Calories vs Hormones, Energy balance (CICO) vs Intuitive Eating. Health vs Fitness.
The health vs fitness argument goes something like this.
Fitness advocates will tell you that health and body composition comes down to this simple calories in, calories out equation and that all weight-related issues are related to this equation:
[Energy in] - [Energy out] = change in body weight & stores
Here is the equation explained in a little more detail and the factors that influence it:
The list of factors that effect the energy balance equation is likely much more than this. It's important to understand all the factors that influence the 'energy out' component such as medication use, health status, stress, sleep and hormonal levels such as thyroid, testosterone & insulin. It can explain why calories do still matter but why people are unable to use this model to explain their circumstances.
Now here's how this model may be mis-interpreted or used by fitness professionals to get their clients to understand, maybe too simplistically, that calories is all that matter when it comes to weight-loss & being healthy.
Fitness advocates (not all) say Energy Balance is straight forward and that if you're not losing weight then you're eating too many calories and/or not moving enough. Put simply, you have to eat less & move more.
Is it hormones? (1) No, you're just eating too many calories.
Is it carbs? No, you're just eating too much.
Is it starvation mode? No, it's because you're in the 'eating too many calories mode'.
You can see the image that is portrayed. It is all your fault and the finger is pointed at you.
Doctor's, complementary health & alternative medicine.
At the other end is a group who believes CICO is broken (or even a complete myth). These critics say it doesn’t account for hormone imbalances, insulin resistance, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and other health problems that affect metabolism.
They often claim certain diets and foods provide a “metabolic advantage,” helping you lose weight without worrying about CICO.
People in the health field may tell you it is due to:
- hormones (1),
- insulin levels,
- thyroid problems,
- stress,
- medication,
- sleep deprivation,
- PCOS,
- Specific foods/food groups (e.g. gluten, carbohydrates, insulin etc.)
…and tell you that it's not your fault.
Instead you're told if you cut out these specific foods/food groups, take specific supplements or medication that you will lose weight, have more energy and live an improved quality of life (16).
So why is there so much disagreement between the camps?
It's because they're on the opposite ends of two extremes.
So which side is right?
Now, in truth they are both not wrong, but neither are totally right either.
Now to understand and get the most out of each method you'll need to properly understand the positives & negatives of both perspectives.
The Pro's & Con's of both
Which we'll go through in PART 2 of this blog post.
PART 2 will look at both methods, the Pro's & Con's of using the methods & how to navigate through it all to success.
In order to understand all this information in context you may need to learn a thing or two about nutrition in order to do that.
References
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