Fit-Bullets Friday: October 28th, 2022
Fit-Bullets: Calories vs Hormones, Getting Your Steps, and Calories Burned Exercising
Happy Fit-Bullets Friday! Here are 3 fit-bullets to consider this week.
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Calories vs Hormones
Whenever I talk about a calorie deficit, the topic of calories vs hormones will often come up:
Daniel, you're an idiot, weight loss is about hormones - NOT calories.
Daniel, I can't believe you still believe in calories in vs calories out LOL.
Here's the thing...
Whenever you're faced with an either/or question in fitness, the answer usually falls somewhere in between.
And the answer to the questions "what's more important for weight loss, calories or hormones?" is...
Both matter.
Look: weight loss will only happen if you're in a calorie deficit (scroll down and download my weight loss calorie calculator if you're not sure how many calories you need).
But hormones are also important.
It's why I tell you to sleep more and eat more protein (and eat more nutritious food in general): to control the hunger hormones, which makes it easier to stay in a calorie deficit.
It's why I tell you to walk more, do breathing exercises, and meditate: to control the stress hormone, which makes it easier to choose to train or eat a healthy meal.
So yes, from that perspective, hormones are important.
But even if you have the most optimized hormone levels in the world - if you eat too many calories, you won't lose weight.
Here's the truth...
Difficulty losing weight isn't a hormonal issue for most people.
It's because they're eating too many calories.
There are, of course, exceptions: those with thyroid issues or PCOS will have trouble losing weight, and will need to work with a doctor to optimize levels of certain hormones.
But once those levels have been optimized, the same rules apply to them as to anyone else.
I know this because I've successfully worked with clients who have hormone issues - AFTER they've worked with their doctor to optimize their levels.
If you believe that you might have hormone issues, you should definitely talk to your doctor and get tested.
Just remember: if your results come back normal, the issue isn't hormones.
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Getting Your Steps
If you've been following me on IG for more than a few minutes, you'll have seen me talk about how important it is to get your 7-10K steps per day.
And a common question that comes up is:
Do the steps have to be intentional, or do the steps I get running errands and generally living my life count too?
Here's the answer...
All steps count.
It doesn't matter if get your steps on the treadmill, on a hike, shopping, or socializing - as long as you're getting those 7-10K steps per day, you're good.
However.
There are a couple of things to bear in mind.
If you're trying to get your steps for their stress-reducing benefits, consider scheduling a couple of intentional walks each week for you to go out and enjoy moving for 10+ minutes.
And if you're trying to get the cardiovascular benefits of walking, it would make sense to go out and walk non-stop for 20-40 minutes so that you can keep your heart elevated.
But if we're talking purely about getting your steps for weight loss, it really doesn't matter how you get them.
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Calories Burned Exercising
This may come as a surprise, but fitness trackers are generally super inaccurate for calculating the calories you burned exercising.
For example, this study literally concluded:
None of the tested devices proved to be accurate in measuring energy expenditure.
In other words, ignore your watch when it tells you how many calories you burn in a workout
Now, you might be thinking...
But if I don't know how many calories I burn in my workouts, how do I know how many calories to eat?
First of all, stop trying to calculate how many calories you burned working out.
Second, stop working out purely because you're trying to burn calories. Lift weights to get stronger and do cardio to get healthier.
And third, my weight loss calorie calculator has already taken workout calories into account. It assumes you're working out 3-5x per week and getting 7-10K steps per day.
I know it might feel weird to stop tracking the calories you burn exercising.
But I promise you it's liberating.
And it works wonders for your relationship with exercise.
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See you next time,
Daniel