The obsession over counting calories seems to be fading out somewhat, as more people are becoming aware of the fact that healthy weight loss is not so much about the total calorie number as it is about the quality of the calories
There are some people, however, who still starve themselves on diets that contain markedly few calories. When we starve our bodies, it rebels in defense, and shuts down metabolism so that the calories we do consume have a higher impact on the body.
When we eat too much after we starve ourselves, our bodies hang on to all of those calories and pack them into fat cells, where they await the next self-induced famine.
Another important fact about calories is that they are not all processed the same way in every individual. For instance, a person who is constantly yo-yo dieting will process a calorie differently than someone who eats a steady, healthy diet full of nutritious and wholesome foods. There are also differences in DNA that need to be considered.
Should I Ditch Calorie Counting?
Certainly, the taxing toll that counting every single calorie you put in your mouth takes is not worth it. All this does is increase anxiety, which encourages the body to hang on to stored fat. This is, obviously, counterproductive in itself. You may also overeat when you are stressed, making matters worse.
Focusing on quantity over quality can be very dangerous. If you are eating healthy foods, there is no reason to be concerned about quantity.
Leading health expert Dr. Joseph Mercola states that counting calories is nothing short of a waste of time and effort. What really needs to happen is that people need to focus on what they are eating, what kind of food they are putting in their mouths. We need to eat the right kind of calories.
If calories are all that matter, then we should be able to survive on a diet of donuts and diet soda, right? Just keep the numbers low enough and everything will be good. Well, it is diet soda and donuts that are spoiling the health of America, no matter what the calories.
The body needs nutrient-dense foods from good sources in order to function properly. If we deprive our bodies of these nutrients it becomes tired, sick and overweight.
Keys to Success
Put down your pad and pencil and stop counting! Try severely restricting or eliminating carbohydrates from sugar, fructose and grains. The carbohydrates affect the hormone insulin, which is a major fat storage regulator.
When we consume high amounts of fructose and grains we are programming our bodies to store fat. Load up instead on fresh organic vegetables, especially the leafy greens.
The second key to successful weight loss and health is to get enough healthy saturated fat. The thought that saturated fat promotes fat is simply not true. The body requires saturated fat in order to function properly.
Examples of healthy fats include butter from grass fed cows, animal fat from animals on pasture that are consuming grass (not grain), eggs from free-range chickens and coconut oil.
The fewer processed, fast and packaged foods we eat, the healthier we will be.
-The Alternative Daily
