The Case Against Calorie Counting

I've just come out of a team meeting where we were discussing the fallacies surrounding calorie counting and why it's so ingrained into people's mindsets that fewer is better.

For years the general consensus has been that put less in and you'll put less on but there's so many other factors surrounding weight gain that have been completely ignored.

Yes, it would make sense that if you expend more than you consume you will be in calorie deficit, thus losing weight, however consider the following factors:

Thermic environment

Cold environments tell us to slow down our metabolism in order to conserve energy to keep us warm. Even if you are eating fewer calories your body will think "winter" and go into hibernation mode to keep you insulated. Therefore if your working environment is too cold, you could be contributing to your fat storage!

By contrast, have you ever noticed that you eat less in the heat? This is your brain telling your body that you have enough heat to carry on normal internal functions, so you don't need so much fat to insulate yourself.

Muscle:Fat ratio

Did you know that muscle burns fat?

Yep, that's right. So makes sense that the more muscle you have the less fat you carry right?

So imagine two identical twins, the same in every way except one is 12 stone of mostly fat and the other works out regularly and is 12 stone of mostly muscle. They both eat the same meals on a calorie measured diet for a month. The twin who is mostly fat puts on more weight and the twin who is muscle stays the same.

Why?

Because it's not the calories that are contributing to the weight gain, it's the fact that the twin who is largely fat will burn less because he lacks muscle to burn it off!

Hormone balance

Are you stressed?

This could be a major factor in your inability to lose weight. Cortisol actually increases your hunger, slows down your metabolism and tells your body to store fat! Not only that but as a back-up it also destroys muscle tissue so you really have no choice in the matter!

So even if you are counting calories, your stress levels are sabotaging all your good efforts!

Water!

Now we all know we should be drinking more water and you try for a couple of days, then it goes out the window. But if I told you that by increasing this one factor alone you could:

increase your metabolism

improve your digestive system, (for all those with IBS or food intolerances)

improve the functions of your organs, brain, muscular and skeletal systems,

have glowing skin, shiny hair and bright eyes,

be all over healthier, feeling better, looking better and BURN MORE FAT

wouldn't you be heading for the tap right now? Go on then!

The source

Regardless if you're counting calories, the source matters. A LOT! My boyfriend works in construction and he asked me the other day, why is it that builders are fat when they do such hard manual labour all day? Surely they should burn it off?

Would make sense, yeah? More calories out than in?

Simple, they are sourcing all their calories from simple carbs like bread, pasta, potatoes, crisps, and sweet treats. Because these things break down very quickly it's not long before their stomach is empty and it's crying for more. So now they are overeating sugars and not balancing with fibre, protein and good fats. Which leads me on to.....

Malnourishment

No I'm not talking about war torn, 3rd world countries.

I mean you!

What do you mean you're not malnourished?

Are you a habitual eater? Do you go for the same vegetables, proteins and fat sources in your diet most of the time? If the answer is yes, you are likely to be malnourished. Lacking in certain food groups or vitamins and minerals.

Why is this relevant to losing weight? Well if your body is lacking in a certain nutrient and can't find it from the food you're eating it will tell you to eat.

Say you're lacking in saturated fat, (which by the way most of us are), firstly if your body doesn't have it, it ain't letting it go!

Secondly, if there's a whiff of fat in your food, be under no illusions that even though you're on a calorie restricted diet, your body will store it!

Lastly, if your body is lacking a certain nutrient it will tell you to eat and eat now! Never mind that you have already eaten enough to fill you up and provide you with the energy you need to go about your daily routine. Your body wants saturated fat and it wants it now. So now you're feeling hungry and you're overeating to compensate for the lack of nutrients in your diet.

So consider all the above. How do you measure up against your fat loss factors? If you're failing miserably and still counting calories, I advise you take a different tack. After all, who wouldn't want to eat more and weigh less?