The Great Debate.
Calories vs. Hormones vs. Microbiome vs. Etc…
A visual representation of how people communicate on this topic.
"Calories In vs. Calories Out" has been the predominant model driving the health and fitness industry when it comes to weight management.
Recently there is a huge trend to question this concept as there appears to be so many confounding factors and differing experiences.
For example…
Person A cut their calories by 750kcal per day and GAINED weight.
Person B increased their calories by 750kcal per day and LOST weight.
Person C did nothing to their diet and exercise routine but suddenly GAINED weight because they have HYPOTHYROIDISM.
Person D got an ear infection and had to go on ANTIBIOTICS, now their FLORA is wonky and so is their weight.
Person E intermittent fasts, eats paleo, goes to their Cross-Fit gym four times a week and is otherwise healthy. But their newborn daughter and recent promotion have them STRESSED, and SLEEP DEPRIVED - now they’re UP 10lbs despite their active lifestyle.
Person F eats what they want and exercises through a recreation soccer team once a week. They wonder why person A-E struggle with weight fluctuations. People A-E hate person F. (It gets tense at their “Letters for Names” support group meetings.)
What do all of these scenarios have in common? These people, like you and me, all live in a world bound by the laws of physics and chemistry. Physics and chemistry dictate physiology and biochemistry. Ergo, physics and chemistry dictate “metabolism.”
This leads me to my main thoughts in this post:
Calories In vs. Calories Out (CICO) is not entirely wrong.
CICO is not entirely right.
Saying CICO is wrong while other factors are right, however, is just plain wrong.
Please, let me elaborate.
Let’s take this stepwise.
“Metabolism” is the study of the chemical processes that occur within us to maintain life. (There goes chemistry rearing its head!)
We have “anabolism” which describes the chemical processes of building and/or storing. Think of the hormone insulin and its effects on “turning glucose into glycogen.”
We also have “catabolism” which describes the chemical processes of breaking down and/or utilizing. Think of the hormone glucagon and its effects on “turning glycogen into glucose.”
Together, “anabolism + catabolism = metabolism.” And metabolism both taketh and giveth “energy.”
The study of energy transformation is termed “bioenergetics.”
Summary #1: We have “metabolism” which is the sum total of all the chemical processes in the body. Where “bioenergetics” is the study of the metabolic processes that either produce or use energy.
What is energy?
Plain and simple, energy is the capacity to do work.
We measure energy in the human body as a “calorie.”
And a calorie is defined as the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1g of water by 1 degree Celsius. (Don’t you love all the physics and chemistry?)
We measure calories in foods by literally burning them to measure the heat (energy) produced to determine the energy content of the foods.
Summary #2: Metabolism describes all chemical processes in the body. Bioenergetics describes all the chemical processes related to energy in the body. Energy describes the capacity to do work; aka stay alive. A calorie describes the unit of energy we measure in foods.
So now let’s get back to what I was saying earlier…
CICO is not all wrong. CICO is not all right. Thinking variables like hormones, flora, stress, sleep, etc… negate CICO is not right either.
“But why?! All the Instagram models and gurus are saying CICO is wrong!”
Here’s the big problem: polarizing posts are sexy.
We can play a game where we insert whatever factor you suggest (e.g., poor sleep, high cortisol, low thyroid, calorie deficit, calorie excess, etc..), and see that the bottom line is still metabolism and bioenergetics.
Ultimately, calories (e.g., energy).
Let’s look back above.
Person A cut calories, a potential stressor that altered hormone METABOLISM. Hormone metabolism alters BIOENERGETICS. Altered bioenergetics changes ENERGY UTILIZATION (CALORIES).
Person B adds calories, a potentially good thing that actually decreases neuroendocrine stress. This leads to healthier METABOLISM and BIOENERGETICS. Which translates to healthier ENERGY (CALORIE) utilization.
Person C has low thyroid which slows METABOLISM and BIOENERGETICS. Thus, slows ENERGY (CALORIE) utilization.
Person D has altered flora secondary to antibiotic use, thus has an altered gut METABOLISM. This changes BIOENERGETICS and ENERGY (CALORIE) utilization.
Person E has lots of stress on the neuroendocrine system and chronic sleep deprivation. These unhappy hormonal and neurological circumstances lead to altered METABOLISM and BIOENERGETICS. Which lead to changes in ENERGY (CALORIE) utilization.
Person F wonders why every Instagram model and guru forgets that ENERGY is the bottom line. It’s basic chemistry and physics.
CICO is not entirely wrong. CICO is not entirely right. “Other factors” do not negate CICO.
Energy metabolism is energy metabolism.
Various factors (e.g., food itself, stress, hormones, flora, etc..) can alter energy in.
Various factors (e.g., food itself, stress, hormones, flora, etc..) can alter energy out.
Energy metabolism is still energy metabolism.