Want to lose weight? Forget calories
“I want to lose weight so I need to eat less and exercise more”. Less calories in, more calories out. Sounds logical, right? If only our bodies were that simple.
We need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight (that’s the uncontested law of thermodynamics), but the WAY we get into a calorie deficit is KEY to our success. And the “eating less, exercising more” mentality often pushes us further away from our goals.
If we want to attain healthy and sustainable weight loss, we need to stop thinking of our bodies as simple math equations, and start looking at them as the complex biology projects that they are.
SO YES WE ARE ASKING YOU TO EAT MORE!
What happens when we just cut portions and calories in an attempt to lose weight?
- Our bodies will try to overcompensate for the loss by increasing our hunger hormones (i.e ghrelin) and decreasing our satiety hormones (i.e leptin, neuropeptide Y, CCK), leading to cravings – especially for high carb, starchy foods.
- Energy expenditure by our muscles decreases, so when we start eating normally again our body will store fat quicker.
- We miss out on essential nutrients like amino acids and fatty acids which can affect hormone and neurotransmitter production. This decreases our energy levels, mood, and overall vitality.
So instead of concentrating on the amount of calories, we should concentrate on the quality of calories (i.e eat MORE of the RIGHT foods).
By choosing quality calories, we balance our blood sugar, eat to satiety, and naturally balance our hunger hormones. This allows our bodies to smoothly shift from fat storing mode to fat burning mode in between meals and overnight. We lose weight in a way that keeps our bodies and brains nourished and energized, and avoid the draining dieting cycle that leads to rebound weight gain, moodiness, and cravings.
By looking at the quality of calories, instead of quantity of calories, we are taking into account the complexity of our bodies processes, our metabolism, and the chemistry of the food we absorb.
We want to get into a metabolically flexible state, where we can shift from fat storing from fat burning mode much more easily and finally hit our goals!
SO HOW DO WE SHIFT INTO FAT BURNING MODE WITHOUT CUTTING CALORIES?
- Eat the Key3 – clean protein, healthy fats, and fibers at every single meal, snack, smoothie!
- Eat bigger meals so you can snack less. Meals should keep you full for at least 4 hours – so if they don’t, eat more!
- Employ our timed nutrition strategy – click here to read more!
