Calories In versus Calories Out, have we been fed a lie?!
It’s a confusing mix of information we get these days making it hard to discern what is factual versus inaccurate information.
As a registered Dietitian I often wish I could take the “diet” out of my title. A “diet” can also be termed “habitual nourishment”, meaning what we eat and drink throughout the day. It does not necessarily have anything to do with restriction, though that is what we now think of when we think of the word “diet”.
But why do we automatically think of restriction when we think of “diet”? This could be because since the 1920s we have taken the hypothesis of 2 physicians to heart. We have committed to the idea that obesity is simply caused by a positive energy balance, meaning we are “overweight” because we overeat. Around this time in the 1900s, there was a competing hypothesis to the calorie theory by a German authority on internal medicine that was pushed under the rug do to politics, given this was during a time when anti-German sentiment was strong. His hypothesis was that obesity was a hormonal, regulatory disorder. However, following the war, much of the German references in text fell away all together. (1)
So, close to 100 years later, we unfortunately find ourselves living by the hypothesis that weight maintenance is a simple game of calories in versus calories out, with no solid solutions or guide to help us regain control over our health.
Unfortunately, our government food guidelines, food industry, and the medical industry, all hold onto this calorie idea as well.
We now have calories reported on our menus at restaurants and 100 calorie packs of foods to help us manage our intake, when in reality this notion isn’t working...and has never worked.
Instead of working to find a way to prevent the root cause of “weight-related” diabetes, stroke, heart attack, etc., we have taken on a majority theory with a basis in an idea that overeating and laziness are the cause of weight related health disparities, which is just not true.
How can our solution and problem be the same thing? How can we say we are “over weight” because we eat too much, we eat to much because we are “overweight”?
Humans are not isolated systems where everything is optimally working with no disruptions or varying factors. If this was the case, than absolutely, calories in versus calories out would make perfect sense, but last time I checked, there are a couple more things to consider.
As a dietitian, who’s focus is in functional nutrition and intuitive eating, I truly believe food can heal and it’s important to find the root cause of disease, not just use a Band-Aid.
It means I do believe that ALL foods can have a place in our lives, but it can be intentional.
It means I truly believe a calories in/calories out approach to weight loss, doesn’t work. It means I want to move away from shame and guilt surrounding food and our bodies, and begin to find acceptance and tools that help us feel healthy and nourished.
Lastly, I believe that we all have the right to know all the facts and make our own decisions based on credible information without putting certain individuals on pedestals or giving inappropriate funding without informing the public.
We are FINALLY starting to move away from the concept that consuming fat, leads to more fat on our bodies. However, it is a slower process to move away from the concept that calories matter, especially when marketing and corporate food industries are latching onto it for dear life.
Can you really look at 100 calories from an avocado and tell me it affects our bodies the same way as 100 calories of soda? No. It’s common sense, but it forces us to live again in this gray area that we often feel is confusing. Yes it’s much easier to go the Weight Watchers way, and say a calorie is a calorie, but what if one of those calories is a whole food packed with nutrients, feels good to our bodies, and has much less of an insulin spike. Where as the other leaves us feeling lethargic, hungry, and craving more and more and more, because that hormone insulin is having a field day.
Calories don’t matter because depending on what you’re eating, where the food is from, when you’re eating it, what you’re eating it with, who you’re eating it with, your stress level, your body composition, your history with eating and relationship with food, what is going on hormonally in your body, food will have completely different reactions for each of us. I understand this is an awkward concept to wrap our heads around after years of being told something totally different.
Dr. Mark Hyman is a functional physician that does a great job of explaining how different foods affect our bodies. He strongly feels that is would be a huge benefit to the majority of people in the US to decrease their intake of processed foods, mainly foods and beverages high in sugar and carbohydrates. (2)
This is all to say, that it’s time to let go of the idea that eating less or exercising more, will lead to long-term weight loss, and begin to nourish ourselves from an intuitive, informed bases while moving away from weight sigma.
Ever wonder why you are so low energy when consuming less calories? Ever wonder why after trying to restrict calories for a couple days, you end up “bingeing” with an out of control feeling? Your body is trying to protect itself, and your metabolism is taking a hit because of it.
The more we restrict, the more our bodies are going to try to find balance, THIS IS FACT and 100% NOT from a lack of self control, laziness, or inability to stick to a diet.
THE BEST thing we can do for our health and our bodies is to bring it back to the basics. Take a step back from what diet culture is telling us to consume, and start listening to what sounds good without fear or judgment.
Yes that chocolate chip cookie may create some inflammation in your body, but so does broccoli, and that broccoli is DEFINITELY creating inflammation if you’re eating it stressed and pissed off that you have to eat it.
When we have lived in a state of restriction whether from diet culture or socioeconomic factors, our bodies need time to find equilibrium again. Our bodies are amazing and they will try to hold onto as much nourishment as they can get. You have to imagine that a yo-yo affect of eating can put a lot of stress on the body. When we start to eat from a non-diet mentality, we are able to step away from the “shoulds” and begin eating based on what our bodies are telling us we need. Eventually, we will find that “middle ground” where we aren’t food obsessed, we find pleasure in ALL foods, and those “cravings” are met with acceptance and understanding.
THEN we are able to eat from an abundant instead of restricted state, because we are reminded that we have full permission to eat whatever foods we want at any point in time.
This will take time to workout but at some point, you will most likely find that whole foods make you feel really good most of the time, but sometimes chocolate and a donut sound just as good too. We can then eat either one without shame as we began to learn what works best for our bodies.
I have heard so many times that the social sigma around being “fat” and the shame that comes with that, is far more detrimental to our health than actually being in a larger body.
The more informed we can be, the more power we have to make decisions for ourselves, not just what the general consensus says. Weight HAS to become secondary to overall health.
I do believe that there are foods that are more nutritionally dense than others, but eating from a variety of foods is what is best for both our mental and physical bodies. Fruits and vegetables are wonderful for vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Especially when in season, fruits are the juiciest sweetest gifts from the earth. BUT SOMETIMES SOME FRUITS AND VEGETABLES DON’T AGREE WITH OUR BODIES. When this happens, we listen; we pay attention, and give ourselves permission not to eat them. IT’S OK. Healthy fats in the form of grass fed meat, fish, eggs, avocado oil, olive oil, ghee, well sourced dairy, coconuts, nuts, and seeds help our hormones work optimally and keep us full and satisfied.
When available, finding well-sourced food is an act of love for our bodies.
Little changes can go along way to feeling nourished in your skin. It is so important for us to begin to slow down and make decisions FOR OURSELVES surrounding food, while letting go of the judgment or misinformed blame we harbour. Food is not just fuel. Food is community, comfort, coping, love, the first gift of nourishment we get from our mother. Food can be shared with loved ones and is an amazing way to explore a different community. Food is multidimensional and emotional, and that’s OK!! Let’s begin to let go of the calorie concept and begin to listen to what we WANT to eat, not what we feel we SHOULD eat and take back the joy surrounding food.
By letting go of the food rules, we give ourselves permission to find joy in food again, to taste what we are eating and consume in a way that nourishes from the concept of self-care not restriction.
Calories are not all created equal, hormones play a massive role in how our bodies’ function. So lets start to feed those hormones well, be kind to our bodies, and begin to let ourselves enjoy food again from an abundance mentality.
Resources:
1. https://www.bmj.com/bmj/section-pdf/187868?path=/bmj/346/7904/Analysis.full.pdf
2. https://drhyman.com/blog/2018/02/07/damaging-food-lie-ever-told/