Be the King of Your Calories

3 Jul 2014

Tags: bootcamp brisbane, bootcamp melbourne, bootcamp sydney, health, nutrition,

In simple forms the calorie is a unit of measure used to determine the amount of energy in a food source.

Some time ago, most likely in the 80’s right about the time when the obesity epidemic started to take momentum, the notion of counting the amount of energy in v’s energy out also started to gain movement. It was thought that as long as you’re expending as much energy in your day to day existence as you are consuming in your food that you wouldn’t put on weight.

This message saw the beginning of many books, exercise videos and more recently Apps that help people to monitor every little calorie that enters their mouth in the hope that they’ll maintain their svelte physique or for some lose the excess baggage they’re carrying around.

Unfortunately that message is slightly lopsided and has led many people down the beaten track to a place where they seem to have lost control of what to eat, how much to eat and WHY they’re eating what they are.

FIRSTLY the benefits of calorie counting

It gets people to actually reflect upon what they are eating by writing it down or entering it into an online program, therefore creates a sense of accountability

For many people who are consuming well above their energy needs it will significantly reduce the amount of food they’re putting in their mount

It is a great starting point for a couple of weeks at most to really look at how much you’re consuming and check whether you’re in the right ball park

HOWEVER, I believe the (Long Term) CONS of Calorie Counting far outweigh the benefits. Here’s WHY…

The QUALITY of the Calorie must be considered- Highly processed foods take very little energy to digest (Thermic effect). The Thermic effect of our food is thought to account for approximately 10% of the energy used by our body throughout the day. Therefore choosing to eat higher quality foods will require more energy to digest therefore having a greater thermic effect on your body

The TYPE of Calorie counts. Carbs, Proteins and Fats all have different amounts of calories per gram of measurement. 500g of highly processed carbohydrates will give you far less energy and satiety that 500g of vegetables, good quality Fats or Proteins. If you’re less full, because of the type of food you’ve chosen to eat, you’re more likely to want to eat MORE.

PEOPLE have different fuel efficiencies. Think about cars- A Range Rover will require more fuel to cover the same distance as a Yaris because it is bigger, more robust. Same goes for US.

Your HORMONES play a role here too! Some hormones tell your body to ‘store as fat’, others say ‘release sugar’ while some say ‘build muscle’ but if your hormonal regulators are not functioning properly then the messages can be interfered with.

Many programs and books are INACCURATE, unless you’re measuring to the gram how much you’re consuming AND measuring EXACTLY how much you’re expending is VERY difficult.

What can you do INSTEAD of counting calories?

As foodie journalist Michael Pollan suggests

EAT REAL FOOD- Don’t buy foodstuff(s) with more than 5 ingredients on the list especially if it contains long words you have trouble pronouncing

MOSTLY PLANTS- Shop at the markets or stick to the outside of the supermarket isles where most of the FRESH produce is.

NOT TOO MUCH- Eat Less. Most people eat portion sizes that are more than they need. Eat slower so that you can register when you’re satisfied and stop BEFORE you’re FULL!

When you eat like this all (or ALMOST all) of the time, you don’t need to count calories!

My final word is more of a CHALLENGE.

I challenge you to make EVERY MEAL from scratch for 2 weeks- If you like bread then you have to bake a loaf of bread. I guarantee most people will start to cut out anything that is processed in their diets as they are the things that are the most time consuming to make. Get back to basics, use whole grains, lots of vegies, good quality meat and fat sources and EAT MORE SIMPLY. Left overs are KING!

It takes lots of organization and preparation, particularly if you work full time but if your health is a PRIORITY and you’re currently buying a lot of your meals out then you will SIGNIFICANTLY notice the difference!