Why You Shouldn't Count Calories

“How many calories do you eat a day?”

I get this question daily… and yet, I have been able to get in the best shape of my life without counting my calories.

I haven’t counted calories in years and the majority of people trying to get in shape shouldn’t either.

Too much energy is being spent and focused towards something that should actually be the least of your worries when trying to build a lean, rock-hard physique.

I will delve in detail about 3 aspects of nutrition that prove calories don’t matter:

Macronutrients
Micronutrients
Your Testosterone to Estrogen ratio

Macronutrients

Different foods affect the body differently and to believe in any way, shape or form that simply being in a caloric deficit will get you in shape, lean or shredded is beyond being delusional.

Here is the truth though:

Being in a caloric deficit will make you lose WEIGHT!

However, whether that weight loss is water loss, muscle loss or fat loss will greatly depend on the kinds of foods you will be eating.

You can lose weight and still look skinny at the end of your cut just as much as you can look bloated and fat at the end of your bulk.

You need to be in a deficit to get shredded bruh !
This is why concepts such as IIFYM make no sense, because although your macronutrient goals might be met, your body’s hormonal response to each of these macronutrients is never taken into account.

Your body won’t react the same way to brown rice as it would to white rice.

Furthermore, brown rice and Pop-Tarts won’t react in the same way hormonally even though they are both mainly carbohydrates.

Why would you put Pop-Tarts in your diet even if one piece could sabotage all of your daily progress?

The IIFYM diet states that as long as your macronutrient goals are met, you are allowed to eat what would normally be considered as a “dirty” food and that this action will not slow down your progress.

I disagree completely with that premise and I have never seen a follower of IIFYM that looks great at sub 10% body fat (Meaning 200 Lbs. of bodyweight at that body fat percentage).

We know that fructose, for example, affects the body differently than glucose.
Fructose doesn’t raise insulin that much and it is metabolized by the liver first, which can uptake up to 50 grams of glycogen (depends highly on the individual).

Anything over this limit will usually overspill to your fat stores (especially if you are not depleted).

The increased consumption of High Fructose Corn Syrup mirrors the rise of obesity in the United States.

Fructose doesn’t raise your Leptin levels either, an important hormone that regulates your body’s ability to release free fatty acids from your fat stores (it is the hormone of energy expenditure and satiety), whereas glucose raises it.

Leptin raises satiety and keeps you from overeating.

Keeping your Leptin levels high during a fat loss program is crucial if your goal is to actually look like you exercise and hold on to as much muscle mass as possible.

Given the body’s different hormonal reactions to glucose and fructose alone,
we could in theory get two completely different results at the end of a fat loss/muscle gain program.

Let’s hypothesize an experiment with two different individuals:

One that is consuming his main source of carbohydrates in the form of glucose, and another one that is consuming it in the form of fructose.

The individual consuming fructose is most likely refilling his liver stores, overshooting over his daily allowance and could potentially increase body fat even if he is losing weight (he will be losing muscle and water while gaining body fat during weight loss).

Whereas, the one consuming glucose will refill his muscle glycogen stores (which can uptake up to 500 grams of glucose) and raise his Leptin levels which will signal his fat stores to keep releasing free fatty acids into the bloodstream to be burned as energy (Leptin will keep signaling your body fat stores that energy/glucose is plentiful).

Periodic refeeds with “clean” carbohydrates are necessary to maintain muscle-mass and ensure fat-loss doesn’t stall.

The individual consuming mainly fructose would not only get fatter, but his performance in the gym would most likely suffer (his muscles would be starving for actual glycogen).

Bodybuilders have known these facts for years, and there is a reason why a staple bodybuilding meal is “chicken and rice” and not “chicken and apples”.


Micronutrients

The reasoning within my segment on Macronutrients applies to Micronutrients as well.
The scientific literature is replete with studies showing the importance of certain Micronutrients that regulate the processes of fat-burning and muscle-building.
Zinc, for example, is an extremely important mineral for men.

Eggs, red meat, almonds, spinach, etc.

These are great sources of Zinc.

Having a Zinc deficiency will significantly lower your Testosterone and put a halt to fat-loss and your ability to gain muscle (or retain muscle when dieting).

Zinc is also required for the functions of over 300 enzymes and involved in many important processes in your body.

Magnesium is another important nutrient heavily linked to not only your performance and general well-being, but to your hormonal status as well (Source).

Even being deficient in certain B Vitamins can result in a poorer state of health.
Vegans, especially, will need to really on a Vitamin B12 supplement to sustain a healthy lifestyle following a Vegan diet.

