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Calorie counting versus Macronutrient counting. When it comes to losing weight, what really matters is how much you eat, not so much whether you're cutting down on fat or carbs.
Alright, let's break it down! Researchers were curious about whether it matters more if you cut down on fat or carbs when trying to lose weight.
They did two studies with a bunch of people who wanted to lose weight. In the first study, they had one group eat less fat, and another group eat fewer carbs. After two months, both groups started adding a bit of fat or carbs back into their meals. They did this until they found a level that they could stick to.
Surprisingly, at the end of the year, the group that cut down on carbs didn't lose much more weight than the group that cut down on fat. It was just a tiny bit of a difference, like 1.5 pounds over the whole year!
In the second study, they tried different ratios of fat, carbs, and protein in people's diets. But here's the kicker: it didn't really matter! People lost a similar amount of weight no matter what ratio they ate. The amount of calories is what mattered!
So why do we focus on high protein, low carb diets, ketogenic diets etc? A calorie is a calorie no matter where it comes from. It doesn't matter if it's from carbs, fats, or protein. The calorie will have to be used or stored as fat to be used later. However, macronutrients influence your body in different ways to help you lose weight by affecting how hungry you are, hormonal responses responsible for feeling full and hungry, metabolic rate and brain activity.
100 calories of raw broccoli(3 cups) which has 7 grams of fiber vs 100 calories of donutholes(two holes) which are made up simple sugars and fat both need to burned the the same way or you'll gain weight but they affect weight loss in other ways.
Try eating three cups of raw broccoli vs two donut holes. The fiber in the broccoli will signal to your brain that your hungry, it digests more slowly making you feel fuller for longer, and takes more energy for your body to break down because the carbohydrates are complex. That's why it's so much easier to eat two donut holes than it is to eat 3 cups of broccoli.
So, it's not just about counting calories. The type of food matters. Eating good stuff, like broccoli, helps you feel full and satisfied, making it easier to stick to a healthy diet and lose fat.
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