One gram of fat is indisputably one gram of fat, but analyzing nine calories in the same gram – not so simple. Ditto for proteins and carbohydrates. This ambiguity in the relative role of calories in weight loss (or weight gain) explains why even siblings consuming similar diets may respond to them differently, let alone people of different age, shape, gender, and lifestyle.
Total ignorance of this indelible fact of nature – that one calorie for you may mean more or less than one calorie for someone else – is a primary reason why past and present one-diet-fits-all fads may have failed you before and will fail again (and again, and again).
So don’t look with envy at your sibling, spouse, or friend who is losing weight faster than you on the exact same diet. When it comes to safe, effective, and permanent weight loss, YOU are the only ONE who matters, and even more so if you are a woman.
Sadly, you’ll find little to no discussion of gender-specific influences on weight loss rates in popular diet books and programs. This is an embarrassing oversight because gender impacts weight loss (and weight gain) in countless ways, so much so that I believe diet books should have be written separately for men and women.
So here we go:
AGE DIFFERENCE. You are not your 20-something daughter. She is at the peak of her procreation mission with a metabolism to match. She is still learning about the world around her and has an incredibly busy brain, the largest consumer of glucose. Her body may still be growing. She is definitely healthier. She may be taller. Her body has more muscle, even if she is the exact same size and shape as you are. She has only half of your genes; the other half is from her father. She is more active simply because she can be. She doesn’t need the gym (yet). She sleeps better than you, even if she sleeps less. She is luckier simply because she is younger.
THE TAKEAWAY: Younger women of the exact same shape, weight, height, and even genetic background will always lose weight faster on the exact same diet as older women. So if you are still eating just like your adult daughter, don’t be surprised that you are getting fatter than her or not losing weight just as fast. If you still would like to trade clothes with her, join the gym, eat less, or, even better, do both.
SMALLER MUSCLE MASS. The female body contains significantly less muscle than males of similar shape and weight. Women experience faster loss of muscle throughout pregnancy, breastfeeding, and natural aging. Since muscles are one of the most demanding users of energy, their age-related loss reduces the rate of energy uptake, and, correspondingly, increases the gain of body fat.
THE TAKEAWAY: Accept your innate difference with men and younger women, and eat less than your husband, boyfriend, or muscular girlfriend. Even better, join the gym and build your muscles from the ground up so you can enjoy heartier meals and the occasional glass of wine with impunity.
GLUCOSE UPTAKE BY MUSCLES. Along with the brain, central nervous system, and blood, muscles are the most prolific consumers of glucose. That is why most men on a low-carb diet lose weight faster than women and don’t gain it as quickly with a larger intake of carbohydrates.
THE TAKEAWAY: Women require fewer carbohydrates than men, yet at the same time improperly structured ultra-low-carbohydrate (a.k.a. ketogenic) diets (with not enough high-quality protein and too many fats) may not be appropriate for older women because the diets may accelerate muscle wasting. Fool me once, Dr. Atkins, shame on you. Fool me twice – fat on me. (I will discuss a muscle-sparing low-calorie diet in future posts.)
GREATER FAT MASS. Women have a higher ratio of body fat to total body weight than men. Body fat is essential for reproductive functions, healthy pregnancy, and nursing. As body fat falls below a certain level – around 10% to 15% – infertility and amenorrhea (the absence of a period) set in.
THE TAKEAWAY: Because body fat plays such an essential role in female reproductive and overall health, women gain fat faster than men on similar or smaller amounts of foods. Don’t eat as much as your male partner of similar proportions, unless you don’t mind gaining weight.
THERMOS EFFECT. As you gain fat, your body lowers the internal rate of energy metabolism (i.e., produces less heat) because your internal organs are cuddled in the warm blanket of your own fat, or, as doctors would say, adipose tissue. That is why overweight people are far less sensitive to cold than skinny ones. Inversely, the thermos effect may cause a rapid overheating of internal organs in a hot environment. For this reason heat strokes represent a significant hazard for obese individuals.
Unfortunately, this thermos effect (my term) has a profoundly negative impact on your ability to lose weight because your rate of metabolism is so much lower, and this has little or nothing to do with your thyroid or adrenal glands that you may think are “underactive.”
THE TAKEAWAY: If it is too late for you, do everything you can to prevent your daughters and younger sisters from gaining weight. Expect a longer journey toward your own normal weight. Increase your level of physical exercise to increase your metabolic rate. Keep the thermostat up so your body isn’t spooked into hibernation mode (more on this later) when it is cold inside (from central air) and out.
HEIGHT. A person’s height is an important factor in energy metabolism and, correspondingly, in obesity and weight loss. All other things being equal, taller people lose weight faster because their “lengthier” bodies expend more energy to support cardiovascular, respiratory, and thermogenic (keeping itself warm) functions.
This doesn’t mean that tall people don’t become overweight or obese – of course they do. Still, on the exact same diet they will be losing weight faster and gaining it slower. This observation may not seem particularly earth-shattering in itself, but it becomes important when determining portion sizes.
