Stop Counting Calories

Sorry about the delay guys...

Just started reading Tim Ferriss' new book the 4 hour body. So far its very interesting and he brings up some valid points. Here are some of his thoughts on the the calorie as a unit of measure.

Some thoughts on the calorie unit.

The creator of the "calorie" as we know it, the 19th century chemist Wilbur Olin Atwater , did not have the technology that we have today. He incinerated foods. Incineration does not equal human digestion; eating a fireplace log will not store the same number of calories as burning one will produce. Tummies have trouble with bark, as they do with many things.

Scenario # 1: Three females of the same race, age, and body composition each consume 2,000 calories daily for 30 days. Subject 1 consumes nothing but table sugar, subject 2, consumes nothing but lean chicken breast, and subject 3 consumes nothing but mayonnaise. Will the body composition be the same? Of course not.

Rule # 2: The hormonal responses to carbohydrates, protein, and fat are different
There is no shortage of clinical studies to prove that beef calories do not equal boubon calories
One such study conducted by Kekwick and Pawan, compared three groups on calorically equal (isocaloric) semistarvation diets of 90% fat , 90% protein, or 90% carbohydrate. Though ensuring compliance was a challenge, the outcomes were cleary not at all the same:

1,000 cals at 90% fat= weight loss of 0.9 lbs per day
1,000 cals at 90% protein= weight loss of 0.6 lbs per day
1,000 cals at 90% carbohydrate= weight gain of 0.24 lbs per day

conclusion: Is counting calories better than doing nothing? Absolutely. However it is more efficient to keep an eye on the quality of the calories that you consume rather than the quantity.

( Source: The 4 Hour body, Tim Ferriss.)