–While Sally is on vacation (think “Relaxation”!), we’re bringing back some of our earlier blogs that are definitely worth a re-read!
—by Sally Beare
Time and again, I find myself telling people who ask that they don’t need to worry about counting calories if they want to lose weight. That’s because so long as you eat the right things, the weight should come off by itself, since it’s not about calories but about the way insulin behaves and how well your metabolism is functioning. The only benefit I can see from counting calories is that it makes you good at math from all the adding up (both calories and pounds)
But wouldn’t you like to do some subtracting for a change? The calorie-counting mind-set is as hard to shift as the excess pounds which usually accompany it, but if you have tried unsuccessfully to lose weight and are tired of counting calories then here are some simple facts I hope will bring you and that pair of once-comfortably-fitting pants together again.
First of all, I must say something about so-called ‘negative calorie’ foods. These are foods which are believed to take more energy to digest, in other words which cause the burning of more calories, than they actually provide. Examples of ‘negative calorie’ foods are grapefruit, celery, apples and asparagus. It has also been proposed that the reason such foods help with weight loss is that they contain enzymes which speed up our biochemical reactions and therefore improve metabolism. Whatever the mechanism, since ‘negative calorie’ foods are all either fruit or vegetables, they will inevitably help with weight loss, possibly for these reasons as well as those given below.
Secondly, there is some interesting research from the China Project, a vast study of Chinese eating habits conducted by Dr. Colin Campbell of Cornell University. In China, Campbell reveals, calorie intake is 30 percent higher than in the US, with around 270 extra calories eaten per day, yet the Chinese have far less obesity. Campbell states that the reason for this could be that because the average Chinese person eats a low-fat, high-plant food diet, rather than the typically American high-fat, high-animal protein diet, metabolism is more efficient and calories tend to be burned off as heat rather than being stored in fat cells.
Another great enemy of the perfect silhouette is refined carbohydrates. When we eat sugary and starchy foods, such as cookies, white bread or fries, we produce excessive amounts of insulin which ultimately causes glucose to be stored in adipose (fat) cells rather than being burned for energy, as part of a condition known as ‘insulin resistance’. Insulin resistance is very common amongst those who have been eating the Standard American Diet all their lives and I would suspect it in most if not all overweight Americans.
Finally, our thyroid gland – the one in the neck which becomes swollen in people with goiter – regulates our metabolism. The thyroid requires vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and protein to function efficiently, so if you aren’t getting enough of those, it can become run down and your metabolism will consequently become sluggish, causing excess weight which won’t budge.
The best way to get your thyroid functioning well, keep your insulin working as it should, and enjoy the effects of the Chinese calorie-burning diet is to follow the Hot Spot way of eating, as outlined on this website. The Hot Spot diet contains the right fats, a crucial amount of protein including plenty of vegetable protein, lots of vegetables and a fair amount of fruit. It also happens to be a fairly low- calorie diet, ranging from 1,600 – 2,700 calories daily, but you don’t have to consciously keep calories down. You also need to get sufficient daily exercise – twenty minutes at least. If that doesn’t help you lose weight effortlessly, whilst giving you far more energy than starving yourself on a diet, send me your pants and I’ll personally take them out for you.
