03/05/2021
Remember once upon a time when there was only one diet and it involved counted calories? Pepperidge Farms remembers, and wants you to have a cookie as long as you count it. If you want to lose weight, all you have to do is burn more calories than you take in. Simple, right?
Don’t look at me in that tone of voice, I’m already looking at me in that tone of voice.
Today’s Moment of Science… how can counting calories work if we’re utter s**t at it?
Have you tried counting calories strictly and your attempt to lose a few pounds still didn’t work? You’re not alone. People consistently under-report their food intake.
We’re all pretty bad at caloric monitoring, even people with degrees in nutrition science. One current tool we have to measure caloric intake is doubly labeled water, a solution with specific ratios of isotopes that allows for measurement of caloric intake via urinary markers. In a study comparing the reported intake of dietitians and non-dietitians to their actual intake, on average non-dietitians under-reported by 429 calories per day. Registered dietitians under-reported as well, but by 223 calories per day.
If the professionals can’t do it, is there hope for the rest of us?
Apparently. In long term monitoring according to the National Weight Control Registry, counting calories is a strategy employed by 43% of people who have lost and kept off a significant amount of weight for over five years.
Though accuracy is key for this method to succeed, accuracy can take an inordinate amount of work. The best tool for this is a kitchen scale, weighing practically every bite. To be fair, it’s one of a handful of ways to get a true measure of what you’re eating. To also be fair, the borderline obsessive nature of weighing out food in this manner can imitate or lead to disordered eating patterns.
Is one diet more likely to help you succeed at maintaining a healthy body fat percentage than others? Yes: the one that you like enough to keep doing. People have pet theories for why their diet- keto, intermittent fasting, paleo, whatever the hell Joe Rogan is doing this week- is super fu***ng healthy. What’s most likely is that these eating patterns help people maintain the caloric intake they’re aiming for in a way that doesn’t make them hate their life.
So yeah, calorie counting can work. But so can every diet. As I know from many years of struggling, every diet can also fail if it doesn’t fit your life. If you’re trying to lose weight- but more importantly, get healthier- skip the guesswork. Go to your doctor and get a referral to a registered dietitian, and talk about what changes will work for you and your health.
If all else fails, eat the rich.
This has been your daily Moment of Science, with a friendly reminder that saying “move more, eat less” is about as helpful as yelling at a drowning person to “swim more, sink less.” Also, you look fu***ng cute today, and everyday.
To support my attempts to fact check the internet and get access to my highly goddamn caloric cheesecake recipe, head to patreon.com/scibabe
image source: delish.com
