The Great Calorie Escape

Welcome to the great calorie escape...

00:00 - 00:34 Speaker 1: Welcome to the great calorie escape. You've probably heard it a million times. Counting calories is the key to weight loss, leading to better health outcomes. But relying on calorie counting for optimal health is kind of like telling a couple of newlyweds who are eager to start a family, all you got to do is jump in the sack once and that's it, you'll be pregnant. Now knowing that 1 in 5 or 1 in 6 Australians have fertility challenges, we all know that isn't a sure thing.

00:35 - 01:32 Speaker 1: Now returning to the topic of calories, in 2022, the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that nearly 3 out of 10 Australians actually maintained a weight within the defined healthy weight range. Now, before we go on, it's worth noting that I firmly believe that one's weight or fitness level doesn't necessarily indicate good health. So today I'm going to share how calorie counting can hijack your physical, your mental and emotional health. We're going to explore the possible detrimental effects that calorie counting can have on your overall well-being and we'll uncover the myths surrounding the numbers game, unveiling a path to freedom that goes beyond restrictive diets and obsessive tracking. Now this podcast isn't just about escaping the calorie trap.

01:32 - 02:06 Speaker 1: It's about unlocking a life where your energy, your vitality, and your happiness absolutely thrive. Get ready for an episode that goes beyond information. It's a personal conversation that sets the tone for a series dedicated to your whole well-being. Now being the first episode, I'm going to share a little bit of a story about my journey as well. So, like many of you, I once found myself caught in that web of calorie counting.

02:07 - 02:53 Speaker 1: It started when I was 11 years old and I felt upset about that handle of dimply puppy fat that I had around my belly. My mom, well, she was a lifetime member of Weight Watchers and she suggested, hey Larissa, why don't you come along to Weight Watchers with me? So the next day I went to Weight Watchers and the day after that I started eating cheese crust for lunch. Now being 11, I didn't really put much thought into the whole calorie counting thing. Like my mum organized my food back then so it kind of seemed like a straightforward path to health but little did I know the toll it would take on my physical, mental, emotional well-being in the future.

02:54 - 03:14 Speaker 1: Now this was the age when the focus was on calories and not points in Weight Watchers. So we started with calories and then they went to points. But there's not really much difference really. The points system represents calories. Now it wasn't long after starting Weight Watchers, I started to learn all the tricks.

03:15 - 03:48 Speaker 1: You got to froth your skim milk with a hand mixer till it becomes really thick and frothy and then you add some diet caramel topping. And then it makes you feel full because of all the bubbles in the frothy skim milk. For breakfast, if you ate the puffed rice, it fills the whole entire bowl. So you think you're eating more than like a heavier cereal that only fills an eighth of the bowl. And if you skip your morning fruit serve, well you can save those calories for dessert.

03:49 - 04:18 Speaker 1: Now fast forward 4 years, and I had become a little bit obsessed. My limited knowledge back then of human metabolic health led me to believe that if I ate less calories and I burnt more, well, I was sure to lose weight quicker. Totally logical thinking, right? Especially from a 15 or 16 year old. But the opposite happened And I was absolutely gutted.

04:18 - 04:44 Speaker 1: But isn't this a simple equation? Calories in versus calories out equals weight loss. This is what I learned and this is what they're still teaching today. Now that's what we've been told. And unfortunately, what Sprightly Young fresh out of online learning personal trainers and even exercise physiologists are still spruiking to this day.

04:45 - 05:14 Speaker 1: Weight loss is just about calories in versus calories out. It's just a numbers game. But it couldn't be further from the truth. I wish I'd known the truth when the numbers became a number nightmare when I developed a disordered eating pattern of restricting, binging and purging. Then urges to binge would arise because of the restriction, then I would binge and then I would purge.

05:15 - 05:55 Speaker 1: Now little did I know the urges to binge, well, they were just a biological reaction to deprivation or famine. It was my body and my brain trying to keep me alive. It was a survival mechanism. So this happened for a while and then we throw a little bit of a dash of guilt, a dash of stress, a dash of shame and disgust into this mix and then you have the perfect recipe for disconnection, self-loathing and even body shame. Now the whole behavior of under eating, binging and purging, that wasn't even the worst of it.

05:55 - 06:33 Speaker 1: The disconnection to my own personality and my own self-worth was the worst. It was like I was walking around in this thick fog and the sun was shining on everyone else. Why couldn't I work this out? This separation from my true self throughout this time affected my relationships, my energy levels and even my ability to appreciate the beauty of life and the beauty of the present moment. Life had just become this series of numbers and check boxes rather than a rich tapestry of experiences.

