3 Reasons Why Counting Calories Isn't as Easy at It Seems

Calorie counting is easily one of the most effective ways to lose weight. Flexible dieting (or “IIFYM”) has become one of the biggest nutrition crazes as of late, with fitness influencers posting the macronutrient breakdown of their meals. They weigh their portions and track their intake. While it has been proven that a caloric deficit will ultimately result in improvements in body composition, the story isn't quite so clear cut. In fact, you may be counting your intake and misinterpreting what all of that information means.

A kilocalorie, more commonly referred to as a “calorie,” is the amount of heat that is required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water one degree Celsius. While we still have a lot yet to learn about the science of nutrition and digestion, there are a few ways in which your caloric estimates may be inaccurate.

Calorie labels aren't always accurate.

Your body breaks down all foods differently, depending on their chemical and nutritional profile. For example, researcher Janet Novotny and her colleagues tested the nutritional content of walnuts. She found that we metabolized about 21% less energy than was predicted by the labels. So, a serving of walnuts might say that it is 180 calories, but we are only possibly absorbing about 145 calories. That is a pretty substantial disparity in caloric intake!

Additionally, Gebauer at all tested different types of almonds (whole unroasted, whole roasted, chopped roasted, and almond butter) in equivalent quantities. Surprisingly, the body absorbed the most calories from the almond butter, followed by the whole chopped roasted almonds. Subjects absorbed the least amount of calories from the whole unroasted almonds. It seems as though the roasting process changes the structure of the almond's cells allowing our bodies to digest more of the nut. It appears that if you're looking for the greatest bang for your buck with nuts, the raw variation is far superior to a nut butter. The exact reason for this phenomenon is unknown to date.

Another study done by Carmody et. al. concluded, "...cooking substantially increases the energy gained from meat, leading to elevations in body mass that are not attributable to differences in food intake or activity levels." This means that we are able to absorb more calories from cooked meat than the equivalent amount of raw meat. Here, the cooking process alters the way it is digested and used for energy, in that our bodies can extract more chemicals from cooked food, as they do not have to work as hard to break them down. That is to say that one would expect to consume more calories from a well-done steak than from an equivalent sized medium-rare steak.

Dr. David Bauer notes that "calories are created equal, but their availability from foods is not equal." So what we do with the calories we consume is highly variable based on the processing (or lack thereof) of those foods.

Dietary fiber can influence weight loss.

The USDA recommends that women get about 25 grams of fiber per day, and men get 38 grams per day, yet some estimates report that many people only get 12-18 grams per day. A few studies have guessed that fiber can influence not only our satiety (leading to a decrease in caloric consumption), but also the size of our waists.

A study done by Du et. al. of fiber intake in European citizens over the course of  about 7 years found an inverse correlation between cereal fiber intake and waist circumference. This means that individuals who increased cereal fiber consumption had smaller waistlines. There was a less significant effect with fiber from fruits and vegetables.

Again, these changes in body composition may be due to the feeling of satiety that comes from an increase in fiber intake, but that is still poorly understood.

So, if you eat 500 grams of oats, the overall satisfaction is going to be very different than eating 500 grams of chocolate crispy cereal. You may find yourself hungry within an hour after eating the gummy worms, whereas the equivalent amount of oatmeal could keep you full for hours on end. If you're in a caloric deficit, it's ideal to choose foods that will give you the most volume for your calories. Our bodies cannot convert certain types of fiber (insoluble fiber) into energy, and thus, it isn't fully digested and you may not absorb as many calories from it.

Your gut bacteria influences the way you digest food.

Now, the science of the gut microbiome is quite new. There aren't a lot of papers (especially not using human subjects) dissecting the gut's influence on weight gain, but the current body of evidence seems to show clear differences in the microbiome of lean versus obese populations.

Research comparing the gut bacteria in lean and obese twins found that obese individuals had a smaller variety of gut bacteria than did their leaner twins. This discussion becomes one of the "chicken or the egg," in that we do not know if the gut bacteria changes due to fat gain, or if those with a specific type of gut bacteria are more prone to weight gain in the first place. Research over the next few years will dissect this topic more.

One case study of a woman who got a fecal matter transplant from her overweight daughter (yes, that's exactly what it sounds like) demonstrated considerable weight gain after the procedure. These procedures are typically done to eliminate harmful gut bacteria, but the side effect of an increase it fat mass was unexpected. Nearly 16 months after the procedure, the woman gained about 34 pounds. After another year-and-a-half, she gained an additional 7 pounds, despite participating in an exercise program and a liquid protein diet prescribed by a medical professional. She was tested for thyroid dysfunction to no avail. While this is a study of n=1, it lead some researchers to speculate that gut health may have a significant impact on body composition.

