Tuesday, November 25, 2014

The nitty gritty

"Cut calories" is the advice given by the public. " you will lose weight" they say. WRONG! It's not about caloric intake nor
about eating less. It's about eating RIGHT. What does this mean? How does this work? 
Here is the science behind the elements of "calories" and health.
Let's start by saying "calories" are a measure of heat. Again let me say- "CALORIES" are a measure of heat. Question: What do they have to do with weight management? 
Answer: nothing! It is the deeper underlying components on the nutrition label that determine whether to eat it or not. 
Reality is --if you are cutting calories to lose weight-- this is only a phase and will be short lived. Because by cutting calories- you are going hungry- you then are not getting what your body needs- ESPECIALLY if you are exercising. 
The biggest mistake I see individuals making is cutting calories without knowing how many to cut. They go off an algarhythm ( a silly chart based on weight and height aka BMI) 
So here it is- what do we watch for on nutrition labels? 
SUGAR and CARBOHYDRATES. 
What are those? 
Glycogen ( sugar) is what your body stores in your muscles and liver ( and blood stream) to use for " quick release energy. Carbohydrates are the exact same. Carbs are broken down turning into stored glycogen. 

The truth is- whether it be a candy or fruit- your body sees sugar as sugar. It breaks it down into simple sugars, and stores it for quick release. 
Unless you plan on doing anaerobic exercises aka- sprints, bursts, races etc. You have no reason to eat an over abundance of sugars or carbs.
Another question I get a lot- " but fruits are different than table sugar right?" 
Answer: yes- only because fruits have a fibrous layer to help with digestion, and have vitamins as well. But the sugar - your body doesn't see it as anything but sugar. Plain and simple. 
Carbohydrates- " complex carbs- these are the better option of course- rather than simple carbs" . Truth- they take longer to digest allowing the regulation of sugar to slowly release into the blood stream. But none the less- they are converted to simple sugars in the body. 

Fats- we need them. There are a couple types of adipose. (fat) but let's look at what they do first, and all the hype about low fat. 
If you are cutting fat out of your diet- you are wrong. Your body needs fats- they store as a long term energy source. They are dense in " calories" because the fat ratio for calories is higher. If you are watching your sugar /carb intake- and eating a decent portion of fats, your appetite will curb. 

Check out the " low fat" options on yogurt.. What did you find??? OHHHH it has more sugar to make up for the taste of lack of fat. Imagine that. Tricky little product companies. 

Well - off to the gym I go. I hope this helps all those who have asked me lately. 


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