Counting Calories To Lose Weight

Counting Calories To Lose Weight 

Don't Calorie Count! Conventional wisdom has it that calorie-counting is the key to losing weight. Burn more calories than you consume, the argument goes, and you'll lose weight. While there's no denying the simple logic of that statement, looking at the calories in foods in NOT a good way of understanding their effects on the body, and it is certainly not the best way to think about losing weight.
Consider 2 people, both eating 2000 calories per day. Person A gets their calories from lean meat, vegetables, fruit and whole grains, while person B gets exactly the same number of calories from crisps, biscuits, refined food and junk food. Isn't it obvious that person A will not only be healthier than person B but also has a much better chance of losing weight? This illustrates that not all calories are created equal! In fact the calorie is quite an abstract measurement of energy. The exact definition of a calorie is 'the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C'.
 While this is a perfectly good way of measuring the amount of energy in a food in a scientific way, it makes absolutely no reference to what the body does to that food once it is eaten.
Dampness & Refined Carbs So what's the alternative to counting calories? In Chinese Medicine, fat is considered a type of 'Dampness'. This term 'Damp' is used in many ways in Chinese medicine to describe poor digestion and/or bad diet, leading to weight gain. The foods that lead to Dampness (and therefore weight gain) are mainly sugars, wheat and dairy products. The more refined they are, the worse the are, so for instance brown bread is better than white. Reducing refined carbohydrates such as sugar, wheat and flour products and also dairy is a sure way to start losing weight. Rye bread or crackers can be substituted for wheat products. In baking, use honey or better still molasses, malt or fruit syrups in place of sugar. Goat or sheep dairy products are also better than cow dairy, though they should still be used with caution.
 Reducing the level of carbs in your evening meal is a simple way of tilting your diet in the right direction. This means less pasta, rice, potatoes or pastry. Replace these with lots of vegetables of all kinds.
 A Simple, Natural Diet The way to be healthy, and to lose weight, isn't rocket science. Eat a varied diet based mainly on whole (ie unrefined) food. Lots of fruit and veg and some lean meat (or a veggie protein source) and less carbohydrates.
 This won't make you shed weight as fast as some extreme diets, but it has some pretty big advantages: You can still eat normal food You don't have to count calories or points It's very healthy (unlike some diets) It's SUSTAINABLE - the weight you lose will stay off So, forget about calorie counting, it's stressful and it's not as important as you always thought!