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Calorie counting can make you fat
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Calorie counting was invented in the last century and is still considered necessary for those who want to lose extra pounds. In addition, it is a surefire way, according to many losing weight, to get rid of excess weight naturally without completely giving up your favorite foods.
However, scientists are convinced that the more people count calories, the less chance they have of losing weight, and even more - such counting only risks adding to everything. Not only do food labels not always indicate the number of calories correctly, they can also affect the body differently, depending on the food a person consumes.
In fact, more attention should be paid not to the caloric content of the product, but to its texture. For example, to digest protein-rich chicken meat, our body requires 15-20 times more energy than to digest fats. This is very good, because the body draws energy from the calories eaten. This cannot be said about some bun or cheesecake, which require few calories to process, but the body receives deposits of subcutaneous fat.
The difference in the "energy consumption" of products is quite significant. For example, whole grain bread with peanut butter has the same number of calories as a sandwich made from regular white bread. However, in order to "destroy" the first sandwich, the body will need more energy (calories) for processing, which means that the first dish is healthier than the second, despite the same calorie content.
Therefore, pay less attention to labels and remember how much energy the body must spend to process a particular product. Usually, the most useful products are those that contain more fiber, as well as raw food.
One of the problems with the "counting rhyme" is that people pay close attention to the quantity of food, not its quality. According to research company Mintel, residents of the UK eat 30% more processed foods than in European countries and 16% more than in France.
And recently the famous British organization "Weight Watchers", which provides services for those wishing to lose weight, revised its system of evaluation and included a new point - taking into account not only the caloric content, but also the type of food. Chocolate and steak will no longer be able to stand in the same position, although they are equal in caloric content. The body will spend more energy to digest the steak.
If you have already decided on a calorie-counting diet, then monitor the balance of products when compiling your daily diet, eat more fresh and fiber-containing products.
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