06:34 - 07:32 Speaker 1: And it really took hitting my breaking point to realise that true wellbeing goes beyond the digits on the scale, or the meticulously tracked calories or points. It got so bad, so bad that I wanted to end my life. Where were these thoughts even coming from? They had come from this cavern of despair that formed within me, a place where the relentless pursuit of an idealized body image and the constant scrutiny of every morsel consumed had eroded my own self-worth and self-love. In this cavern, echoes of societal expectations reverberated, reinforcing the idea that my value was intrinsically tied to my appearance and my adherence to some dietary norm.

07:33 - 08:08 Speaker 1: This breaking point wasn't just about the calories. It was a breaking free from the self-imposed prison of unrealistic standards and the damaging self-belief that my worthiness was reliant on a number of the scales. Have you ever been here? But within the darkness of this cavern, there was also this little glimmer of resilience, something I had never felt before. This was like this little spark that kept surfacing and refused to be extinguished.

08:09 - 08:32 Speaker 1: It was the realisation that my own life, that I, was worth living. It was worth living beyond the confines of societal expectations and the obsession with numbers. So I stopped binging and purging. Well, I stopped purging, quite honestly. The binging lasted for decades because of the restrictive dieting.

08:33 - 09:10 Speaker 1: So life after this went on, yet I continued to eat the same old Weight Watchers way. Now, because of Weight Watchers, I learned some great habits such as drinking water, staying hydrated, which I still have to this day. I incorporated vegetables into my daily meals and made sure I consumed at least a couple of fruits a day. However, my Weight Watchers approach had a significant flaw. I exclusively opted for those low-fat products, unknowingly subjecting myself to the hidden pitfall of high sugar content.

09:11 - 10:05 Speaker 1: I traded things like genuine Canadian maple syrup for this chemical concoction called maple flavored syrup, believing it was a smart choice because the calorie count was lower. Diet drinks also become this staple in my quest for fewer calories, and the convenience led me to opt for frozen Weight Watchers meal with additives and preservatives instead of making a fresh salad and cooking some lean protein. So as the months, well actually As the years passed, my health began to deteriorate. I had a lot of stomach upsets, unpredictable bowel movements and severe bloating. At first, I just thought it was the general stress that I was under in everyday life.

10:06 - 10:36 Speaker 1: I'll be right, I said to my GP. But he recommended a series of tests and a few months later a gastroenterologist diagnosed me with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS. Little did I know this was just the beginning of a more significant health challenge on its way. Then my health took a plummet. I found myself in another specialist's office surrounded by this overwhelming sea of brown.

10:37 - 11:08 Speaker 1: Brown walls, brown desks, there was just too much brown in his office. But the atmosphere actually matched the gravity of the news he was about to tell me. The doctor's gaze, I'll never forget it, shifted between me, my mum, me, and back to my concerned mother, then back to me. He uttered words that sent shockwaves through my whole entire being. You have a large mass, a tumour growing in your head.

11:09 - 11:53 Speaker 1: At this stage, we don't know if it's cancer, but love either way, it poses a serious health risk. We need to book you in for surgery right away." Wow, okay, wasn't expecting this. This revelation marked a huge and profound turning point in my life. 1 that forced me into re-evaluating not just my eating habits but also the broader impact my lifestyle choices had on my overall health and my overall life. Little did I know that this moment would become a catalyst for a major transformation, a shift towards a more intuitive, a more mindful, balanced and nourishing approach to my wellbeing.

11:54 - 12:19 Speaker 1: But was it good health? Just about calories in vs calories out? I pondered this, like why did this happen to me? You know, like I was following all the professional dietary advice, eating the veggies, eating the fruit, doing the low fat, eating the right kind of carbohydrates and lean proteins. I ate the light milk and I had the amount of cheese every day they recommended.

12:20 - 13:22 Speaker 1: So it was time. It was time to break free from these rigid dogmas of mainstream nutrition and really delve deeper into this understanding of what our bodies truly need to thrive. I embarked on this crazy journey of self-discovery, seeking not just physical healing, but also a holistic transformation that would encompass my mental and emotional wellbeing. As I navigated through this introspective process, what I discovered was the power of natural eating, the power of eating the way nature intended and that our own bodies recognise. I discovered mindfulness practices, meditation, a balanced lifestyle and realising that a sense of connection and purpose can actually contribute to better health, all things that moved beyond the plate.

13:24 - 14:13 Speaker 1: This journey to better health wasn't just about what I consumed, it was really fostering a positive relationship with myself and embracing a lifestyle that nourished not only my body, but also my mind and soul. So part of this transformation was learning that calories are not created equally. The notion that a calorie is a calorie regardless of what you eat simplifies this complex and dynamic nature of human metabolism. While it's true that calories represent a unit of energy, The sources from which these calories come can trigger vastly different physiological responses in our own body. We're not robots, right?

