Graeme Thomas disputes the long-held notion that losing weight is a simple matter of ensuring calories in < calories out.

1. Why Calorie Counting is Making You Fat

2. Nutritional Evils of the 20th Century

3. First Law of Thermodynamics “Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It can only change forms.” Calories In = Calories Out

4. Clearly We Have a Balance Problem!

5. Weight Loss Prescription 1 lbs of fat = 3500 kcal A deficit of 500 kcal/day  1 lbs fat loss per week Yet our failure rates with diets are well over 90%!

6. We’re #3! We’re #3! 59% Overweight 23% Obese

7. So Where have we Gone wrong?

8. Reason #1: Health Experts Suck at Math! If we accept an excess of: 3,500 kcal  1 lbs of fat Then to gain 5 lbs in a year: 5 x 3500 kcal  17,500 kcal Which means our balance is “off”: 17,500 kcal / 365 day 47.8 kcal/day!

9. Dietary Intake Patterns From 1991-2001: Increased our consumption by over 400 kcal/day!

10. And What Happened To Weight? From 1991-2001 ↑ 2 kg for men No change for women From 1981-1991 Weight ↑ for both sexes No increase in calories Katzmarzyk PT. (2002). OBESITY RESEARCH, 10, 666-674

11. Reason #2:Your Metabolism Is Smarter Than You Are Sullivan EL & Cameron JL. (2010). Am J PhysiolRegulIntegr Comp Physiol

12. Innate Feedback Mechanism

13. Reason #3:Feeding Outside of Normal Hours Arble et al. (2009) Obesity 17, 2100–2102.

14. Reason #3:Feeding Outside of Normal Hours Arble et al. (2009) Obesity 17, 2100–2102.

15. Reason #4: We Ignore Individual Variability IS: Insulin Sensitive IR: Insulin Resistant HC: High carb HF: High fat Cornier MA et al. (2005). Obesity Research, 13, 703-709.

16. Unbelievable… but true!

17. Reason #5:We Focus on the Mean Exercise a ton, gain more weight! Average weight loss 12 weeks 5 exercise sessions per week 500 kcal expended per session King et al. (2008) International Journal of Obesity, 32, 177–184

18. Just an observation… If we keep basing our body composition decisions on group “averages”… … can we ever expect to do better than “average” results?

19. Realities of Calorie Counting

20. Realities of Calorie Counting

21. Realities of Calorie Counting

22. Realities of Calorie Counting

23. New Energy Balance Equation Fattening and obesity are caused by an imbalance—a disequilibrium—in the hormonal regulation of adipose tissue and fat metabolism. We become leaner when the hormonal regulation of the fat tissue reverses the balance.

26. In-person: The Nutrition Academy