When foods are plentiful, satiety is portion-oriented, not need-oriented. In other words, we don’t eat as much as we need, but we eat as much as we want.
Moreover, portions nowadays are designed to accommodate an “average” person’s capacity to ingest foods until his or her stomach is loaded to the gills. Thus, when there are more tall/large/overweight people in society with larger stomachs, short/small/skinny people inevitably overeat. Adding insult to injury, their smaller stomachs stretch out gradually to accommodate the corresponding amount of food on their plates. Guess what happens next…
THE TAKEAWAY: The shorter you are, regardless of gender, the more attention you must pay to portion sizes. You will also face the greatest difficulty during weight loss because your stretched out stomach and mental perception of satiety are preconditioned to eating larger portions of foods for longer. It is quite hard to eat little and leave the dinner table earlier when you are accustomed to huge portions and long, leisurely dinners. Fortunately, stomachs do shrink back to their original capacities. After successfully completing a properly structured weight loss diet, overeating again will be just as uncomfortable as when you were young and normal weight.
INNATE RESPONSE TO REDUCED CALORIE INTAKE. Your body doesn’t really know the difference between weight loss and starvation. All it knows is that it is under duress from undernutrition and facing extinction. That is why a scarcity of nutrients during weight loss diets, or even from poor nutrition, instantly lowers your energy and structural metabolism, throttles down weight loss, and speeds up the accumulation of body fat, all to protect your reproductive health and milk supply for potential offspring from the possibility of starvation-related death.
THE TAKEAWAY: Ultra-low-carbohydrate (a.k.a. ketogenic) diets (espoused by the bodybuilders whose ultimate goal is to lose every iota of body fat, literal paleo-freaks [i.e. nothing but unrestricted lean protein], and the aficionados of original Atkins diet with unlimited fats) are not only counterproductive for women but also the primary reason for near-instant weight rebound and ensuing obesity.
That doesn’t mean that ketogenics diets are unnatural, harmful, or ineffective – not at all. I just wish to convey that this particular weight loss technique must be applied along with a properly balanced low-calorie diet; with a good deal of attention to one’s ability to digest and assimilate natural proteins in order to spare muscles from wasting and prevent gastric disorders; and with equal respect to one’s age, health, and a number of others factors that I’ll be addressing in future posts.
ENERGY REQUIREMENTS. With all other things being equal – ambient temperature, level of activity, age, height, and weight – the female body has a lower demand for energy from proteins, fats, and carbohydrates than the male’s, due to not only substantially less muscle but also smaller lungs and a smaller heart, less blood volume, and an inherently less physically demanding response – flight instead of fight – to external stress. This difference is particularly significant in the reduced uptake of energy from glucose by the blood, muscles, and central nervous system.
THE TAKEAWAY: It is worthwhile to repeat that an identical piece of cake for one person may represent twice as many relative calories to another, similarly shaped person. In other words, when my wife eats cake, her body uses a portion of its calories for energy, and the balance goes right into making body fat, while my body uses the entire allotment of calories from the exact same cake exclusively for making energy, with nothing left for fat.
The same can be said about fats and proteins, though the difference may be not as drastic as with carbohydrates because a larger portion of these nutrients is used for structural metabolism. The demands of structural metabolism in women may be greater than in men (with all other things being equal) because female reproductive functions demand a greater deal of nutrients.
To summarize, if you are a woman, your dietary requirements for energy, particularly from carbohydrates, are substantially less than a man’s. As trivial as this statement is, girls and women rarely consume portions adjusted to their particular needs and end up paying a price for it later in life with (a) earlier obesity, (b) higher rates of obesity, (c) and greater morbidity (the rate of incidence of a disease) related to obesity.
When it comes to losing weight, the situation is also stacked against women, who need to decrease their caloric intake considerably more than men to accomplish the same amount of weight loss in the same span of time.
REPRODUCTIVE HORMONES. In middle-aged women, the reduction of estrogen related to age, pregnancy, lactation, stress, undernutrition, and contraceptives may lead to gradual weight gain and a diminished rate of weight loss. Since adipose tissue (i.e., body fat) produces estrogen in parallel with the ovaries, I believe the female body compensates for the age-related decrease of ovarian estrogen by lowering the rate of energy metabolism in order to accumulate more fat, thereby allowing it to produce more estrogen.
THE TAKEAWAY: Real foods in a traditional diet will help you maintain a high level of sex hormones all the way into menopause. Post-menopausal weight gain is a natural process. Closer to menopause, adjust your diet and exercise accordingly to prevent fat gain. By maintaining strong, supple, and busy muscles, you’ll be able to eat more without gaining weight. Age-appropriate diet and exercise are far better options than cancer-prone hormone replacement therapies, unless absolutely medically indicated.
