QuestionGreetings,
A lot of nutritionists and fitness coaches swear by the "calories in / calories out" rule. "If you're spending more calories than you eat, you are guaranteed to lose weight" they say. While scientifically this makes sense, I don't think it's as practically cut and dry as they make it seem. I think this is typically used to examine how many calories you're eating versus how many you spend at your workouts (with some other factors such as your resting calorie burn).
I've seen some young athletes bury themselves in food in an effort to gain just a couple pounds and they can't do it. Even if they double their calorie intake, it seems that their body adjusts, raises its metabolism, and burns the calories even faster to maintain some predetermined body fat percentage. This really dispels the "calories in / calories out" concept. The body seems to have made up its mind and it won't severely waver from whatever body shape and fat percentage it wants.
I want to lose just a bit of weight and plan to start a new exercise/diet routine soon. Many trainers swear by counting calories but I really feel like some silly number of calories isn't the big issue. If I replace my lunch with 2 cans of beer, I'll be reducing my calorie intake but I won't be treating my body with quality nutrients and energy. I feel like it's more important to focus on whatever I can to lower my metabolism such as regular exercise, eating frequent + small meals, made of fresh, healthy ingredients rather than shooting for a calorie number.
Please share your thoughts on the "calories in / calories out" rule that so many nutritionists swear by.
Thank you!
AnswerDear Shawn,
I can be very brief: you are absolutely right! But even the nutritional experts should know this. More or less calories in do not equate weight gain or loss. A metabolism is a complex organisation. Any diet, holistic or not, needs to be varied, consist of three regular meals preferably (smaller and more frequent in the case of e.g. babies or diabetics, etc)and include proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
The number game is quite silly in the long run. A simple tool to help make people become aware of quantities perhaps, and sometimes the start to understanding what a more complex foodstuf contains (for example breakfastcereals (wheat) contain sugar which explains the high calorie content. But like you already know this tells you nothing about its properties and effects on your body. A slice of wholemeal bread may contain the same amount of calories but actually gives you health.)
The Calorie is an ENERGY VALUE. It tells you how many gallons/litres of petrol/gas you have bought. But we are not cars or machines! The exercise charts try to tell you how many miles you get to the gallon, but calories do not determine your health, or your performance. YOU do! And a diet is all about building up your body around the real self you are (soul). A body will therefore manifest the issues or lessons you need to learn while you live your life on Earth. You can influence your body best by how you learn and get to know what you really need. Healthy eating is a good discipline that helps you in this. The positive results (fitness, health, good immune system, zest, energy, radiance)reward you in ways a tummy tuck,or steroids, or a hairtransplant never can. Food is a great power tool for self-improvement. I am delighted to hear you have decided to pick it up and reorganise your life with it.
Calories don't tell an interesting story. What's more they don't tell anywhere near a complete story. They give an indication: because we are also energy systems, of course,and if you take in excess total amount of calories without turning them around in activity, then of course you will start to store up what you cannot use and become fat (energy reserves). And if this doesn't happen you probably have a metabolic disorder.
Much more interesting is the story of nutritional streams. There is an earthy one involving chemicals (food substance) which tells you of food combinations: to extract all the necessary amino acids (protein building blocks your body needs for maintenance, growth, repair) your diet needs to look for bits and pieces found in many different chemical elements that make up our food. So a varied diet, selecting from the five major food groups (emphasising veg/fruit, cereals) is the first step. Vitamins and minerals, of course, are the essence of life. But on top of all this, the quality of your food and your enjoyment (leisurely savouring, dining etc) is what enhances nutritional absorption. By the same token, toxins or bacteria (often in processed foods and bio-industry meat) are harmful to your metabolism.
The second stream is a cosmic one, and that brings us to more holistic diets (Ayurvedic, Macrobiotic, Taoist, Anthroposophic etc).This takes the body as a WHOLE. Not just a digestive system. The seat of health is in the belly, the ancient Chinese already knew, but that does not mean that the belly is one big cooking pot you can throw anything into as long as it is not too much. The metabolic system is different in each person, and it does not change through diet, but it is enabled to function optimally by it. The faster/slower metabolism diets are also just fads that cannot help you to get to know your needs better.
Exercise is also not something that existed before the 20th century. We just moved a lot more. It is not necessary for our health, unless you no longer naturally move! Sports is also not "natural", but can be fun, challenging, social or a mission in your life. The Olympic Games invented by the ancient Greeks was much more a spiritual affair and not a personal competitive one. We have to force ourselves to take exercies nowadays. People did always have cultures where they overate (think of the Rubens women): this was because starvation and poverty were rife and eating well was a status symbol. We now all can get our hands on calories too easily: especially the poor (Mac Donalds is relatively cheap,compared to organic vegetables). So we must set limits to what we eat, and boost our movement artificially.
Still, it is best to do this in the most natural and individual manner. Eat naturally: cut out all white products (processed foods, and those which have added sugar, salt, preservatives). Make this a no-go area. Also deep fried stuff, which uses hydrogenated oil, that is a hard oil and really bad for you (put imaginatively: it burns you up till you dry out on the inside). Don't eat frozen foods (ready meals, burgers, pizzas etc) the cold will have killed the nutritional value (cosmic stream). "Dead" foods don't get metabolised as efficiently and cause all sorts of slugs and hearths for disease in the long run.
Keep it fresh, modest,regular. Choose things with colour, fragrance, grown with love, decent ethics (environmental friendly, fair trade etc): all this makes for happy food, and a happy diet, a happy metabolism, a happy you. Happy people regulate and discipline themselves much more naturally, they are seldom morbidly obese! Instead of being a (fake) bubbly overweight person, you might be a little chubby here or there (depending also on your genes and how modern your lifestyle for the rest is: a desk job without intense sporting activities can never give you a six pack!) you will be self-motivated, energetic, full of umph and get things done, take walks, hikes, go out and about, be active. This equates to a self-regulating life-style, which you can adapt during different phases of your life when you might need more or less nourishment depending on your state of health and level of activity.
I think it is safe to say, you can follow your gut instinct! Learn as much as you can about healthy foods, learn to prepare them with joy, and relish them in peace. This is the most valuable and long-lasting way to approach your diet. Walk whenever you can (to work, shop, a free hour) with 30 mins a day of fast-paced walking you are doing yourself more good than 2 days a week at a gym (and more is not advisable, ask any expert personal trainer!). Cycle or swim, think up chores around the house, on the street:such exercise reaches out to others, too, and this radiates your energy which is the best use of calories! Scientists have proven weight is lost much more quickly in the optimist and extraverted: attitude is key. Attitude must determine how you move and what you eat, and what you eat and how you move affects your attitude! Use diet to train your attitude, then attitude will serve your health for the rest of your life.
I wish you lots of luck and support you in all your efforts.
Evelyn
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