I got back last night from a relaxing 2 days over at my mom’s house. My dad is away in his native country of Peru and being the good daughter (make that great daughter) that I am, I went to keep my mom company.

Yesterday my mom got me a one day guest pass to her all women’s gym so I would not miss my workout. Remember, I am not really used to going to a “gym” as I almost always exercise at home and the things I hear and see when I do go are borderline scary.

I overheard (or was eavesdropping) on a conversation that was going on between one of the trainers and a new member who was getting her first orientation. The topic of weight loss came up. Of course, I was all ears…

Member: “Yeah, I really want to lose this extra weight so I’ve decided to cut back on my sugar intake. I hope that helps”

Trainer: “Well, all you really need to worry about is how many calories you have each day, no matter where they are coming from.”

Me: “I think I’m about to fall off this treadmill because I can’t believe what I just heard.” Ok, I didn’t say that out loud, but I sure was thinking it.

Let’s get this clear…

A calorie is NOT a calorie.

Let me explain…

If you’ve read Chapter 4 “Calories” in The Diet Solution Program, you know exactly what I am talking about. Not every calorie that enters your body is treated the same. Some will get stored almost automatically while others will actually help you burn more calories. That’s right. There are certain foods that will cause an elevated metabolic response in your body and will actually help you burn off more calories. A few examples of these are natural proteins, good fats and certain oils.

Then there are those calories that are instantly shuttled away to your fat stores (uh oh). These are usually the calories that come from refined and processed foods, sweets and candies, and foods containing unhealthy fats like hydrogenated fat.

So, NO, you cannot say “A calorie is a calorie” or “All calories are created equal”. No matter how hard you try to convince your body that a 1500 calorie diet of popcorn, white bread and some added chocolate on top is the way to lose weight, it knows better (We just can’t outsmart our bodies. Darn!). This plan may actually cause weight gain even though the calories are not high. Take the same 1500 calories and get them from natural meats, raw nuts, fruits & veggies and sprouted grain bread, and now we’re talking. That’s the kind of meal plan that will cause weight loss, even at the same number of calories.

How can we best figure out this calorie conundrum?

1. Stop counting calories right now. Do not buy the 100 calorie snack pack at the grocery store thinking you are doing yourself a favor. These foods are high in sugar and in processed chemicals, both of which contribute to weight gain, no matter how “few” calories they contain.

2. Focus on portion sizes of the healthy foods you are eating each day. Start with the portions I outline for you in your manual and then adjust from there. Some of us need more, and some of us need less food. Apples are great, but you know you don’t need 3 in one sitting. Same thing goes for a piece of healthy, naturally raised steak. 6 ounces may be good for you, but a 20 oz sirloin, come on? Do I even need to say anything about that?

3. Don’t fall for all the “low cal” options at the grocery store (I know, I already said it). It just drives me so crazy that people are still buying low cal dressings, low cal bread, and low cal candies and thinking they are doing something healthy for themselves. In reality these foods are worse because they contain so many artificial sweeteners and chemicals, they may cause more weight gain than the normal varieties.

Let’s all switch over from the calorie mentality to a “healthy food portion” mentality. One that focuses more on wholesome natural foods, in good quantities instead of one that gives you 5 tiny chocolate chip cookies for 100 calories and tells you it is actually healthy.

Stay tuned next week for “Sugar is NOT always Sugar”.

Have a wonderful and healthy weekend!

In health and happiness,

Isabel De Los Rios
www.TheDietSolutionProgram.com

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Health, Weight Loss by Isabel