I you’re like most people, you think the only thing that matters when losing weight is calories, i.e., calories in versus calories out. The calorie theory, as you will see, is a physiological impossibility.

Calorie is a shortened name for kilocalories, to reflect the simplified math. A kilocalorie contains 1,000 calories, so the Angus Burger with bacon and cheddar is actually 770,000 “calories.” Now don’t get your panties in a bunch! This simplified math also applies to exercise calorie charts. If the cardio machine you’re using says you burned 200 calories, it’s simplified for 200,000 calories. However, don’t rely on exercise equipment charts; they are grossly inaccurate.

To understand why it’s not calories that matter when getting lean, go HERE.

The holidays always spell WEIGHT GAIN for most. However, there may be a way to lessen the blow of higher holiday calories. A study published in The Journal of Physiology for the first time shows that fasted training in the morning is more potent than training after breakfast to facilitate adaptations in muscle and to improve whole-body glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity during a high-fat hyper-caloric diet.

The holiday season brings many joys and, unfortunately, many countervailing dietary pitfalls. Even the fittest and most disciplined of us can succumb, indulging in more fat and calories than at any other time of the year. The health consequences, if the behavior is unchecked, can be swift and worrying. A recent study by scientists in Australia found that after only three days, an extremely high-fat, high-calorie diet can lead to increased blood sugar and insulin resistance, potentially increasing the risk for Type 2 diabetes. Waistlines also can expand at this time of year, prompting self-recrimination and unrealistic New Year’s resolutions.

But a new study published in The Journal of Physiology suggests a more reliable and far simpler response. Run or bicycle before breakfast. Exercising in the morning, before eating, the study results show, seems to significantly lessen the ill effects of holiday Bacchanalias.

The New York Times

For decades we have been taught that fat is bad for us, carbohydrates are good, and that the key to a healthy weight is eating less and exercising more. Yet with more and more people acting on this advice, we have seen unprecedented epidemics of obesity and diabetes. With seven years of research, Taubes argues persuasively that the problem lies in refined carbohydrates (white flour, sugar, easily digested starches) ?via their dramatic effect on insulin, the hormone that regulates fat accumulation?and that the key to good health is the kind of calories we take in, not the numbers. There are good calories, and bad ones. Taubes traces how the common assumption that carbohydrates are fattening was abandoned in the 1960’s when fat and cholesterol were blamed for heart disease and then?wrongly?were seen as the causes of a host of other maladies, including cancer. He shows us how these unproven hypotheses were emphatically embraced by authorities in nutrition, public health, and clinical medicine, in spite of how well-conceived clinical trials have consistently refuted them. He also documents the dietary trials of carbohydrate-restriction, which consistently show that the fewer carbohydrates we consume, the leaner we will be.

Good Calories Bad Calories is the end of the debate about the foods we consume and their effects on us.

Men’s Fitness.com posted an interesting article about common ingredients in meals that surprisingly come jammed-packed with calories.

DROWNING FOOD IN OIL
Yes, it’s heart healthy, but also high in calories. Sautéed vegetables only need to be misted with oil—not swimming in it. Buy an empty spray bottle and fill it with olive oil. Then spray your food and the pan lightly before cooking.

USING REAL SUGAR
Switch to artificial sweeteners; some of them can even be used for baking. If you can’t stand the aftertaste, try combining two different sweeteners—this blending helps impart more sweetness and less artificial taste, says Stokes.

COOKING TOO MUCH MEAT
No substitute can emulate the taste of a steak, but if you’re making a meal like chili or tacos, swap some of the ground beef for less fatty soy crumbles or tofu, suggests Stokes. Not a fan of soy? Try mixing ground beef with black beans, diced cherries, or any other fresh vegetable or fruit.

USING FULL-FAT CHEESE
Not even our expert would touch the fat-free stuff, but Stokes does recommend switching to a reduced-fat version. “It adds flavor, melts well, and retains the normal properties of cheese,” he says. Cabot light cheddar, for one, tastes almost identical to the full-fat stuff.

Oil is an interesting note. We all hear about how Olive Oil is great for you, but over-doing it obviously has its disadvantages.