| | Weight loss is not about denial. It should be fun!
On the surface of things, weight loss would appear to be a simple equation. The theory goes like this:
- Calculate the number of calories that you eat. Call this figure X.
- Calculate the number of calories that you burn. Call this figure Y.
- Calculate X-Y. Call this Z.
- If Z is greater than 0, then you will gain weight.
- If Z is less than 0, then you will lose weight.
- If we assume that fat contains around 9 calories per gram, then the amount of weight (in grams) that you will gain or lose is equal to Z divided by 9.
It's quite a simple theory, and does have some merit. Indeed, calorie-counting does work to a large extent, and we include calorie counts for all of our foods wherever we have the data.
In reality of course, there are some big holes in the theory. The biggest hole is that calories behave very differently depending on where they come from. Calories are measured in a device called a calorimeter, which burns the food and determines how much heat is produced. The more heat, the higher the calorie count. However, the body does not process food in quite this way. In particular, it breaks food down, and only burns (oxidises) some of the food. In particular, it will oxidise sugars and fats first, and won't actually break down a lot of the fibrous stuff at all. In addition, some constituents of food, such as protein, are used for tissue growth and repair rather than harvested for their energy. So, not all calories are equal.
The other big problem is that this theory says nothing about the processes that drive hunger. Controlling hunger will define, to a very large extent, how many calories you consume. And hunger is controlled to a large extent by the way that sugar levels are managed within the body, as well as the psychological satisfaction derived from food.
Huge number of books have been written about this, but our advice is broadly as follows:
- It's a good thing to watch calories, with an awareness of the differences between types of calories in mind. Broadly speaking, calories from refined sugar are the "worst", because they are immediately absorbed and used by the body to create energy. They produce a spike in blood sugar levels, which leads to high insulin production, which results in storage of fat as well as an equally sudden drop in blood sugar levels an hour or two later, which results in further hunger.
- Calories from protein are not so bad, because the body often uses protein for tissue repair rather than energy. In a calorimeter, protein yields about 4 calories per gram, but in the body not all of these calories are used as energy. So for high-protein foods, we can effectively discount some of the calories. For example, nori seaweed contains about 150 calories per 100g, but around 140 of these calories come from the 35g of protein contained within, which makes them, broadly speaking, "better" calories than calories from fat or refined sugars.
- The natural sugars found within fruit are largely ok. This is mainly because the body takes a while to digest fruit, and so releases energy slowly. Above all other foods, the body is designed to cope with fruit, which is why we sell fruit bars, dried fruit and fruit purees. Fruit is highly nutritious too, so any calories gained from it are "worthwhile calories".
- Snacking on low-refined-sugar, low-fat snacks is a good thing. Many people are told from a very early age that eating between meals will "spoil your appetite". However, eating a healthy snack between main meals will satiate hunger. It will aid your concentration at work/school by stopping you from thinking about your hunger. And it will stop you from eating the entire dinner table once you get home. We encourage this type of "safe snacking"!
Above all, we feel that weight loss should not feel like a sacrifice. The feeling of hardship that is often associated with "going on a diet" leads to unhappiness and yo-yoing between "dieting" one month, and pleasure-eating the next. We think that pleasure-eating and healthy eating should coincide. We avoid selling non-tasty food as much as we avoid selling unhealthy food. And rather than discouraging the pleasurable pursuit of snacking, we encourage safe snacking, because to not snack leads to the feeling of sacrifice that will inevitably end in dissatisfaction. |
