Calorie counting is stressful

When it comes to weight (specifically fat) loss, I』m not into counting or consciously restricting them. I』ll come onto why in a moment. But before I do, I want to share the results of a recent study published in April in Psychosomatic Medicine in which women ate in one of four ways:

1. Individuals ate a diet of pre-prepared food that restricted calories to 1200 per day.

2. Individuals ate a diet that restricted calories to 1200 per day in which they were also required to keep their own tally of calorie intake (in other words, they both restricted and monitored calorie intake)

3. Individuals were required to monitor their calorie intake, but were not required to restrict calories

4. Individuals were allowed to eat normally.

Rise in stress hormone

The study lasted three weeks. The results were that women who restricted calories (groups one and two) saw a significant rise in levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Individuals in group two (monitoring calories only) did not see a rise in cortisol levels, but their 「perceived stress」 went up. In short, cutting back on calories or just tracking them is stressful.

The raised cortisol levels seen in those restricting calories may have special significance, as this hormone predisposes to weight gain, particularly around the middle. Since most individuals restricting calories are doing it to lose weight, this biochemical side-effect of caloric restriction might be viewed as counter-productive.

Restricting calories ineffective

It may also help explain why so many people who restrict calories to lose weight find this approach ineffective in the long term. But there are other fundamental problems associated with caloric restriction:

1. A study published in February 2009 in PLoS One showed a reduction in the metabolic rate, and another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in October 2000 showed that after restricting calories for six months, the metabolic rate can take a long time to recover.

2. A tendency for individuals to gravitate to lower calorie foods that can be quite unhealthy (e.g. artificially sweetened foods and drinks).

3. A tendency to move away from fat and towards carbohydrate – the chief driver of insulin – the hormone that drives fat deposition in the body.

4. Hunger – which can make this approach simply unsustainable.

5. When individuals restrict calories, they tend to also spontaneously move less.

Put all of these things together and it』s not difficult to understand why caloric restriction is so often such a dismal failure for those looking for healthy, sustainable weight management. I am so unenthusiastic about caloric restriction, that I』ve devoted a whole chapter of my new book (Waist Disposal – the Ultimate Fat Loss Manual for Men) to its perils (Chapter 2: The Calorie Trap). More importantly, the book provides lots of information about how to escape this trap.

Dr John Briffa is a London-based doctor, author and health writer with a special interest in nutrition and natural medicine. Practical advice about all aspects of health and wellbeing can be found at www.drbriffa.com