The Truth About Calories and Weight Loss

If you are counting calories to lose weight, it’s time to rethink that approach. Today, we’re going to delve into why understanding how our bodies actually "understand and manage" calories  is far more important.

What Are Calories?

Calories are units of energy that we get from the food we eat or from the fat stored in our body. Just as we use dollars to measure the value of goods, we use calories to measure the energy content of food.

However, our bodies don’t count or process calories in the straightforward way we might think. Your body is an intricate biochemical machine that does not process all calories uniformly.

And the same food can have a wide range of calories and sugar. ( We have few examples at the end of this article )

So Digbi emphasizes the importance of understanding our bodies’ hormonal responses, particularly insulin, over merely tallying calories.

The Real Boss: Hormones

Our bodies are complex biological machines, and hormones are the real regulators of these machines. Hormones are chemical messengers that control various functions in our bodies (metabolism). Insulin plays a big role in diabetes risks and weight management. It's like the boss of glucose metabolism and fat storage or fat burning metabolism.

What Does Insulin Do?

So, insulin is a big player in controlling how much sugar is in our blood. When we eat, sugar levels in our blood shoot up, and that's when our pancreas steps in and creates insulin. Insulin's job is to push sugar into our cells, which can then use it for energy. But if our body doesn't need that energy, most of it gets turned into fat and stored, which can lead to us gaining weight.

Same calories different impact on fat burn

Consider two foods with identical caloric content (144 calories) : a can of Coke and two eggs. Despite their equivalent energy content, their metabolic effects diverge significantly. The Coke induces a sharp insulin spike, driving glucose into cells and if unused gets converted into  fat potentially increasing fat storage and making you hungry again.

Conversely, eggs, high in protein and fats with minimal carbohydrates, have a negligible impact on insulin levels, giving your body a better chance to burn fat for its energy resulting in reduced hunger or cravings.

The Flawed Caloric Paradigm

The traditional calorie-counting paradigm does not account for human metabolism's biochemical and hormonal differences and complexity.  Our bodies do not possess mechanisms to measure calories directly; instead, they respond to hormonal cues.

Prioritizing Digbi's  Nourishment Density Score Over Calories

Rather than focusing on calorie counting, it is more efficacious to consider the hormonal impact of our dietary choices. Digbi’s NDS ( Nourishment Density Score ) provides you that guidance . 

The Value of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM)

Digbi Health provides continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) to provide members with real-time insights into their insulin metabolism. CGM devices measure glucose levels continuously, offering a dynamic picture of how various foods and activities affect blood glucose.  This data is captured in your NDS. This data-driven approach enables members to make informed meal choices based on their unique metabolic responses.

Guided by Data, Not Calories

Digbi Health members are encouraged to move beyond calorie counting and focus on the metabolic impact of their meals. Utilizing CGM data, personalized coaching is provided to help members understand and improve their insulin sensitivity. Coaches guide members in making incremental adjustments that optimize their glucose and insulin dynamics, leading to sustainable health improvements.

Practical Digbi Dietary Strategies

1. Start by improving your breakfast's glucose response: Keep your blood sugar spike to under 180. If you are managing Prediabetes or T2D, keep the spike to under 150. Ensure your blood sugar gets back to its pre-meal levels in 2 hours or less. Eat real, whole foods - eggs, meats, Group 1 fruits, vegetables -   that don't come in a box. Skip the processed oats, granolas, and protein shakes that can send your blood sugar on a rollercoaster ride.
2. Focus on incorporating vegetables: Include Group 1 and Group 2 vegetables over Group 3 vegetables, as referred in your Food Guide, at lunch and dinners. 
3. Stop Counting Calories: Focus on NDS

References:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/stop-counting-calories

Examples:

Apples

Calories per 100g: Approximately 52 calories

• Total Carbohydrates per 100g: ~14 grams

• Sugars: ~10 grams (mainly fructose, glucose, and sucrose)

Specific Varieties Comparison Summary:

• Granny Smith Apples: Tart, lower in sugar (~10 grams)

• Gala Apples: Sweet, higher in sugar (~12 grams)

• Fuji Apples: Very sweet, highest sugar (~13 grams)  (30% higher sugar than Granny Smith)

• Honeycrisp Apples: Sweet-tart, moderate sugar (~11 grams)

• Red Delicious Apples: Sweet, moderate sugar (~11 grams)

• Golden Delicious Apples: Sweet, moderate sugar (~12 grams)