We have heard the theory that what you eat does not matter, because it is all about “calories in versus calories out”.
People say eating 100 calories of candy is the same as eating 100 calories of broccoli.
That may sound logical, BUT IT IS JUST NOT ACCURATE!
Not all calories are created equal.
While calories consumed and expended are a factor in what results you see, it is much more complicated than that and there are so many other factors that come into play. Every person will metabolize foods differently and the types of foods that you consume play a large role in how that is used as fuel in your body.
All that to say, we find that simply trying to “burn” that specific amount of calories in a week or even in a day will not necessarily lead to results.
You also have to take into account that the scale is not a reliable measure of progress since it cannot differentiate between body fat, muscle, water weight, etc. So that mindset can lead to a “succeed or fail” mentality as you are fixed to see that one pound of weight loss.
It’s common to be losing body fat but also gaining lean muscle mass while following our principles of eating real, one-ingredient foods and following our flexible carb cycling. While following this, taking progress pictures is always what we most recommend to track progress. We also recommend being aware and taking into account some other ways to track progress, such as: how are you sleeping? How are your energy levels throughout the day? Do you feel stronger? Ect…
We find that the absolute best way to fuel your metabolism (and see results) is to include the foods we most recommend about 80% of the time while you are listening to your hunger cues.
That means to eat when you are hungry and until you feel satisfied. That is a far more effective approach to fueling your metabolism since it is normal to feel more hungry on some days than others. This is known as Intuitive Eating and is something we follow ourselves and teach to all of our clients!
We have found success with this type of eating and have found it to bring a lot of freedom.
So that is what we teach! That also allows for flexibility to not have to unnecessarily stress about counting calories or weigh your foods or count macros. We find that ultimately leads to unhealthy thought patterns with food and your body.
Adding to that, we want you to be aware of how certain foods make you feel. Did you know that sugar has be proven to be very addictive? So, if you are consistently having sugar in your diet, your body will actually crave it more. This is also why we do not recommend artificial sweeteners–as they can still cause your blood sugar to spike higher than if you were to just eat regular sugar.
In addition, artificial sweeteners trigger receptors on your tongue that tells your body you are eating something sweet which can affect how your body metabolize the food, leading to further cravings for sweets.
This is another reason that the quality of the calories and what you are eating really matters! Artifical sweeteners have little to zero calories, but have more negative effects on your body in the long run.
We wrote an article all about Artificial Sweeteners HERE that you can read to learn more!.
We hope that makes sense and helps inspire you to really be aware of what you are putting in your body and then in turn fuel your body with the best food so you can feel great and function well!!
Are you wanting some extra help with figuring out a personalized plan that can really help you reach your goals and get lean and shredded? WE WOULD LOVE TO HELP YOU OUT!
