Sure -- the only diff between calories and Calories is that Calories are really Kilo-calories.

Either way, sucking on ice will consume calories, but very slowly. Let's say your average daily diet is 2500C (or Kc, whatever), and you need to burn an extra 500-1000C (or Kc) in order to maintain a good steady weight loss. Assuming you do no workout, do not alter your diet in any other way, etc., you'd need to consume 625-1250g of ice, which is (wait for it) about a liter of water, give or take.

So if you daily took down about a quart of ice, you'd dump like 800C, which would be nice. It may not seem like much, but I'll bet that's a bunch after you've actually done the deed. Alternately (and people who live in cold climates can attest to this), you can spend time outside in the cold, inadequately bundled. Your body will compensate by generating more heat ... or coming down with hypothermia, if you push this weight loss method too aggressively.

Anybody want to do the experiment? How painful is it to take down a quart of ice?

Dan

[vash]

oh, man my head now hurts. i dont think a calorie can be converted to anything that resembles our metabolism. eating ice simply removes body heat, that is how it melts. so your freezeyourassoff. but isnt that different from us runningourassoff?

ice and water both contain the same amount of calories, zero.

[Superman]

Sounds like it's still just possible that sucking on ice cubes during the day may help burn calories. Hey, if one of you guys markets this idea and makes as much money as Dr. Atkins, I'll expect royalties.

[vash]

does a person loose more weight in the summer or winter? assuming the same diet and physical activity. summer waterpolo guys dont count.

supe, if you get rich selling ice to fat people, dont forget little ole me down in san fran. yay.

[djmcmath]

Ice has no calories, sure, but it does require some input of energy to keep your body warm (or at least your mouth) if you're intent on eating ice. Where does that heat come from? Well, from the burning of calories, of course.

FWIW, I noted weight loss in winters, when I was growing up. Not usually significant, but usually there. I've heard that if you turn down the temp 2-5F in winter, you can lose a couple of pounds from the extra heat required to keep warm. I usually eat more when I'm cold. It all fits together for me ...

Now the trick is to say "You too can lose weight on Dan's new 'Freeze-yer-donkey-off' diet" in 250 pages with nifty little pictures and classy cover art. I swear if I do it and sell a million copies I'll donate heavily to Pelican.


Dan

[Superman]

Knowing consumers as I do, I would think this would work.

And yes, in the winter we eat more. But in the summer, days are longer and we sleep less. I notice that one way to get fat is to drink a lot of pop. Which is why pop machines in schools is such a controversy. But of course, we would not want to curtain some potential profits for the soft drink biggies just because of concerns about the health of our children. Anyway, I think TV people to gain weight also. What a mystery that is.

Hey, televisions all have remote controls now. When the remote is on the blink, watching TV is not worth the effort to get up and change the channels. We have garage door openers to save us that effort. Imagine the effect a little inconvenience would have on us. A family garden would require work, and probably participation by everyone. Getting and splitting firewood. Imagine if we hardly watched any TV, and room temperature was not much of an issue because we're moving all the time and warm because of that. That's what I find. I get cold in the winter when I sit down. Plenty warm while moving. 55 degrees is just about the perfect temperature. I'm serious.

[djmcmath]

What we really need to do is go back to wood stoves. You have to cut down a tree, haul it back to the house, chop it into smaller pieces, then stack it -- all before you can even officially being taking useful energy from the wood! Imagine trying to find time in your hectic schedule of wood-gathering to watch TV! Yessirree, we'd all lose a lot more weight if we went back a few years ...

Dan

[turbo6bar]

Originally posted by Superman
But of course, we would not want to curtain some potential profits for the soft drink biggies just because of concerns about the health of our children. Anyway, I think TV people to gain weight also. What a mystery that is.

Hey, televisions all have remote controls now.

So when Coke/Pepsi are making people fat, it's the fault of the corporation, but when TVs make people fat it's the couch potatoes fault? I had to drink water when I went to school. I got enough milk at home, and my parents wouldn't give me any money to buy any drinks. I blame my parents for being 6' 155 lbs.

I've heard guys who work outside in Alaska have to eat huge meals. Each time you breath in the cold air, the body must work extra hard to warm the air.

A college roommate advised me to not eat ice or have drinks with lots of ice. He claims the cold temps will cause microstrains or microcracks in the teeth. Beats me if this is true. jurgen

[cstreit]

From what I remember a single cubic centimeter ice cube eaten would consume one calorie. However this is not a "food package calorie" which is better explained above as a kilo-calorie.

So in order to lose 100 calories, you'd have to eat 10,000 cubic centimeter ice cubes... You'd be better off sitting in the basement freezer.

[Aurel]

Er, I think 100*1,000 = 100,000 cubic centimeters, that is 100 liters...

Aurel

[id10t]

djmcmath is on the money. The only "diet" that really worked for me in the past (and now I've got wife and kids, so it won't be easy doing it again) is to go on a 2 week long camping trip. Not too much hiking, but just the activity of chopping wood, etc. burns *tons* of calories. Last time I did it, I lost 20lbs of fat in the 2 weeks, and gained quite a bit of muscle definitions, etc. Taking a 4 year old and a 6 month old to the woods for that amount of time is unlikely though...