The source of calories impacts your hormones and health differentlyĭifferent foods can affect your hormone levels in different ways. That’s because different foods have different effects on various processes in your body, regardless of calorie contents. While the “calories in versus calories out” model matters for weight loss, not all calories are created equal when it comes to your health. Health is more than just ‘calories in vs. To lose weight, your “calories in” need to remain fewer than your “calories out.” Some factors can make calories seem irrelevant for weight loss, but research controlling for these factors shows that weight loss always requires a calorie deficit. This is true regardless of whether your calories come from carbs, fat, or protein ( 13, 14, 15, 16, 17). Studies controlling for these factors consistently show that weight loss always results from a calorie deficit. What’s more, some studies only report the total amount of weight lost, without mentioning whether the weight loss came from muscle, fat, or water losses.ĭifferent diets affect muscle and water losses differently, which can make it seem as if they are more effective for fat loss when this isn’t truly the case ( 12). The problem is that diet journals are notoriously inaccurate, even when filled out by nutrition professionals ( 9, 10, 11). However, these studies are based on a few incorrect assumptions ( 5, 6, 7, 8).įor instance, those who insist that low-carb diets help people lose more weight despite eating the same number of (or even more) calories, often rely on diet journals to estimate calorie intake. Some studies make it appear as if what you eat matters more than how much you eat, implying that the calorie content of your diet is irrelevant for weight loss. Thus, eating more calories than you burn will cause you to gain weight, whereas eating fewer than you need will cause weight loss ( 4). Once your body’s energy needs are met, extra calories are stored for future use - some in your muscles as glycogen, but most as fat. When the number of calories you consume matches the number of calories you burn, your weight will remain stable.įrom a biological perspective, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn to lose weight. Your body uses the calories you get from food to fuel your basal metabolic rate (BMR), digestion, and physical activity.
You need a calorie deficit to lose weight. Thus, the “calories in versus calories out” model is strictly true. When the number of calories you take in from food matches the number of calories you burn to sustain your metabolism, digestion, and physical activity, your weight will remain stable.
The leftover calories you get from your diet are meant to fuel your physical activity, including workouts and everyday tasks like walking, reading, and washing dishes. This is known as the thermic effect of food (TEF) and varies based on the foods you eat ( 2, 3). Around 10–15% of the calories you eat is used to power digestion. This is commonly referred to as your basal metabolic rate (BMR) ( 1). Your body uses most of the calories you get from food to sustain basic functions, such as your heartbeat. There are three main bodily processes that burn calories: “Calories in” refers to the calories you get from the foods you eat, while “calories out” is the number of calories you burn. The “calories in versus calories out” model is based on the idea that to maintain a stable weight, the number of calories you eat needs to match the number you expend. What’s the ‘calories in, calories out’ model?
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