Rethinking Weight Loss: research suggests counting calories may not work!

[SunsetRunner]

I recently found this excellent New York Times article that was pubblished in 2011.  Researchers are now questioning our traditional views about weight gain and weight loss, including burning more calories than you take in as THE way to lose weight.

Although more research is needed, this article made a lot of sense to me.  If the findings thus far are correct, the judgmental attitudes toward people who are overweight or have trouble losing weight as being their own fault simply disappear and gives us all a new way to look at and think about weight loss and weight gain. 

As someone who has struggled with her weight most of my life, I can't overemphasize the importance of this article.  I hope it helps those of you who read it to think about the whole "system" as it did for me!

Here's the link to the article entitled

Still Counting Calories? Your Weight-Loss Plan May Be Outdated

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/health/19brody.html?pagewanted=all&action=click&module=Search&regi...

[Colinm39 · Accepted solution]

@SunsetRunnerThe book "The Calorie Myth" by Jonathan Bailor supports your article. Eat more quality Calories, lose weight with less exercise.

[SunsetRunner]

Thanks, Colin!

I happen to be on an all lean protein and tons of water diet for the next three weeks, which was prescribed by my lung doctor and nutritionist.  This article helped me think for when these restrictions are lifted.  I'm very limited in the amount of exercise I can do due to chronic lung illnesses and, if based purely on the old model, I'd essentially have to starve myself because at this point in time I can't exercise to burn enough calories to lose weight.  I was greatly relieved when I read this and am looking forward to discussing this further with my nutritionist.

I hope to visit Australia one day and possibly go to the Australian Open before Roger Federer retires!

Take care,

Nancy

[roobarb]

Awesome article!  I have know this for years, I wish I always followed.  I eat pretty well for the most part.  I totally agree that if I need to jump start my better eating plan...sometimes I get off course...I eat more peanut butter/or nuts.  This totally works! 

[carl669]

i learned this last year after completely changing my diet and watching the weight just fall off without changing my activity level at all.

here's another article that supports the notion that calorie counting isn't necessarily the way to go:

http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/do-calories-matter

i think this is one of the most important points he makes in the above article:

"What you eat actually changes how you expend energy.  Similarly, how you expend energy changes what (and how) you eat.  To be even more nuanced, what you eat further impacts what you subsequently eat.  As you increase (or decrease) in size, this impacts how you expend energy."

[StefK]

Thanks for the link. I am not sure though how you can conclude that it is NOT the individual's fault if they have a weight problem?

It clearly boils down to food choices which are to some extent our individual responsibilities. If you stuff yourself with crisps and French fries you will gain weight. It also clearly states exercise is good for you.

So yes, with the right choices of food you can influence your weight and you as the individual are very much responsible for your weight.

Stef.

[carl669]

"If you stuff yourself with crisps and French fries you will gain weight."

this is not true.  i've met many people who have desk jobs and don't get much, if any, exercise.  they eat what they want (and it isn't healthy) and stay thin as a rail.  so, there are definitely other mechanisms at work.

"you as the individual are very much responsible for your weight"

i agree...to some extent at least.  but there are plenty of other variables that aren't under our control.  see this article:

http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/the-great-medical-disconnect

calories in vs. calories out is far too simplistic of a model.  it's the 'why?' part we need to figure out.  just look at the forums.  there are plenty of people working out 5 days a week and logging their food meticulously.  yet, they still cannot lose the weight.  others (like me), just made a change to what we eat and the weight just fell off on its own... no additional activity required.   this guy puts it into better words than i ever could:  http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/revisit-the-causality-of-obesity

[StefK]

I would love to see the numbers of people (statistics) who eat mostly healthy, do not over-indulge, do regularly exercises or are active otherwise and who are over-weight...guess they are pretty low and so are the numbers of people who have health issues that makes weightloss really hard.

Also just look at all the success stories of very heavy people who have changed their lifestyle and who then lost tons of weight.

The reason for my post was that I do not agree with the OP. We as individuals are very much responsible for our weights, apart from a minority who really has other issues.

Yes, if you eat every day fries you do not necessarily need to gain weight, particularly younger people can usually get easier away with this as they are generally more active, but it very likely has contributed to weight gain, should you be overweight.

In my opinion, what we eat does matter a lot and for what we put into our bodies, we are ultimately responsible. I am sick and tired of the argument "a calorie is a calorie", yes every idiot knows that, but this is irrelevant. The question is what each of those calories does in our bodies.

Stef.

[SunsetRunner]

I think assigning blame and fault is counterproductive and judgmental.  How many people in this country can afford a Fitbit or other device or to join a weight loss program?  How many people understand food labels (I graduated first in my law school class and doing complex legal research is easier)?  How many people have gained weight because of a prescription medication or the interaction of prescription meds.  I've learned the hard way that there are countless numbers of people who have respiratory problems who need to take Prednisone.  I myself had to be on a mega dose because I had a certain type of non-infectious pneumonia that responds only to Prednisone, which can cause significant weight gain in a short amount of time. I gained 40 lbs in a month and hate Prednisone's side effects, but in this instance, it saved my life.

