# Am I right to disagree with this Biggest Loser trivia question?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-disagree-with-this-biggest-loser-trivia-question/603083
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 16, 2011, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-disagree-with-this-biggest-loser-trivia-question/603083 "2011-11-16T01:47:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2011, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-disagree-with-this-biggest-loser-trivia-question/603083/1 "2011-11-16T01:47:42Z")
The question in question:
Which of the following food groups is the best source of energy?
A: Meats and Proteins
B: Fruits and Vegetables
C: Grains and Carbohydrates
D: Fats, Sugars, and Dairy
They said the answer was C and showed some contestants saying “Duh, you carb load before an athletic event!”
But I chose D. First off, fat has nine calories per gram while carbs only have four. Second, sugar _is_ a carbohydrate (C6H12O6, remember?). Third, dairy is mostly fat and sugar, so it’s naturally included in the category. Fourth, “sugary” food is usually simple sugar like candy and sucrose whereas “carb” food and grain is usually a complex carb which requires more energy to digest, “wasting” some of it. Finally, the human body stores energy as fat - if it didn’t prefer fat, it wouldn’t do that!
So if I’m starving and need to pack in some calories, I’d rather roast a boar than steam some rice. How could The Biggest Loser justify answer C?!
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### Author:  [@Nunavut\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunavut_Boy)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2011, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-disagree-with-this-biggest-loser-trivia-question/603083/2 "2011-11-16T01:56:21Z")
I would agree that answer D is the _densest_ calorie source. Simple carbs require the least transformation by the body to be usable, so are able to be used more quickly than fats that need to be broken down first. So, for certain values of ‘best’ answer C is correct.
It is a badly worded question regardless.
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-disagree-with-this-biggest-loser-trivia-question/603083/3 "2011-11-16T01:57:26Z")
They said “best” or “highest”? Do you have a clip?
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### Author:  [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-disagree-with-this-biggest-loser-trivia-question/603083/4 "2011-11-16T02:01:12Z")
I think the use of “best” makes the question inherently subjective.
(But, FWIW, I’ve never heard about athletes “Fat, Sugar, and Dairy” loading - except maybe on the Iditarod? - so I guess there’s some point to be made there.)
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### Author:  [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2011, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-disagree-with-this-biggest-loser-trivia-question/603083/5 "2011-11-16T02:11:13Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#):
>
> The question in question:
>
> Which of the following food groups is the best source of energy?
> A: Meats and Proteins
> B: Fruits and Vegetables
> C: Grains and Carbohydrates
> D: Fats, Sugars, and Dairy
>
> They said the answer was C and showed some contestants saying “Duh, you carb load before an athletic event!”
>
> But I chose D. First off, fat has nine calories per gram while carbs only have four. Second, sugar _is_ a carbohydrate (C6H12O6, remember?). Third, dairy is mostly fat and sugar, so it’s naturally included in the category. Fourth, “sugary” food is usually simple sugar like candy and sucrose whereas “carb” food and grain is usually a complex carb which requires more energy to digest, “wasting” some of it. Finally, the human body stores energy as fat - if it didn’t prefer fat, it wouldn’t do that!
>
> So if I’m starving and need to pack in some calories, I’d rather roast a boar than steam some rice. How could The Biggest Loser justify answer C?!
First of, fat is only burned as energy _after_ the body’s stored carbohydrate (muscle glycogen) is burned. So carbohydrate is _the_ preferred source of energy for the body. And sugar is good for short, quick bursts of energy (due to the sharp rise in blood sugar and insulin) but bad for any sort of sustained energy-requiring activity. So I would certainly say the answer is C.
ETA: the question wasn’t “which foods groups are most calorie dense”, that seems to be the question that the OP is answering.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-disagree-with-this-biggest-loser-trivia-question/603083/6 "2011-11-16T02:14:56Z")
I would have picked D, as well, for the reasons the OP stated. Piss-poor ambiguous quiz question.
