Do calories count? Yeah, but….
The inability to lose weight is not a matter of commitment or willpower. Leptin is able to manipulate thyroid function and sex hormones, basically taking control of your biology. It gives us that feeling of satiety when we’re full. Our hunger can become excessive and relentless, especially when we restrict food. Weight loss becomes impossible and weight gain inevitable.
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Hormones operate on an individual level. They make an overweight person gain weight on a restricted-calorie diet while an underweight person struggles to add pounds no matter how much they eat.
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So how do we get by this? The path to hormonal balance is the same path to true health. We’re antagonizing our bodies with too many carbs and an incessant influx of insulin, and we’re constantly calling on leptin to respond to periods of extreme dieting, deprivation, over-exercising or indulgence in nutrient-poor foods. Forget about calories. Eat real food
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When we eat real food, we give our bodies what they need to work properly, create energy efficiency, stay full and satisfied, and to work their way back to hormonal balance. Animal protein and healthy unprocessed fat provide raw materials for hormone production and they help regulate appetite. Fat, unlike carbs, does not stimulate insulin release. These are the real food’s natural defenses against overeating and undernourishing.
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So do calories count? Yeah, but….
Calories in natural, unprocessed, real foods are more than just calories. They come with nutrients that make us healthier, stronger, and happier. They come with nutrients that keep us satisfied and full. Counting calories doesn’t help your body make hormones that regulate appetite and metabolism. And it can’t help you establish a deeper connection to your own instincts about food.
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