Calories not there for the counting
ARE calories important? They don't matter! Should I say it again? They. Don't. Matter.
What matters are only three things – the quality (not the value) of calories, your cell's ability to efficiently regulate hunger and satiety signalling and when you consume them.
In the first instance, what this means is that all calories are not created equal. You can't substitute equal amounts of calories from fresh vegetables with those from commercial bread (for example) and expect your body to be able to use them in the same way.
Equally, the same number of calories from sugar and olive oil, for example, will be used very differently. What matters is whether or not a food is real (in its natural state). Can the body use all of it, in a positive way, for important bodily processes, or is some (or all) of the foodstuff likely to cause organ disruption (such as the pancreas and adrenals, when simple sugar is consumed), or other negative reactions?
Bottom line? Eat real foods most of the time. Have you ever wondered how skinny people stay skinny? You'll notice they tend not to be too obsessed or concerned with food. They don't avoid any particular food group (notably fat) and don't pick up weight either. This is likely due to the fact that their cells are able to regulate the hunger/satiety hormones very efficiently and effectively. These hormones are known as insulin and leptin respectively and they play a huge role in fat storage/release.
In order for these two hormones to operate optimally, you need to ensure you eat enough of each of the food groups to suit your personal fuel needs. The closer you can get to this the more functional and healthy the cells will become.
Keep a record of what you eat and how it affects you within about an hour after meals. All "upper" sensations (feeling wired, headachy, irritable, panicky or craving sweets) tend to be as a result of too much carbohydrate consumed, whereas the "downer" sensations (feeling apathetic, depressed, lethargic, sluggish and also craving sweets) tend to be from eating too much protein and/or fat.
Give your liver time to empty itself fully of glycogen before putting your next meal in. It takes approximately 6 to 8 hours for this to happen, leaving both the muscle cells and the liver cells devoid of fuel.
This allows the body to tap into body fat stores, using the excess fat as fuel. So try skipping a meal on a regular basis (called intermittent fasting) and watch what happens. Don't do this if pregnant, breastfeeding, hypoglycaemic, diabetic, under chronic stress or if you have a cortisol dysfunction.
See the unbelievable results of my experiment with this method for fat loss on www.thehappybody.co.za
Tanya Wyatt
Nutrition and lifestyle coach, health writer and presenter
Partner: The Happy Body
(041)581-1679
tanya@thehappybody.co.za
www.thehappybody.co.za