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### Author:  [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2011, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-disagree-with-this-biggest-loser-trivia-question/603083/7 "2011-11-16T02:59:01Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#):
>
> First of, fat is only burned as energy _after_ the body’s stored carbohydrate (muscle glycogen) is burned.
Aren’t you confusing body fat with ingested fat?
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### Author:  [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2011, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-disagree-with-this-biggest-loser-trivia-question/603083/8 "2011-11-16T03:02:19Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> I would have picked D, as well, for the reasons the OP stated. Piss-poor ambiguous quiz question.
You guys must be pretty bad test takers. Didn’t you go to school? The “right” answer is always the one that the test-giver is looking for, not necessarily the objectively correct one. 😛
And given the nature of the program (it’s about people losing weight), choice “D” is the easiest one to eliminate right off the bat.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2011, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-disagree-with-this-biggest-loser-trivia-question/603083/9 "2011-11-16T03:18:23Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#):
>
> You guys must be pretty bad test takers. Didn’t you go to school? The “right” answer is always the one that the test-giver is looking for, not necessarily the objectively correct one. 😛
Sure. I’m actually a very good test taker, but I’m not familiar with this show, so I’m just going for what seems the most right to me. My feeling on this question was that it was one of those questions where the other answers are the more obvious ones and, surprise, it’s really fat, sugars, and dairy (which people think of as being “bad”) that is the “best” source of energy! Sounded like a gotcha question to me. And the thing is, objectively, I do believe “D” is correct. Or at least highly defensible. I equivocate “energy” with “calories.” I mean, calories _are_ units of energy.
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### Author:  [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2011, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-disagree-with-this-biggest-loser-trivia-question/603083/10 "2011-11-16T04:30:22Z")
> [@Princhester](#):
>
> Aren’t you confusing body fat with ingested fat?
..
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### Author:  [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2011, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-disagree-with-this-biggest-loser-trivia-question/603083/11 "2011-11-16T04:39:47Z")
Missed the edit window. Actually; yes, I am.
[http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=why%20are%20carbhydrates%20better%20than%20fats%20for%20energy%3F&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCcQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdl.clackamas.edu%2Fch106-07%2Fcarbohyd1.htm&ei=pj3DTrS5J8jcggemqLTPDw&usg=AFQjCNG3xwRpwfTXQkVieO0oDneGnybF3Q](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=why%20are%20carbhydrates%20better%20than%20fats%20for%20energy%3F&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCcQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdl.clackamas.edu%2Fch106-07%2Fcarbohyd1.htm&ei=pj3DTrS5J8jcggemqLTPDw&usg=AFQjCNG3xwRpwfTXQkVieO0oDneGnybF3Q)
The actual reason why carbohydrates are preferred over fats as far as energy has everything to do with speed of use.
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### Author:  [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2011, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-disagree-with-this-biggest-loser-trivia-question/603083/12 "2011-11-16T05:12:45Z")
You guys know it’s not a game show, right?
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2011, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-disagree-with-this-biggest-loser-trivia-question/603083/13 "2011-11-16T12:28:14Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#):
>
> You guys know it’s not a game show, right?
There’s really little difference between a reality show with a competition and a game show, especially when they start asking trivia questions and presenting games they get points for, like this one does.
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### Author:  [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2011, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-disagree-with-this-biggest-loser-trivia-question/603083/14 "2011-11-17T15:11:03Z")
> [@Mikeoutdoorsman](#):
>
> If there talking health wise for an over weight person who has enough fat content on there body, then yeah carbohydrates probably would be.
But if you take into account who the contestants are and what they’re doing, then the answer would be “E. Water”, by the argument that you need water to exercise and it doesn’t have any calories, so it’s awesome for weight loss. I can’t imagine getting away with claiming that the “best source of energy” means choosing the one with the least energy in it.
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-disagree-with-this-biggest-loser-trivia-question/603083/15 "2011-11-17T15:57:40Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#):
>
> You guys know it’s not a game show, right?
I’ve never seen the show, but wouldn’t that moment be a game show moment within it?