CALORIE COUNTING CLEAR UP!!

One of the strongest points of The Eat-Clean Diet is NO CALORIE COUNTING. Here are the reasons why:

1. Calories are not created equal. While the calories in a handful of almonds are the same as the calories in a handful of M & Ms, the nutrition is absolutely different. The more nutritious almonds are loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber that will keep your blood-sugar levels stable. Sugary chocolate will do just the opposite, leaving you sluggish and hungry in a matter of minutes.

2. Inaccuracy is high when counting calories. Buying the latest counters and signing up at the best websites is no different. The only way to truly know what you’re putting in and out is in a science lab. And there are even errors with this method.

3. Eating all of your calories at one time will kill your metabolism. Spreading your meals throughout the day by eating every 2 – 3 hours will keep your metabolic furnace burning at a steady rate. Skipping meals puts your metabolism in starvation mode = fat-storing mode = very little caloric output. While your calories may be the same each day, how you use those calories is very different.

4. Burning calories is different for everyone. The treadmill may tell you that you are burning 250 calories per half hour, but this depends on numerous factors, including your weight, your age, your percentage of lean body mass, the effort you are putting forth, etc. Again, unless you are in a science lab every time you work out, you are just using generalized estimations.

5. Calorie counting inspires food disorders. An obsession with numbers is not only time consuming, it also fuels our obsession with food and the scale. This is not a natural relationship with food, and can lead to a lifetime of eating disorders.

Simply watch your portion sizes as outlined on page 30 of The Eat-Clean Diet and ensure you are eating a combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates from fruits and veggies and whole grains every 2 - 3 hours.

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