OVULATION. Ovulation raises body temperature, a well-known fact that has been used for millennia to determine a natural algorithm for birth control, also known as the “natural family planning” or “periodic abstinence” technique. The hormonal activity and physiological metamorphosis during ovulation stimulates energy metabolism, hence the rise in temperature and appetite to keep the “burner” going.
THE TAKEAWAY: Use this natural phenomenon to burn fat by reducing carbohydrates rather than feeding the “burner” with loads of them. If you are prone to weight gain, avoid hormonal contraceptives that interfere with ovulation because they will inevitably slow down your metabolic rate.
MENSTRUATION. The period represents a particular challenge for weight loss because, as during ovulation, the body goes into overdrive and requires more energy and nutrients for rebuilding and restoration (plastic needs), including micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and microelements. During ovulation and period, the body specifically demands extra proteins and essential fatty acids to synthesize hormones and other fertility-specific substances. All of these factors and corresponding mood swings may stimulate a voracious appetite that’s often satisfied with useless (nutritionally speaking) carbohydrates rather than essential fats and proteins. This unbalanced consumption of nutrients during periods leads to the gradual loss of muscle mass and the accumulation of fat.
THE TAKEAWAY: Pay particular attention to your nutrition before and during your period. Overeating is a habit, not a necessity. If you overeat junk food, your body still isn’t getting what it wants and will stimulate hanger, appetite, and cravings even more. A traditional diet with real foods is the best way to preempt period-related binges. Intense, overpowering food cravings during periods and ovulation may be the symptoms of borderline undernutrition. In this case, use professional-grade supplements for a short while to boost up your body’s stores until real foods will be able to satisfy all of your requirements on their own.
PREGNANCY. Women are programmed by nature to accumulate body fat during pregnancy. These extra stores are essential for the substantial energy and structural needs related to pregnancy and not-so-distant breastfeeding, and provide as well an extra blanket of warmth for the fetus.
THE TAKEAWAY: Bring the thermostat up – way up. 76º to 78º F (24º to 26º C) is the optimal temperature for preventing the slowdown of your metabolic rate in order to conserve energy. High temperatures also prevent fat accumulation, your body’s method of protecting your internal organs (particularly the uterus and ovaries) from the cold. If your workplace is a freezer and you can’t change it, file a complaint with a labor board, union, health department, or whoever else will listen and has a leverage to change it. As far as I am concerned, cold offices are a form of discrimination against women.
BREASTFEEDING. Failure to breastfeed is a primary cause behind postpartum weight retention (i.e., getting fatter and fatter after each baby). Long-term milk production burns fat deposits far more efficiently than any form of non-extreme exercise. Besides, breast milk fertilizes the healthiest, happiest, and chubbiest babies. Intentionally using formula – the very first processed (i.e. factory-made) product in your baby’s life – instead of breastfeeding is a major contributor to obesity among American women with children, and, of course, their children in the not-so-distant future.
THE TAKEAWAY: Breastfeeding facilitates weight loss for you and healthy development for your baby like no other diet. To produce an average of 700 ml of breast milk daily, healthy women expend approximately 490 calories that are derived from 7 grams of protein, 31 grams of fat, and 48 grams of milk sugars, primarily lactose. Thus, on a weight-neutral diet, the extra fat in milk comes right from body fat. At 31 grams per day you may lose at least 11.3 kg (25 lbs.) of fat simply by breastfeeding while still enjoying a normal diet. This example, of course, is a gross oversimplification, but it is still pretty close to reality.
So plan to breastfeed for as long as you can, or at the very least until your baby grows teeth and can chew solid food. Giving a toothless child solid food is a health and development hazard because her body won’t make gastric acid and enzymes until she can thoroughly chew and masticate (mix with saliva) the chunks of solid foods.
Finally, extended breastfeeding suppresses menstruation in many women all the way until weaning. This pause defrays the onset of menopause by a similar length because the natural absence of a period preserves ovarian follicles and defers menopause until well into one’s fifties.
ANTHROPOLOGY. Ancestry plays a significant role in weight gain and resistance to weight loss, particularly for women whose roots are in regions with cyclical climates. Because of climate-dependent food supply patterns, such women are genetically predisposed to rapid weight gain during the summer and autumn in order to survive less plentiful seasons or outright starvation, as well as to continue breastfeeding their offspring without interruption. This phenomenon is apparent from exceptionally high rates of obesity among African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and persons of South-Pacific ancestry. Omnipresent air conditioning tricks their bodies into hibernation-like state in anticipation of the colder season, while a limitless availability of carbohydrate-rich food facilitates rapid weight gain.
THE TAKEAWAY: If you or your children have a genetic predisposition to gaining weight, watch out for ambient temperature at home and in the office, and adjust your year-round diet to levels that allow you to maintain steady weight.
EATING OUT. Short of Nieman Marcus’s café-cum-bistro spa menu intended for predominantly slim, well-heeled patronesses, I’ve yet to see a restaurant that provides a gender-specific menu. Hence, identical steaks are smacked in front of a petite woman and an oversized, bodybuilding man as a matter of course. Women, who dine out often, must be mindful of this aberration and demand half portions or split main courses with their companions.
