Why calorie counting is ridiculous

poedunk65

Original Text:


"If you're a regular reader of my emails you'll know that I'm not the biggest fan of calorie counting as a weight loss method. In fact, that's an understatement. It's drives me freakin' mental.

Why?

Because it's the most non commonsensical, ridiculous, scientifically proven-to-be-wrong idea ever and yet virtually the entire world, including a huuuuuuge percentage of 'weight loss professionals' are advocating it as the way to go for a slimmer, healthier body.

ARRRGGHHHHHHHH!

And you know what really makes me mad about the calories in vs. calories out theory?

It actually MAKES PEOPLE FATTER. And more depressed and miserable. And it makes them blame themselves for failing when it's not their fault.

Let's look at the facts. Not even the scientific facts. Just the plain old glaringly obvious ones.

Pre 1970s, no one counted calories.

Pre 1970s, barely anyone even knew what a calorie was.

Then, low and behold, some bright spark set off a myth that if you just eat less than you burn off, you'll lose weight.

Now, short term this may be true in SOME (not all) people. But telling someone who is overweight to eat less and exercise more is like telling someone who is depressed to frown less and smile more. It demonstrates a complete and utter lack of any understanding of the intricate marvel that is the human metabolism, or, in the case of depression, biochemistry.

Every single organism in the world seeks to maintain internal balance (aka, homeostasis). We don't have to think about our blood sugar dropping low or getting too low, it gets regulated automatically. Of course, things can get broken, and in the case of blood sugar, that's what diabetes is. But when things get broken in the body, it's more often than not as a result of what we subject it to. I'll get to this in a sec...

Incidentally, the introduction of the calories in vs calories out counting frenzy coincided with the unprecedented rise in obesity.

So how come all those pre-1970 non-calorie counters went millions of years without getting obese?

They just ate natural food.

You see, it's NOT a case of quantity, and stupid little calories.

It's a case of QUALITY.

Think of it like the time I accidentally put unleaded in my friend's diesel horsebox. £5 of unleaded I put in.

It wrecked the entire engine.

A little bit of **** food in your body has EXACTLY the same effect.

So all those manufacturers creating food substitutes like chocolate bars and crisps and telling you to 'treat yourself' and have it all in moderation... remember it's not about the quantity.. it will have the same damaging effect on your metabolism as unleaded had on that horsebox.

It will wreck your metabolic homeostasis.

Further proof that you really don't need to count calories to maintain a healthy weight is that we are the only species on the planet who counts them.

Have you noticed how animals in the wild rarely get excessively overweight? Even though they're not counting calories? It's only our domesticated pets who get overfed on processed pet food who struggle to stay in shape.

Can you imagine tribes in the middle of Africa whipping out their calculators mid-hunt to ensure the wild boar they're eyeing up won't take them over their daily quota?

It literally drives me bonkers when I hear 'reputable' weight loss organisations encouraging people to off set their highly processed, toxic food substitutes with a jog.

It's a bit like telling someone to offset the 12 *kitten* they just smoked with a bike ride.

It ain't gonna work!!

As you can tell, this really gets my goat. It wouldn't so much if it actually helped, but it does the exact opposite for the vast majority of people and we've been brainwashed with it so intensively for so long now that people have a real hard time giving up the idea.

Calories do count but there is absolutely no need to count them.

If you have fat you want to lose think nutrition and food quality, NOT calories and quantity.

In my experience of working with thousands of people, counting calories merely takes your attention away from your passion and purpose and away from eating the natural foods that were intended for us and help us thrive.


Char"

WhAT AN IDIOT!!!

Commander_Keen

She's saying allot of things that have been currently debated on MFP.

Clean vs Junk. --

Debunking time
"A little bit of **** food in your body has EXACTLY the same effect."
Not true too many people have a Junk food as a meal and still gains muscle, and loose weight.

"Can you imagine tribes in the middle of Africa whipping out their calculators mid-hunt to ensure the wild boar they're eyeing up won't take them over their daily quota?"
I guess she doesn't take into count that hunters hunt, and they are always on the move, hence getting exercise.

"Have you noticed how animals in the wild rarely get excessively overweight? Even though they're not counting calories?"
Animals are always on the run, always exercising.. Again she doesn't take into account.

What's funny.
"If you have fat you want to lose think nutrition and food quality, NOT calories and quantity."
Eating clean doesn't get you to loose weight. Eating clean is great.. but one has to exercise.
One has to burn more than one consumes.

