Skip the Calorie Counting

Skip the Calorie Counting
For years, conventional wisdom dictated the concept: Calories in, calories out. Perhaps someone who has an affinity to control every aspect of his/her life came up with the concept. It is anything, but natural! Let's begin to change the way we think.

First of all, while we will discuss different dietary theories, research has consistently found to be true, "no one dietary strategy is consistently superior to others for the general population."

Secondly, the various well-known diets all result in similar amounts of weight loss, but only if the individual adheres to the diet, resulting in fewer calories ingested.

It is incomprehensible why the medical community is still pushing calorie counting as a viable method for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

The key to optimal health is eating better food; not less of it.

Researchers followed a little over 600 healthy, overweight adults for a period of 12 months. Half of the participants were assigned to a low-carb dietary plan, while the other half were assigned to a low fat dietary plan. Each group received instructional training by dietitians in both areas. The participants were instructed to reduce carb or fat intake (depending on their assigned group).

"Both diet groups were instructed to (1) maximize vegetable intake; (2) minimize intake of added sugars, refined flours, and trans fats; and (3) focus on whole foods that were minimally processed, nutrient dense, and prepared at home whenever possible" (Gardener, et al., 2018).

Calorie counting was not a factor in this experiment.

After 12 months, researchers discovered that some participants gained weight, while others lost weight. They concluded, "Differences in weight loss between the 2 groups were nonsignificant and not clinically meaningful" (Gardener, et al., 2018).

Interestingly, what came out of the study was that participants' overall health had improved. Both groups saw reductions in body fat, blood sugar, and blood pressure.

So what does this mean for you?

High quality ingredients will satisfy your hunger and you won't feel deprived. Cook at home. Eat real food. Gather in the kitchen, laugh out loud and enjoy mealtime with your family. Enjoy the proces!



Citation
Gardner CD, Trepanowski JF, Del Gobbo LC, et al. Effect of Low-Fat vs Low-Carbohydrate Diet on 12-Month Weight Loss in Overweight Adults and the Association With Genotype Pattern or Insulin Secretion: The DIETFITS Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2018;319(7):667–679. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.0245





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