It's Not (Just) About The Calories

So much diet advice makes weight loss sound easy. It's just calories in, calories out, right?

But we all know that it's not. Even when you are running a calorie deficit, the scale might not always move right away. Bodies aren't linear, so even if you know exactly how many calories you are burning and taking in (and devices like Fitbits aren't the most accurate!), you're not generally going to see that exact number reflected on the scale. Why?

There has been a significant amount of research done into the way that people's bodies metabolize the same foods differently. It's one of the reasons why there is no one weight loss plan or diet that will work for everyone. Some people need to do lower carb, or lower fat, or lower protein to have their bodies burn calories more efficiently. In addition, age and hormone levels can really change the way your body metabolizes food, as well as your basal metabolic rate.

One of the reasons that the Nutrisystem program is generally so successful without having to reduce or eliminate a food group, is that it's a low glycemic program. That means that the food you eat isn't creating blood sugar spikes, which is much healthier for your body. And it's why the program, while having a general goal for caloric intake, isn't really about the calories.

Sure, you could eat 1200 calories per day of Twinkies and probably lose weight, but you wouldn't be very healthy. Would you claim that the Twinkie diet was working for you? Not to mention that as soon as you started eating normal food again, you'd regain even at a lower calorie level because your body would be expecting those massive sugar spikes, not getting them, and hold onto what it gets instead of burning it.

I see so many people focused very intently on how many calories they are eating per day, and to some extent, that makes sense. We do want to stay within a range that is healthy for our individual bodies. But choosing to simply eat anything that is within our calorie range without considering the macronutrients and the glycemic value is not going to produce the same results long term. If you're only looking at calories, then you're not following the Nutrisystem program correctly.

So make sure you don't skip any of the add ins on your program. It's not okay to skip your SmartCarbs because you feel like you're eating enough fiber, or not to eat a snack because you think that lowering your calories further will produce more weight loss (hint: it won't). Likewise, don't add something to bring up your calories- if you have eaten all your portions and they fit into the program requirements, you're finished unless you want some more non starchy vegetables. It's okay to have caloric fluctuation. Some days you will be over the target on Numi, and some days you will be under. Both are okay- it evens out in the long run.

Follow your program, choose appropriate add ins when they are called for, and trust the program- it works!