“At levels only slightly lower than normal, a range of symptoms such as fatigue, lethargy, depression, poor memory, breathlessness, headaches, and pale skin, among others, may be experienced, especially in elderly people (over age 60) who produce less stomach acid as they age, thereby increasing their probability of B12 deficiencies. Vitamin B12 deficiency can also cause symptoms of mania and psychosis“

Again, hypothesizing an experiment with two different individuals eating different types of foods, we would potentially end up with two completely different body compositions (even if calories are kept the same).

One individual would have no deficiencies, whereas the other one could have a couple of them that would hamper his progress:

His zinc deficiency will result in sub-optimal Testosterone levels and his ability to burn body fat for energy during dieting will be hampered.

Being low on Magnesium as well, his performance in the gym will diminish and he could be experiencing fatigue and lethargy if he is not consuming enough Vitamin B12.

Calories are important, yes… But the micronutrients that drive certain biological processes will sustain a healthier lifestyle and give you the ability to actually get the results that you are looking for.


Your Testosterone to Estrogen ratio

Nowadays, Estrogen is everywhere.

Animals are given hormones so that they can grow bigger and fatter.

Soy, which mimics Estrogen once it is in your body, is touted as a healthy food source and is one of the world’s most subsidized US crops.

Even the fact that more men and women are leading a much more sedentary lifestyle has resulted in an increased number of health problems and hormonal imbalances for many men and women.

If your hormones are out of whack, it simply won’t matter how precise you are with your calories.

High Estrogen is often a direct cause of Gynecomastia aka “Bitch Tits”

Testosterone itself is a fat-reducing hormone and low Testosterone by itself leads to increased adiposity.

If you check out one of my previous articles about getting a V-Taper, you will find the following segment that briefly describes the struggle of a man who has a hormonal imbalance:

“When you carry more body fat, you are increasing the rate at which your Testosterone turns into Estrogen.

If this wasn’t enough of a castration, your body fat will turn your Dihydrotestosterone (responsible for male secondary sexual characteristics) into inactive metabolites.

This process works as a feedback loop:

A man gains body fat which reduces his Testosterone and Dihydrotestosterone levels (and raises his Estrogen), making it harder for him to lose body fat and gain muscle mass.

Now that his Testosterone and Dihydrotestosterone are depleted, he will gain body fat more easily and lose his muscle mass at the same time.”

Simply put, having lower Testosterone levels coupled with higher Estrogen levels as a starting point of your cutting (or bulking) phase is shooting yourself in the foot.

Fixing your hormonal imbalance should be your main priority when trying to change the shape of your body.

Here’s a couple of things you could do to lower your Estrogen levels if they are too high:

• Make sure you are eating enough cruciferous vegetables such as a broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, etc.

These will help your body to rid itself of excess Estrogen.

Broccoli is often used as a staple vegetable by bodybuilders to lower Estrogen because of its high “Diindolylmethane” content, which inhibits the aromatase enzyme (it prevents the conversion of Testosterone into Estrogen).

Cruciferous vegetables are an excellent source of "Diindolylmethane"
If you are having trouble getting enough of these vegetables in your diet, you can even get “Diindolylmethane” through a supplement.

• Make sure you are consuming enough Zinc

Meat, shellfish, nuts, eggs, etc.

These are all excellent sources of Zinc and will also inhibit the aromatase enzyme, just like “Diindolylmethane”.

You could supplement Zinc just as “Diindolylmethane”, but make sure that you are using the “Picolinate” form which is better absorbed by your body.

• Reduce unnecessary stress

This is easier said than done, but secreting excess Cortisol (the stress hormone) can increase both glucose and insulin.

A high insulin state can perpetuate inflammation and promote obesity, which are two risk factors for Estrogen dominance.

Some stress is indeed needed and healthy, but the general rule is: if something is out of your control, don’t worry about it!

Look at the people around you that seem to constantly be under stress.

Are they healthy and vibrant or out-of-shape and constantly making bad dietary choices?

A higher than normal Cortisol level can not only lead to weight-gain, but it makes you susceptible to unnecessary snacking.

Keeping Cortisol in check is of outmost importance when trying to burn body fat and build muscle mass:

Make sure you are sleeping enough, exercising diligently and not stressing about things that are out of your control.

In conclusion,

Losing body fat and gaining muscle is much more complex than simply counting calories.

There are many Hormonal processes that drive lipolysis and muscle hypertrophy.

The different Macronutrients, Micronutrients and even your hormones will dictate whether you are losing body fat, losing muscle or even losing water when your body is in a caloric deficit.

Stop counting calories and focus instead on eating clean foods such as unprocessed meats, complex carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc.

Make sure you aren't deficient in any of the important minerals and vitamins such as Zinc, Magnesium and Vitamin B-12 that drive fat burning and muscle building.
Finally, keep your stress levels to a minimum and watch the fat pounds melt away.