The Easiest Non-Diet Ever
photo by didbygrahams
I’ve got it! I’ll start the no-corners diet.
(And, um, pretend there’s an apostrophe in that It’s. Tsk. Tsk.)
Let’s talk about diets today. (No, I’m not going on one. That would be laughable if you saw what I ate for dessert last night.) Nah, I wanted to chat a bit about crazy diets because Wren brought up a good point on this post. She said she’s used to hearing a commercial while on hold with the VA Medical Center—I say she’s lucky it’s not Muzak because there’s nothing like Muzak to put you asleep before you get to make your appointment.
Anyhow, Wren said the commercial goes something like this: “Did you know that if you cut 100 calories a day out of your diet, you’ll lose 10 pounds in a year?” So, she wonders, “Is what the VA says true?”
Glad you asked.
For all of the diets out there—no carb, no sugar, no fun, and so on—we lose weight in a pretty simple way. (And, by the way, did you know there is an eat-for-your-blood-type diet? I’m not sure if this is just riding the Twilight wave, but it’s a little out there. If it takes off, though, I might create the eat-for-your-DNA diet. Darn, someone already thought of that scam diet.) Here’s the deal: 3,500 calories equals one pound. So in order to gain a pound, you’d have to eat 3,500 more calories than you burn. And to lose a pound, you’d have to burn 3,500 more calories than you eat.
I was never a mathlete, but let’s give these calculations ago. (And let’s take the exercise variable out of the equation just to make my life—and yours—easier for two minutes.)
If you cut 100 calories a day out of your diet, that’s 700 calories a week. It would take you five weeks to lose a pound. To lose 10 pounds, it’d take 50 weeks—two short of the one-year mark.
So, yeah, I’d say the VA got it right. (Whew, right? I mean wouldn’t it be scary if your hospital couldn’t do basic math?)
Of course, that plan could take much less time if you added exercise. But the bottom line stays the same. And that’s a good thing. I try to remind myself of this every time I’ve gained five pounds overnight. Some time after going, “WHAT?! How on earth did I gain the weight of a premie baby overnight?” I remind myself that unless I was eating 3,500 calories in my sleep the weight was probably thanks to the salty Mexican food I had the night before.
In case you were wondering, I’m saying all of this with a very scratchy throat. The Man just got over being sick, just in time for me to catch whatever it was he had. I told him it was kind of him to pass along whatever virus forced him to attach a tissue box to his side and throat lozenges to another, but he just grunted.
And with that, I’m off to make a cup of tea. Or seven.
Do you go by calories in, calories out? Or do you follow a different type of diet? If the latter, why do you think it works for you?
23 comments
This is actually the perfect post for me right now because *gasp* I am going to start trying to drop the few pounds that I’ve gained over my past 2 vacations. When all is said and done – YES, I generally adhere to the “calories in versus calories out” concept. However, I don’t stick to a rigid, write-down-everything-I-eat method. For me, “dieting” is more about WHAT I eat. I try to eat foods that leave me feeling the most full (i.e. loads of veggies, protein, and fat) and the whole calorie thing sort of just works itself out.
Also, when I’m trying to drop a few pounds, I make sure that the food I eat is especially *delicious.* I want to enjoy the journey rather than feel deprived. So I make sure that my eats are flavorful, full of different textures, and and I certainly don’t give up on my desserts
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Tracey Reply:
March 30th, 2010 at 8:40 am
Gracie–I can’t do the whole calorie counting thing. It would drive me nuts, and I’m pretty sure it would zap all the fun out of eating.
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Tracey Neithercott. Tracey Neithercott said: New post is up! The simplest non-diet ever: http://bit.ly/aaWvN8 [...]
Calorie counting drives me nuts too! I can’t… and refuse to live that way! I go by my hunger and portions
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Agree with you on the above Tracy. That leads to obsession. People usually are where they should be when they are just LIVING and not obsessing or worrying or whatever….
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I totally agree that basically it just creating a calorie deficit to make lasting changes. BUT here’s the thing…the human body is EXTREMELY adaptable and if you restrict yourself say to 1000 calories a day for an extended period of time then as soon as you add more calories in (say you have an extra high bingy weekend) you can in theory gain 5 pounds in one weekend. The body has bene so used to operating on a very low 1000 calories a day that as soon as more calories are fed it “saves” them because it doesn’t know when it is going to get that kind of fuel again. Hence why low calorie diets DON’T WORK! They are completely not sustainable and don’t lead to lasting changes. Okay this was slightly off topic huh…sorry! Rambling….
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Tracey Reply:
March 30th, 2010 at 9:38 am
Kelly–Ah, yes, the other part of the equation. Of course, this complicates the math a lot and varies per person, but you’re right: Your body can go into a type of “starvation mode” when you restrict that much. And then, yes, the 3,500 calories = 1 pound equation may not work right.