For now, researchers believe that some individuals with less diverse microbial communities may be more likely to gain body fat, despite their dietary habits. Some individuals can slash their caloric intake down to a mere 1,200 per day and still hold on to ample amounts of body fat.

In short, even if you’re tracking your calories closely, your estimates may be 15-20% off based on the types of foods you eat and the microbes in your gut. If your weight loss is stalling, there might be more to the story than meets the eye and you may have to tinker around with your diet to yield better results. Overall, it’s helpful to consume foods in their raw, unprocessed form (when possible) as it is likely that your body will absorb less energy from them. Additionally, more fibrous foods will keep you fuller for longer periods of time. Ultimately though, your gut bacteria may be to blame for weight gain or weight loss plateaus.

Works Cited:

1. Alang, Neha, and Colleen R. Kelly. "Weight gain after fecal microbiota transplantation." Open forum infectious diseases. Vol. 2. No. 1. Oxford University Press, 2015.
2. Baer, David J., Sarah K. Gebauer, and Janet A. Novotny. "Walnuts Consumed by Healthy Adults Provide Less Available Energy than Predicted by the Atwater Factors–." The Journal of nutrition 146.1 (2015): 9-13.
3. Carmody, Rachel N., Gil S. Weintraub, and Richard W. Wrangham. "Energetic consequences of thermal and nonthermal food processing." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108.48 (2011): 19199-19203.
4. Du, Huaidong, et al. "Dietary fiber and subsequent changes in body weight and waist circumference in European men and women–." The American journal of clinical nutrition 91.2 (2009): 329-336.
5. Gebauer, Sarah K., et al. "Food processing and structure impact the metabolizable energy of almonds." Food & function 7.10 (2016): 4231-4238.
6. Liu, Simin, et al. "Relation between changes in intakes of dietary fiber and grain products and changes in weight and development of obesity among middle-aged women." The American journal of clinical nutrition 78.5 (2003): 920-927.
7. Novotny, Janet A., Sarah K. Gebauer, and David J. Baer. "Discrepancy between the Atwater factor predicted and empirically measured energy values of almonds in human diets." The American journal of clinical nutrition 96.2 (2012): 296-301.
8. Ridaura, Vanessa K., et al. "Gut microbiota from twins discordant for obesity modulate metabolism in mice." Science 341.6150 (2013): 1241214.
9. Slavin, Joanne L. "Dietary fiber and body weight." Nutrition 21.3 (2005): 411-418.
10. Urban, Lorien E., et al. "Accuracy of stated energy contents of restaurant foods." Jama 306.3 (2011): 287-293.

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Insulin and the Importance of Meal Timing

This week, I have an awesome guest post from friend and nutrition expert Sara Pindera. Sara is a friendly Canadian with a Bachelor of Science Degree, specialising in Nutrition and Nutraceuticals. She has additional experience in food and product marketing and has written numerous articles on fitness and nutrition on the Gymaholic site. You can follow her on YouTube and Instagram!




Food keeps us alive, it keeps our bodies functioning properly and fuels them for daily tasks, whatever those tasks may be. We are all individuals, different in our genetics, eating habits and activity levels, but some mechanisms function in roughly the same way for all of us.

These mechanisms have developed to protect the body and ensure our survival. Fortunately or unfortunately, most of us don’t have to fight so hard anymore, so these age old mechanisms can work against us in a sedentary lifestyle. They can even work against you in an active lifestyle, acting as drag and limiting your progress. They can also work with you, but in order to use them to your advantage, you have to better understand how they work.

If you only think of food as fuel for your body, you need to change your way of thinking. What you eat and when you eat it can have a snowball effect, setting off various triggers in the body that can magnify different bodily functions in just minutes or hours.

The ‘state’ that your body is in can have massive effects on your goals. The two main states are the fed state and the fasted state, and we cycle through these different states multiple times a day by, you guessed it, feeding and fasting. But it’s more than just that, because putting yourself in the right state at the right time can give you an incredible boost in fat loss or building muscle.

The body states are mostly characterized by the presence of two main hormones: insulin (fed state) and glucagon (fasted state). The purpose of these states and these hormones is mainly to control the blood glucose (sugar) levels.

