Calorie Counting: Everything You Need to Know (Part-2)

Calorie counting, despite its limitations, can offer valuable insights into one's daily eating habits. A brief period of meticulous tracking can reveal the distribution of calories from macronutrients and highlight potential areas for improvement in dietary composition.

However, the real challenge lies in acknowledging the limitations of this approach. The composition of the food we eat, the timing of our meals, and even our genetic makeup contribute to the complexity of weight management. It's not merely about calories in versus calories out; it's about the quality of those calories and how our bodies interact with them.

Consider the scenario of two individuals consuming the same number of calories per day—one on a cafeteria diet filled with highly palatable, calorie-dense food, and the other on a Paleo diet consisting of uncooked, unprocessed food. The biological response in terms of insulin production, triglyceride formation, and hormonal responses will be vastly different. This distinction goes beyond mere weight loss or gain; it extends to the fundamental impact on health, influencing factors like the development of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, or chronic inflammation.

The biological make-up of our bodies also contributes to the calories absorbed equation. This includes genetic factors, insulin or leptin resistance, and even the quality of sleep the night before. As a result, the amount of calories absorbed changes depending on the quality of your diet, your general health, and your genetics.

On the other hand the amount of calories spent is also influenced by a variety of factors, which comprise the basal metabolic rate, physical activity, and calories used for digestion.

The Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), our energy expenditure at rest, plays a significant role in calorie expenditure. For most sedentary adults, BMR accounts for the majority of energy expended during the day. Interestingly, BMR is influenced by factors such as lean mass, gender, and age. While some individuals seem to eat without gaining weight, this is not the norm, with genetic factors accounting for up to 10% of the inter-individual variation in BMR.

Another crucial component of 'calories spent' is physical activity, including both exercise and Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT). NEAT encompasses all activities that require the use of skeletal muscle, even those not categorized as purposeful exercise. Simple actions like holding an upright position or getting up from a chair contribute to NEAT. This parameter allows our brain to adjust energy expenditure in response to short-term excess or insufficient calorie intake. Next time you sit in a meeting, observe the movement pattern of your colleagues: fidgeting, crossing legs, changing position. You will notice that some people move much more than other. This is NEAT and is an unvoluntary type of movement. In other words, unfortunately you cannot ‘decide’ to increase your NEAT to increase your calorie expenditure.  

The third component, calories used for digestion or obligatory food thermogenesis, highlights that the conversion of macronutrients into energy is not a free process. Different nutrients vary in the efficiency with which they are converted, with carbohydrates and proteins providing 4 kcal/g and fats delivering as much as 9 kcal/g.

In theory and in practice, we have the power to act on both the intake and output sides to lose weight. Calorie intake is influenced by the amount of food, the efficiency of nutrient absorption, and the satiating effect of foods. On the other hand, calorie expenditure is influenced by factors such as the energy required for nutrient conversion, the basal metabolic rate, body composition, and physical activity.

As we wrap up our exploration, it's clear that the difference between calories absorbed and calories expended represents the net weight loss. However, it's not just about the amount of weight loss; it's about the form in which the weight is lost. People aim to lose fat while preserving or gaining muscle, and the type of diet and exercise regime plays a pivotal role in determining the outcome.

In the pursuit of effective weight management, understanding the interplay of these factors becomes essential. By making informed choices that consider the quality of our diet, genetic factors, and lifestyle, we can navigate the complex terrain of weight management and foster lasting well-being. The journey may be intricate, but armed with knowledge, individuals can empower themselves to make choices that align with their health goals.

Read more about this topic in “Planet Fat”, a comprehensive book on why we get fat, why we should not feel guilty about it and what we can do about it. The book's central theme revolves around increasing awareness and knowledge to help people make informed choices suited to their unique circumstances.