Fitness Link Blog

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Every day people count the number of calories they are consuming. Their goal is usually to consume fewer and fewer calories, because they have been told that this equals weight loss. This approach, however, never has nor ever will be the key to true weight loss. In fact, lowering your calories can be one of the most dangerous things you do.

The discovery of the calorie did not occur until the late 1800s. And restricting them did not become a practice until around the 1930s. This discovery has been both a blessing and a curse. Calories make it easy to track food intake – making it a simple math equation. But to the body, not all calories are created equally.

The body counts Nutrients not calories

One of the biggest problems with calorie counting is that it takes the focus away from food and puts it on a number. This method leaves people more concerned about the numbers rather than what foods they eat. For example, an apple and a container of Jell-O might both be worth 85 calories. Or 3 eggs and a bag of potato chips are both worth 160 calories.

These foods are not created equally. Their nutrient values are completely different. Just because 2 foods have the same weight or volume does not mean they are interchangeable. They are so far apart, in fact, that your body will actually lose fat eating apples and eggs but gain fat with the others. It’s like trying to run your car on a gallon of Pepsi. Even though a gallon of gas and a gallon of Pepsi might weigh the same, the car obviously can’t run on soda. Don’t expect your body to!

Your body needs nutrient-dense foods. If you eat food that is deficient in nutrients, your body is forced to strip from its own inventory to allow digestion and utilization of that food. This leaves your body further depleted of nutrients and pushes it into starvation mode. Thinking that there’s a famine, your body quickly stores fat as a safety precaution and prays for you to eat more nutrient dense foods soon.

Thermodynamics

Poor quality food also does not produce the same amount of energy as high quality food. And with less energy being produced, the body’s natural reaction is to slow down its energy expenditure. Your body doesn’t have a slow metabolism because of your “bad” genes, or because it hates you. It’s simply trying to survive by working with the little resources it was given. No other machinery on earth is as adaptable and equipped with such self-preservation abilities as the human body.

The assumption that all calories (regardless of their origin) break down into energy the same way in all people, all over the world, and in all circumstances is simply ignorant and lazy. Metabolic reactions in each person can be as widely diverse as the languages we speak or the color of our skin. No two people look alike, and likewise, no two cells produce energy exactly the same way. This is yet another reason why our food choices should be based on our body’s need and not merely on the number of calories.

Other considerations

There are many other conditions that have a much greater effect on weight loss than counting calories. These can include:

• The digestive and excretory systems – their effect on immune function, energy levels, mood, toxicity and weight loss.
• Blood sugar levels
• Hormonal balance
• Thyroid function
• Stress and sleep

Conclusion

Focusing on calorie count for weight loss is as enlightening as reading book titles but not the pages. A book title tells you one thing, the content inside tells you another. And still your individual interpretation of the book leaves you with your personal result.

Counting calories may be an “easy” way for some people who are trying to eat healthy. But not only can it be dangerous, it’s insufficient at best. If you want true results, you must learn to feed your body plenty of what it needs.

Please note: Those consuming excessive calories (8000-10000 a day for example) would still benefit from lowering their caloric intake to a more reasonable level. In this case, tracking calories would be helpful until proper nutrition is reached. Any calorie restriction diet should be done under the care of a health professional.

3 Action steps YOU Can Take

1. Eat high quality, nutrient-dense foods.
2. Avoid processed and refined foods that are nutrient deficient.
3. Eat for your Metabolic Type

Do you eat less than 2000 calories a day?  Do you struggle with weight loss?

If you would like help determining how much food and specifically what food you should be eating – contact me!

First time consultations are free. Call or e-mail today:

Jmartin@TnFitnessLink.com

(615) 477-6502

Jonathan Martin