Last week we talked about why counting calories isn’t working. We have been taught that our food has a calorie number associated to it (a calorie is a unit of energy from food), and that is all there is to it, calories in and calories out. This is an antiquated and outdated method for long-term and lasting weight loss as it does not speak to the quality of foods and the hormonal effects food has our bodies.
“A calorie of brownie is not the same as a calorie of kale. They just aren’t, that is common sense. But yet we try to pretend that they are the same. So if it’s not about calories, it’s really about our hormonal response to calories, which is completely different based on the types of food you eat.” Dr. Fung, Counting Calories is a Ridiculous Way to Lose Weight. Watch YouTube video here.
In our last blog post, we mentioned that our bodies are very intelligent, beautiful, dynamic vessels. As a result, our bodies can and do work with food we eat and this blog is about how food influences our weight.
It’s not just learning about our food source and how different sources affect the body (think about the brownie and kale example above and their different effects), but also about making sure we are getting enough of the right foods.
Low calorie is NOT a long term solution. At Zelo we only use low calorie while doing the HCG Program because we are bio-hacking the system. Without HCG in the system, low calorie is NOT recommended for weight loss. But why?
For years we have been told that, “If you eat less calories but your body is still burning the same then you will lose weight.” The problem with this old equation is that when we start to consume less calories our basal metabolic rate (the calories we burn everyday) also decreases. In turn, when we eat less and exercise more we could see a calorie deficit, however, that is putting stress on the body and creating an environment of malnutrition and higher storage of fat.
What do we need to do to achieve long term weight loss? First, let’s learn and understand that food has a hormonal effect on our fat organ. We need the fat organ to function optimally and effectively. Second, How to start?
- Increase your vegetable intake, getting a wide variety of vegetables.
- Increase your good oils and fats. (omegas and fish oils, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, MCT oil, grass fed butter, nuts etc.)
- Premium pressed food supplements. The brand we love and trust is Standard Process & Medi Herb.
- Vitamin Therapy
- Liposomal vitamins
Would you like to know your micronutrient levels and uncover where you may be deficient? Try Zelo’s Micro-Nutrient Testing.
Written by Michelle Williams and Dawn Pullin