Why Today Should Be The Last Day You Ever Count Calories

A calorie in, a calorie out, right?

Well… not exactly. Let me explain why I think…

Conventional wisdom has this backwards

But first let’s agree on what conventional wisdom says about creating a caloric deficit in efforts to lose weight.

It’s pretty simple, most personal trainers will tell you that in order to lose weight you have to create a caloric deficit based on your body’s BMR. Your BMR simply tells you about how many calories your body will burn at rest (laying down, but not sleeping).

In other words, if you were planning to do no activity whatsoever, this is the amount of calories you could eat without gaining any weight. If you decide to workout or go on a walk this exercise needs to then be taken into account (calories in, calories out).

After you subtract the calories out from the calories in you will arrive at a number. If that number exceeds your BMR you can count on weight gain. If the opposite is true, conventional wisdom says you’ll lose weight.

While there is some truth to this philosophy, I’d like to create a scenario to show you that it isn’t entirely accurate.

If the conventional wisdom is true then it makes no difference where the calories come from

I have a question…

What do you think would happen if one person ate 2,000 calories in Twinkies and the other person ate 2,000 calories in… let’s just say apples.

Let’s assume they both have the same BMR and they both burn the same amount of calories from daily activities.

What do you think would happen over time (30 days)?

Conventional wisdom (calories in, calories out) suggests that the end result will be the same. My response, “don’t be silly”. The effects are going to be far from the same.

It’s not just calories in, calories out that matters. You must take into consideration…

Where these calories are coming from?

Why do you think so many (Americans especially) struggle with weight loss? I’ve got an idea… Conventional wisdom is for the birds!

I haven’t counted a single calorie in over a year, yet I continue to lose fat and gain lean muscle.

So why am I different?

This is a very easy question, and it’s certainly not because I have great genes. My success is directly correlated to my eating habits. While I eat all day long, I am very conscious of what goes into my body.

I have completely eliminated all processed foods, refined sugars, and grains

The effects of these types of foods are detrimental to your success. I don’t care how big your calorie deficit is. Sure you’ll lose weight the bigger your gap is, but it won’t be healthy or sustainable.

Trust me, I’ve been there and done that…

Focus on eating whole foods; lean meats, healthy fats and low glycemic carbohydrates.

Some examples include; chicken, beef, lamb, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, squash, artichokes, asparagus, eggplant, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, to name a few.

Additionally, a great way to prepare these foods is by using healthy fats such as coconut oil, olive oil and grass-fed butter.

Calorie counting is stressful

I won’t even get into the effects stress has on your bodies ability to shed excess fat. Ill save that for another blog post.

It’s important to understand when you make changes to anything, especially your diet, gradual change is more effective for long-term success and sustainability.

Calorie counting is nonsense! So, are you ready to make it a thing of the past?

Let’s get fit together,

Michael