It has long been thought that “calories in = calories out”. Any deviation from this is what packed on the pounds and hence how many diets have been formed. Eat less than you burn and you are on your way to weight loss. Unfortunately there is more to this story which is why 95% of all diets fail with most regaining their weight within 1-5 years.
I would like to challenge this thought and get you to think outside the nutrition ‘box’ we have created. What if not all calories are created equal? What if not everything is okay in moderation? Gasp… did I really just say that the little evil lie we tell ourselves that “everything in moderation” is really not a good thought at all?
When we make the general statement that ‘a calorie is a calorie’ we leave out a lot of important information regarding how our body handles and regulates those calories. Some of the information in a calorie includes the nutrient density of the food, its satisfaction factor and the big one, its hormonal impact on our bodies. When we factor these things in, a calorie is no longer just a calorie. It is much more than that.
Don’t get me wrong. How much energy we eat and how much we expend does matter, but that is not the bottom line. The bottom line is that our metabolism runs off hormones. Without hormones we are toast. And the food we eat including the nutrient content has a big impact hormonally on our bodies. The satisfaction factor matters. The hormonal impact matters. The nutrient density matters. Hence why 500 calories of potato chips does not compare to 500 calories of steak and kale.
This is where many people have it all wrong. Instead of worrying about the impact that food is having on their bodies, for good or for bad, many are worried about the content of its energy regardless of how it is being used. Unfortunately this causes a lot of problems, internally and externally.
Unfortunately at some point in our lives many of us have lost touch with ourselves. Yes, that is right, we have forgotten that our bodies know best and instead have listened to the thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of new diets and gimmicks out there promising weight loss and other health benefits. Unfortunately this has meant that many people have started counting, calculating and everything in between instead of listening to the very means of life, your incredibly delicate and complicated body designed perfectly for you.
I am writing this to help you learn to listen to your body. To get back to the root of the problem and develop deep lasting roots that can be achieved for life. This means real foods, foods that contain, well you guessed it, roots. A calorie is no longer just a calorie. A calorie should mean life bearing nutrients. Did you hear that? LIFE!
So lets stop putting everyone in the same box, ditch the fads and start figuring out who you are and what your body wants and needs. It wants to work with you, it wants to be healthy, fit and trim just as bad as you do (probably worse). Most of our bodies are crying out for help but we miss it, hence why so many people end up in a worse position after using the newest diet, than they were before they started.
Here is your wake-up call to help you realize your body is talking to you. It does know best! Stop listening to the diet traps and start listening to your own body. What I have learned over the years is that we can’t put everyone in the same box. It doesn’t work that way. We are all created uniquely and differently and thus have different needs. Your body wants to work with you, it wants to be healthy. Stop fighting it and start living.
Living also means treating yourself with respect. That respect starts with realizing you don’t have to starve yourself and a number on the scale doesn’t determine your state of health. The TYPE of calories is far more important than the number. Quality over quantity. I love the quote, “You don’t have to eat less, you just have to eat right.”
Its time to EAT TO LIVE!
