The calorie counting conundrum
We are fascinated by the idea that the national and global problems associated with our ever increasing waistlines are all about this elusive energy unit we call a calorie. I have heard endless television shows, doctors, nutritionists and personal trainers all say something like 'losing weight is all about burning off more than we take in its as simple as that!' This is normally met with complete agreement as everybody nods in acknowledgement of this epic, but somehow tired statement. I don't know about you, but I am tired of hearing this. How come there was very little overweight and obesity before the public on mass really knew what a calorie was, yet now that it has become part of daily language we struggle with keeping the pounds off? It seems the more we focus on counting calories the more we attract the excesses of life on our hips and bellies. I know in the past I have blogged over this subject, but it seems to be the focus of so many and such a mainstay for weight loss that I felt strongly to drag it back to the fore again.
What we typically call a calorie is actually a kilocalorie. This is the amount of energy it would take to heat 1 litre of water a single degree celcius. Food calories are measured by placing a sample of food into a testing device called a bomb calorimeter and literally exploding it within a sealed system and measuring the energy given off in the form of heat. There are specific values provided for the different food types, but normally to avoid confusing us it is simplified to be 4 kcals of energy for each gram of carbohydrate or protein based food and about 9 kcals for a gram of fat. This gross over simplification has led many on the diet trail to leave fat out of their food because obviously it carries the highest calories and is therefore the quickest and easiest food type to exclude. The added incentive to remove fat because it is linked to heart disease problems has certainly served to strengthen this resolve in those seeking to lose weight with fat restriction well recognised as the most commonly practised habit.
How do we actually know the amount of calories contained within the foods we are eating? Well the simple answer is we read the numeric data contained on many food labels, in particular the nutrition table that is often present. The Foods Standards Agency ran a study of over 700 food products in relation to the accuracy of the values stated on the labels. They found that only 7% of the foods they tested actually met the stated values listed on the labels! The law allows for natural variability of food and so provides a 20% leeway of values above or below that stated on the label. While many foods tested did contain levels within this range, nearly 25% of the foods tested had values that exceeded the generous 20% leeway. So the next time you pick up a cereal bar for a healthy snack that states it only contains 100kcals, know that these typical values have a 1 in 4 chance of containing over 120 calories! If this true across all the food you eat then the chances of accurately counting your calories has considerably diminished. Yes, that means 93% of foods do not state the exact measure of calories correctly.
We are always told that excess calories will be stored as body fat and contribute to weight gain. Whilst this statement is true we have to seriously consider how we quantify what excess is from person to person. Typical guidelines state that males should take in 2500kcals per day and females 2000 kcals per day. Those are really nice neat figures. Simple and memorable amounts that many people can easily remember. Neat figures always need to be questioned. The human body doesn't care about the 'niceness' of the mathematics. It is governed by the nerves, hormones and metabolism and none of that consults the calculator before making a decision, so why should we? Some of you may have come across charts that provide more accurate estimates of calorie needs based on body weight, gender, height and activity levels. These are definitely all considerations that will vary your daily needs, but once again it only provides an estimate. It is feasible to have 2 different men both 30 years old, moderately active, 6 foot tall and 100 kilograms, but one have 30% body fat and the other only 15% body fat. There is no way that they both have the same energy needs, yet even these more reliable calorie estimates will calculate their daily needs as being the same.
Last of all we must ask what variations exist within each individual and what nutrient requirements they have of the food they eat. Over 80% of proteins eaten do not contribute towards daily energy, but are utilised for structure and function. A significant portion of the fats we eat also contribute in this way. How much proteins and fats are required will vary from person to person and in relation to the individuals levels of growth, stress, sleep, toxic load, work, rest, deficiency and general health.
So what have we actually established here? I think a list is in order.
- Food labels do not accurately list caloric values
- Suggested calorie intakes hugely simplified and inaccurate
- We do not utilise all the food we eat for energy
- Individual needs of energy and nutrients vary
So where do you start? How do you count calories to use this theory successfully for weight loss? Well that is the point, isn't it. It is virtually impossible, yet it is one of the most common methods used for weight management. No wonder the chances of success are so hit and miss. We even have a common term used for this lack of success in the english language because we have observed the failure of calorie counting so often - Yoyo dieting!
There is another common association with the weight gain observed in modern living that often gets overlooked because it might make life less enjoyable or inconvenient. That is the rise of processed food. The more processed food present in the food chain the greater the average body mass index seems to become. Nature did not provide us with a get fat quick package. We created this ourselves as we began to try and improve on what Nature had provided us. You can decide how you think we have done in our efforts to improve upon the foods that are naturally occuring. Look at our health as a nation. 1 in 4 obese, 2 in 3 overweight and a £90 billion medical budget here in the UK. Its not about calories, but as Weston A Price said 'Life in all its beauty is Mother Nature obeyed.'