14:13 - 14:46 Speaker 1: And we're not an algorithm. So why are we subjecting ourselves to this algorithm? Some calories deliver essential nutrients and compounds that contribute to satiety, energy levels and overall metabolic health, while other calories can cause blood sugar levels to spike, then crash. This can lead to increased hunger, overeating and degrading health. But isn't a calorie just a calorie?

14:47 - 15:35 Speaker 1: So for example, let's say some foods rich in fiber and protein, they tend to induce a feeling of fullness and satisfaction. Now this reduces the likelihood of overeating. Now on the other hand, processed food or highly processed foods, calorie dense food with added sugars or fake sweeteners can disrupt hunger regulating hormones, leading to increased cravings and an overall higher caloric intake. Also, the impact of calories on the brain regions that control food intake adds another, whole other layer to the complexity of this story. Certain foods may influence neural pathways differently, affecting our perception of hunger and pleasure associated with eating.

15:36 - 15:59 Speaker 1: But isn't it just all about calories in vs calories out? No, it's about the quality of calories that you're eating. I go much further into this in greater detail in my online course Mindful Eating Mindset and Metabolism Mastery. I believe I have to go on through what I did. Knowledge is power. 16:00 - 16:41 Speaker 1: Now, undergoing major surgery at age 24, it really can change a person, right? And for me, it was a transformative experience that reshaped the course of my life for the better. So in the aftermath of the surgery, a profound realisation hit me. The thing was, I really needed to reassess everything I had done in my whole entire life, everything I had done leading up to that pivotal moment. It was as if the tumour had become this metaphoric mirror reflecting not just my physical health, but the culmination of my whole lifestyle choices and priorities.

16:42 - 17:25 Speaker 1: In response to this wake-up call, I embarked on a journey of self-transformation. I overhauled my approach to nourishment, opting for a diet that prioritized health and vitality. I stopped seeing food as calories. It was a conscious decision to start to see food as nutrients and fuel for my body and my healing and my well-being. Now simultaneously, a shift happened in the perception of my body as well, and I transitioned from viewing it as just some new vessel to look down upon, to this absolute profound source of strength and resilience.

17:26 - 18:29 Speaker 1: This massive shift in mindset was really crucial in cultivating a positive and sustainable relationship with my body, 1 that really extended far beyond the physical experience to encompass my whole self and holistic wellbeing. Career-wise I ended up making this bold move, transitioning from teaching trade students at technical college, so out of tape, to a field I found way more fulfilling, health and fitness. This change wasn't just a profound pivot point, but it was this manifestation of aligning my career with my newfound values of wellbeing and vitality. The journey towards this holistic change involved a significant amount of unlearning and re-learning. I had to learn to break free from ingrained habits, beliefs and societal norms required a huge amount of conscious effort.

18:30 - 19:24 Speaker 1: I discovered that healing wasn't solely physical, but it also involved nurturing mental and emotional capacities and really learning to connect to your etheric or spiritual self. This type of Catastrophic positive change isn't a linear process, it's a mosaic of challenges, victories, setbacks and triumphs. It's about learning to embrace the discomfort of growth, acknowledging the need for change and ongoing commitment to this change and an ongoing commitment to continual self-expression. So this whole transformation is completely and vastly different to the quick weight loss fix that many people are looking for. Long-term health isn't just about calories in versus calories out.

19:24 - 20:13 Speaker 1: It's about cultivating this sustainable and nourishing lifestyle that prioritizes our holistic wellbeing. It's about recognizing that our bodies are this intricate ecosystem influenced by the quality of nutrients we provide, the resilience of our mental and emotional states, and the harmony we foster in our own daily lives. Now, beyond this calorie counting mindset, it's about embracing a diverse and rich diet that fuels our bodies with these essential compounds we need for optimal function. It involves developing a positive relationship with food and understanding the unique needs of our own bodies. We need to learn to listen to the signals and unique signals that they send us each day.

20:14 - 21:20 Speaker 1: Long-term health is also intricately tied to the way we manage or not manage stress, the way we build resilience within ourselves and foster emotional wellbeing. Recognising this profound connection between mind and body encourages practices that promote mental clarity, emotional balance, and this sense of deep purpose. Many of us need to unlearn and relearn that physical activity can become a joyful and integral part of our lives, not just a means to burn calories, but a celebration of our body's capacities and the way we nurture ourselves every day. It's all about finding movement that brings us a sense of joy, whether it's a walk or dancing around the house or enjoying invigorating yoga, whatever it is for you. So in the pursuit of long-term health, it's also crucial to understand that it's not a destination that we're going to get like a goal weight, but this continuous journey of unravelling.

21:21 - 22:14 Speaker 1: It's a commitment to continual self-improvement, adapting to the evolving needs of your body and the season of your life that you're in. It's about making choices that align with your own values, fostering connections that enrich your life, and creating an environment, whether it's in your home space or your greater community, or even in your workspace, that really supports your overall wellbeing. So let's start to shift our focus from the limitations of calorie counting to the boundless possibilities of a health-centric lifestyle. 1 that embraces nourishment, balance, and holistic approach to thriving in every aspects of our lives. This is the essence of long-term health.

