I’ve been in the fitness/wellness industry for some 20 plus years and you’d think I’d seen it all now wouldn’t ya? Well, have no fear friends. Just when I think it’s safe to go back in the book store, turn on the ‘teli’ or grab a magazine from the check out line at my favorite grocer … ‘Whoop there it is’ -  more nonsense. There I am, face to face yet again, starring down what feels like special hidden episodes from “close encounters of the strangest kind”!  Everything from odd new trends in training that could even curl my hair, to things like core classes on paddleboards (which I take very personally now that paddle boarding is my new fitness addiction), to down right despicable attempts to promote inaccurate and often dangerous new diet trends that are full of it! My friends, it just never ends. Did you know that Americans spend an estimated $40 Billion dollars each year on weight loss products and programs with little to no actual ‘ROI’? In fact, most folks either lose weight only to gain it back with interest, or they don’t lose anything at all. But I dare say it’s easier to battle programs with claims narrowly bordering the ‘beyond ridiculous’ category, then it is to try and unravel weight loss programs that fall into what I call “the truth gone bad” category. Books, products and programs based on this principle are among the worst offender for dashing the hopes of those seeking the physical and emotional benefits of true and long lasting weight loss.

The one that has dominated the weight loss/nutrition landscape over the last several years is the idea of focusing one’s diet on ‘Whole Foods’. It’s a great idea, within the confines of specific limitations, but first…. what exactly does that mean; well it often refers to eating products that don't have additives, but are instead exactly as they come from the earth. So basically, a diet that consists of lots of fruits, veggies and whole grains as opposed to a diet laden with processed foods (foods that have been tampered with or changed from their original form). A diet staying far from refined products - is best known as a “whole foods eating plan”.  DO this (so we’re told) and you’ll be all you want to be. Whole foods will solve your problems with weight gain and a myriad of other health issues and “PART” of that is terrific advice. Healthy eating is always the best way to go and your body will love you for it. Nutritionally speaking, you can’t beat it. It’s the way it was meant to be. All true. However, here in lies the rub. The idea that whole foods will be your salvation in the war against being overweight is not necessarily so…not by a long shot. IN a recent poll, the majority of Americans admitted to checking calories last, when looking at food labels. Why, because they’ve been so bombarded by the idea that if their diets consist of whole foods and lots of them, calories are no longer a part of the equation. That’s a big OH NO hanging out there! “Calories – Shmalories…I’m eating healthy and that’s what it takes” is the minds set of late and that’s a mistake.

Part of my job entails dissecting 7 day food journals from perspective nutrition clients, breaking them down bit by bit and giving them a detailed “daily food intake” assessment. Lately, some of these food journals are filled with the healthiest foods I’ve ever seen. They’re packed full of foods like avocados, almonds, brown rice, spelt grain bread, fish, free range chicken, bananas, organic peanut butter, steel cut oatmeal, whole grained breakfast cereal mixed with Greek yogurt (made into a parfait ),gluten free granola, flax seeds and berries galore. WOW, that’s squeaky clean eating right there. Know why they called me? Since switching to a strict of whole foods, they’ve been GAINING WEIGHT!

I BET! Know the calorie content on some of these foods and "holy molly". I added up on clients average daily food intake (filled with foods much like this) and this well intentioned young lady was eating a healthy diet of approximately 2, 985 calories per day!!! When we ran her formulas we found that to simply maintain her current weight, her daily maximum caloric intake was supposed to be 1,875 calories per day (daily exercise being excluded from both equations). 

SO what’s missing? A focus on Caloric content! WE must count how many calories of these foods we’re taking in. There’s no such thing as a calorie free ride, just because the food you’re eating is healthy. I dare say there are many refined products that are lower in calories than their whole food counter parts but that doesn’t mean we should be stuffing them in our face. It just means that we have to consider the daily total caloric intake of whatever we choose to eat when fighting for a healthy body weight.

So what’s the bottom line? Simply this; we should eat a diet rich in whole foods. But each of these foods has a calorie count. Just because a food is considered healthy, doesn’t erase its calorie content. YOU CAN GAIN A LOT OF WEIGHT BY EATING TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING!!!! So, ABSOLUTELY, eat your whole foods and Count their calories at the same time. Stay within your limits for maintaining or losing weight, whatever your goal may be. Need help with that, let me know.

Let’s not give good food a bad name simply because we’re making the choice to gorge on it...AMEN?

AMEN! 

Until next time...power on,

Candace

For more information and more articles go to www.CandaceGrasso.BlogSpot.com