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4 reasons why counting calories doesn't work

4 reasons why counting calories doesn't work

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For years, we've been taught that if we wanted to lose weight, all it took was a simple computation in math: eat fewer calories than you take in. But, as it turns out, counting calories is not the answer to losing weight healthfully or naturally.

KSL.com has partnered with East West Health to give you the reasons why counting calories doesn't work, and what you should be doing instead.

1. Not all calories are the same

If you offer a 100-calorie cookie and 100 calories of broccoli to a child, nine times out of 10, he or she is going to choose the cookie. But, if you ask that same child which 100-calorie option is healthier for him or her, he or she will correctly answer, broccoli.

Still, we eat the cookie and are never satisfied. Why? Because sugar has a tendency to keep us hungry.

Eat the spinach, the broccoli, nuts and the avocado. These will keep you fuller longer, and it won't hurt to eat another.

2. Calories don't alway burn the way we want them to

We go to the gym and burn off hundreds of calories only to find the fat is not going away. This all seems so wrong because we assume or hope that our efforts will burn off excess fats. And rightfully so. The body is designed to burn calories from fats, as opposed to carbs and proteins, but other factors have come into play that don't allow our body to do its job.

The truth is, losing weight may have nothing to do with calorie count and more to do with with what regulates their metabolism.

3. Hormones regulate your metabolism

You may have heard this before but the thought of needing to correct a hormone imbalance in addition to losing weight seemed like a daunting task. The truth is, it may be simpler than you think — as simple as an allergy test.

We all have food intolerances, and these intolerances cause our bodies to turn on cortisol, estrogen and insulin, which are known as the fat making hormones.

Once you can determine what your body intolerances are, you will be able to work toward turning off those fat-making hormones.

4. It won't help you lose weight

We like the thought that cutting calories will make us lose weight, but doing so only tackles one small symptom of a larger problem. What if your mechanic told you the cure for your clogged oil filter was to stop driving your car? It fixed the symptom (your car won't sputter anymore) but not the cause (what's causing the clog?). The cause of the clog is — you got it — eating poor quality foods that throw your fat-burning, appetite-suppressing hormones completely out of whack.

While counting calories may seem like the easiest way to lose weight, it isn't a natural, nor a healthy way to do so. There are many more healthy and natural alternatives to losing weight, and East West Health can help you get healthy and free of pain naturally.

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