Insulin removes excess blood glucose by pulling it into the muscle and liver, but it also promotes the uptake of fats and proteins, and facilitates the storage of these macronutrients. It’s essentially an anabolic, or building hormone. It also inhibits the actions of glucagon.

Glucagon has the exact opposite function of insulin: it is a catabolic hormone that signals the liver to breakdown its stored glucose and release it into the blood. It also triggers the breakdown of fats and inhibits the actions of insulin. You can probably see why both hormones may help or hinder your progress, depending on what your goals are.

Normal people only experience mild symptoms when blood sugar is slightly out of normal range, and we can still function even after skipping meals or eating an entire box of cookies. Our bodies simply pump out more of these hormones. There are dangerous consequences if these hormones stop working, which is why diabetics must monitor their blood sugar levels themselves. Their insulin isn’t produced properly and/or doesn’t function like it should. Diabetics must inject insulin when blood sugar is too high, or eat something sugary if their blood sugar drops too low.

Carbohydrates trigger insulin because they are usually short or long chains of glucose, but depending on the type of carbohydrate or the glycemic index (GI) of that carbohydrate, you get a lesser or more powerful release of insulin. The index works on a scale of 0-100 based on how much the food raises your blood sugar after eating. 

Low GI foods (Complex carbs like whole wheat, vegetables and beans) are slowly digested and absorbed, gradually raising blood sugar, and high GI foods (white bread, candy, are digested and absorbed rapidly, quickly spiking blood glucose levels. Proteins also signal insulin, but to a much lesser extent, and fats have no effect on insulin release.

So, if you want to lose weight, you want to be in the fasted state. This is why intermittent fasting works, because even though you tend to consume the same amount of calories in a day as you would normally, you are just increasing the amount of time you’re in the fasted state and thus burning more fuel. Consuming more complex carbohydrates like whole wheat, beans, vegetables can reduce the amount of insulin released over time and the amount of glucose stored as fat.

If you want to gain lean muscle mass and/or restore glycogen supply (storage form of glucose, main fuel for powerlifters and sprinters), you want to be in the fed state to promote building and uptake, but you also want to be in the fasted state to keep that muscle lean. 

Most people eat before exercise in order to fuel up, and it’s smart to eat 1-2 hours before your workout. A small amount of simple sugars and protein, along with moderate amounts of healthy fats is ideal for a small spike of insulin that fuels you up and clears quickly. When you start exercising, whatever insulin remains will be slowly cleared so you can break down fuel you need to workout. This means that it’s not too problematic if you do eat a lot, but it will take a lot longer for you to burn off fat if you load up on carbs and protein (thus, insulin) right before your workout.

Your pre-workout fuel is not nearly as important as your post workout fuel. Recovery is crucial in boosting your muscle weight gain. The most important time to be in the fed state is immediately after your workout, within a half an hour to be exact. This is the time where your glycogen stores are low and your muscle fibres are probably battered and torn, so your body is already in panic mode. 

The muscles will rapidly absorb glucose, fats and protein, even without much insulin stimulation at this point. Feeding yourself some simple sugars to give that extra insulin boost increases that uptake even more. It’s absolutely essential you consume most of your protein at this time, because it will but taken up and used immediately to start building and repairing those muscles. 

Whatever your body goals are, being in different states and learning how to trigger insulin can significantly improve your results. Knowledge is power, and if you understand how your body works, you can make it work for you.

Works Cited:

1. American Diabetes Association. "Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus." Diabetes care 33.Supplement 1 (2010): S62-S69.
2. Borghouts, L. B., & Keizer, H. A. (2000). Exercise and Insulin Sensitivity: A Review. International journal of sports medicine, 21(1), 1-12. 
3. Holloszy, J. O. (2005). Exercise-induced Increase in Muscle Insulin Sensitivity. Journal of Applied Physiology, 99(1), 338-343.
4. Van Praag, H., Fleshner, M., Schwartz, M. W., & Mattson, M. P. (2014). Exercise, Energy Intake, Glucose Homeostasis, and the Brain. The Journal of Neuroscience, 34(46), 15139-15149.

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Having Your Cake and Eating it Too: A Flexible Approach to Nutrition

How many of you can say you've tried every new fad diet you hear about on the news? Every time I turn on the television, I see some new self-proclaimed nutrition expert who proposes a new philosophy on why people gain weight. Carbohydrates are often the first macronutrient to be held accountable for excess body fat.

