Today’s post is all about how the “calories in vs. calories out” theory of weight loss may not be the answer for most people, and how focusing on healthy food and knowing your body could have even better results.
Simply put, calories in vs calories out is the concept of taking in less calories than they expend. In other terms, when healthy adults eat more calories than their body can use, their body will store those extra calories as fat.
It sounds simple in theory, but I think calorie counting is one of the worst things you can don a weight loss journey. I didn’t always think this way, but I have seen too many people struggle to lose weight with the calories in vs. calories out model to be passionate about it anymore. In my experience, it either leads to hyper obsession or complete abandonment of your plan.
If it’s not just about calories in and calories out, what is weight loss about?
If weight loss isn’t about counting calories, what is it about? Weight loss is about the bodies ability to get into a catabolic state or a state of shedding fat, while maintaining, muscle, bone and all other tissues of course. This state is achieved when we are in good overall health maintained through nutrition and exercise.
If you look at large trials of weight loss studies, you will see that those who eat the least lose the most. That is across the general population and healthy people will skew the results significantly because they can get very good at losing weight. However, we try and get people to a healthy state of proper hormone function, digestive function, and metabolism so they can eat less and lose. Once they find a healthy diet that helps them consistently lose the work of weight loss becomes much more sustainable.
The DAMY Approach to Weight Loss
We have found that to be successful at long lasting weight loss, you need to take a holistic approach. Yes, you can fast and restrict calories to lose weight over the course of a month, but once you go back to your normal routine, all progress is lost and the weight comes back.
What we have been practicing for many years now is a sustained lifestyle that is low calorie, conducive to weight loss, and easy to maintain (depending on your goal). The idea is that healthy eating is a way of life that is fulfilling and balanced, not torture. Your diet should provide you with proper nutrition, and allow you to feel satisfied and whole rather than sleepy and ill.
One Core Principle:
A core principle to our approach is to eat most of your calories early in the day. It’s that simple.
Now, you’ll say that it doesn’t work for you, or that you’ve already tried, but were you consistent? Did you eat ice cream before bed?
You’ll say that your friends did it for years and it didn’t help them. Were they healthy overall? Do you know the details of their diet?
These may be true; however, once you get in the groove, once it becomes your new norm and it’s easy to maintain. Besides being easy to maintain, it works for people who need a metabolism boost as much as it does for those who want to slowly improve their overall health.
You may say, “I’m not in the mood to eat in the morning”. That’s okay. You’ll get there.
You may say, “I’m starving at night”. That’s okay. It will come down.
You may say, “I need a snack in order to sleep well”. That’s okay. That necessity will fade over time.
Our programs have never been about counting calories, but they have been about a balanced diet. They’ve been about food combining at appropriate times, and they’ve been about restricting high calorie food late in the day. And with the launch of our new program, there will be an added component called Intermittent Fasting.
Over the last two years we have found that when we add Intermittent Fasting to the program, it becomes much easier and more sustainable over the long term. More info will be coming soon.
Other Benefits of Eating Earlier in the Day
Eating the majority of your calories during the day isn’t just good for weight loss, there are a number of other reasons to consider it.
- Junk food cravings are lower (or non-existent) earlier in the day
- High-density calorie intake earlier in the day results in better energy production
- Prevents blood sugar dips that could signal other symptoms that may not be real
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- Eg. In patients who don’t eat breakfast, we often see anxiety and depression mid-day.
- Headache, nausea, overeating caused by not eating breakfast
- Skipping breakfast often results in low energy mid-day
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I’m not saying breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but when you consistently eat most of your calories earlier in the day, it becomes easier to maintain a healthy lifestyle (and long-term weight loss).
