It is often said that the only thing that matters for weight loss is “calories in, calories out.” WRONG! This is one of the most pervasive and most damaging myths in nutrition and perpetuates the idea that the amount of calories (or kilojoules) consumed is the most important factor in losing weight and where those calories come from doesn’t seem to matter. WRONG! Society would have us believe that it doesn’t matter if you eat 500 calories worth of broccoli or chocolate biscuits, as long as you ‘burn off’ the 500 calories in exercise later. WRONG! This concept of “burning” off junk food has got us into the massive mess of obesity, furious yo yo dieting and the chronic levels of metabolic syndrome that we see today.
The truth is that calories matter… but the types of foods we eat are just as important, that is because different foods go through different metabolic and biochemical pathways in the body.
Additionally, the foods we eat can directly and differently impact the hormones that regulate when and how much we eat, as well as the amount of calories we burn: this is vital to remember.
Here are two examples of why a calorie is NOT a calorie:
Fructose vs glucose: Fructose can massively stimulate the appetite compared to the same number of calories from glucose, due to the fact that fructose stimulates ghrelin, our ‘hunger hormone’, so that we do not feels satisfied after eating it. Fructose is of course found naturally in fruit, and a small amount in vegetables, but eating fruit really is not the issue with fructose as it is encased in natural fibre which slows down its absorption . It is the added sugars to processed food which are derived from fructose which have become such an enormous silent burden on our health. Our body can only metabolise fructose through the liver, meaning there is no regulation process for it (as one did not evolve as we evolved because isolated fructose simply did not exist), meaning that we quickly lay all isolated fructose down as fat. You can see how eating 500 calories worth of food packed full of added fructose is incomparable to 500 calories of broccoli! If you want to lose weight and keep it off then ditch the fructose containing processed foods, this includes all the very dubious diet foods, shakes and meal replacements on the market, which are ironically often loaded with fructose to keep you coming back for more and spending big money on the product!
Protein: Eating protein can boost the metabolic rate and reduce appetite compared to the same amount of calories from fat and carbs. It can also increase your muscle mass, which burns calories around the clock. Your weight is actively regulated by your brain, particularly an area called the hypothalamus, in order for your brain to determine when and how much to eat, it processes multiple different types of information. Some of the most important signals to the brain are hormones that change in response to feeding . A higher protein intake actually increases levels of the satiety (appetite-reducing) hormones GLP-1, peptide YY and cholecystokinin, while reducing your levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin. So by replacing carbs and fat with protein, you reduce the hunger hormone and boost several satiety hormones, this leads to a major reduction in hunger and is the main reason protein helps you lose weight. It can make you eat fewer calories automatically. So easy and so clever!
Protein, combined with good fats are my two secret weapons for losing weight and keeping it off, along with consuming absolute bucketful’s of vegetables.
So you can see that even though calories are important, saying that they are all that matters when it comes to weight (or health for that matter) is completely wrong.
Take home lesson: All calories are not created equal! Different foods go through different metabolic pathways and have varying effects on hunger, hormones and health. Choose wisely and opt for fantastic, natural whole foods!
In good health, Victoria xoxoxo
Looking for some great recipes which don’t contain fructose? Check out my Recipe Book HERE
Ready to revitalise yourself and Spring into Summer with a whole foods detox? Check out my Easy Spring Detox Program HERE
Want to book in for a session with me to discuss your individual nutritional needs? Check out what I do HERE
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