Stop Counting Calories

STOP COUNTING CALORIES

Too many approach health with the attitude of “you’re healthy as long as you’re not sick”. Our approach is different. It includes “what’s optimal?”. Calories play a part in the picture but to say a calorie is a calorie when ingested into the human body is short sighted to say the least. There are so many other factors that influence weight loss and overall health. In the beginning of your fitness journey, counting calories is really not needed to achieve the desired outcome. We have trained countless clients and transformed countless physiques, all without counting a single calorie. 

We make nutrition far more complicated than it has to be. Intermittent fasting, Ketogenic diets, Low carb, Low calorie, Mediterranean, etc…Our experience is that those who count calories rarely achieve LONG term progress. It can lead to fad dieting and eating disorders as well as low energy and malnourishment. We feel the real issue is food selection, meal prep and proper planning. I challenge you all to only eat foods that were hunted, fished, gathered or plucked. Chart your calories and go hog wild all day long. I’m willing to bet that most of you will be under 2,000 calories for the day.

To paraphrase Jonny Bowden, if you can succeed at eating things that are hunted, fished, gathered and plucked instead of processed junk, and are inspired enough to do it for two months, you will have changed your physique without the need to count calories. 

Is a calorie really a calorie?

No, absolutely not. Sometime between 1890 and 1900, Wilbur O. Atwater, an agricultural chemist, came up with the idea to measure foods using a calorimeter. Think of a calorimeter as an oven. In order to objectively measure the amount of energy in specific foods, Wilbut placed different foods into an oven, turning them to ash. He then measured the amount of heat produced, which in turn denoted the specific caloric value of each food. 

What he found was that fats have 9 calories, carbohydrates have 5 calories and proteins have 4 calories. While the calorimeter did measure the energy in the foods, what it failed to take into account is how the human digestive system works and how hormones are switched on and off by the foods we eat. 

Please understand this…Our bodies are chemical machines.

We don’t just heat up the food in our body like an oven. The notion is ludicrous after you consider all we know about enzymes and hormones today. How is it that we can still accept the theory of ‘calories that go in need to be in harmony with calories that go out?’. If we want to succeed at our weight loss and body transformation endeavors, we have to look deeper. We have to look at hormones. The personal training and nutritional consulting experts at Body By Choice know firsthand that, long term, this approach will cause weight gain, lower your immunity and decrease life expectancy. 

Weight loss is more about how macronutrients produce different hormonal responses, which directly influence our metabolic rate and whether the body is in fat storing or burning mode. Also, the thermic effect of food varies greatly. For example, our bodies use more calories when digesting a meal of animal protein and green vegetables than it does with processed foods. 

A low calorie diet will eventually cause weight gain because our bodies need something to burn for energy. When we deprive our body of nutrients it will burn muscle and use it for energy. This will cause havoc on our health and overall well-being. Research has pointed out that muscle mass dictates our immunity, life expectancy and our resting metabolic rate. Most people undereat to lose weight but the reality is that you should never be hungry in any weight loss nutrition plan. Do not starve yourself!

Eating carbohydrates constantly drives up insulin production in the body which may lead to insulin resistance. Chronically elevated insulin levels make the cells resistant to insulin, which drive up levels of the stress hormone cortisol, causing cellular aging. This combination produces fat gain and diabetes. Strive to eat proteins and smart fats such as coconut milk, nuts, ghee, olives, avocados and olive based oils. The protein will be used to restore tissue and build lean mass, while the fats will be used to strengthen cellular lipid layers to improve insulin sensitivity, restore brain health and build hormones – such as testosterone. 

For optimal body composition, keep the following in mind:

• A protein calorie is not the same as a carbohydrate calorie. 
• The thermic effect of macronutrients varies just as the thermic effect of processed foods is much less than whole foods. 
• Macronutrient ratios will determine hormone response. 
• Save your carbohydrates for later in the day or post workout. Eat more low glycemic foods such as thin-skinned fruit. 
• The key to weight loss is controlling insulin and managing cortisol.

It is safe to say that Americans are very unhealthy. Initially, forget the stress of calorie counting and focus on discipline and make the hard decision to choose the chicken and rice instead of the grilled cheese and tater tots. Only after you hit a plateau in your goals do we start looking at caloric expenditure. First, you must earn the right to chart calories by mastering habitual nutrition. 

By eating whole foods and avoiding processed foods, you will notice a big difference in the way you feel and your ability to train. Take some time and make a personal plan for how you are going to get and stay healthy for life, not just the New Year!