Saturday, December 4, 2010

Reducing calories most effective for weight loss

Even with nutritionists, personal trainers, seminars, classes, TV shows and  large corporations all promoting healthy lifestyles, I would argue that eating "healthy" is still quite tough to do with the ever changing research, data and clever marketing. 

So many food items now contain promotional terms "healthy," "organic," "containing omega 3's," gluten-free" etc. etc. and have caused people wishing to lose weight believe that because they have chosen a more nutritious option, they can eat the same amount or more and reach their goal.
While I do and will always advocate healthier choices, I want consumer to be cautious of the marketing, and where weight loss is the goal, to still take into account the calories and macronutrient content of the food they eat.

Case Study:
Mark Haub - profressor of human nutrition at Kansas State University ate snack cakes, doritos, sugary cereals and oreo cookies every 3 hours. He also took a multivitamin, veggies and one protein shake daily. He counted the calories of the food he consumed in order to prove that it is calories that matters most for weight loss, and not solely the types of food consumed.
His 2-month experiment resulted:
- losing 27 lbs
- decreasing his BMI from 28.8 - 24.9
-decreasing LDL cholesterol
- increasing HDL (the "good" kind)

Again, I write about this not because I promote the eating of junk food. I will always promote nutrient dense, high quality foods  paired with safe and effective exercise for weight loss. However, I want to reiterate that calories do count when making a lifestyle change. What do you think about this?



Alli Cain, B.A.Kin, C.K.
Personal Trainer
www.ACAINtraining.com
905-806-7198


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