A calorie is not a calorie!

UNLESS A MILE UPHILL IS THE SAME AS A MILE DOWNHILL

Yes, it is just a unit of measurement, BUT It matters where your calories come from in regards to your weight loss journey and HEALTH.

Here’s what’s important when it comes to your calories:

✅ Nutrient Density- A sweet potato and a granola bar may both contain 200 calories, but the nutrients that those calories come with is the biggest reason why a calorie is not a calorie. Our bodies are more than just simple computers calculating calories in vs. calories out, our bodies are complex systems that have thousands of chemical reactions occurring at one time, and it is the nutrients present in the food that we eat that are responsible for these reactions. PLUS, real food is more likely to yield fewer net calories than processed foods.

✅ Macronutrient Variety- Calories are sources of energy that are derived from the food that we eat, namely from the carbohydrates, proteins, and fats that we consume. For every 1 gram of carbohydrate and protein you eat, you consume 4 calories, for every 1 gram of fat that you eat, you consume 9 calories. The thing is, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats all have vitally important roles in our body, and consuming an appropriate balance of these macronutrients is vital to our health. Eating 2,000 calories per day solely from carbohydrates does not provide the same health benefits as consuming 2,000 calories per day from a balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

✅ Satiety Index - Whole foods, especially whole food sources of protein and fat, are incredibly filling and satiating to our bodies, while processed foods are hyperpalatable (read: irresistible), making them easy to over-consume. When you eat whole foods (real food in its original form) you feel more satiated

✅ Hormones- Every time that you eat something you trigger a signal of chemical reactions in the body that influence your hormones, including insulin, leptin, and ghrelin, just to name a few. Insulin helps to manage your blood sugar, and in turn your fat storage, and works in conjunction with all of the other hormones. However, the quality of the food that you eat can impact the efficiency of these hormones and whether they are working for or against you. All of these hormones work together to determine what you eat and how much you burn, and the calories from oatmeal and Fruit Loops are going to affect this relationship very differently.

If that’s too much information, I will happily keep it  simple.

Eat real food!

I promise that will make your weight loss more akin to walking downhill versus uphill though the distance is the same . . . because a mile is a mile.

As always, reach out if you need any help understanding your health.

We are not meant to do this life alone.

Xx Lauren