I'm not gonna lie to you--I've been one of those girls who was afraid to eat a multitude of different foods that we proclaim to be "bad." I cut out gluten for a long time. I stopped eating dairy. I did sugar cleanses. In my own mind, I felt better, but realistically, I didn't really see any results. I would binge eat on the weekends, and then my previous efforts were null and void.

Recently, however, I made the shift to a more flexible style of nutrition. Many people have used acronyms such as "IIFYM" (If It Fits Your Macros) to refer to a more lenient diet.



Now, I want to first start by explaining what flexible nutrition is not. Even though a more flexible diet allows you to include a wider arrange of foods into your macronutrients for the day, that doesn't mean your body can, or should, subsist on a tremendous amount of crap. PopTarts taste amazing, but they provide hardly any nutritional value. You won't get your vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) from eating Ben and Jerry's. There's almost no fiber in a slice of pizza.

Because, let's be real, who doesn't love PopTarts?

What flexible nutrition allows you to do, however, is to "budget" some of your calories each day for foods that will keep you from going crazy. If you just eat brown rice, asparagus and chicken all of the time, it's going to start to taste pretty bad. No one likes monotony or restriction. Let's face it...the more someone believes he or she can't have something, the more he or she will want it! Previously, when I would limit my refined sugar intake, I would feel an overwhelming sense of shame when I would go off track. I saw cookies, and I would eat the whole damn container, because I had deprived myself for so long.

Now, I allow myself options. I first get my daily intake of Vitamin A, calcium, iron, Vitamin C, and so on, in check. Once those numbers have been fulfilled, I have some fun with my carbohydrates. I treat myself to some ice cream when my glycogen levels are low after my workout and I need to refuel. I have a cookie if I feel so inclined.

I track my macronutrients everyday, meaning I aim to get a certain number of protein, carbohydrates and fats. Anything that falls within those numbers is fair game. I get creative and enjoy the foods I eat.

For so many years, I spent time obsessing over food and feeling guilty for making poor choices. Now, I feel so much less inclined to over-eat, because I'm not limited in the types of foods I include in my meals. I prioritize whole foods first, and then I use my intuition to make great choices. I have, slowly, over 3+ months, lost 10 pounds. I spared muscle and strength loss, because I was eating according to my goals. This, for me, has been the most sustainable and mentally healthy way of eating. Dietary choices should be about sustainability first. Yeah, you may be "healthy" physically, but you also need to prioritize your emotional needs. If your diet is making you feel miserable, then what's the point? I want my clients to follow a nutrition program that they can maintain for life, not just something that will give them quick results until they inevitable crash and drown themselves in a mountain of pizza. (As wonderful as that may sound...)

Limiting your own restrictive eating habits can make a huge change in the way you think about food. You will improve your body composition, while still sparing your mental integrity. I think that sounds pretty awesome, no?

If you'd like more information about this, the IIFYM.com website has some great articles. Also, feel free to e-mail me at ariannalhoffman@gmail.com.


Works Cited:

1. Cagney, Krissy Mae. Flexible Dieting 2.0: A Flexible Nutrition Philosophy for the Modern Athlete. N.p.: n.p., 2015. Print.
2. "Eat to Perform -." Eat to Perform. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 July 2015.

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Carbs Are Not the Enemy

Dieters are always looking to wage war on the elusive cause for their weight gain. We live in a time of gluten free, dairy free, low carb, low fat, no sugar, low sodium, non GMO warriors of nutrition. Everyone seems to have a different "demon" on which to blame their excess pounds. "If you just take XYZ our of your diet, you'll lose all of the weight!" is a statement I've heard ad nauseam. Food companies are adapting--coming out with new products catered to the health craze of the minute.

You've probably heard friends and fitness professionals blab about how carbohydrates are evil and should be avoided or you will surely be slovenly and obese. I am here to tell you that carbohydrates are not, in fact, a vicious macronutrient out to kill you.

A while ago, I did a small survey, in which I asked my readers to define what they deemed to be "healthy" food, as it is often a blanket term used to market products to consumers. Many people wrote that they believed a diet lower in carbohydrates to be healthier.

Now, there are three main macronutrients, which are in every food you eat to a varying degree: protein, carbohydrates and fats. Each of these macronutrients are absolutely necessary (to an extent) in a healthy diet. For active individuals, the roles of these three are increasingly important.

I love me some carbohydrates.

