Best way to lose weight? Get savvy…not all calories are the same

One of the reasons it is hard to lose weight is that most people don’t understand what they have to do. That’s because it’s really confusing. The current thinking is that you have to exercise and reduce your calorie intake. Well my experience and now research is finally showing that is not correct. If you exercise more and cut back your calorie intake you are going to be hungry. That is not a formula for success. The goal is to change what you eat, have more energy and not feel hungry. Sound too good to be true? Not if you know what to do.

The first thing you have to change is the notion that all calories are the same. I have always thought Gary Taube’s book Good Calories Bad Calories explained the science very well.  Now his new book, Why we get fat-and what to do about it, is also helpful especially for debunking the myth that cutting back fat and calories is how you lose weight; which most people think means cutting out the fat.

Cutting out the fat is really not the point, it is more important to cut out the wrong carbohydrates. Most people who are overweight eat too many carbohydrates, which may not amount to that many calories, but when consumed in excess leads to a condition called metabolic syndrome. It is basically a disorder in the way your fat tissue works and this depresses the metabolism as well as your energy levels.

While I do think it matters how many calories you eat, the real issue you need to focus on is how much protein you need. Unlike Taube’s, I do not think you can eat as much protein and fat as you want. I have a very easy way to figure this out how much protein is the right amount. Take you ideal weight which let us say 150 lbs. and divide that by 2.2 and you will get an estimate of how many grams of protein you need. In this case it is it is about 70 or 23 grams per meal. This is an estimate; the actual number is related to your lean body mass and your exercise levels. The leaner you are and the more active the more protein you need.

The next key number is how many grams of carbohydrates you need. The current thinking is that this number is less than 50 grams after you subtract fiber. If you divide that by 3 you get about 15 grams per meal. This information is so useful to getting yourself on the right path that will allow you to lose weight, give you energy, and most importantly you will not be hungry. I am conservative in my assessment about how much fat you need.  I would not eliminate fat, but be mindful of eating real food so that the fat you eat does not have a negative effect. That means nuts, avocado, some cheese and dairy. To eat fat with abandon is missing the mark. If you eat the right amount of protein and carbohydrates the fat naturally falls into place. That’s what I teach my clients…it should be coming naturally to you and something you enjoy doing or else, it will not be sustainable. That’s how you lose weight and keep it off.

Let me know what you think about this? This is what has worked for my clients. The only other pieces you will need are how much exercise and how to manage the internal dialogue. Stay tuned…