WHY COUNTING CALORIES COULD BE STOPPING YOU FROM LOSING WEIGHT
9 / DECEMBER / 2020
SHEREE'S HEALTH DIARIES
I cannot tell you how many clients come to me after just a few weeks of working together, not able to believe HOW MUCH they are eating, and the fact the weight is shifting more than it ever has before.
This idea that you need to be in a caloric deficit to lose weight is a concept I believe to be extremely outdated. For starters, it was first utilised in hospital situations in order to ensure that the patients were getting enough food that it sustained LIFE… and when food was scarce during the depression it was used to again… SUSTAIN LIFE!
If you ask me, there are so many factors that the calorie equation doesn’t take into account when you are looking at using it for weight-loss. For example, your body’s ability to actually burn body fat as a fuel source, the health of your liver, gut, thyroid, how well your hormones are balanced, and your body’s ability to regulate insulin levels.
SHIFT YOUR MINDSET
It is about time we shifted our mentality and way of thinking around this, as more often than not, when we are on a low calorie diet (e.g. 1200 – 1600 calories), we are not only starving ourselves, but more than likely putting in food that our body’s don’t even know how to breakdown and absorb.
Think about it… that low calorie sauce/protein bar/snack contains how many artificial ingredients that you probably don’t even know how to pronounce, and a bunch of numbers too.
If you don’t know what they are, chances are neither does your body, not to mention the side effects these synthetic substances can have on your insides (thus affecting your outsides).
In addition to that, the body actually goes into a state of STRESS when it is being deprived of nutrients in calorie deficits that are too extreme, resulting in the body actually driving up the amount of fat you store after each meal! (Counterproductive right?)
HERE'S WHAT I PROPOSE:
What if we shifted our mentality from counting calories to counting nutrients, how many colours can you get on your plate from REAL WHOLE FOODS?
What if we ditched the ‘low fat’ alternatives (because in reality all they have done is taken out the fat and pumped the food full of sugar and salt)?
What if we instead focused on LISTENING to our body’s internal hunger cues, instead of being restricted by a certain NUMBER of calories we could eat, and looked at HEALING the underlying issue of the weight that has been gained.
There’s a beautiful quote that I have adopted from the lovely Dr. Libby – You don’t have to lose weight to be healthy, you need to be healthy to lose weight!
So, what really is healthy? If you are struggling to understand why no matter how little calories you eat, or how much exercise you do, you still can’t shift the stubborn pounds, then let’s get to the ROOT CAUSE!!
If you want some insight on what might be driving that, click this link to take my free ROOT CAUSE QUIZ! Let’s get you healthy and happy and in the body you truly desire!
SHEREE BEAUMONT
Holistic Nutritionist, Personal Trainer & Wellness Coach I empower women like you to transform their lives, understand their bodies and feel their best from the inside out!
