The Calorie Myth – The truth about calories
This is a very important topic. We’ve been told to eat less and exercise more as the only solution to lose weight for the past couple of decades. Therefore, doctors have been putting all the blame on overweight people themselves, who just don’t seem able to eat in moderation.. Do you really believe somebody who is overweight hasn’t tried that approach? We can all see how well this way of thinking has worked, as obesity is at an all-time high.
The law of thermodynamics states that it’s all about calories in minus calories out (resulting in weight gain/loss), which is true, but this completely ignores how your body and your hormones react to different food & nutrients – causing you to burn more or less energy, depending on what you eat (without changing anything else!).
A study by Dr. Ludwig, a professor at Harvard Medical School, showed that the simple change of eating a low-carb, high-fat diet instead of a low-fat, high-carb one resulted in people burning more than 300 calories more per day (the same as one hour of exercise per day!), without any other change in their lifestyle and consuming the same amount of calories like the low-fat group.
The right question to ask is not “How many calories should you eat?” but rather “What’s the impact of the calories you consume on your body’s ability to burn fat vs. store fat?”
The fact is, carbohydrates (especially refined ones) cause the biggest spike in Insulin which causes the body to store fat. When your insulin levels are always elevated because you’re eating carbs all day, you prevent your body from accessing stored fat for energy.
All of the evidence I’ve seen (also in my own life with clients) points to low-carb being far superior (even without a reduction in calories) to calorie-restricted low-fat diets to lose fat and to improve your health. I’ve linked all the studies I’ve mentioned in the video below.
If you want to lose fat, your focus should not be on restricting calories but instead on restricting carbohydrates!
In addition, if you do end up eating carbs, eat them in the evening to reduce the risk of storing them as fat.
Studies mentioned in the video:
Greater Weight Loss and Hormonal Changes After 6 Months Diet With Carbohydrates Eaten Mostly at Dinner
Effects of Dietary Composition on Energy Expenditure During Weight-Loss Maintenance
23 Studies on Low-Carb and Low-Fat Diets – Time to Retire The Fad