Calories In vs. Calories Out? Not so Fast!
Monday, August 3, 2009 at 4:00PM By Dr. Rick S. Kattouf II, author of Forever Fit and CEO and Founder of TeamKattouf Inc.
One of the most common questions I receive in my business is, “Rick, I do not eat very much and I workout 5-7 days per week; why can I not lose weight?” After an extensive case history and an in depth nutritional analysis, the answer becomes quite clear. Before I reveal the answer, let’s look at an all-too-common situation.
Conventional thinking says that if we need to lose body fat/weight, eating less and working out more is the answer. So, take Jane’s lifestyle (her name has been changed for privacy). Jane is over-fat and has been ‘watching’ what she has been eating. She skips breakfast (because eating less will help to burn more calories, right?), eats a ‘big killer salad’ for lunch and a ‘healthy’ dinner. Jane has adopted a fairly vigorous workout program 5-7 days per week. As the weeks pass, Jane sees that she is not losing weight. Well, again, conventional thinking says, ‘eat less.’ So, Jane decides it is time to step it up a notch. She begins to eat less and also decides to work out more. As more time passes, Jane’s frustration is mounting due to the inability to lose weight. She feels like the return (body fat loss) on her investment (time spent exercising) is very poor. What is going on? Jane must be burning more calories that she is taking in.
The answer to Jane’s dilemma is too few total calories being consumed and the omission of breakfast. Fuel, first thing in the morning (even if you work out early), is critical for jump starting one’s metabolism (I refer to this as ‘Stoking The Fire’). You may be asking what Jane asked, “But Rick, when I eat breakfast, I get hungrier during the day.” Exactly, that is what we want! This hunger is a sign that the metabolism is in high gear. Now, with that being said, I do not want to give a mixed message. The reality is that at some point, Jane did over eat and made poor/improper food choices to pack on the additional body fat. Now that the additional weight is on, this is where the ‘too few calories’ is problematic. By Jane exercising heavily and putting herself in too large of a caloric deficit each day, she has threatened her body. When the human body is threatened, it will respond quickly in order to rectify the situation. At this point, Jane’s body has to significantly slow its metabolism in order to offset the calorie deficit. Yes, her body has plenty additional fat stores, but this does not take precedence; what does take precedence is how the body is being fueled. In summary, Jane is shutting her own body down, slowing her metabolism, and greatly affecting her ability to burn excess body fat. How can Jane get a better return on her investment?
When Jane and I begin working together, I explain the physiology of the aforementioned scenario. The key for Jane is to “Stoke the Fire” within her body. She needs to jump start her metabolism. How is Jane going to stoke her fire? To accomplish this, Jane must EAT! That’s right, eating (the proper foods, of course) is how Jane will significantly increase her metabolism. I empathize with individuals like Jane because I realize how awkward this can sound; eat more to lose? For Jane, her biggest hurdle is being able to wrap her mind around eating more.
As Jane begins to follow the meal plans as prescribed, she quickly notices that eating more is bringing great results (Jane was eating 1200 calories per day and I gradually increased this to 2500-3200 calories per day). Jane has just been able to create a positive feedback loop (when she eats more, as prescribed, she loses weight/body fat). After thirty pounds of body fat loss, Jane now has a great return on her investment.
If you find yourself (or you know someone) in a similar situation as Jane, there is a good chance you may not be eating enough calories. Eat more to lose weight? You betcha!
This article was originally published in Go Magazine and has been republished with permission of the magazine and the author.
Reader Comments (4)
I start my exercise 30 mins from the time I wake up in the morning. How could I "Stoke the Fire" before my exercise?
You have to eat before you head out the door. If your schedule is tight like mine in the morning Ill either boil two eggs the night before and eat them on the way to the gym or Ill quickly cook two eggs or microwave some oatmeal. Just remember, you need some fuel not a big breakfast.
How do you know if you are eating too few calories (assuming you are not loosing weight, eat within 30-60 mins of waking, and eat every 2-4 hours thereafter)?
This article appears to be in conflict with the article in the link that suggest to lose fat, you must go out on an empty stomach for your morning workout. Perhaps there are different approaches to this puzzle dependign on how much body fat you have to lose. For example, if you're goal is to lose those last 1-2 pounds of body fat, then perhaps the article below makes more sense compared to someone trying to lose their first 30 lbs of body fat. Does that sound plausible? http://blog.trainingpeaks.com/2009/08/maximize-your-ability-to-burn-fat-as-fuel-by-hunter-allen.html