Why She Trainer of the Year 2010, is beyond me.

MelLouBro

Nailed it!

_EndGame_

If I had to count calories for the rest of my life I would be depressed at the thought, but I do think it's beneficial short term (at least) in helping people correct their bad eating habits.

I often don't log calories at the weekend, because I'm preoccupied, usually away from home, and I spend all week religiously exercising and being careful that I stick within my calories.

Now, even on "cheat days" (which I don't plan, they just happen) I'm aware of what I am wanting to eat, and I can say to myself "NO" whereas 9 months or so ago, I would eat what I want, without thinking about the consequences, and that is courtesy of calorie counting, and being aware of what I am eating.

To summarise - Calorie counting can be tedious and I would not want to have to do it for the rest of my life, but I think it is brilliant in the sense that it makes people aware of just how much they're eating, ergo, it gives them something to focus on whilst making better and healthier food choices.

Go_Mizzou99

""Then, low and behold, some bright spark set off a myth that if you just eat less than you burn off, you'll lose weight. ""

WOOHOO! I am living the myth. Snoopy Happy Dance!!!

Shameka808

Ummmmm............why is she even on here then. I thought that MFP was about calorie counting to help you realize how much you are consuming. If thats how you feel why are you even on MFP.

charissh

Yeah because cakes and biscuits and cheesecake and pastries weren't invented before the 70s...

What a joke! One of the biggest difference is that lifestyles are more sedentary, and food is more available - we have to watch what we eat when we're less active... and one easy way is to count calories

neanderthin

rungirl1973

PS. If you need some natural recipe ideas with not a calorie in sight, you can still pick up my gluten, sugar and dairy-free online cookbook for the crazy price of £3.97.



^^This was the purpose of the entire blog. It's all about selling her cookbook.

skinnyinnotime

Well that is pretty dumb to say the least

Carnivor0us

???? Not scientifically proven???? Where does she think the whole concept of calories came from? What an idiot. Sorry to be so demeaning, but it's true...her whole argument is based on anecdotes/opinion.

Wikipedia:
The large calorie, kilogram calorie, dietary calorie, nutritionist's calorie, nutritional calorie or food calorie (symbol: Cal, equiv: kcal) is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius. The large calorie is thus equal to 1000 small calories or one kilocalorie .

The concept of calories comes from physics, not biochemistry or medicine.

sjaplo

Wow - what a bunch of horse poop! I'm not even going to bother......

Although, are we all "counting calories" or are most of us "quantifying intake"? And by that I mean using calories as only one metric among many in order to get to, and maintain, the state we wish our healthy bodies to maintain?

tennisdude2004

PS. If you need some natural recipe ideas with not a calorie in sight, you can still pick up my gluten, sugar and dairy-free online cookbook for the crazy price of £3.97.



^^This was the purpose of the entire blog. It's all about selling her cookbook.

It's good, I bought it earlier!

MyRummyHens

Purchasing the merchandise WILL make you pounds lighter. It's just sadly they will be the £ sort of pounds rather than the lb sort of pounds!

Weight loss happens (unless your seriously ill) as a result of taking in less calories than you burn. That's a fact. Calorie counting is just one method of intake control, all other methods which work also restrict calories - you just don't count them. Why can't some people just accept that we all chose our own path - oh wait! Right, they are selling stuff!

BlueBombers

wow - in to see where this one ends up!!!!!!!!

^ This

mustgetmuscles1

Nobody was fat before 1970's. Good to know.

grrawritsjordi

WOW. I can't even imagine the size of an ego this large. Good thing for her that egos don't have calories.

I laughed out loud at this. Now everyone in the office thinks I am crazier than they already knew.

LiftAllThePizzas

Can you imagine tribes in the middle of Africa whipping out their calculators mid-hunt to ensure the wild boar they're eyeing up won't take them over their daily quota?

I also can't imagine any group of primitive hunter/gatherers pulling out a blueprint to build a straw hut engineered to withstand specific loads and wind speeds. But then, they don't build skyscrapers.

58Rock

Let me get this straight.

The LAW of thermodynamics is a load of crap.

The fact that a LAW is scientifically/mathmatically "proven" concept is irrelevant.

And the scientifc fact that a calorie is a precise measurment of energy is also irrelevant.

OK. Got it. Proceed.

Hannahp1402

Theres a comments box at the end of the blog....... ?