Calories-In/Calories-Out: If Only It Was That Simple

It has long been thought that if you want to lose weight, all you need to do is move more and eat less. While a caloric deficit can have an effect on weight, there are a few things that we must consider before we jump on board with this theory. First, do you really want to lose weight? Isn’t the goal really to lose fat? If fat loss is the goal, then the mantra should really be, eat right and move better. This is because when it comes to fat loss, we are in need of a specific adaptation that results from specific stimuli. These stimuli must then work synergistically to produce the proper hormonal balance to allow such adaptation.


The other factor that must be considered is how healthy the individual is to begin with. The more overweight someone is, the sicker they are, and the more likely they are to have metabolic, digestive, and glandular problems. These factors should be the main focus when dealing with fat loss, but are impossible to address from a simple calories-in/calories-out framework. I believe that this is why a recent study found that sustained periods of binge eating can cause difficulty with weight loss down the road.

Binge Eating May Increase Difficulty in Long Term

In 2004 Morgan Spurlock released a film called "Super Size Me," which documented his personal 30-day case study in which he consumed only fast food. The documentary was an attempt to enlighten the public of the dangers associated with an energy dense diet that was high in fat, sugar and salt. If Mr. Spurlock had only known then what researchers have recently discovered he might have thought twice about his experiment.


Swedish researchers recently reported that people who overeat and stop exercising for a period of 4 weeks could have long-term difficulty in losing and/or maintaining their pre-binge weight.


Eighteen participants between age 20 and 30 were asked to increase their daily caloric intake by 70% and reduce their physical activity level to the sedentary threshold, or 5000 steps per day for a period of 4-weeks. Body fat and weight were assessed and compared at 6, 12, and 30 months post-intervention.


During the month-long experiment, participants consumed over 5,700 calories per day on average. This resulted in an average weight gain of ~ 14 lbs., and a 4% increase in body fat.
Although most of the weight had been lost 6-months after completing the study, participants had gained nearly 3 lbs. on average at 1 year. Even more striking was the finding that participants had gained nearly 7 lbs. by the 30-month point compared to the control group who had experienced no change.


Based on this study it appears that even a brief period of overeating coupled with a severe reduction in physical activity could result in long term metabolic consequences.


Ernersson, A. et al (2010) Long-term increase of fat mass after a four-week intervention with fast food based hyper-alimentation and limitation of physical activity. Nutrition and Metabolism 7:68doi:10.1186/1743-7075-7-68

This study is not surprising when you look at weight/fat loss through the lens of metabolic dysfunction. These people spent a month basically tearing down their metabolic system, ruining their digestion, and throwing their hormonal profile totally out of balance. It’s no wonder it is hard for them to lose the weight, and they only had an extra 14 lbs!

Now imagine they had done this for months, or even years on end, and you are looking at what the average American is dealing with. 25, 50, 100 lbs of weight could be added on over the course of a few years when eating high quantities of low quality food while sitting at a desk all day, driving to and from work, sitting on the coach at home, and never getting out to the gym.

What we must begin to understand is that the old calories-in/calories-out just won’t cut it anymore, and if we truly want to be healthy and live our lives to the fullest, we must start thinking quality not quantity.

So where should you start?

1) Look at your diet: Are you eating protein at every meal (dense protein like meat, eggs, or if vegetarian, tofu/tempeh)? Are you eating veggies at every meal? Is your fat intake balanced? Do you drink enough water?

2) Look at your lifestyle: Do you sleep 8-9 hours per night? Are you actually asleep the whole night? Are you stressed all the time? Do you take the time to de-stress and reset the system? Are you happy with your job, relationships, family life? Do you have a goal in life?

3) Look at your exercise: Are you moving every day? Is you exercise varied? Do you lift weights (strength training is one of the most beneficial forms of exercise)? How often do you stretch? Do you ever get a massage (professional or just from a loved one)?

These are all pieces of the puzzle, but we can all think of at least one thing that we know we should be working on right now. If fat loss is your goal, then it is time to start focusing on that one thing and start making changes. At least you don’t have to starve yourself to get where you want to be, though some people find that model to be easier. Unfortunately, as with all things in life, the truth is often more complicated than it first appears. So start today, figure out what that first step will be and take action!