Calories don’t matter when you’re clean eating…

“Calories don’t matter when you’re clean eating.” Some people will read this and nod along, remembering the “rules” set forth by their plan whether it is high fat low carb, paleo (the many variations of), or vegan. All of these styles of eating promote healthy whole foods that will nourish your body and allow you a life away from calorie counting due to the satiation the follows after eating. However, not having to count calories and calories not counting are two different things…

Which will make you gain weight?

500 calories of butter vs 500 calories of lettuce

Like the riddle, a tonne of feathers and a tonne of lead is dropped from a bridge at the same time, which one lands first? Initial logic would dictate that the lead will land first as it is heavier than feathers, however if two things weigh the same, regardless of their content, they will fall at the same rate.

Similar is true for weight gain. 500 calories of butter is the same amount of calories to your body as 500 calories of lettuce. However, it is much easier to eat 500 calories of butter. (I have nothing against butter)

Calories DO count but it’s not as simple as that

All foods contain calories, it’s where the calories come from that is important. Foods are made up of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, these are our macronutrients. Some foods will also have extra nutrition in the form of micro-nutrients, think vitamins and minerals. The more nutrition a food contains i.e the more micronutrients, the healthier it is for us.

However a calorie is a unit of energy only, it doesn’t measure quality and it doesn’t discriminate between a clean diet and a dirty one. For example, protein is broken down into amino acids within the body, among lots of other things, these amino acids are there to repair muscles, something which is essential to everyone, not just those who exercise. In this example the body will use calories from protein containing foods very differently to calories from foods which contain very little nutrition e.g sweets, chocolate etc.

The best diet is one that is highly nutritious and low in ’empty calorie’ foods. These types of foods would be considered ‘clean’ foods. They are whole foods, with very little or no processing, no added sugars, no trans fats, none of the bad stuff.

So…eating clean means calories don’t count?

No. A clean diet might not contain any of the bad stuff but over-eating on whole foods will cause weight gain too. This is often forgotten however due to the satiation provided by clean eating.

Whole foods are full of nutrients and in the low carb and paleo lifestyles the foods tend to be higher in fat, richer in protein and contain a lot of vegetables and some fruits. These are all very satiating foods, leading you to feel satisfied for longer with no biological need to eat any time soon. By choosing whole foods, eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full you do not need to count calories as you use your hunger as your guide.

No problem, eat when hungry, stop when full, calories don’t count!

Not quite. In a world where we eat when hungry, stop when full, and never ever eat at any other times would we still have a weight problem? Who knows, because that will never happen. For humans, eating is no longer about survival like it was for our ancestors, eating can be a social experience, an emotional one, a celebration, boredom, habit, the list goes on. When was the last time you ate a small treat or snack when you weren’t hungry? Someone gives you a piece of chocolate or you have a biscuit with your cup of tea. Maybe that paleo banana bread you made is far too amazing for you to wait until you are hungry again.

Eating when we are not hungry is not necessarily wrong, but it is something that we need to be aware of. If we are snacking in-between meals but the food is still ‘clean’ it’s not necessarily any better when it comes to calories.

Clean foods still have calories

Nuts are the best example here, they are very nutrient dense, they are tasty, convenient, portable. They come plain, spiced, salted, sugared, coated, mixed, in shells, and blended into nut butters. Mmmm. But they also pack a lot of calories into a serving. This is not necessarily a bad thing and as I am a massive fan of abandoning the count and going with your gut (literally) I wouldn’t tell anyone to ban these high calorie clean foods. However, if your weight loss has stalled, it could be these clean calories that are causing the problem.

Should we count calories?

No, but also yes. We don’t need to be obsessive about calorie counting, downloading apps for our phones and constantly tip tapping away to add up our daily allowance. Being obsessive around food is a bad way to be, even if it’s for your health. However, if your weight loss has stalled, or you are feeling tired and sluggish, it might be the time to track your calories for a few days. Maybe you’re slipping and eating things mindlessly, perhaps you’re exercising more and you’re no longer eating enough? It is important to get a full picture of your nutrition if you’re not feeling like your usual self or if your progress has stalled.

To sum up…

You do not need to count calories to lose weight or improve your health. Removing the rubbish from your diet goes a long way to improving your health, especially if you are replacing it with heathy foods. If your weight loss has stopped there are a number of reasons why this could be, to start the investigation into why, track your calories for a few days to see what’s going on.

Eating clean is a massive step in the right direction, it keeps you full, it increases your energy levels, keeps your skin healthy, improves your mood, the list goes on. Some find a rapid weight loss when switching to a healthier diet, others not so quick and some not at all in the early days. So keep in mind, all foods have calories, nothing is ‘free’ but the reality is that you can eat a LOT more fruits and veggies for the same energy found in your average junk food snack, and those nutrients will leave you feeling much better.

If you’re doing all the right things and still not seeing any progress, maybe you need an outside perspective. For more info on training with me contact me here and we can discuss your plan.