THE TAKEAWAY: Insist that restaurants serve you half portions “due to dietary restrictions.” Don’t be shy to request it. It isn’t embarrassing, but rather a sign of class and wealth. Call the restaurant in advance to find out if half portions (or “spa-size”) are available upon request. If they refuse to accommodate you, just don’t go there and post a negative review on Yelp, Zagat, OpenTable, Fodor’s, or any other online restaurant guide. Punish them with your dollars and reviews. Complain to your local department of health. This is the only way change will come to this male-dominated industry, which is extremely hostile to women and weight-conscious men alike because they aren’t as profitable to serve.
CHRONIC DIETER SYNDROME. Women have a propensity for recurrent dieting. Each consecutive diet cycle, especially one low in fat and protein, compromises the body’s essential endocrine functions, slows the rates of metabolism, and stimulates the over-consumption of carbohydrates, which leads to the accumulation of more fat and reductions of muscle and bone mass (the key factor behind osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, periodontal disease, and eventual tooth loss). Each consecutive weight loss cycle results in more and more fat stores and a corresponding decline in overall health. This results in even more weight gain.
THE TAKEAWAY: A weight loss diet is like an antibiotic. If you start taking one, you need to finish the full course; otherwise, you create antibiotic-resistant bacteria that may harm you later. The more you diet halfway, the more resistant your body becomes to weight loss and more accommodating to weight gain. So if you start a diet, do it right, do it for as long as it takes, and once you’re there, don’t return to the diet that made you overweight in the first place. That – helping you reach the finish line with your health and sanity intact – is the goal of this project.
FOOD PREPARATION. Fair or not, women spend more time in the kitchen while cooking for their families. Unfortunately, the continuous exposure to food comes with an increase in appetite, hunger, cravings, and, in many cases, inevitable overeating.
THE TAKEAWAY: Food preparation is a definite obesity hazard. Structuring low-calorie diets while still having to cook for family (or professionally) is hard, but not impossible. I will address this particular challenge in later posts.
As you can see from all of the above, if you happen to be a man, praise the Lord for your innate ability to eat more without gaining weight or lose more weight on the exact same diet as your wife or girlfriend.
Sure, there are black swans in our midst, just like my lucky wife who can eat most anything she likes with impunity, but if you aren’t one of them, accept your differences and eat accordingly.
That’s why when it comes to the particulars of my weight loss program, “one diet fits all” approach does not apply. More on this in the next and future posts.
Previous posts from the “Why Diets Fail?” series:
1. The Real Reason Diets Fail and What You Can Do About It
2. How Long Will It Take Me to Lose the Weight?
For your health and safety, please read these important Weight Loss Common Sense Warnings and Disclaimers before commencing a reduced calorie diet.
Picture credit: © 2013 iStockPhoto LLP
Thank you for doing this series. I am waiting patiently for all your forthcoming information so that I can once and for all conquer my life-long weight issues. Like Amanda, I do have a question (I realize that you may expand on this in future posts) about ketogenic diets. Your comment: THE TAKEAWAY: Women require fewer carbohydrates than men, yet at the same time ultra-low-carbohydrate (a.k.a. ketogenic) diets aren’t appropriate for women because they cause accelerated muscle wasting. Fool me once, Dr. Atkins, shame on you. Fool me twice – fat on me.
I lost over 85 lbs. doing a ketogenic program and I have kept off 70 lbs. for the last two years. I had remarkably little fat on my body when I got down to my goal weight. I am eating a whole foods diet and gained back those 15 lbs. as fat which I would like to lose. I thought that when you were in ketosis you burn fat, not muscle. Can you explain this further? Have I done permanent damage to my body? I am an active 50+ woman in menopause that strength trains with a personal trainer twice a week.
Sue,
Unfortunately, you “burn” both — fat and muscle tissue. Considering your active lifestyle, maybe some of those 15 lbs. were muscles, not just fat. If you consumed adequate amounts of protein while on your ketogenic diet, no, you haven’t done your body any damage. Many people don’t.
Very interesting stuff. Finally someone is saying out loud what we women have been saying for years.
No mention of issues like hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, hypopituitarism, etc? these are very common issues in the US.
Veronica,
These clinical disorders are the domain of endocrinologists. They are exceptionally well studied, and you can find an abundant amount of information about these conditions in popular medical references, such as The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy or WebMD portal. I will not be writing about these disorders because I am a medical writer, not a medical doctor.
Considering that these are extremely common issues in the US, particularly amongst women, that there should be some consideration of these issues when it comes to weightloss.
and endocrinologists? haha! Most of them don’t really know a thing about these issues and simply prescribe T4 only meds such as Synthroid, which according to most hypo patients, doesn’t help much, if at all. These are things that can be aided with diets and natural methods. Worth a look into it, it could help a lot of people.
Veronica,
I did’t say that I will not consider these conditions, but that I am not planning to write about them.
