Chasing
Calories Is Like Chasing a Unicorn
By
Dr. Rick Kattouf II
It is all too common in the world
of health, fitness and nutrition that individuals want to chase calories. They have
this distorted and disordered view of nutrition and they feel as if there is
some magic number in terms of calories that they need to hit order for them to
achieve the body transformation results that they desire. Well, here's one
guarantee; anyone that is going to adopt the calorie-chasing mentality is not
going to achieve meaningful and sustainable results that they desire. As I discuss
in my 3-DVD set, Rx Nutrition, "if
it were as easy as calories in versus calories out, it would be that easy."
You might hear an individual’s
verbiage go something like this, "the app I am using told me I need to eat
1200 cal each day." Wow, ahhh, now that's valuable information (I'm being
sarcastic of course; there's virtually no value in that whatsoever). Simply trying
to hit a certain number of calories per day is about as bad as it can get in
the world of nutrition. This will send an individual down a long, dark, lonely,
dead-end road, every time.
Let's say an individual wants to
start running. Relating this to nutrition, telling someone to eat 1200 cal each
day would be like telling this individual to, "just run." Hmm, again,
super-valuable information right there, huh? If that's all the information the
runner had, well, that is completely useless. They have no idea how much to
run, how far, how intense, what heart rates they should run at, the frequency
they should run at, etc. I'm sure you would agree, the answer of, "just
run" has no value. Well, neither does, "just eat 1200 cal each
day." Those two answers are on par with each other and both are useless.
What we have to keep in mind is
that the total calories we consume in a day is not the most important factor. I
don't want to give a mixed message, sure, total calories are important of
course, but it's just one small piece to the puzzle. What's more important than
simply total calories consumed in a day? It is the ability to successfully
answer the following question, " how did I arrive at my total
calories?" This is the critical question that must be answered
successfully; that is of course, if we are looking for meaningful and
sustainable results for a lifetime.
There are numerous different ways
to reach a total number of calories by days end, but there's only one right way
that's going to bring about positive results. Therefore, we have to
switch our focus and switch our mindset. I realize this is a big change for
many individuals. But let's look at this way, 99.99% of the calorie chasers out
there aren't getting results but they continue to chase calories year after
year and decade after decade, with no
meaningful and sustainable results. That's why they keep chasing calories.
Sure, they may lose a few pounds here or there, but they end up re-gaining more
than they lose. And therefore, they continue on with their calorie chasing
mentality, thinking that this will bring about results. But it never has and
never will. Calorie chasers are your chronic dieters, your serial dieters, your
yo-yo dieters. These individuals are never successful in achieving meaningful
and sustainable results for a lifetime.
Chasing calories is a
results-focused mindset (Focus
on the Process, Get Amazing Results); just like focusing on weight loss,
which is also a results-focused mindset. For amazing body transformation
results, let's shift from the results-focused mindset to the process-focused
mindset. By doing so, we can now successfully answer the question, "how
did I arrive at my total calories today?" Successfully answering this
question forces us to focus on the process. And when it comes to nutrition, the
process is making sure that every meal and snack is properly balanced with
the right amount of carbohydrate-protein-fat. And in addition, focusing on the
process means that will be focusing on the right fueling frequency and the
right fueling timing. Therefore, the process enables us to focus on one
successful step at a time. We are going to focus on fueling the body right away
upon awakening and then every three hours thereafter all throughout the day. It
is this frequency and timing that will bring about success. And then, with
every one of those meals and snacks, we will focus on making sure that each one
is properly balanced with approximately 50-65% calories from carbohydrate,
15-25% calories from protein, 15-25% calories from fat.
When we break it down like this
and have laser-like focus on the process, we completely take our mind off of
the total calories and that is a good thing. No longer are we chasing this
"magic number of calories"; rather, we are simply focusing on the
right fueling frequency, the right fueling timing and we are focusing on
fueling the body properly at every meal and snack. This is what, in time, will
bring about meaningful and sustainable results for a lifetime.
We have to understand that
the calorie chasing mindset is setting ourselves up for disaster. Why? Well,
it's pretty simple. Individuals manipulate their nutrition all throughout the
day just so they hit their magic number of calories, points, etc. They are not
focused on the process. They are not focused on fueling their body properly
throughout the day. They are not focused on the proper timing and frequency.
Rather, they are simply focused on one number. There is not a whole lot of
rhyme or reason as to how they hit that number; they just think that hitting
that number will be the key to success. Therefore, this is where the
manipulation starts to come into play.
For example, the calorie chaser
knows that they're going to have a larger dinner tonight with friends and
family and they want to enjoy this and consume some adult beverages as well. As
a result, what do they do throughout the day? Well, they may skip meals or they
may choose very low-calorie snacks because their goal is to "save up"
calories in order to use the majority of them up that night it dinner. This is
one of the most common ways a calorie chaser will approach each and every day.
This makes absolutely no sense. And not only does it not make sense, it’s a
train wreck in the making.
In summary, if we are
looking to achieve meaningful and sustainable results for a lifetime, it all
starts with the mindset. We have to change the belief in order to change the
result. And this starts with changing the mindset. Starting today, I challenge
you to completely abandon your calorie chasing mentality. As we discussed
earlier, this is just sending you down a dark, lonely, desolate and dead-end
road. Chasing a number is a results-focused mindset. Let's change that into a
process-focused mindset. Focus on your fueling frequency. Focus on your fueling
timing. Focus on properly balancing every meal and snack, each and every day.
You have complete control over the process and therefore, let's put all of our
time, effort, energy and focus towards what we can control and that is the
process. Is today your day to stop being a calorie chaser?
WORKOUT SMART, EAT RIGHT, GET RESULTS®!
Download the TeamKattouf®
Nutrition LLC app:
Rick Kattouf II, O.D. is a
2x Best-Selling Author and Fitness & Nutrition expert and has been named
one of America’s PremierExperts® and one of the World Fitness Elite® Trainers
of the Year. Rick is a Sports Nutrition Specialist, Heart Rate Performance
Specialist, Master Personal Trainer & Triathlon Coach. He has been seen on
ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox affiliates around the country as well as in the USA
Today, Chicago Tribune, Ironman.com, Livestrong.com, FIGHT! Magazine, Florida
Cycling Magazine and The Independent in the UK. Rick is the CEO/Founder of
TeamKattouf® Inc, CEO/Founder of TeamKattouf® Nutrition LLC, CEO/Founder of
Virtual Gym LLC, Creator of TeamKattouf® Nutrition Supplements, Host of Rx
Nutrition, author of Forever Fit, Creator of 5-Round Fury® Nutrition
Supplement, 5-Round Fury Fitness® workout app, Creator of Coach2CEO, Creator of
Fuel Keeper®, Entrepreneur and Inspirational Speaker. Dr. Rick has personally
coached individuals in 30+ states and 10+ countries.
