It has been conventional wisdom for quite some time that as long as you keep your calorie expenditure out higher than the amount you are taking in, you’ll lose weight. Unfortunately, our bodies are such complex systems that a simple calorie from one source can have a drastically different effect on our health than a calorie from another source. It’s the quality that matters, not necessarily the quantity. It’s time to put the calorie in, calorie out paradigm to rest and adopt a new approach; personalized nutrition for all based on a few foundational principles.

Calories 101

In simple terms, a calorie is a unit of energy supplied by food, no matter the source. The number of calories from a particular food depend on a combination of the 3 main macro-nutrient building blocks:

• Fats: 9 cal / gram
• Carbs: 4 cal / gram
• Protein: 4 cal / gram

If you know the fat, protein, and carbohydrate content of a food, you can approximate the number of calories you might expect to receive from that food.

Calorie Density

Calorie Density (CD) is the number of calories per pound for any given food. A low CD indicates fewer calories per volume of food (meaning you can eat more without consuming too many calories), and a high CD indicates more calories per volume of food. Typically, unprocessed plant foods contain the lowest CD levels.

By focusing on foods with low calorie density, you might naturally push out unwanted processed foods that contain lots of calories after just a few handfuls.

Individual calorie needs differ

No one diet works for everyone, and no two people require the same amount of calories to properly function and feel good throughout the day. Generally, women require approximately 1,800 – 2,400 calories and men require 2,400 – 3,200. [1]

However, a number of other factors can make those approximations fluctuate: things like exercise, stress, medications, metabolic rate, current state of health, etc.

Each person’s body is unique and requires slightly different needs. The estimations above are just a starting point to find what works best for you.

Calories: Quantity vs. Quality

Conventional wisdom says that we get fat from calories in > calories out. Is that really the case? To some degree, yes. If you are consistently overeating, you won’t be seeing progress with any weight loss goals. One the other hand however, weight loss by means of calorie-restricting diets have incredibly minimal results. In fact, 66% of people quickly return to their normal weight or a heavier weight after intense calorie restriction combined with exercise.

The calories in, calories out paradigm can only get you so far. The quality and source of your calories is what matters, especially when it comes to health and weight loss.

Physics tells us…

where U is the total energy, Q is the energy in, and W is the energy out. That is true, but it tells us nothing. When dealing with our bodies, it’s about biology not physics.

On top of that, energy balancing is nearly impossible. To make it work long-term, you’d have to be within 20 calories a day to not gain weight over a decade; that’s no way to live! [2]

Why calorie quality matters

100 calories of a snickers bar does not do the same thing to your body as 100 calories of carrots. The former creates a cascade of inflammation, immune response, and makes your fat cells hungry. The latter, reduces inflammation, comes with vitamins and minerals, and is recognizable by your body.

To make things even worse, the snickers bar is going to drive insulin production and fat accumulation – when your fat cells are hungry, you are screwed.

The principle regulator of fat metabolism

Insulin is one of the key hormones you want to look at when thinking about health and weight loss. Insulin is most often produced in our bodies when we eat sugary foods and carbs, and in large quantities. When the insulin is secreted or chronically elevated (as most will find on a Standard American Diet [SAD]), fat begins to accumulate rapidly in fat tissue.

In conjunction, insulin fuels the growth of cancer cells, grows fat storage, and stimulates fat production. [3]

When insulin levels drop, fat escapes from the fat tissue and the fat depots shrink. It’d be far more worth your time to examine what triggers the insulin response in your body than to count calories all day.

Switching the paradigm

By now, you see that the calorie in, calorie out paradigm is not going to serve you with your weight loss goals. There is just so much more biologic complexity than a simple equation. The good news is that you have the power of choice.

You have much more control over what you eat than how much you eat. When you’re feeding your body even moderate amounts of sugar and carbs, the metabolic state of your fat changes to one of storage and accumulation. You can’t use your willpower when the biology of your cells is screaming at you to eat more.

By choosing quality calories – organic foods, grass-fed meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts & seeds, healthy fats – you can change the metabolic state of your fat cells to one of fat-loss. Dr. Mark Hyman has a 10 day Detox Diet that boasts a 62% reduction in all diseases (including obesity) after 10 days; no calorie-restriction, just clean, whole foods.

The bottom line is that if you want to pursue true health, counting your calories is not going to get you there. Assessing the quality of your calories will.

Core principles of a quality diet

By following some basic principles, you can increase the quality of your calories with ease.

• No refined foods or ingredients (sugar, HF corn syrup, white flour, vegetable oils, artificial colorings)
• Quality animal protein (eggs and whole milk products, grass-fed and free-range animals/fish)
• Abundance of minerals and water
• Food enzymes and beneficial bacteria (fermented foods, fruits, whole dairy and meat)
• Avoid toxins (stay away from chemicals in your food and environment)

Conclusion: Your diet matters

The food you put in your body matters. Food is information; you don’t want to put bad programming into your computer or else it won’t work. The calorie in, calorie out paradigm fails to recognize that food is information. Its simple math ignores the complexities of our bodies, our metabolics, and our bio-individuality.

Instead of focusing on counting calories, focus on the bigger picture. Increase dietary quality, manage stress, and include enjoyable physical activity in your daily routine. That’s the simple equation to health.

Until next time, Stay Well, Stay Healthy, and Thrive!

References:

[1] Appendix 2. Estimated Calorie Needs per Day, by Age, Sex, and Physical Activity Level

[2] “Calories: Quality vs. Quantity, Adiposity 101 and the alternative hypothesis of obesity” Gary Taubes.

[3] Velasquez-Mieyer, P A et al. “Suppression of insulin secretion is associated with weight loss and altered macronutrient intake and preference in a subset of obese adults.” International journal of obesity and related metabolic disorders : journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity vol. 27,2 (2003): 219-26. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.802227