Finally a weight loss post that makes sense! I shared with several people who would benefit. Thank you for this post.
Vicki, you are very welcome, and thanks for sharing! Lots more to come, and, hopefully, it will prove equally informative.
I recently started a ketogenic diet, and now wonder if I should be concerned? I think I’ll still give it a try for a few weeks, but I have to be honest. Most of what I read in the whole foods/paleo world is that we don’t need to worry about calories, and yet I’m feeling super discouraged after these last few posts, getting the impression that basically there is no way to lose weight once you have it. I only have about 10-12 lbs to lose, but now I am wondering what we are supposed to do? Count calories? Eat lettuce with a 1/2 teaspoon of butter and call that lunch? And again, alot of what this guy is saying seems to be counter to what many paleo/whole foods people experience good results with (i.e., women on ketogenic diets that DO have success!)
I don’t know if Sarah will read these comments, but if you are: help! Where is the hope? I am truly wondering how it’s possible to lose weight now (According to this guy).
Julia,
” Most of what I read in the whole foods/paleo world is that we don’t need to worry about calories…”
Just thought I’d mention that both Eat Fat Lose Fat and The Fourfold Path to Healing suggest reducing calories to lose weight.
“Eat lettuce with a 1/2 teaspoon of butter and call that lunch?”
Haha. I don’t think that would be the best thing to do. I think for most people it would be something more along the lines of taking a typical traditional meal and making smaller portions. I think it will also be extremely important to ensure that you are eating plenty of the superfoods like fermented cod liver oil, grassfed liver, and the other good fats (especially such as the high vitamin butter oil that is supposed to go with the cod liver oil). So, the butter part of your meal sounds like you’re on the right track. You probably should increase the amount, but I’d toss the lettuce and replace it with something more nutrient dense. Caviar, maybe? 🙂
This is just something to think about, but if eating “whole foods/paleo” meant that we “don’t need to worry about calories”, then how did our ancestors ever survive seasonal food shortages since all they had available to them WERE “whole foods/paleo”? The ability to gain fat is what made them survive during those food shortages, and they were only able to gain fat from the “whole foods/paleo”. How did they do it? Increase the amount they ate during seasonal food abundance, I would imagine (also known as increasing their calories). And they lost the weight during the food shortage because they decreased the AMOUNT they ate, not by eating better quality foods or by reducing their carbs. I’m not an expert, but really this is the only scenario that makes much sense to me.
This guy will address this subject in the next post.
Hi! I have a question regarding ketosis… I started a ketogenic diet about a week ago (I’m open to stopping) but my question is about my 2 1/2 year old daughter. I got those ketostix, and out of curiousity, tested her urine. To my surprise, she tested positive! Do you have any thought s on this. We do NOT intentionally feed her low-carb, though her diet is very high in fat. The bulk of her diet consists of: eggs, nuts berries, apples, bananas, raw milk, full fat cheese, sour cream and yogurt, sprouted sourdough waffles, sprouted toast, pasta, rice, popcorn (all smothered in grassfed butter), chicken, ground beef… And the occasional junkfood from her Grammy, usually organic fruit snacks granola bars, or munchkins. Any thoughts on her being in ketosis? She’s very active, and bright and rarely is sick… Should I be concerned? Greatly enjoying your posts… Thanks!
I forgot the veggies, 🙂 she also loves broccoli, green beans, corn, carrots and sweet potatoed… All of which we also smother in butter.
Yeah I myself have had success on a pretty ketonogenic diet. He didn’t really make a clear connection for me when he said that low glucose diets accelerate muscle aging. I understand muscles use glucose, but he doesn’t talk about how they use ketones, refer to the process of muscle metabolism, or a study demonstrating this. It seemed kind of like a knee-jerk reaction when it’s not explained thoroughly.
Amanda,
Ketosis (a correct term is lipolysis) is a perfectly normal state for healthy adults and children. Children are more susceptible to this condition because they have a very small volume of blood, a small liver, and underdeveloped muscles. This means their bodies can’t supply all the glucose their incredibly energetic lifestyle requires. To compensate, their bodies turn to catabolic metabolism, and use proteins and fats to provide alternative “fuels” to keep them going.
I will explain the ins and outs of this natural condition in the next post, including why it is not the same thing as “metabolic ketoacidosis,” and why I am so negative on extended ketogenic diets for women.
Thanks very much for the response, I’m looking forward to the next post. I also have another question. I’m currently nursing a six and a half month old. I’ve read that it’s safe to be on a ketogenic diet while doing so, as long as I’m not severely restricting my calories, do you think it’s a bad idea to be doing so at all while nursing? I’m able to eat between 50 & 80 carbs and still remain in ketosis.