There are so many people in this country who don't have choices either because they're uneducated, low income (a single parent or two parents having to work multiple jobs doesn't afford them the opportunity to shop and, unfortunately, fast/junk food is cheap and easy to get.  I don't think most people set out to gain weight (except actors for certain roles).  I think sayig it's their fault; they're lazy; they don't care, etc. is wrong.  Yes, some people probably don't mind being overweight and that's their choice.  But for many of us, our weight is tied in with so many other factors.  Thinking that if you aren't losing weight, you lack discipline is not a productive way to look at it.  For a lot of us, it's learning and gradually making lifestyle changes.  As someone who has been a binge eater for most of her life, even though I knew it wasn't good for me, I've sought out and gotten great professional help, but lifetime habits are hard to break.  I'm an all-or-nothing type of person and making incremental changes goes against the way my brain works, but I am doing it.

I would like to see judgmentalism, blame, and fault disappear from the equatiion and be replaced by compassion and empathy.  We all have our own struggles.  Is it my fault I went off my current diet (medically prescribed) after my father's recent death?  Is it my child's fault -- a person who has amazingly good eatig habits that come naturally to her -- gained 15 lbs because she reverted to more junk/unhealthy food in the few months after she was raped?  Yes, I do choose what I put in my mouth (I could say something really inappropriate but won't ... hahaha) and in a way it is my fault when I binge. But it's so much more complex.  I think a lot of people don't see nuances and look at weight gain and weight loss as a black and white proposition, which the food and other industries want us to think.  That's what I liked about the article.  It considered numerous factors and took judgmentalism out of the equation.  I happen to think everyone is different and it's not my place to say "it's your fault you gained weight."

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@StefK wrote:
Thanks for the link. I am not sure though how you can conclude that it is NOT the individual's fault if they have a weight problem?

It clearly boils down to food choices which are to some extent our individual responsibilities. If you stuff yourself with crisps and French fries you will gain weight. It also clearly states exercise is good for you.

So yes, with the right choices of food you can influence your weight and you as the individual are very much responsible for your weight.

Stef.

---

[SIBOR]

I agree with n_burn.

It's not all that simple, and not all a person's fault or society. It's a mix of all of the above.

I know people with such different levels of metabolism, it's like they from different planets.

One gains weight by just looking at food, not even eating too much, but always wanting it.

THe other can gobble up ice creame, chips, anything she likes. She is as thin as you can imagine.

Individual metabolism is a huge factor, and at least in part it's genetic, no one to blame.

But the other part of it is probably acquired: most people are used to overeating, it's almost a cultural norm.

How man ytimes you go out, you order appetizer, and main course and most likeky desert.

And yet after appetizer you could potentially call it a night - in many casese it's pretyt filling.

But of course we go for the full dinner.

And of course metabolism changes with age, a 40 year old keeps eating like she or he is 20, yet the body doesn;t need that much food when it's 40, even less with more advanced age.

[Mary]

I agree with SIBOR and n_bruin that the blame game is an oversimplification of a complex problem.  And a slippery slope.  

[StefK]

I apologise if my post came over as accusatory. I do know a thing or two about a Prednisone, my daughter has been on it for a year and half.

I was not trying to accuse people of making poor choices, but at the end of the day, it boils a lot down to the quality of food that one puts in one mouth and the amount of exercise.

Why people make those choice that lead to weight gain is a different topic. I am aware that eating healthy is costly. I know that a lot of food that is sold at schools is not exactly good for you. I made a point of saying that there are medical issues that can affect your weight. The reasons why people make pure choices was NOT the topic of my post.

The government makes huge mistakes out of fear of the powerful food industry to allow bad labeling and to allow hidden ingredients and are highly responsible for misinformation. Money issues are huge issues for eating healthy. That is all not disputed and I fully agree.

Nevertheless, qualities of calories are hugely important for weight problems. When my daughter had to go on Prednisone we were lectured about the importance of exercise and nutrition to counter the side effects of Prednisone.

Stef.

[Mary]

I think it's easy to overeat healthy food, too.  And it's also possible to not have a weight problem while eating a junk food diet.  

To me, I think nutrition and calorie balance are two separate issues, though I think eating certain types of foods can help you not overconsume calories because they're more filling and less calorie dense.  

[SunsetRunner]

I found this to be an interesting conversation and similar to ones I have read on Weight Watchers when I had a membership there and on My Fitness Pal and elsewhere.  I, like I am sure most of you, have read a lot from different medical folks as well as pretty smart non-medical people like Gary Taubes about diet, nutrition and exercise.  You can pretty much find any type of advice you wish if you spend a few minutes in the diet/nutrition section of a Barnes & Nobles or online at Amazon.  What seems to me to be true is that there are no hard and fast rules that work for everyone.  There are some very general guidelines that may work better for some individuals than others or that may work for the short-term but not so well for the long-term.  What I’ve told those I know, who bother to ask, is to not start a program that they cannot live with for the long-term.  If you want to go low-carb/high fat and you can do so for the next 40 years – good for you if it helps you reach whatever goal you have set for yourself.  If you want to live a vegan lifestyle and are happy and healthy doing so – that’s great.  For myself, I know that when I cut the simple carbs out and up the higher quality protein and healthy fat that I lose weight and feel better.  However, bread products, actually grains in general, are a very hard habit for me to break.  And for me, it does not matter if it is whole grain or refined grains – the results are the same.

