Are you honest about your calories in and out?

We’re on the cusp of the long Labor Day weekend here in the states, so I’ll be going radio silent until Tuesday when I look forward to gracing your inbox with tales of golf, fitness, and success.  

This morning, I ran across a very interesting study from 1992 that 1,000% is applicable today (maybe, even more so). 

Researchers studied people who reported eating less than 1,200 calories, but could not lose weight.  

You know, those people who, no matter what they do, they Just. Can’t. Lose. Weight. 

There were a few hypotheses: 

  • Their bodies were kicking into starvation mode 
  • Their bodies process calories differently 
  • There was something unexplained going on 

So, Group 1 included the people who could not lose weight. 

Group 2 included the people who hadn’t reported a problem with being “diet resistant”. 

I won’t go into the details of how they conducted the study, other than to say it was VERY controlled. 

What did they find? 

What was different about the two groups who consumed the exact same amount of calories, and exerted the exact same amount of energy? 

Not much! 

Both groups’ bodies had changed within 5% of the predicted value. 

But, here’s what the study DID reveal: 

Subjects in Group 1 (can’t lose weight people) underestimated how many calories they were eating by an average of 47%. 

They thought they were eating 1,200 calories, but were actually consuming 1,800 calories or more. 

AND… 

They also grossly overestimated how many calories they burned through exercise by an average of 51%. 

Again, they thought they had burned 300 calories exercising, but had really only burned 200. 

Combine those two things and a lot of us have a massive discrepancy between how many calories are going in, and how many calories are going out. 

It’s not because we’re broken, dumb, or stupid. 

It’s because we’re human. 

So, here are a few ways we can adjust our behavior to get a true understanding of what is really going on these crazy bodies of ours: 

  • We can learn to track calories, and educate ourselves on serving sizes for our favorite foods (I use the 1stPhorm App). 
  • We can focus on eating more nutrient rich, filling foods that have less calories. Lean protein, fruits, and vegetables – it’s almost impossible to overeat vegetables. 
  • We can cut back on liquid calories, and switch to zero calorie liquids like water. 

And I’ve said it a million times… 

We don’t have to be perfect. 

Do the right thing 80-90% of the time and you’ll be cooking with gasoline. 

Alright, now we’re all ready for the weekend. 

Enjoy and I’ll talk to you on Tuesday. 

STAY STRONG, 

Jeff 

PS – When it comes to tracking calories, I have never been one to go as far as weighing my food, or any of that craziness. 

I am a huge fan of using a simple food tracking app to get a better understanding of what we’re actually putting into our bodies.  

It’s very eye-opening. 

And I promise you’re eating more than you think.