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Most people have been taught that losing weight is a matter of simple math. Cut calories — specifically 3,500 calories and you’ll lose a pound. But as it turns out, experts are learning that this decades-old strategy is actually quite flawed.
Counting Calories For Weight Loss
“This idea of ’calories in and calories out’ when it comes to weight loss is not only outdated, it’s just plain wrong,” says Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity expert and assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. .
Counting Calories Is Basically Pointless. So Why Are We Still Doing It?
The truth is that even careful calorie calculations don’t always yield uniform results. How your body burns calories depends on a number of factors, including the type of food you eat, your body’s metabolism, and even the type of organisms that live in your gut. You can consume exactly the same number of calories as someone else, but have very different results when it comes to your weight.
“Let go of the concept of calories,” says Dr. Stanford. It’s time to take a different approach, he says, emphasizing improving diet quality and sustainable lifestyle improvements to achieve weight.
1. Your gut microbiome. Trillions of organisms live in your gut, and the dominant types can affect how many calories your body absorbs from food. Researchers have discovered that people who are physically thin have different types of organisms living inside them than those who are overweight. “Removing the gut microbiota from people who are lean and putting it in people who are overweight or obese can lead to weight changes,” says Dr. Stanford. This can happen because certain types of organisms in the gut are able to break down and use more calories from certain foods than other types of organisms.
2. Your metabolism. Every body has a “set point” that governs weight, says Dr. Stanford. This set point reflects many factors, including your genes, environment, and behaviors. Your hypothalamus, an area at the base of your brain that also regulates things like your body temperature, is on guard so your body weight doesn’t drop below that set point—which isn’t really a bonus if you’re trying to lose weight. That’s why you may find your weight comes off even if you diet and exercise diligently, and also why the majority—96 percent—of people who lose a lot gain it back, says Dr. Stanford.
Counting Calories For Weight Loss: When Is It Ever Okay?
, which helps contestants lose large amounts of weight through a strict diet and exercise program, found that after losing weight, contestants’ bodies will fight back in an attempt to regain the weight,” he says. The resting metabolic rate for contestants, it measures the number of calories the body uses just by carrying out its daily functions, which plummeted after the dramatic weight loss, meaning it became very difficult to avoid regaining some weight due to “metabolic adaptation,” says Dr. Stanford.
3. The type of food you eat. Your food choices can also affect your calorie intake, and not just because of their specific calorie content. A 2019 study published in
Found that eating processed foods appears to prompt people to eat more calories compared to eating unprocessed foods. In the study, 20 people (10 men and 10 women) were divided into two groups. They were all offered meals with the same number of calories, as well as similar amounts of sugar, sodium, fat, fiber and micronutrients. But there was one key difference: one group was given unprocessed foods and the other was given highly processed options. After two weeks, the groups switched and did the other type of diet for the next two weeks.
“People who ate the highly processed food gained weight,” says Dr. Stanford. Each group was given meals with the same number of calories and instructed to eat as much as they wanted, but when the participants ate the processed foods, they ate 500 calories more each day on average. The same people’s calorie intake decreased when they ate the unprocessed food.
Is Counting Calories Good For Weight Loss?
What is the lesson? Not all foods are created equal. “The brain likes foods that are y, that are in their natural form,” says Dr. Stanford.
If counting calories isn’t a reliable way to manage your weight, what can you do to lose those extra pounds? Dr. Stanford recommends the following:
Focus on the quality of the diet. When planning your meals, try to limit or eliminate processed foods, which can lead your body to consume more. Instead, focus on choosing unprocessed foods, including lean meats, whole grains, and plenty of fruits and vegetables in their natural form.
Exercise regularly (as well as vigorously). Aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week. Moderate exercise is done at a level where you can talk but not sing. “Many people think of moderate exercise as a casual walk in the garden, but it’s more like walking up a big hill,” she says. While any movement is better than nothing, work towards a more intense level of exercise when you can.
How To Lose Weight Without Working Out Or Counting Calories: A Lifestyle Guide To Healthy Fat Loss: Detchev, Radoslav: 9798441661911: Books
Sleep peacefully. Poor sleep quality can lead to weight gain, as can a sleep schedule that is out of sync with the body’s natural daily pattern, known as the circadian rhythm. Your body wants to sleep at night and be awake during the day. “The Nurses’ Study, which followed nurses for 20 years, found that those who worked the night shift gained more weight over time,” says Dr. Stanford. The body is disturbed when you disturb its natural rhythm. The same is true if you are getting poor quality sleep or not getting enough sleep. Lack of sleep affects your weight in the same way as hormonal changes, making you want to eat more. Therefore, addressing sleep problems with your doctor should be a priority.
Check your medications. Sometimes medication causes weight gain. Be careful if you start a new drug and notice that you are gaining weight. Your doctor may be able to prescribe an alternative that does not have the same side effect.
Reduce your stress levels. Stress, like poor sleep, can lead to weight gain. Controlling stress can help you keep extra pounds at bay.
Consult a professional. “A lot of people think it’s a moral failure if they can’t lose weight,” says Dr. Stanford. But it is not. As with other medical conditions, many people will need help from a doctor. Successful weight loss may require more than diet and exercise. “You may never have considered using drugs to lose weight. Only 2% of people who qualify for obesity drugs actually take them. That means 98% of people who could treatment, it’s not,” she says. Some people may also need surgery to lose weight, he says. Don’t be afraid to seek help if you need it.
Pound Weight Loss Transformation
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