I’ve said that I’m doing an experiment with N=1 (me).  I’m finding what works for me and that may, or may not, work for anyone else.  The last time I did a fasting blood test, after following a LC/HF diet for three months my triglycerides were significantly lower than they had been on a “normal” diet that included some simple carbs; same was true for my HDL but the LDL had gone up significantly.  So now I’m trying to find a balance.  A month or two ago on 60 Minutes there was a segment on the 90+ study.  I’d highly recommend that you watch it.  This is a study of folks from a single community who have lived to be 9o or older and it does a great job at exploding myths of what a healthy lifestyle might, or might not be.  You can find it at: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/living-to-90-and-beyond/

[SunsetRunner]

Steph.  I meant to post sooner and I'm glad you posted.  I wanted to apologize because I didn't mean to rail on you.  I had an emotional response, although I believe my sentiments are valid. 

Life has been difficult lately. The mass shootings in Isla Vista, where my daughter (a UCSB senior) lives, occurred the night before my father died.  Luckily my daughter is safe, but besides the horrific events in Isla Vista and my dad's passing, there have been other traumatic events this year that our family is dealing with.  I'm really sorry if you (rightly) felt it was directed at you.  My post was directed at "fault" and societal attitudes that put constant pressure on us (especially women).

I'm sorry that your daughter had to take prednisone.  I've been on and off it, but at one point I was on a huge dose and could not exercise because my lungs weren't functioning withiin normal range.  I had to be on a regiment of secondary drugs to help offset the side effects of the prednisone.  My lungs were in such bad shape then, that I believe it contributed greatly to clearing up the inflammation, but that drug is a bear.

I also put so much pressure on myself and there are times when I'm at my ideal weight and look in the mirror and feel fat.  And there are times like this morning, where I'm around 30 lbs over my ideal weight and am trying on clothes for graduation and they look good.  A lot of it is our own self perception.

I've learned a lot about health and weight.  I've never dealt with chronic illness before and it's insane.  And I've struggled my entire life with my weight.  My mom had me on diets since I was 10 years old or even younger and, when I look back at pictures I wasn't thin but I wasn't obese like she made me feel.

This has turned into a very interesting conversation.  I'm in my late 50's and till learning.  I've been running up against and questioning a lot of our cultural norms these days.  I haven't been healthy enough to be on a consistent exercise program, which has been really frustrating.  And I live in Boulder, Colorado where status is determined by how fit and how many different hardcore sports or exercise classes you do.  It's the air I breathe.  On the other hand, I get to see world class cyclists training here -- several guys who ride the Tour de France live in Boulder!

Anyway, I hope you accept my apology.  I could see where you were coming from, bu the word "fault" set me off and I honestly didn't meant it as a personal attack although I believe it came across that way.

I hope your daughter is well now.  Wishing you all the best, Nancy

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@StefK wrote:
I apologise if my post came over as accusatory. I do know a thing or two about a Prednisone, my daughter has been on it for a year and half.

I was not trying to accuse people of making poor choices, but at the end of the day, it boils a lot down to the quality of food that one puts in one mouth and the amount of exercise.

Why people make those choice that lead to weight gain is a different topic. I am aware that eating healthy is costly. I know that a lot of food that is sold at schools is not exactly good for you. I made a point of saying that there are medical issues that can affect your weight. The reasons why people make pure choices was NOT the topic of my post.

The government makes huge mistakes out of fear of the powerful food industry to allow bad labeling and to allow hidden ingredients and are highly responsible for misinformation. Money issues are huge issues for eating healthy. That is all not disputed and I fully agree.

Nevertheless, qualities of calories are hugely important for weight problems. When my daughter had to go on Prednisone we were lectured about the importance of exercise and nutrition to counter the side effects of Prednisone.

Stef.

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[srhaire]

SteK, I happened to have been one of those people who ate well, but couldn't exercise because my back went out and I was in bed for over 4 months.  It was so bad that I had to use a rolling chair to get to the bathroom and back.  Needless to say, I gain a significant amount of weight.  It's not always the irresposibility of an individual...there are other factors (i.e. my example, genes, thyroid issues, etc.).  My back has since gotten better and I'm dropping the weight gained.  Just remember, not all people who gain weight are lazy junkfood/over-eaters.  I ate very well at the time and still gained weight because I burned very little calories due to the situation.

[DominicJ]

Simply put, it doesnt say what you think it says.

Once you start getting in to 20 year timescales and detailed diaries you have entered fantasy lands that bear relevence only when discussing how best to lie to a population.

They dont day that calorie controlls dont work, they say that people dont calorie control.

Which is quite true as far as it goes, but the earth orbits the sun no matter how many people believe otherwise.

There are no genetically fat people with thyroid problems on food aid in refugee camps.

If you eat 10,000 calories per day of lettuce, you will get fat.