The DASH Diet Mediterranean Solution: The Best Eating Plan to Control Your Weight and Improve Your Health for Life (A DASH Diet Book)

by Marla Heller

The Countdown on Calories Is a calorie a calorie? Almost all diet doctors will tell you that your weight is based on “calories in and calories out.” They will tell you that the first law of thermodynamics states that, in a closed system, you can’t make or destroy energy. (We measure energy by calories.) However, it has been misinterpreted to mean that the only key issues for weight loss are calorie intake versus calorie burning. But it is not that simple. First, the human body is not a closed system. Our metabolism is very complicated. Even our gut microbiome can influence how much of our food is digested and absorbed, and therefore how much energy we derive from it. Not all sources of calories are equal. Protein consumes more energy when it is metabolized than do carbs.2 Furthermore, the old philosophy ignores that free-living people (i.e., those not cooped up in a metabolic lab) eat according to their own wishes. A large part of that has to do with how satisfying the food is, and how long it keeps you feeling satisfied.