And on the same line… How do I figure out how much to eat while nursing? Is eating to hunger sufficient – will my body let me know if I need to eat more? When I try to follow my hunger signals it feels like I’m hardly eating anything… Way less than the normal 2000+ calories I often see recommended for nursing women. But when I eat whenever I feel like it (justifying myself because “I’m nursing” and “need the calories”) I notice my weight climbing higher and higher. Any thoughts on this? I do eat a very nutrient dense diet and supplement with desiccated liver and FCLO. I just want to know how to best feed my body and baby while slowly heading back to my normal weight… Not further and further away from it.
Amanda,
Sorry, I can’t answer your question about ketosis and breastfeeding. I simply don’t know the answer. If your baby is doing well (not rejecting you, not crying, good sleep, etc.), you are probably okay, but I suggest finding someone with expertise in this subject. However, even if your baby is okay, you may be risking your own health because milk gets the priority where nutrients are concerned.
If you intend to breastfeed long term, I recommend a weight-neutral diet — just enough nutrients to maintain your current weight. You really don’t want to start reducing food intake too much, otherwise you may start running out of milk, causing damage to your own body (i.e. muscle and bone tissue loss, demineralization, undernutrition).
Breastfeeding itself requires about 500 extra calories, ideally from all three food groups — i.e. carbs, fats and proteins. I touched on the ratio of these components in the post itself.
I so appreciate your quick responses! So, just one more… If I just keep an eye on calories consumed and then try to adjust based on my weight fluctuations… Aiming for maintenance to very slight loss, that should give me an idea of my calorie needs?And then presumably I can add more carbs while staying within that range and not gain weight? I understand now is not the time to pursue great losses, but I also don’t feel comfortable gaining more. It’s looking like the only way to do that is to start counting calories… haha, I know it doesn’t seem like rocket science, but I hate counting calories 🙂 Thanks again!
Amanda,
You are very welcome.
For the lack of better one, calories offer a very general framework to measure the energy content of a diet. People in the calorie-counting camp ignore the difference between “measured calories,” the ones on the label, and “realized calories,” or what’s actually left for energy after digestion and assimilation. They also ignore the fact that the same amount of realized calories means two different things to two different people – the subject of this post.
In other words, a theoretical calorie by itself is meaningless because its impact on weight loss or weight gain depends on the individual, the type of product, the quality of product, the level of activity at any given moment, and a ton of other factors. Besides, calories are next to impossible to count properly, unless all you’ll eat is vegetable oil (100% fat), amino acids blend (100% protein), and sugar (100% carbohydrate).
So, your best bet is not to count calories, but to simply slightly reduce all food groups (proteins, fats, carbs) in your diet. It’s best to reduce carbs more than fats and proteins because they are the least significant in terms of health benefit and necessity. Keep reducing until you’ll stop gaining. That’s the only proper way to do accomplish your objectives.
In tactical terms, here is the easiest way to implement all of the above: (a) drop all snacks first; (b) drop all non-essential foods (i.e. sweets, etc.) second; (c) reduce the use of condiments such as salads dressings and mayo, (d) eat your breakfast as late as possible, and dinner as earlier as possible, so you will not be as hungry between the meals, and, correspondingly, will eat less.
If you want to take this even further, cut out anything that is sweet, including artificial sweeteners. This technique will stabilize (reduce) the secretion of insulin, so you will experience less sugar cravings and appetite-stimulating fatigue.
These are all key aspects of my program. I will discuss all of them in future posts. Nothing, really, complex, just simple, commonsense approach based on physiology of digestion and endocrine functions.
True, this approach will not allow me to sell a line of high-protein bars, ready-to-eat meal plans, or a ton of low-carbs cookbooks, but it’s okay, I am not greedy.
There are only three nutrient groups: carbohydrates, fat, and protein. As one consumes fewer and fewer carbs, these must then be replaced with either additional fat (low-carb/high fat) or additional protein (Atkins-style high protein diet). (I suppose experiencing some form of starvation is an option too.) It is difficult to digest the confusion I experience reading your above response, Please clarify; thank you.
Konstantin:
“I don’t recall ever suggesting high-protein diet. This is yet another extreme. I am for balanced traditional diet that includes all foods group in approximately equal proportions, but simply less of them. Technically speaking – this is a no-brainer. The “brainer” is – how to implement and “survive” a low calorie diet long enough to attain normal weight. That is what my specialty is, and that is why I am writing this booklance?”
Kat,
What I meant to say is the following: “I do not recommend or advocate high-protein diets.” And I said that in response to your assertion that I recommend high protein diets. I repeat again — I don’t.
I will address actual diet composition in future posts. You may also be confused because you are trying to figure out what to eat and why, while this post isn’t about diet composition, but about relative vs. absolute values of calories.
I’m really enjoying these posts. They are full of such interesting and useful information and I am looking forward to reading the rest of them as they are published.
Finally, someone has dispelled the myths, explained the why’s and how’s and is sharing some real, informative facts on weight loss.
Thank you!
Thank you, Bettina, for your kind words.
This project started just four weeks ago from a blank sheet, and I appreciate very much your patience.
