How Calorie Counting Doesn't Work For Weight Loss

Calorie counting and restricting what you eat will not get you the results you're looking for when it comes to losing weight. This is a myth based on physics not physiology.

This blog post is a big one and an important one, because you're going to finally see how to lose weight and feel good by eating real food without having to count calories which is part of Pillar 1 inside M|B|M.

Most frustrated dieters attempt to lose weight by reducing the amount of food they eat. Pretty basic stuff and you're most likely thinking, "well yeah Shannon, that's how it works"!

Yes, the concept of calories in and calories out is what the industry has taught us for decades. It's the idea that if you want to lose weight you simply reduce the amount of calories you take in. But, often the result is binge eating, feeling hungry, succumbing to temptation, and continuing to eat the very foods that are causing the problem in the first place.

It totally makes sense that this is how you've approached "dieting" most of your life. This is a huge piece of what is taught in the diet and fitness industry. And, it seems pretty straight forward - for example: if I eat 2,000 calories a day and want to lose say, 20 pounds, I simply eliminate 500 calories from my diet and then I'll lose the weight and achieve my goal. Seems simple right? But it's not so simple.

If this approach worked, then everyone who restricted daily calories would easily lose weight, and this just isn't the case. How many people do you know including yourself who have used the method of calorie restriction and have lost the weight, and kept it off? Not many. 

Can you relate?

I'm taking a wild guess that this is what you're doing and have done several times throughout your life expecting results, yet continue to struggle. Well, I'm going to show you a different approach and not only will it finally help you lose the stubborn weight, it will make you feel better. Often people say, "I had no idea I felt that bad until I felt good".

The weight you may have gained and want to lose, has nothing to do with necessarily the AMOUNT of calories you eat, but EVERYTHING to do with the quality of the food you eat.

You could continue to eat a reduced calorie diet of 1200 calories a day of mostly processed, boxed food, compared to 1200 calories of not only nutrient dense whole foods, but foods you know will not cause inflammation, and have drastically different results.

For example, a basic donut and two medium sized apples may have the same amount of calories - about 195, but each have VERY different effects on the body. And this is the most important piece. 

In addition to the sugar alone which has a cascade of effects on the body which are harmful, there is also flour, shortening, milk and eggs. Now aside from the sugar, the ingredients may sound "healthy" because after all its just flour, milk and eggs, right? Wrong.

Most white flour has been processed and bleached to the point it has zero nutritional value, and for most people has a harmful effect on the body which often leads to what is called leaky gut and autoimmune diseases.

The milk and eggs can also have the same effect. Most store bought milk is full of added hormones and antibiotics which mess with your hormones, and a lot of people unknowingly have either an allergy to eggs or an intolerance. For the scope of this blog I'm not going to dive deep into food intolerances, but rather, focus on the processed sugar.

High amounts of sugar burden the liver. Your liver processes sugar the same way it does alcohol converting dietary carbohydrates into fat and over time this can accumulate leading to fatty liver disease. What's important here, is that fatty liver disease is what contributes to diabetes and increases your risk for heart disease. It also causes inflammation and can raise your blood pressure. Essentially you're getting zero dietary benefit and all the problems from eating foods high in processed sugar. 

Comparatively if you eat two apples you're eating natural sugars along with FIBER, in addition to essential vitamins and minerals your body needs to do its thang. Your body digests the apples slowly, this allows a steady release of energy to your cells. Fiber not only helps process the sugar as the apple is digested, fiber fills you up - you're not going to be full with donuts. In fact, just the opposite. The more you eat processed sugars the more you will crave them.

The idea here is that if we are to take this idea of calorie counting at face value, then it stands to reason that it's simply a numbers game. But like I said, the body has so many intricate processes that occur when we eat, it's just not that easy to say that by simply reducing the amount you eat regardless of what it is, you will lose weight.

The beauty of it is that if you eat real food - meaning unprocessed, not out of a box, not created in a factory, not loaded with added sugars or chemicals, but real food, you don't have to count calories.

Why?

Because not only are you giving your body what is required for it to function, you're satisfied, feel full, eliminate cravings and feel good with the proper energy to move throughout the day. When we eat real food we're giving our bodies the necessary vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fiber required to do its job. When you eat a proper balance of macronutrients - protein, healthy fat and carbohydrates (fruits and veggies) , your body is being given what it needs to help you build hormones, build muscle, and metabolize the nutrients to give you energy, thus burning fat, and keeps your blood sugar balanced.

I'm living proof. I used to count calories hoping to lose weight. But all I was doing was limiting the same kind of food I was eating - mostly processed foods, rather than changing the food I ate. What I didn't know at the time, was that the processed food I ate was actually keeping the weight on, while damaging my thyroid. 

How?

Gluten. I love bread, love it, and most of my diet back in the day revolved around bread. Bagels for breakfast or lunch, toast, sandwiches, whole wheat crackers, potatoes chips, pizza, burgers and so on. Some of these I've named I thought were "healthy" because they were whole wheat. But what I didn't know was the gluten caused something called leaky gut - a hole in the cell membrane of the intestinal wall. When this hole is created, toxins from food and food particles are leaked out into the blood stream and the result is the immune system attacking your body because the toxins and food are seen as threats. For me, the attack was on my thyroid. 

The attack on my thyroid turned into Hypothyroidism which basically means my thyroid was moving at a snails pace. One of the main functions of the thyroid is controlling your metabolism and thus, weight. Because my thyroid was moving so slow, the result is that I couldn't lose weight no matter what I did.

The bottom line is that even though I was "cutting calories" by simply reducing the amount of processed food I was eating, the fact is I continued to eat the very food that was responsible for my body holding onto the weight.

Once I learned that it was gluten that was behind my thyroid failing to function properly, I made a serious change to my diet and over time cut it out completely. I also began taking supplements because the other result of leaky gut was an inability to absorb the nutrients I consumed. The result was incredible.

I literally lost weight without changing anything in terms of the AMOUNT I ate, but WHAT I ate.

So if you find that you're doing everything in your power to limit calories without any change in your weight no matter what you do, you may need to take a look at what you're eating to begin with, and the quality of the food you eat. 

A good place to start is to begin tracking how much sugar you're taking in. Pay close attention to the labels of the common foods you eat - breads, pastas, boxed foods, condiments, in addition to the treats you may be eating and add it all up. You'll be surprised at just how much sugar you're actually eating. 

If you want to know more click her to download a free copy of the Clarity Through Connection Handbook that covers the 3 Pillars of the M|Body Method.