Recently, a strength coach I follow on Instagram was breaking down the difference between someone who gains 100lbs of fat over 10 years and someone who maintains their weight over 10 years.
The difference?
An extra 96 Calories per day were stored as fat in the person who gained 10 lbs.
96 calories!! That’s the number of calories in ONE APPLE.
The calories in one apple per day are the difference between someone gaining 100lbs over a decade and someone maintaining their weight for a decade.
In light of this mind-blowing fact, I want to address 3 topics:
1) Is Calories In Calories Out True for Fat Loss?
2) You Can Change How Your Body Handles Calories
3) A Healthier Body Needs Fewer Calories
Is Calories In Calories Out True?
Yes, the idea that you have to eat fewer calories than you burn each day to lose fat is 100% true. Calories are simply a measure of energy. And your fat cells are just energy stores that your body can use later.
So if you want to tap into those, you have to have an energy deficit. This forces your body to tap into those fat stores for energy.
Which is why the fitness community screams from the rooftop every single day… “if you want to lose weight… just eat less and move more!”
And it’s true to a point. But it doesn’t tell the whole story.
You see, I used to think that was the case, too. That Calories In/Calories Out was all there is to the story.
Until I got sick. I started dealing with some crazy health issues (more on that in another blog post). I ended up bedbound for months, and during that time, I wasn’t able to work out, and I gained a bunch of fat.
And when I started recovering, I discovered something fascinating.
My body wasn’t processing food as efficiently as it was before I got sick. Which brings me to point number 2.
You Can Change How Your Body Handles Calories
The point the strength coach was making about the 96-calorie difference was that there’s a lot more to the story than just eating fewer calories. If so, the person who gained the 100 extra pounds could have just eaten 96 calories less each day and maintained their weight.
That sounds great in theory, but if we really think about it, even on an intuitive level, we know that sounds crazy.
The difference of something equating to one apple per day is the difference between someone being morbidly obese and someone maintaining a healthy bodyweight?
There has to be more at play.
Fat chance.
And there is.
There are massive individual differences between people in terms of what their bodies do with extra calories. A lot of this is influenced by genetics, but a lot of it is influenced by lifestyle, muscle mass, etc.
When some people overeat calories, their bodies ramp up energy expenditure. They fidget more. Move around more. And just have excess energy to burn.
And for others? Nothing happens. They eat hundreds of extra calories and feel no different.
Not only will extra calories be burned by some people, but some people’s bodies are also just far more efficient and favorable in how they use extra energy. While others’ bodies are simply more likely to store extra energy as fat.
The unfortunate truth is we can’t control the genetic component, BUT if you improve your health, build muscle, stay active, sleep plenty, and keep stress levels low, you will be far less likely to store extra fat even in the presence of extra calories.
I discovered this unfortunate truth after getting sick and recovering. When I first started the recovery process, I found I had much less wiggle room with what I could eat compared to when I was healthier. But as my body recovered, I had more energy and could handle more calories while still losing fat!
But I also discovered something else fascinating.
A Healthier Body Needs Fewer Calories
Not only does a healthy body handle extra calories better and is less likely to store them as fat…a healthy body also needs fewer calories to function well.
Meaning a healthier person, all things being equal, can eat less and still feel great! Making it easier to lose fat and feel great doing it. And ultimately, that will make it easier for that person to maintain a lean, healthy bodyweight.
I think in the fitness space, there’s this idea thrown around (or really just assumed) that losing fat makes a person healthier. And I do think that’s true in most cases.
BUT I also think fat loss becomes much easier when you’re healthier.
It’s a bit of a virtuous or vicious cycle, depending on which direction you’re going.
You become less healthy, making it easier to gain fat, and when you gain fat, you become less healthy, making it easier to gain more fat.
BUT
As you become healthier, it’s easier to lose fat, and as you lose fat, you get healthier, making it easier to lose more fat.
I noticed this too. As my body recovered from bedbound to barely functional to functional to feeling pretty good, I noticed I had more and more energy and was able to eat less and less and lose more and more fat.
And when I say I could eat less, I was still eating a lot! But that’s exactly my point.
Do you need to eat fewer calories than you burn to lose fat? Yes. But getting healthy needs to be your number one priority when it comes to losing fat, so you don’t have to cut your calories to outrageously low levels.
So how can you get healthy?
Here’s a good place to start:
-Sleep Plenty (7-9 hours is a good start, but aim to feel rested)
-Stay Hydrated (Salt your food to taste and drink when thirsty)
-Strength Train 2-3x/Week, focus on getting stronger
-Walk Lots or find some other activities you enjoy that you can do daily
-Eat real, single-ingredient foods, eat plenty of protein, carbs, and fat. Lots of meat, fish, fruits, veggies, rice, beans, potatoes, etc.
– Make some time for quiet every day, even if for just 5 minutes (even better if you spend that time with Jesus- just my opinion 😉)
Follow this plan, and yes, you’ll likely end up burning more calories and eating fewer calories than you are currently. But more importantly, you’ll feel better, have more energy, and get healthier. Making it easier to lose fat and keep it off long-term.
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