Calories are a measure of the amount of energy in the food we consume. So you’re probably thinking “do I need to count calories to lose weight?”. If your goals are to lose weight (well to lose body fat) understanding how many calories you consume is important. However, it is far more important to have an understanding on the quality of those calories.
Why?
Different foods and their effect on hunger:
Foods high in protein or fiber can help you feel full for longer. On the other hand, foods high in sugar and carbohydrates are processed quickly, causing you to feel hungry again and potentially leading to overeating and storing excess calories as fat.
Foods that are dense in nutrients such as some fruit and vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats can be high in the vitamins, minerals and fibre that we need as well as keeping your calorie intake in check and keeping us full for longer.
What role does insulin have in causing us to gain weight?
Insulin is an essential hormone that helps transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells for energy. However, if insulin levels remain elevated due to physical inactivity, the body converts glucose into fat.
Why does it do this?
Because our body thinks that we need to save the energy as we might not be eating again for a long time. However, in this day and age food is generally in abundance and we often don’t give enough time between meals to burn off the extra calories. One way of helping blood sugars stabilise is through the process of INTERMITTENT Fasting.
- High insulin levels can cause us to feel unnecessarily hungry, leading us to consume more than we need, which can result in excess fat storage.
– Chronically high levels of insulin can also cause a slowing of our metabolism
What can we do to reduce our insulin levels?
– Cut down on processed foods that are high in sugars and refined carbohydrates thus causing a spike in insulin
– Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day 4-5 times per week, with both cardiovascular and strength training. 😉
– Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep can lead to insulin resistance as well as causing us to be hungrier resulting in excess calorie consumption
– Manage stress. Excess stress levels can lead to an increase in insulin levels. Try some meditation, deep breathing, gentle stretching or my favourite listening to classical music! 🎵 Click HERE to read our blog on how to stop stress causing weight gain
To make positive food choices, select foods lower in processed sugars to avoid spikes in blood sugar. By making smarter food decisions, you can help prevent energy fluctuations and limit the storage of blood glucose as fat.
Note: A 200-calorie piece of salmon will be used as energy, whereas 200 calories of ice cream will mostly be stored as fat and leave you wanting to eat more.
And remember it’s not always the quantity of calories we eat, it’s the quality of calories 😃
Heath Jones is the founder of Active & Ageless and has over 20 years’ experience in the Health & Wellness space.
He holds the following qualifications:
Bachelor of Nursing
Postgraduate in Exercise Science
Diploma of OHS
Cert 3 & 4 Fitness
Cert 4 Training & Assessment
Older Adults trainer
