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

Its not just a matter of calories in versus calories out to lose weight. This theory is simplistic and archaic with no basis in science. Fortunately, I sort through the evidence and break it down to an understandable no-nonsense approach in this final installment of a three part series.

Part I
Part II

All calories are not created equal, as discussed in Part II of this series. Most dieticians, nutritionists and doctors will disagree. If a calorie is a calorie, why doesn’t the percent of increased caloric intake match the percent of increase in overweight or obese individuals? The calorie consumption in men and women has increased 7 percent and 9 percent respectively, since the ?70s. The increase in the percentage of individuals who are overweight or obese has increased almost 20 percent in each category. And remember, this increase literally occurred in less than 30 years, which is less than a generation. Why such a discrepancy between calories consumed and weight gained? Because there’s more to this epidemic than the amount of calories people are consuming.

The problem we Americans face is that most of the foods we eat are not only lacking any nutritional value, they are made with ingredients that can have serious health consequences. So let’s get right down to business. You want to get healthier and leaner? The following are some of the worst foods and ingredients we consume, and we need to stay away from them (listed in no particular order). When it comes to the following, there is no moderation. If these foods are eaten regularly — you will pay the price.

In my latest Q & A I answer questions about supplement usage for raising testosterone and gaining muscle while offering advice to a reader who lost prescription drug coverage. I also delve into the “calorie theory,” below, explaining how burning food in a calorimeter just isn’t the same as eating it. Yum.

Q: Hi Mike,
First I just wanted to say I find you articles very informative, and am glad you’re debunking the myths of saturated fat and cholesterol causing heart disease. These myths just won’t die.

I was curious though as to what you suggest someone do to get shredded. I believe you have mentioned that you believe reducing carbs is the best way to get lean, as Vince Gironda did? But do you believe in calories in vs calories out as well? If you are cutting weight do you reduce your food as well (same as reducing calories) or do you just drastically reduce or eliminate carb sources of food (grains, fruits, veggies, dairy)?

Thanks for your help,

Antaeus

A: Antaeus,
A calorie is the amount of heat needed to raise 1 kilogram of water 1 degrees Celsius at sea level. What does this mean? A Double Whopper with cheese contains 990 calories. If we were to burn this burger, it would produce 990 calories. This is enough energy to raise 990 kilograms of water 1 degree Celsius.

Calories are measured in sealed device called a “calorimeter” which locks in heat of burning food. A small vacuum of water is contained above the food. Once the food is completely burned, the temperature of the water is measured. The rise in temperature will determine the amount of calories. The calorimeter can show the total amount of energy of a Big Mac, but it cannot account for what the body doesn’t absorb, or the energy used in the digestion and assimilation of it.

Does counting calories consumed matter, or even necessary when trying to lose weight? In a word, NO. Counting calories is completely inaccurate and a waste of time. Our bodies do not process food like a calorimeter. Our bodies do not use all the food we consume as energy, nor do we assimilate it all in the same manner. More-over, we do not store food we consume with the same efficiency. The assertion that macro-nutrients are all processed the same between individuals is just foolish. This is the basis for the calorie theory.

The best thing one can do is eliminate as much sugar and processed foods from their diet as they can. Eat as many whole natural foods as you can, including: beef, fowl, fish, vegetables, raw dairy products and some fruit. The following Nutritional principles will help anyone on their way to getting leaner.

Plan your meals in advance.

Prepare your food in advance.

Do not starve yourself. Eat when you?re hungry and stop when your full.

Eat at least 4 times per day.

Eat protein with every meal.

Q & A with Mike Furci

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.