When Cristin and I talk about Nutrition and weight loss, you will never here us speak of Calories. Normally, it is the first question we get before launching into our advise so if you have seen us give you the half smile and shake our heads its for good reason. But you are not wrong in asking such a question. No. It is still conventional thinking. Hell... I just saw a commercial on TV starring Jillian Michaels ( a super star and idol to many who are seeking fitness and nutritional advice); and she was promoting her product as 4X the calorie burning device and all you have to do is walk. Baaaaaah!!! Bullshit!!!!
The calorie counting, the calorie burning, the idea that all calories are the same, it is all not true according to Nutrition Science from the past 15 years, at least. Calorie restriction is something used in medical treatments so I do digress and admit that it can have some uses. But we humans do not live in a vacum. There is no reason to teach the population that eating 500 calories of grain is equal to 500 calories of broccoli. Your body is dynamic, consuming, digesting, absorbing, and storing nutrients is all it cares about, not total calories consumed.
Let's look at the difference between the two calorie types. First the 500 cal of processed grains. Your gut quickly absorbs the low fiber and high sugar in the grain along with , fructose, and glucose. The glucose spikes your blood sugar, starting a physiological sequence of high insulin and a cascade of hormones that kicks bad biochemistry into gear. The high insulin increases storage of belly fat, increases inflammation, raises triglycerides and lowers HDL, raises blood pressure, lowers testosterone in men, and contributes to infertility in women. Fat stores around the liver ( refer to previous blog posts) creates inflammation and that is the root cause of a host of short and long term diseases.
Next the 500 cal in Broccoli. First off, 500 cal of broccoli is a ton of broccoli. You are guaranteed to get too full before you eat that much. Plus the gas will make you not so fun to be around. The dense carbohydrate in this vegetable is very slowly digested and will not raise you blood sugar like the grain will. The uptake in the Gut will be restorative to the lining and promote healthy hormone levels. You’d also get many extra benefits that optimize metabolism, lower cholesterol, reduce inflammation, and boost detoxification. The nutrients in broccoli boost your liver’s ability to detoxify environmental chemicals, and the flavonoids are a powerful anti-inflammatory. Broccoli also contains high levels of vitamin C and folate, which protect against cancer and heart disease. The nutrients in broccoli change the expression of your genes to help balance your sex hormones, reducing breast and other cancers.
As antiquated as the thinking is, it is still very pervasive. Putting calories inside a little box that are easily visualized is what the food industry and medical professionals use to spread misinformation and side step common sense. Whole foods, adjusting eating habits.. these take time and commitment. Our medical professionals don't always have time to set you straight and usually they are still teaching you out of their old medical textbooks. The food industry has made a mockery of the nutrition facts on products to reflect what must be displayed but know that brain signals are much stronger than you good judgement. So you consume for quantity (calories) and not quality (whole food).
Calories are but a marker, a scientific expression of thermodynamics. You are a living, breathing, person. You require much more than that. Do not fall victim to the fallacy of calorie counting and its advertised results. Be your own labratory through trial and error, you will know when you get it right.
Baseline:
100m Run
15 Ring Row
15 PVC OHS
100m Run
15 DB Bent over Row
15 PVC SNatch Balance
100m Run
15 Jumping Pull Up
15 Barbell Snatch Squat Press
MidLine Work:
2 Rounds for Quality
200m Farmer Carry ( double KB)
20 See the Lights
100m Overhead Carry ( One KB)
20 GHD Sit Up
Skill Development:
EMOM 16
Evens- 1 Power Snatch/1 Hang Squat Snatch/ 1 Squat Snatch @ 60-75%
Odd- 8 Chest to Bar Pull Up
