Calorie reminder
stroutman81
Posts: 2,474 Member
It just so happens that my inbox is being bombarded by people with questions that can be summed up into, "Will this food make me fat." When talking about fat loss, as many in this community knows well, the greater context that must override all other variables... including food selection... is energy balance.
Without a calorie deficit, it really doesn't matter what you're eating... fat ain't budging! Our culture has such a concern over labeling foods "good" and "bad" that people are quick to overlook the importance of a LONG TERM calorie deficit.
Even around here, a community that is rooted in counting calories, I encounter numerous people who don't let their deficits ride long enough to actually matter. And when they go off plan, void their deficits, and realize their weight isn't budging... their first response is to look at their food selection and worry about which combination of foods is hindering their fat loss.
It's the calories. Get that through your head and don't let it skate past the forefront of your mind.
You need that deficit to be repeated day in and day out. Remember, you have 10s of thousands, if not 100s of thousands, of excess calories stored on your belly, *kitten*, and hips. Brief stints of calorie deficits aren't going to make a major dent when they're constantly interspersed with calorie maintenance and surplus periods. And it doesn't help anyone if you are quick to forget about those excess calorie periods. They make a world of difference.
I don't mean to imply that food selection isn't important. It really is... from managing body composition to making calorie deficits more tolerable. But everything needs to be rooted in a consistent calorie deficit when it comes to fat loss.
Without a calorie deficit, it really doesn't matter what you're eating... fat ain't budging! Our culture has such a concern over labeling foods "good" and "bad" that people are quick to overlook the importance of a LONG TERM calorie deficit.
Even around here, a community that is rooted in counting calories, I encounter numerous people who don't let their deficits ride long enough to actually matter. And when they go off plan, void their deficits, and realize their weight isn't budging... their first response is to look at their food selection and worry about which combination of foods is hindering their fat loss.
It's the calories. Get that through your head and don't let it skate past the forefront of your mind.
You need that deficit to be repeated day in and day out. Remember, you have 10s of thousands, if not 100s of thousands, of excess calories stored on your belly, *kitten*, and hips. Brief stints of calorie deficits aren't going to make a major dent when they're constantly interspersed with calorie maintenance and surplus periods. And it doesn't help anyone if you are quick to forget about those excess calorie periods. They make a world of difference.
I don't mean to imply that food selection isn't important. It really is... from managing body composition to making calorie deficits more tolerable. But everything needs to be rooted in a consistent calorie deficit when it comes to fat loss.
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Remember, you have 10s of thousands, if not 100s of thousands, of excess calories stored on your belly, *kitten*, and hips.
:laugh:
Thanks Steve I just spewed coffee all over myself.0 -
It's the truth though, right? I mean hell, if you're merely rocking 20 lbs of excess fat... that's 70,000 excess calories stored. I find that when people start really seeing the big picture to this... they find ways to be more consistent.0
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It's the truth though, right? I mean hell, if you're merely rocking 20 lbs of excess fat... that's 70,000 excess calories stored. I find that when people start really seeing the big picture to this... they find ways to be more consistent.
At first I was depressed, now I'm over it and happy to have a realistic reminder!0 -
Simply a matter of chipping away with a small yet persistent calorie deficit. The bigger issue at play, for most, is learning how to emotionally handle food. They've used it for so long as a form of medication... they cope with the stress of their lives via food. It's a tough cycle to break. But when it's broken - and it is breakable - consistency gets a whole lot easier.0
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Remember, you have 10s of thousands, if not 100s of thousands, of excess calories stored on your belly, *kitten*, and hips.
:laugh:
Thanks Steve I just spewed coffee all over myself.
This...HAHA I laughed out loud in a completely silent room. :P0 -
Simply a matter of chipping away with a small yet persistent calorie deficit. The bigger issue at play, for most, is learning how to emotionally handle food. They've used it for so long as a form of medication... they cope with the stress of their lives via food. It's a tough cycle to break. But when it's broken - and it is breakable - consistency gets a whole lot easier.
This is something I am working on, this emotional handling of food, and it is a work in progress. I am 52, and for most of my life I have eaten what I want, in whatever quantities I wanted. This was true in times of being overweight, and even to a certain extent in times of leanness when impulse control went out the window and I ate to excess. It is now that I realize I have to break this cycle, and yes, it's tough to break after a lifetime of treating food this way, but I do feel it's getting easier and I am confident this is the last time I will have to lose weight. That word you used - consistency - that is my new word when it comes to dieting.0
