Main Ways To Make The Calories Count

Do calories matter? Absolutely.

Should we track them? It Depends. (Most annoying and honest answer in fitness and nutrition).

Let’s do a quick crash course on why the calories matter

What is a calorie? “Amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius.”

Food has trapped potential energy in it. So, when we consume it, we can use the “calories” of energy coming from Protein, Fats, or Carbohydrates.

We can use this for movements in your muscles, or fundamental body maintenance (like immune system and maintaining homeostasis).

Scientifically, this is one of the foundational laws of thermodynamics. This is because when a food is formed, it stores the energy in it. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, just transferred. So when people say calories don’t matter, they are skipping this vital concept. 

Calories are undeniably the largest fundamental principle of how weight is lost, maintained, or gained. However, we miss the techniques. We miss the nuance of how we’re affected by food ,  environmentally, culturally, and emotionally.

There are so many details I could dive into, but I’ll give you four main concepts:

1)      Not all calories are equal

When I tell people to eat five eggs, it blows their mind. But If I said have two eggs, a piece of toast, and maybe two pieces of bacon, they wouldn’t be shocked. Five eggs have fewer calories. Some food has better biofeedback and nutrients, so you need to listen to your body and stick with whole foods that give you this.

2)      Not all macro nutrients are the same

I preach that the most common mistake made is not getting enough protein. Protein is not the same as fats or carbs. Fats can be fats or ketones. Carbs can be glucose or glycogen or fat. Protein can do ALL of those jobs AFTER it takes care of your muscles, your connective tissue, and enzymes.

3)      What can food do for you?

Each food I eat should drive a purpose. We can group foods as either giving me Protein, Energy, Micro Nutrients (vitamins and minerals), Or Enjoyment. A food can do one, several, or all four of these. But if you’re eating food that mainly had Energy and Enjoyment, this is where we miss the quality that food can have.

4)      Not everyone has a “healthy” or normal metabolism

Without going into the whole concept of metabolism, fundamentally what can happen is when your body has had suboptimal calories on and off (Yo-Yo nutritional habits) without good muscle maintenance, your body could have an abnormally low rate of metabolism. This is when the calories counting REALLY don’t add up, because the system is trying to adapt to poor nourishment.

There is logic to why you can see calories sometimes as just ENERGY and FUN, and there is a reason why you want to count calories eventually. However, if you miss understanding what MOST of your food should do for you, the likelihood is that you will either not lose weight OR you will gain it back.

The truth is a lot of us need help on this.

This is what I do. So, if this has you intrigued, please reach out and click the button below to ask me more questions about how to optimize your calories.