COUNTING CALORIES FOR WEIGHT LOSS? STOP WASTING YOUR TIME (DO THIS INSTEAD!)

INTRODUCTION

Are you still Counting calories for weight loss?!

Counting calories sounds so common and familiar, but it is so wrong!!! Nowadays, when it comes to weight loss, the first advice that you hear is always related to calories:

• “Eat fewer calories!”
• “Count your calories!”
• “Exercise more to spend more calories!”
• Blablabla.

But what if :

• This whole concept of calorie-counting is flawed?
• Counting calories does not add up?
• The way you count calories does not make sense from a biological standpoint.
• All these diets built on this same concept of counting calories are wasting your time and energy.

This article will debunk all the myths about calories. It will give you a clear understanding of how calories came to exist in our food labels, why this unit of measure does not accurately translate from a biological standpoint, and how our body metabolizes food. You will then understand why calorie counting might not work as you think. Finally, I will give you the best approach to becoming healthy and losing weight forever.

PART 1: WHAT ARE CALORIES?

DEFINITION OF A CALORIE

Calories Are Units For Measuring Energy In The Form Of Heat.

A calorie is a unit for measuring the heat produced when food is combusted (burned). More precisely, one calorie equals the amount of energy in the form of heat that raises the temperature of one ml of water one degree Celsius at sea level. The primary unit for energy is joules and kJ. Calories (1kcal = 4.2 kJ) is another unit used by the food industry.

HOW ARE CALORIES MEASURED?

Calories Are Measured In A Bomb Calorimeter.

One calorie is the energy released from the combustion of food that raises 1 degree Celsius 1mL of water at sea level.

Calories are an empirical measure calculated in a bomb calorimeter. This process involves a sealed container for the food measured and a water container to track the heat released from its combustion:  

When the food undergoes combustion under 30 atmospheres of pressure with pure oxygen, it will release energy as heat and increase the water temperature. 

Since one calorie is the energy that raises 1 degree Celsius 1mL of water, the increase in water temperature translates into a calorie number. 

CALORIES ON FOOD LABELS AND WEIGHT LOSS CALCULATORS

The calories you see on food labels correspond to kilocalories = 1000 calories. In other words, the calories everyone talks about are the amount of energy in the form of heat that raises the temperature of one Liter of water 1 degree Celsius at sea level.

THE HUMAN BODY DOES NOT USE CALORIES TO LOSE WEIGHT

The Model Of Counting Calories Does Not Represent The Way Our Biology Works.

If the human body functions as a bomb calorimeter and combusts food to produce energy in the form of heat, we would be already boiling to death as soon as we eat. Thankfully it is not the case!

Our body does not combust food (calories in) to produce heat (calories out). It digests, extracts, absorbs, metabolizes, and excretes the food we ingest. In addition, every process requires energy, but in different forms! 

Our Biology Is Dynamic And Complex. The Model Of Calories Does Not Apply To It. 

PART 2: YOU DO NOT NEED A CALORIE CALCULATOR FOR WEIGHT LOSS

HOW DOES A WEIGHT-LOSS CALORIE CALCULATOR WORK?

Usually, a calorie calculator uses your age, height, weight, and daily activity level to estimate your average daily caloric expenditure. Once you know the latter, you can put yourself in a daily caloric deficit of around 500 calories. The calculator then gives you the ambitious promise of losing extra weight by daily counting and eating this average calorie count. While this approach might work short term, you will soon find yourself in a bottleneck feeling very low, unable to lose more weight, and finding it impossible to be in a caloric deficit.  

CALORIE CALCULATORS MIGHT PREVENT YOU FROM LOSING WEIGHT

A Calorie Calculator Increases Your Risk Of Failure And Destroys Your Confidence!

The problem with counting calories to lose weight is that it gives you the illusion of getting healthier and being on the right track. In reality, you set yourself to fail sooner or later. Then, failing makes you lose hope and believe you are the one to be blamed, not the strategy for losing weight (counting calories). Think about it, if this approach is so successful, why the rate of obesity had skyrocketed in the last decade?

