Calories In, Calories Out: Why Is It Problematic?

How many of you have been told that you need to lose weight? Then you are told to eat less, move more, it’s about energy balance. If you are lucky, your doctor refers you to a dietitian. Or you go join Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig. It really does not matter. The formula is the same. Eat less, keep this to higher carbs anyway, and move more.

You start with the program. You start losing weight. Depending on the program you might be hungry. But you keep at it because you are losing weight until you reach a plateau. You sometimes get stuck there, sometimes you can lose more. Especially if somewhat higher in carbs, you are hungry. But let’s say you reach your goal weight, and then gain it all back, and then some. Of course, it is you, and you lack willpower. We all have heard this so many times, it’s old.

We know this. Most people who have done low fat, high carb, calorie restriction diet have failed. And we all are familiar with the scowls and the pointing. What if I told you it is what we eat, not the calories we eat? What if I told you that when grandma told you potatoes, pasta and bread were fattening, but enjoy those eggs, she was into something?

We are facing a global obesity, and metabolic disease pandemic because our genes did not change in a couple of generations. Our diet did. We were convinced that heart disease was going up because we were eating fat. Fat is bad, fat will make you…well fat. Fat will clog your arteries. You need to eat less fat because all fat is bad. And we did.

In order to eat less fat, we needed to eat other calories. Turns out we started eating more carbs…and in the West that means more refined carbs. Remember grandma telling you that bread, pasta, and other grains were fattening? Don’t worry about it. They are good for you! You need whole grains! They are good for you! Why are you gaining weight? You must be lazy! That’s it. This could have nothing to do with dietary recommendations. Never mind we have a pandemic level obesity crisis.

This experiment has failed. And it is time for all of us to stop counting calories. There are other reasons. We know bodies adapt to lower calorie intake by dialing down our basal metabolic rate. Eating less means that the budget is lower, and your body still needs to function.

In effect, BMR can slow down, sometimes permanently. The participants in The Biggest Loser had this happen to them. If you have done the traditional lower fat, calorie counting diet, you are also hungry. This will lead to you breaking your diet and the mental conversation of how much of a failure you are. We also know now that low carb diets work better

There is another reason this is a problem.

If all you need to cut is the number of calories, it means anything goes. Want a Coke? Go for it. How about the chips? Just count them! Never mind a calorie is not a calorie. It all has to do with how those foods are metabolized. Coke has a lot of sugar, which floods the liver through the portal vein. It also gives you feelings of euphoria because it lights up the pleasure center in the brain.

If you eat a piece of fruit, the fiber will keep quite a bit of the sugar from flooding the liver. Some will remain with the fiber. And some will feed your gut biome. If you eat almonds, only seventy percent of the calories are available to you. If you eat starches, the absorption will be even slower. Granted, your pleasure center will not light up as much as when you eat processed food, because these do not have the added sugars. I personally keep to berries though.

But, but first law of thermodynamics! Energy balance! If we were a bomb calorimeter, then this simple physics exercise would apply to the human body. Yes, the first law works in the ultimate closed system, which is the universe. But the human body is not a closed system. Moreover, it is a dynamic system. You eat fewer calories, our BMR adapts down. You eat more, we are not sure if we recover. Or whether it will take time.

The paradigm of obesity is starting to change, however.

In the piece, Ludwig, an endocrinologist and researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital and professor of pediatrics and nutrition at Harvard, lays out a “carbohydrate-insulin model” of obesity. In it, insulin plays the lead role in a chain of events that starts with high-glycemic carbohydrates and ends with conservation of energy, increased hunger, and ultimately, more fat storage.

This increased hunger and diminished energy expenditure begets a vicious cycle that can be averted with a low-carb, low glycemic diet. “Given the choice between bread and butter, for years we focused on getting rid of the butter,” said Ludwig. “But maybe between the two, the bread is the bigger issue.”

As we discuss the causes of obesity, and the paradigm starts to change, just calorie counting will be left behind. If you are going to sustain weight loss though, you need to find whatever you can do for a lifetime. You also need to give yourself some grace. Chiefly, you need to stop the voices in your head which blame you. It’s not you. It is your body. It is hormones.

How often you eat will also affect your insulin levels. Ergo, don’t snack. Remember, at this point, there is evidence that a Low Carb High Fat diet is better for weight loss. The link is to another Meta-Review. However, do what works for you.

Intuitive Eating

Going on a diet has a few issues. The first is that many of us think it’s temporary. Diet is whatever you eat. Whether it’s those sugary drinks or salad, this is your diet. It might change what you eat, but your diet is whatever you eat. So here are some questions for you? Why do you eat? How often do you eat? Are you aware of what you eat? Do you enjoy your food when you finally eat? Do you chew your food?

Why you eat can have many answers. Some have nothing to do with your body's needs. They might involve things like emotions, boredom, or simply this is when we eat. If you want to learn to eat when you are hungry, not bored, you need to ask yourself. Am I hungry? Somatic hunger, meaning your body, comes on slowly. Emotional eating, whether it’s boredom, anger, or any other cause, comes suddenly. It is that familiar hole in your stomach after you receive some bad news for example.

If you are hungry, think why? If it comes suddenly you might be thirsty as well. Drink some water.

Eating your meal should be a nice thing. Take your time. Chew your food. You will be surprised how many people don’t. You should be able to eat for at least twenty minutes. The satiety signal takes that long. Wait for twenty minutes before you decide to go for seconds.

Some cultures, like the Japanese, emphasize eating until you feel mostly full. Why? By the time you are done with the dishes, you will be happily satisfied. The idea is not to get stuffed. It will be a way to mind your food. This is a good tool to stop eating too much.

A note on highly processed carb-filled foods. While they might be filling at the moment, they are going to spike your blood sugars, and two hours later you are hungry because they are crashing. If you choose to eat a more carb-based diet, choices matter. Complex carbs in starchy foods are better for you because they are processed at a slower pace. This is why some traditional societies in blue zones do well on starchy diets.

For me, low carb, high fat works better.

How often you eat also matters. Eating five to six times a day keeps the insulin high. Again, grandma was right. Eat three times a day, and forget snacks…at least most of the time. Those you can have, rarely. These are things you save for things like Thanksgiving, or a very special occasion.

Warrior diets where you eat all day, are damaging. Eat a little of everything, three times a day. For me, simple carbs are off the menu, as well as processed foods. I eat a whole food diet, and I enjoy my food.

However, I eat until I am satisfied and do not eat if not hungry anymore. Remember, you need to eat to live, not live to eat. Oh, and there are no cheat days. The only one you are cheating is yourself. If you want to have that cake, it’s not cheating, just make sure it is the best cake ever. Avoid the junky commercial food that is too sweet, nonsatisfying, and full of junk. We all can have an occasional feast day, and that cake belongs in that occasional feast day.

Remember, food can be a social event. Eat with your family and friends around a table and enjoy the occasion. You do not need to rush your food, nor should you. Make at least one of your daily meals something you eat with full attention to your food. Practice intuitive eating. Leave all your electronics, or other distractions, to the side. In time this will become a habit.