“Calories in and calories out” is a mantra that is the general perception of how it works. Simply eat less and move more they say. Calories matter but they should not be the first priority when looking into nutrition. I would argue counting calories will longterm do more harm than good.
Out training a bad diet or filling up with “calories” via eating ice creams, snacks or supplements we train ourselves to eat bad foods. We wish that the training would out balance the “excess calories” and this way we teach our bodies a habit of eating poor food that are highly oxidative, inflammatory and putting out bodies in a blast of insulin.
Calories don’t reveal much about its nutrients but in general most people are under-eating proteins that longterm causes all kinds if deficiencies.
This way if we for some reason might do some less training we have trained a food habit that will continue to cause stress on us and we will regain any lost weight faster than before.
What we need to focus on his the quality of the food first and prioritise protein. Quality food are nutrient dense, not processed and usually comes in the combination protein/carbohydrates or protein/fat. Quality don’t have a list of ingredients and usually comes in minimal packaging.
When people eat nutrient dense quality foods they tend not to overeat and it is more sustainable for longterm food habits.
Now, every person has individual challenges due to family, work, genetics and environment and often life brings new challenges. Having good habits will create stability in those situations and more likely make it easier to overcome challenges.
Here is a small test you can do and feel free to share your answers with me:
What did you eat on friday last week? Breakfast, lunch, dinner & snacks
Why did you chose to eat those foods?
What would change if you would have to travel or something else came up that day that would challenge your schedule?
Have an awesome week!
Kind regards
Rickard
Ps. Today I wanted to share also this episode with our coaches Rebecca and Wanda where they talk more about nutrition habits.