Put simply, carbohydrates will give you energy for your workout, and they will also help you recover once you're done. If you find that you're dragging through your training sessions or you're not fully recovering from them, perhaps you need to increase your carbohydrate intake.

According to the Poliquin Group, "a large review found the greatest benefit of a 6.5 percent increase in athletic performance from taking between 0.9 g/kg/hour of exercise of carbs with 0.2 g/kg/hour of protein. Both longer duration, high-intensity (such as team games) and endurance exercise lasting more than 2 hours can benefit from carb supplementation."

Other studies have surmised that lower carbohydrate diets may impair cognitive function, which is crucial for optimal performance in sport or in the gym. [1] In particular, Batatinha et. al. found that gymnasts consuming post workout carbohydrates fell off of the balance beams fewer times than their placebo counterparts.

Carbohydrates, in conjunction with protein supplementation is presumed to have an additional anabolic effect. One study in particular found that "the addition of protein to a carbohydrate supplement may [...] increase the rate of glycogen storage due to the ability of protein and carbohydrate to act synergistically on insulin secretion," and another study "[concludes] that postexercise [carbohydrate] and [carbohydrate-fat-protein] nutritional supplements can increase glycogen resynthesis to a greater extent than Pl for both men and women." It can be deduced that these macronutrients, when consumed immediately after exercise, have a tremendous benefit for recovery and muscular hypertrophy (growth).

Put simply, carbohydrates are digested quickly by the body, and are an excellent choice for fuel for your workout that won't give you a cramp or leave you feeling groggy. Research suggests that carbohydrates facilitate protein absorption by the muscles, and can help improve focus and performance.

Personally, I try to have a substantial amount of carbs both before and after my workouts, and then eat higher protein and fat throughout the rest of my day. This is what I have found, through trial and error, to be most effective for me.

Does this mean you should go drown yourself in a bag of candy? Hell no. Any macronutrient (or all of them together) can cause weight gain when consumed in excess. I am a firm believer that no one macronutrient is to blame for fat gain. If you cut out carbohydrates altogether but still consume a tremendous amount of protein and fat throughout the day, your body composition likely won't change too much.

While some diet books give carbs a bad name, you may actually use them to your advantage, in moderation. The key is to find the optimal amount of carbohydrates for your needs. Obviously, more active people will need more carbohydrates. Experiment with the timing and amount of your carbohydrate consumption and see what works for you!

Don't hate, carbohydrate.
(Ha...ha?)

Works Cited:

1. Batatinha, Helena, Carlos Da Costa, Elias De França, Igor Dias, Ana Ladeira, Bruno Rodrigues, Fabio De Lira, Sonia Correia, and Érico Caperuto. "Carbohydrate Use and Reduction in Number of Balance Beam Falls: Implications for Mental and Physical Fatigue." J Int Soc Sports Nutr Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 10.1 (2013): 32. Web.
2. Berardi, John M., Thomas B. Price, Eric E. Noreen, and Peter W. R. Lemon. "Postexercise Muscle Glycogen Recovery Enhanced with a Carbohydrate-Protein Supplement." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 38.6 (2006): 1106-113. Web.
3. D’Anci, Kristen E., Kara L. Watts, Robin B. Kanarek, and Holly A. Taylor. "Low-carbohydrate Weight-loss Diets. Effects on Cognition and Mood." Appetite 52.1 (2009): 96-103. Web.
4. Haff, G. Gregory, Michael H. Stone, Beverly J. Warren, Robert Keith, Robert L. Johnson, David C. Nieman, Jr. Franklin Williams, and K. Brett Kirksey. "The Effect of Carbohydrate Supplementation on Multiple Sessions and Bouts of Resistance Exercise." J Strength Cond Res The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 13.2 (1999): 111. Web.
5. Ivy, J. "Glycogen Resynthesis After Exercise: Effect of Carbohydrate Intake." International Journal of Sports Medicine Int J Sports Med 19.S 2 (1998): n. pag. Web.
6. Langfort, J., R. Zarzeczny, W. Pilis, K. Nazar, and H. Kaciuba-Uscitko. "The Effect of a Low-carbohydrate Diet on Performance, Hormonal and Metabolic Responses to a 30-s Bout of Supramaximal Exercise." European Journal of Applied Physiology 76.2 (1997): 128-33. Web.
7. "Poliquin - Healthy. Lean. Strong." Seven Reasons To Eat Carbohydrates. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.

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What is "Healthy" to You?