Not that I didn’t know this well subject before the last four weeks. Back in 2002, I wrote a book entitled “The Disorders of Carbohydrate Metabolism,” about this same subject. Unfortunately, that book was written in the Russian language, and isn’t accessible for English-speaking audiences.
A year later I researched and wrote another book, this time in English, entitled “Fixing up The Atkinks Diet.” Unfortunately again, Dr. Atkins sudden and mysterious death killed that book — no publisher wanted to touch that subject. This was back in 2003, well before the Kindle era, and I didn’t have the resource to release and market this book on my own.
Please, keep reading!
I am so happy you have a whole post about the differences between women and men in losing weight! I found the studies in Gary Taubes books about that quite interesting ( how many VERY poor and malnourished mothers and women around the world were grossly over weight, yet looked on the outside very different than their malnourished, very skinny babies and children.
He also had some very interesting stats and studies about exercise not doing anything for weight loss, that caught my attention. I’ve always exercised but I am curious now as I lost a lot of weight when I was sick for a few years and didn’t move ( I also could not eat much because even bone broths hurt me horribly, so that is quite a motivator to not eat).
Unlike most people (who gain weight in pregnancy), I was perfect and maintained a perfect diet all through a wonderful pregnancy very easily at 47. Like my skinny baby/child, I never felt hungry ( for the first time in my life) so was easy to do.
BUT we had a truly horrible 48 hour back labor birth without medication until the end which included forceps and emergency C-section which traumatized us both quite severely for the first year….and THAT is when I gained all my current weight.
I did child led weaning ( she probably has a world’s record for length almost as long as Geronimo) but it didn’t seem to help my weight at all.
GAPS, WAPF, PALEO, VT D, Epigenetic etc reading has given me more to think about in this area. I’ve been really pure for a couple of years now and have not lost any weight ( and I don’t eat much) so I am still looking for the tweaks I need to do that.
I found out when I lost the 2nd 100lbs (and kept it off for years and ate super healthy ..which probably allowed me to get pregnant late in life) that I am sugar sensitive. Thus, I have been super careful with sugar and carbs for decades ( but not ketogenic).
I tested as not celiac and don’t seem to have any problems with grains, but I am exploring no grains now after reading 87% of Americans have sensitivity to gluten and grains ( even with soaking) and even one bite creates problems for 6 months.
The two books that have been most helpful to me so far is “Restoring your Digestive Health” and “We want to live” which led me to WAPF. Looking forward to what you have to say.
We travel the world as a lifestyle ( which I love) but that also makes it quite hard to always find the right food as most of the things people mention, I can’t get here. The good news is pastured chickens, eggs, organic food, raw goat milk, wild salmon, coconut, etc is MUCH cheaper here than in California or Europe. 😉
Jeanne,
You are very welcome. The reader “Catz” remarked after my prior post:
“This is written from a male perspective. Women lose weight differently than men, and male experts on weight loss, trainers, etc. (in my experience) tend to be clueless about helping women lose weight.”
To assuage her and other readers who may think the same way, I’ve decided to address this subject first.
Thanks, I am really enjoying the posts and other comments and discussion as well.
I am curious also about your air conditioning ideas. It seems the exact opposite of Dr. Kruse’s Thermogenesis Protocol which seems to have worked wonders for some. He and many others ( Tim Ferriss, Dr. Tim Noakes , Dave Asprey etc) seem to think cold is great for losing weight etc.
I’ve also read that the addition of AC makes people stay out of the sun and miss out on the ultra important Vt D ( best gotten via sun suggested by many) which all over weight people are deficient in. ( Thus THAT is the problem with AC, NOT being cooler).
I am confused about the cold and hot issue ( like soooo many things with health and diet, there is MUCH conflicting info and experience). Looking forward to your science backed data on this and perspective based on much experience.
I’ve always had a lower temperature, blood pressure and pulse than normal ( even in childhood and no matter if I am thin or heavier) which has seemed to help my health, but now I wonder if that points to something else.
Can you debate the science Gary Taubes pointed out about how calories and exercise makes no difference in weight loss? ( Not that he got everything right IMHO, BUT his points with science back up in this area, is quite significant).
Will you address the leptin reset issues?
How about information on HA2cg homeopathic weight loss ? I know many people who have done this and loss a ton of weight ( most over 40 and many over 50 and 60) who have kept it off for years.
I hope you address issues for over 40 and post menopause women and weight loss. I am not sure if I did my body a favor or disfavor in having a very late baby and then doing long term breastfeeding for many years ( BUT I didn’t have any problems with hot flashes or menopause and I am probably the most grateful mama on the planet). 😉
I agree so much with your ideas that what works for one will not for another. If losing weight and keeping it off forever was such an easy issue, then there wouldn’t be so very many different books on the topic and still so many overweight people.
Having lived in and spent much time in both Europe and Asia, ( with “homes” in both places) I can tell you that there are a TON of people who eat horribly and are not well,( It’s not just Americans who eat poorly) but may or may not have a weight problem.
Can you address this conflicting info please?