22:15 - 22:49 Speaker 1: This is the essence of a journey of self-discovery, true self-care, and an unwavering commitment to become the best versions of ourselves. Focusing solely on calorie restriction can also lead to the all-too-familiar yo-yo dieting. The concept of yo-yo dieting involves repetitive patterns of weight loss followed by weight gain. Many of us have been there. Now this pattern is not only emotionally taxing, but can also pose a long-term risk.

22:49 - 23:48 Speaker 1: Besides yo-yo dieting, calorie restriction can also lead to several other adverse effects on both physical and mental wellbeing. The first 1 is nutrient deficiencies, metabolic slowdown, loss of lean muscle mass, hormonal imbalances, increased risk of binge eating, reduced energy levels, negative psychological impact and weakened immune system. Also focusing on the whole calories in versus calories out fails to address the intricate dynamics of emotional eating, binge eating or seeking comfort through food. The mere numerical accounting overlooks the complex relationship that we all have with food, dismissing the underlying emotions, the triggers, and the psychological factors that contribute to our eating behaviours. Now we're going to start looking at these aspects in subsequent episodes of the podcast.

23:48 - 24:30 Speaker 1: It's also worth noting here that I like to place my feet in 2 different camps at any 1 time. So counting calories can come in handy when you're aiming for specific measurable goals or need a clearer understanding of your dietary patterns. It provides a structured approach that can be particularly effective for short term objectives or when fine-tuning your nutritional intake. Especially when many of us have been over consuming for years and or snacking on high calorie food. It's really good to get a clear idea of the caloric intake in these foods or in our overall days so we can make positive change.

24:31 - 24:58 Speaker 1: However, it's equally crucial to recognize the limitations of this approach. Now we're gonna look at the quality of our food choices, the impact it has on our overall wellbeing. We need to look at our relationship with food. All of these things go beyond calories in vs calories out. Nutrition is more important than calories for our overall health.

24:58 - 25:43 Speaker 1: Repeat, not all calories are created equal and swapping certain foods for their low-calorie counterparts can actually rob the body of essential nutrients. So 1 of my aims for this podcast is to invite you to make mindful mindset shifts that pave the way for sustainable and lasting positive change. So it's time to get raw and real. If you're someone with weight loss goals, Let's just take a little reflective moment. Place 1 hand over your heart and just notice your breath sink into your body.

25:45 - 26:45 Speaker 1: And consider, consider the amount of times you've embarked on the journey of weight loss, only to feel as though you've fallen short, leading to the disheartening cycle of losing and then regaining the weight? How many times have you been through this cycle? In your experience, what specific behaviours hindered your journey towards long-term, sustainable weight and health? What behaviours really stood in the way? What fuelled or triggered these behaviours?

26:50 - 27:25 Speaker 1: I always teach that a weight gain isn't solely caused by eating. Rather, eating or food becomes an effect of an underlying issue. So I'll repeat that. So it makes sense sometimes eating isn't the cause of weight gain but the effect. By bringing to the surface some of our root causes that sit beyond or below the surface We can unravel the complexity of our eating behaviors that don't align with our goals and start focusing on healing.

27:26 - 28:15 Speaker 1: So starting to focus on the root causes, so some of our behaviors and our triggers for eating, we can start to unravel the complexity of our own psyche and start to heal the root causes rather than the effect, which is the eating itself. So as I wrap up this episode, I just encourage you to take this time to reflect. You might like to consider any insights that I shared with you today and what resonated with your own journey. What small intentional steps could you take to redefine your relationship with food, your health and your own wellbeing? Remember this is a journey, not a destination as corny as that sounds, it's so true.

28:16 - 29:14 Speaker 1: If you found value in today's discussion, feel free to share it with someone who might benefit from it. Your stories, your struggles and your own victories may inspire others on their path to a healthier, more fulfilling life. So connect with our community online and share your thoughts and support for each other. What I'll do is I'll pop our discussion thread in the show notes where you can pop on over to Facebook and just share your thoughts and your feelings and your victories when it comes to moving from a mind shift of counting calories to fueling your body with nutrients and nourishing your heart, your soul, and of course your mind. You can also find the link to the show notes and the link to our discussion post at everydayinspiration.co forward slash podcast.

29:16 - 29:45 Speaker 1: And finally, please consider subscribing to the podcast, leave a review, and stay tuned for more episodes. Your commitment to your wellbeing is a powerful force and I'm here to support you every step of the way. So until next time, take a nourishing breath, savor the journey, embrace the opportunity to live with everyday inspiration. 

Thank you. You