PART 3: 3 REASONS COUNTING CALORIES FOR WEIGHT LOSS IS WRONG

HORMONES VS CALORIES FOR WEIGHT LOSS

Hormones Govern Weight Loss. Calories Do Not!

As you have seen previously, calories correspond to the amount of energy in the form of heat released after the combustion of food. On the contrary, the body uses hormones to execute all processes: burning fat, building muscle, regulating core body temperature, digesting food, feeling full, and so much more. 

Instead of narrowly viewing food as calories, begin to ask: how does it affect the hormones involved in losing weight? 

In other words, if you eat the types of food that increase hormones of satiety, optimize your metabolism, and allow you to mobilize/utilize fat, you will lose weight no matter how many calories these foods contain.  

Instead Of Counting Calories, Optimize Your Hormones For Weight Loss.

NUTRIENTS VS CALORIES FOR WEIGHT LOSS

Nutrients Are The Fuel Your Body Is Craving To Get. Calories Are Not!

Grasp that your body needs nutrients, minerals, and building blocks to function correctly. Without them, metabolic functions will be disturbed. Even though you are in a caloric deficit, if you are deficient in vitamins, minerals, and building blocks, your body will preserve what it has. 

Yes! It will keep your extra fat for as long as it possibly can and make you crave more food attempting to correct the deficiencies. 

The better solution is to view food as a tool your body uses to function optimally. Instead of looking for calorie counts, look for nutrients in the food. The more nutrients and building blocks the food contains, the better, despite the number of calories.

Forget Calories For Weight Loss! Give Your Body The Nutrients And Building Blocks It Needs.

BIOLOGICAL ENERGY VS CALORIES FOR WEIGHT LOSS

Calories Do Not Reflect The Energy Our Body Produces.

Again, calories represent the amount of energy in the form of HEAT! 

The body utilizes only a part of the food to produce heat and regulate core body temperature.

What about the other thousands of physiological processes? 

Furthermore, X calories from indigestible fiber will not be absorbed nor utilized for energy production. In addition, calories from amino acids serve other purposes and rarely contribute to energy production. 

Finally, Depending on how efficiently your body can utilize fuel sources, you can produce more or less energy for the same number of calories consumed. You also can dissipate more or less in the form of heat depending on the quality of your adipose tissue. So assuming that the potential heat energy you consume (calories) will turn into the same amount of biological energy inside your body is nonsense. 

I hope you understand that counting calories for weight loss is not benefiting you long term.

Counting Calories For Weight Loss Is Distracting You From Doing What Matters!

PART 4: 9 POWERFUL WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT COUNTING CALORIES

LOSE WEIGHT BY EATING FOOD THAT OPTIMIZES YOUR HORMONES

As mentioned before, your body will burn fat only if the hormones in your blood signal the mobilization and utilization of fatty acids. So, to lose weight, you must eat food that optimizes hormone levels and does not signal the over-expression of the hormones involved in storing fat. Moreover, your body will be satisfied only when you provide the vitamins and co-factors your hormones need to function correctly (more on that below).

LIVE IN SYNCHRONY WITH YOUR BIOLOGY

Your biology and hormones follow circadian rhythms, such as changes in alertness, hunger, core body temperature, energy production, and more. To optimize your weight loss, live in alignment with these circadian rhythms. As soon as your lifestyle is not in sync with your biology, dysfunction begins, and weight loss becomes more difficult! 

The two most important lifestyle changes you need to integrate are:  

• Sleep as close as possible to sunset. Do the best you can according to your life schedule. The goal is to avoid blue lights and get more sleep before midnight. 
• Eat only during the day and within a defined regular schedule. Your body will be ready to digest, absorb, and use nutrients efficiently.

Live In Alignment With Your Body’s Circadian Rhythms

EAT FOODS AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO THEIR NATURAL FORM

We, humans, are designed to eat the foods as they are in nature. Our ancestors hunted animals to eat their meat, appreciated the gifts of nature, and lived in harmony with it. 

Today, society has organized itself far away from nature. From how we live to what we eat, many unnatural things have been created and become part of our daily lives. As a result, we started to behave out of sync with our biology. One of the most important things is to eat foods as close as possible to their natural form because this is what our body needs, loves, and craves.

