For years, we've received the same advice over and over: To lose weight, you must eat less food and exercise more. However, an increasing number of health experts are challenging that concept and saying that it's the quality of food, not the quantity, that counts. Putting a new spin on that new theory: Jonathan Bailor, author of "The Calorie Myth: How to Eat More, Exercise Less, Lose Weight, and Live Better" (click for more information).
In an interview, Jonathan explained how his approach works.
"Obesity and diabetes are not moral failings. They are metabolic disorders," he says. Therefore, "the goal of any successful long term weight loss and health approach is to fix the underlying metabolic system, not to starve it."
As to his referral to the calorie myth, Jonathan contends that "long-term health, fitness, and happiness is about food quality, not calorie quantity. The more we think about calories, the further we move away from real, whole, healthy foods, and the closer we come to thinking 100 calorie snack packs are “healthy” options."
In fact, he says, rather than count calories, "it is only by eating more—but smarter—that you can enjoyably and permanently achieve your health and fitness goals. It is impossible to do this while trapped in a prison of calorie counting."
As for the debate about high fat, ketogenic diets that are low in carbs versus low fat diets, Jonathan offers these thoughts:
"There are high-quality and low-quality carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Research shows that by eating so much of the highest-quality carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, that we’re too full for their low-quality counterparts, that we will avoid obesity and diabetes effortlessly, much like almost everyone did prior to the current three generations."
Jonathan cites research showing "that ketogenic diets that focus on the highest quality sources of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats can be extremely healthy and helpful."
As to carbohydrates, he notes that "the highest-quality sources of carbohydrates are green leafy vegetables which contain very little metabolically useable carbohydrate and are thus permissible within ketogenic diets."
By following Jonathan's SANE (Satiety, Aggression, Nutrition, and Efficiency) guidelines, you can succeed at weight loss, he says:
- Satiety is how quickly calories fill us up.
- Aggression is how likely calories are to be stored as body fat.
- Nutrition is how many vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, etc., calories provide.
- Efficiency is how easily calories are converted into body fat.
For example, high-quality calories are on the healthy end of the SANEity spectrum. That end includes non-starchy veggies, proteins and healthy fats. "The more of SANE foods we eat, the simpler slim becomes," Jonathan says.
In contrast, starches and sweets are on the unhealthy end and make weight loss more unattainable.
Want to take advantage of the SANE approach to weight loss? Get "The Calorie Myth: How to Eat More, Exercise Less, Lose Weight, and Live Better" now by clicking here.