We have known as far back as 1982 that tracking calories, food logging is inaccurate & doesn’t predict weight loss
10.1093/ajcn/35.4.727.
2/n
Meta-analysis in 2008 by Harnack and French, then follow-up in 2014 from Eblel, Kiszko reviews and assesses the evidence on the effectiveness of calorie labeling at the point of purchase
"Concerns on the effectiveness of calorie labeling policies"
10.1007/s10900-014-9876-0
3/n
Less than 0.1% of people getting fast food actually care about calories...
10.2105/AJPH.2008.136457
4/n
Men actually INCREASE intake with calorie information
10.1186/1479-5868-5-63
5/n
nutritional labeling in a college setting caused some people to eat more....
10.1016/0271-5317(95)02001-C
6/n
dietitians miscalculate calories by 10-20%, lay people around 20-30% and some patients with obesity up to 50%
10.1016/s0002-8223(02)90316-0
7/n
Head to head, calorie counting performs worse than EVEN the low fat diet (the diet that failed the last half century)
10.1136/bmj.314.7073.29
8/n
There are millions of people with access to calorie information with no END in sight to the obesity pandemic
9/n
Many patients actually DONT like tracking or counting calories
10.1016/j.invent.2016.12.003
10/n
There's more
11/n
SUMMARY:
Calorie estimation for both intake & expenditure are inaccurate, even for orthorexic dietitians/trainers
Several real-world examples from NYC, college cafeterias, menus etc have shown that calorie information has no clear positive impact on food intake
11/n
Educating patients on calories has been an overall disastrous experiment with no signs of real world improvement
Calorie counting and point tracking diets HAVE never been shown to be superior to ANY approach
Consider stopping the bullshit & actually helping people instead
/end
If you want to hear me lecture on this join me this Saturday for a Grand Rounds for @TheSMHP@DougieReynolds
We will discuss why calories NEVER mattered and the history & importance of glycemic variability...
While very few physicians have embraced it yet, our practice has been thriving on the use of remotely monitoring patient biometric data. In our clinic, almost all of our patients have smart equipment in their homes which wirelessly sync with our practice.
We monitor body weight, fat mass, water weight, muscle mass, blood pressure, heart rate/heart rate regularity, and blood sugar—all remotely. The patient can remain in the comfort of their own home and data is securely submitted wirelessly to our practice in real-time. This data is analyzed by me and my staff, which we then use to help encourage our patients who are doing well in their journeys. It has also helped us to identify patterns that predict weight regain and has given our practice the unique ability to reach out to our patients in real-time to intervene, increase contact, and lend a helping hand when times are tough. In our practice, gone are the days when you would see your physician six months later, after regaining 30 pounds. @gotowardhealth
I have a serious problem with the term “pre-diabetes.”
The prefix “pre” is used to describe what comes before something.
In reality, “pre”-diabetes is actually AFTER or “post” 15 years of the high insulin levels & inflammation associated with the modern lifestyle.
Prediabetes is usually diagnosed by checking an a1c level, which is the percentage of hemoglobin that binds to sugar as a percentage of normal hemoglobin.
If you a1c is between 5.7 and 6.4, you are considered to have “pre-diabetes”
To achieve this level of pre-diabetes, you must sustain enough carbohydrate/glycemic excursions & weight gain where your average glucose rises sufficiently above normal levels.
The a1c describes your speed, your are past your speed limit.
Defund the American Academy of Pediatrics.
It’s not a neutral medical body… it’s a corporate mouthpiece. Here’s the proof 🧵
💊 Big Pharma
AAP takes money from pharma giants.
Their guidelines? Push GLP-1 injections and bariatric surgery for kids… but demonize reducing carbs and sugar. Profit over prevention.
🥤 Junk Food Industry
AAP is bankrolled by Coca-Cola, Nestlé, PepsiCo, and formula makers.
The result? Silence on ultra-processed foods… but endless focus on drugs and surgery.
After helping thousands of patients lose weight, here’s my advice for those looking for lifelong, sustainable life changes. These are the “5 MUSTS” anyone trying to lose weight lifelong NEEDS to do.
🧵/Thread
Before you understand my “5 musts”, simply ask yourself -what are the side effects of your prior weight loss attempts- NOT your reasons, NOT what you want to happen, what went wrong, what made you stop?
The 5 Musts: #1 HUNGER
Most people quit diets because they feel low energy, tired & hungry. Your weight loss attempt will need to manage HUNGER. Are food choices making you full, or are they leaving you craving more a couple of hours later? Stick to:: 🐠🥩🍳🍗🍖🍤🫑🥑🥬🥦