AVOID HIGHLY-PROCESSED FOODS

To apply the previous tip, you would have to avoid highly processed food. Let me expand: Highly processed foods are not food: they are toxic to the human body because they contain things we should not eat: things such as colorings, preservatives, high amounts of refined sugars, toxic rancid oils, and much more. 

If you are eating them, the fact is, you are poisoning your body without giving it any nutrients. As a result, your body will ask for more. Then, you will go for more processed foods containing no nutrients, and you will get hungry again and go for more, and so on. This cycle never ends, nor does your weight gain!

DRINK WATER, NOT SODAS

Sodas are processed drinks made by mixing water with a lot of sugar, pretty colorings, some tasty artificial flavors, and some frizzy bubbles. Since it is a drink, all the above are readily absorbed. This fast absorption leads to a sudden burst of sugar and toxins in the blood. Your body will struggle to deal with so much garbage. If repeated frequently, it will cause hormone dysregulation and organ dysfunction. 

Yes, you will gain weight no matter the calories!

EAT HIGH-QUALITY, NUTRIENT-RICH FOODS

Remember that your body is making you hungry because it is looking for nutrients to function. Counting calories is making you blind to this fact. Look for the most nutrient-dense foods you like to eat. Your body will thank you by functioning well, making you full and satisfied. 

Yes, you will lose your excess weight without counting calories!

PRIORITIZE HIGH-QUALITY ANIMAL-BASED PROTEIN SOURCES

Animal-based protein sources are usually high in nutrients, minerals, and vitamins your body needs. In addition, they are rich in protein which signals satiety. Finally, you digest proteins into amino acids to serve as building blocks for many hormones and neurotransmitters. They are necessary components to make your biology function optimally. 

You see, by eating them, you will:

• Get the nutrients you need.
• Feel full and satisfied.
• Give your body the necessary building blocks for proper function.

 That is a triple win! Three birds with one stone!

EAT HEALTHY FAT

Fats compose all your cell membranes. Plus, they are building blocks to hormones and reinforce the neuronal connections in your brain. 

Healthy fats would never make you fat!

They are a strong signal for satiety along with proteins. Healthy fats are needed more than anything. I know! Everyone told you: 

• “Fats are bad! Especially if you want to lose weight!”

Nonsense! 

Another problem, there are healthy and unhealthy fats. Unhealthy ones hide in all processed and deeply-fried fast foods. Do a favor to yourself and stay away from them! Unhealthy fats create inflammation and dysregulate your physiology. Once inflamed, losing weight becomes a nightmare! 

Here is a small list of unhealthy fats: corn oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, and safflower oil. Yes, most of the oils you encounter in your supermarket are in a big plastic gallon! 

Oh! By the way, all restaurants use them because they are cheap!

LIMIT CARBS

If your goal is to lose weight, carbs are the macronutrient you need to watch out for and limit in your diet. Your body has a limited capacity for storing carbs. Consequently, it is easy to eat carbs in excess and keep them in your body as fat. Limit your carbs to around 50-150g per day and avoid this altogether.

SUMMARY – KEY POINTS

• Calories are units for measuring energy in the form of heat.
• They do not represent the way our biology makes use of energy
• Calorie calculators are setting you up for failure and wasting your time.
• Hormones govern weight loss. Calories do not!
• Nutrients are the fuel your body is craving to get. Calories are not!
• Counting calories for weight loss is distracting you from doing what matters!

Stop counting calories for weight loss! Instead, optimize your hormones, live in sync with your biology, and avoid highly processed foods. Drink water, eat quality nutrient-dense foods, prioritize high-quality animal-based protein sources, eat healthy fats, and limit carbs. 

CONCLUSION

Losing weight is not a matter of counting and restricting your calories. It is a matter of giving your body the correct inputs. To do that, follow the 9 tips mentioned above, and you will lose excess weight without wasting your time counting and restricting calories.

YOUR INNER INTELLIGENCE OUTWAY ANY CALORIE CALCULATOR.
YOU HAVE WITHIN YOU THE POWER TO ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING YOU WANT! RECONNECT TO THAT POWER AND TAP INTO YOUR LIMITLESS HUMAN POTENTIAL!