“There is some interesting research behind cold exposure that suggests it can improve thyroid function, cause fat loss, and increase overall resilience.
A study in rats found that cold exposure revamped thyroid function and increased BAT oxygen consumption by 450%.
“One study in humans found that cold exposure can increase energy expenditure, and may assist in fat loss.
http://www.jci.org/articles/view/60433?key=5e3684aee3d55b74adc8
Another study found that adult humans have more brown adipose tissue (BAT) than previously thought. BAT can significantly increase energy expenditure in response to cold.
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0808949#t=article
Dr. Kruse has been using cold exposure with his patients to increase leptin sensitivity, boost strength, speed wound healing, and cause fat loss.”
( via Dave Asprey)
Thanks! I love to hear lots of angles, perspectives and opinions because I learn best that way.
Jeanne,
It is axiomatic that exposure to cold increases energy output in order to keep one’s body warm while in the cold. But none of the above research has anything to do with my point that extended exposure to relatively low temperatures and abundant foods contribute to obesity because humans are programmed by evolution to reduce metabolic rates and accumulate fat in response to seasonal climatic changes.
The only difference between the distant past and now is that your body doesn’t know the difference between late autumn and central air conditioning, so it responds to what it knows — ambient temperature.
Jeanne,
See my answers in-line:
I am curious also about your air conditioning ideas. It seems the exact opposite of Dr. Kruse’s Thermogenesis Protocol which seems to have worked wonders for some. He and many others ( Tim Ferriss, Dr. Tim Noakes , Dave Asprey etc) seem to think cold is great for losing weight etc.
— These gentlemen are addressing the concept of manhood — cold makes you strong and thin — and I don’t argue that. Being continuously exposed to cold increases energy output profoundly to keep one’s body warm, and you can even lose weight this way. What I am describing is an evolutionary mechanism that tricks the human body into lowering its metabolic rate in response to a marginal reduction of ambient temperature similar to the transition of seasons from summer to late autumn. These are the basics of evolutionary adaptation, and not a theory.
I’ve also read that the addition of AC makes people stay out of the sun and miss out on the ultra important Vt D ( best gotten via sun suggested by many) which all over weight people are deficient in. ( Thus THAT is the problem with AC, NOT being cooler).
— See above, same response.
I am confused about the cold and hot issue ( like soooo many things with health and diet, there is MUCH conflicting info and experience). Looking forward to your science backed data on this and perspective based on much experience.
— These are basic aspects of human physiology, and they have nothing to do with “science.”
I’ve always had a lower temperature, blood pressure and pulse than normal ( even in childhood and no matter if I am thin or heavier) which has seemed to help my health, but now I wonder if that points to something else.
— This means you have lower thermogenesis than other people. It may be related to your body shape, genetics, underactive thyroid, sedentary lifestyle, extremely efficient heart function, CNS makeup, and/or a load of other factors. In the absence of any pathology, exercise is the best form of raising your body temperature.
Can you debate the science Gary Taubes pointed out about how calories and exercise makes no difference in weight loss? ( Not that he got everything right IMHO, BUT his points with science back up in this area, is quite significant).
— I don’t recall Mr. Taubes ever said that. What he meant is that moderate exercise isn’t enough for weight loss. And I already replied at greater length about this point today. I can’t comment on calories because I don’t know the context of his comments.
Will you address the leptin reset issues?
— No, it matters in principle, but not in actual practice. And I already responded to this question in a prior post.
How about information on HA2cg homeopathic weight loss ? I know many people who have done this and loss a ton of weight ( most over 40 and many over 50 and 60) who have kept it off for years.
Sorry, I don’t know anything about this subject.
For those interested in listening to what Gary Taubes actually said re exercise and calories: youtube: Gary Taubes about why we get fat Part 1 of 3 (10 min)
Thank you for another interesting post. This will help me to stay focused on my own personal weight loss goals. I will be looking forward to reading your post on the role of carbohydrates in the diet (for weight loss and beyond) because I am feeling quite confused about this topic.
Louise,
You are very welcome. My next post will address this subject, as well proteins, fats, “bad metabolism,” ketogenic diets, and a ton of other truths, half-truths, myths, and outright lies.
I am getting really confused on how one is supposed to lose weight while eating traditional foods. I know you haven’t spelled it all out yet, but I don’t want to read these posts for a year thinking they are contradictory. It sounds like I need to eat only salads, or a teaspoon of fat (exaggeration probably) to get a low calorie diet. Neither one sounds very good to me. What am I missing?
Rebecca, you are missing forty more posts. They will be coming out one by one until the end of this year.
Please don’t project what’s coming negatively (i.e. “..thinking they are contradictory.”). How about thinking along the lines of “Hey, this may help me, finally…” and just enjoy reading along. It isn’t any different from watching the first airing of “Mad Men” or what have you…
And I can assure you that “the beef” will be “served” earlier than you may be thinking, and it will definitely not be “salads.”
ok i’ll keep an open mind.