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I believe in the calorie equation. Truly I lost 135lbs doing it. It worked for me, but I understand how daunting and obsessive it seems. For me, it didn’t ever go to that bad place. It actually was quite beneficial in my learning about nutrition, portions, and proper fueling. I am just now trying to transition to a place of eating based solely on intuition and my personal hunger/fullness cues. I’m really excited to see where this leads me. Great post!
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Tracey Reply:
March 30th, 2010 at 9:52 am
Andrea, I give you major credit for counting calories for that long and not getting obsessive. You have such a healthy relationship to food that I can see how it worked for you.
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I recently wrote about my approach to eating at What I Weigh Today:
http://whatiweightoday.com/2010/03/27/what-intuitive-eating-means-to-me/#comments
The concept of calories can, as Andrea said, be an effect education tool and guide for healthy weight loss, but it isn’t the simple equation it’s often presented as.
While, in a lab, it’s easy to show that a particular apple has 100 calories. What’s harder to know is how many of those calories you absorb. That number is a direct result of an individual’s specific biochemistry/digestive system. It’s also tough to say what one’s resting metabolism is. We’ve all known skinny minnies who eat a surplus of calories daily that logically should make them overweight, but it doesn’t. What gives? It isn’t as simple math.
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Tracey Reply:
March 30th, 2010 at 10:23 am
Joy–Yeah, there are so many variables you can throw into that basic equation. I mean, how fast someone burns calories is one thing. Some just have faster metabolisms. I think it’s good to know how many calories make up a pound, but from there it does get complicated. Even aside from how fast your metabolism is, in relation to food and just resting, there’s the difference between how many calories two people burn doing the same exercises.
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oh, but what about the scary reverse part. If you ate a 500 calorie muffin everyday (like some people do) for a year. How much gain? Do that math, please??
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Tracey Reply:
March 30th, 2010 at 11:11 am
Yum Yucky– I think you overestimate my math abilities. But here I go. Someone correct me if I’m wrong. (I’m a writer not a mathematician, folks.) Same deal here as in the post: We’re taking exercise, metabolism, and any other variables out of the equation because I’d be impossible to give a general answer. (Yup, and we’re going on the assumption that this person is eating those 500 calories on top of a day’s worth of meals–not a 500-calorie muffin alone.)
So, 500 calories a day times 365 days in a year is 182,500 extra calories a year. If 3,500 calories is one pound, then 182,500 calories is about 52 pounds. Yikes.
Right, so that’s a lot. Of course, this person would probably be doing at least a little bit of exercise, even if it’s to the fridge and back. Plus, we’d need to factor in metabolism. Plus days where you don’t eat as many calories, and so on. But still, it gives you a general idea of how one muffin per day could add up.
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Counting calories is way too much for me to handle. I became obsessive so I decided to stop.
Although my mind tells me that it is impossible to gain a pound overnight, I still have trouble seeing the scale go up a pound in a day. I need to stop getting on the scale!!
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love this post girl! your posts are always so unique
i love them!! ahh counting calories can get obessive FAST! so now i try to eat my good nutrients.. enough carbs, fat, and pro!
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I didn’t (and don’t) count calories either. BUT, every once in a while I do a quick tally in my head to make sure I’m within a healthy zone for myself. Especially if the scale has inched up a pound or two.
Great post!
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i feel flustered with it all…i am sick of counting..but need to gain…too fricking confusing and sick of it. i have no hunger signals or appetite, so i dont know what to do…how to mesh it, sorry, i just get all confuzled on what the hell to do.
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Tracey, thanks for the answer to my question. You did a great job! I lost 50 pounds last year by combining calorie counting with intuition — and by learning about nutrition, exercise and portion control. I disliked the counting part (I’m no mathelete either, could you tell?) but I was pleasantly surprised and gratified when it worked. Now I just have to get my head back to doing it so I don’t regain all those lost pounds. Blah … but good.
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Yep, calories in…calories out. It’s a lot easier to cut the calories more than it is to drastically increase exercise, especially for those that already exercise. I think lower-carb is helpful…more of a 40-30-30 ratio works really well for me, and I recommend it to a lot of people. The eating for your blood type…total crock!
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I don’t think it’s as simple as cals in/cals out. Research has shown (recently in the NY Times health section) that as you cut your cals, your metabolism slows to adjust. So in theory the VA is right. In practice, perhaps not.
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I don’t count calories, but do think about the opposite statement that I use to hear all the time “an extra 100 calories a day = 10 extra pounds in a year”.
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Ouch, touchy subject. I’m carrying about 5-10 pounds more than I would like and am being completely pathetic about the necessary calorie reduction to get rid of them (ie, I’m in denial). I do realize many, many people have lost far more weight than that; perhaps because it’s “only a little”, I’m not taking it seriously enough.
Generally, I would far rather exercise than reduce my food intake. But I’m totally open to the idea of substituting slightly healthier choices, as long as I’m still getting plenty of volume!
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Tracey Reply:
March 31st, 2010 at 4:50 pm
Struggler–I’m the opposite of you: I’d much rather eat less than exercise more. Alas, my knees say that’s not my fate. (By the way, have I mentioned I often hate my knees?)
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