magickalconnections

—and what to do instead—–

Losing weight is technically real simple math: Take in less calories than you expend and you will lose weight. Take in more calories than you expend and you will gain weight.

So all it takes to lose weight is count your daily calorie intake and make sure you exercise enough to create a caloric deficit. Simple, right?

Technically, the math is correct but unfortunately it doesn’t work like that in real life.

This meta-analysis of long-term weight loss studies shows that participants regained more than half of the weight they lost within two years. Five years after weight loss, they regained more than 80% of lost weight.

Experts seem to agree that on average, short-term weight gain strategies like calorie counting and diets to create a caloric deficit lead to around 2/3rds of weight regain and worse, many even end up weighing more than before.

This is why:

1. Metabolic rate decreases leading to less calories needed to function
2. The calorie ins versus calorie outs are estimates
3. The more focus and attention you put on on what you don’t want, the harder it gets for you to shift your attention to what you actually want  

Let’s look at each of these 3 reasons why calorie counting is detrimental to your weight loss goals and also discover a new, revolutionary way to keep your portions under control.

1) Metabolism:

“Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another”.
– Albert Einstein –

What is known as the law of conservation of energy or thermodynamics is also true for our body. 

Food we eat contains potential energy. This energy is stored in food in the form of chemical bonds. Our body can take this potential energy and convert it into energy that helps us move and stay alive AKA kinetic energy.

The sum of all chemical reactions in the body is known as metabolism. Most of these reactions turn the food we eat into energy our body can use for keeping us alive (heartbeat/breathing/brain activity/digestion/etc) and moving around or exercising.

If you have tried many diets with only temporary results, meticulously counting calories to create the perfect calorie deficit for your weight loss goals, you will find the following very interesting.

Eating a very low-calorie diet can make your metabolism slower

A very low calorie diet will make you lose lots of weight in the short term, but it will also put your metabolism in survival mode and as a response, it will slow down wherever it can while still keeping you alive. Over time, your metabolism will adapt to starvation mode and learn how to live with less, in other words, your metabolism slows down.

Once you return to eating normally, your metabolism will still stay low and as a result, you will now still need less energy / eat less than before your diet because your metabolism has learned how to function with much less energy than it was used to. 

If you think about it, this is an astounding and potentially life saving measure that your body takes to ensure our survival as a species in times of famine. 

The flip side is that your metabolism, once adapted, might not recover from the effect of dieting. For that reason crash dieters will tend to not only put the weight back on but gain even more.

I´m leaving you here a study on the metabolism of contestants from the show ´The Biggest Loser´ which demonstrates this point and explains the science behind the effects of extreme dieting: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27136388/

2) The calorie equation is off

Energy balance really is simple math which is absolutely true for everyone:

Energy in > energy out = weight gain

Energy in < energy out = weight loss

Energy in = energy out = maintain weight

However, this simple equation does not reflect all valuables. 

• We are different and the way our bodies metabolize food and the amount of calories our bodies need to just stay alive is not the exact same for everybody
• Calories and calorie counting are not an exact science. Our exact calorie expenditure for certain activities and exercise is very individual and while we do know average calorie expenditure, there can be a discrepancy of up to 25% either way due to various factors like hormone levels, age, sex, and your individual metabolism.

• Labels are imprecise. The FDA permits inaccuracies of up to 20%
• Preparation of food (cooking, processing, blending) changes the caloric value of food, for example a 196 calorie steak turns into a 240 calorie steak when cooked
• We don’t absorb all the calories we consume, some pass through our digestive tract undigested
• We are not very good at eyeballing portion sizes. A tablespoon of peanut butter easily becomes 1 ½ tablespoons

3) The mysterious workings of your (subconscious) mind

You might roll your eyes if I mention the law of attraction. But the laws of physics are true whether you believe in them or not.

If you don’t believe in gravity and jump off a building, you will still get hurt.

The law of attraction is nothing more and nothing less than another way to explain how your mind works and the interaction between your conscious or thinking brain and your subconscious mind.

The law says that you get whatever you put most of your energy, focus, and attention to.

Think about how much energy and focus you put on what you don’t want on a daily basis. 

If you are obsessed with counting calories, constantly thinking about the food you´re not allowed to eat and restricting yourself, weighing yourself, looking at yourself in the mirror with disgust, thinking about how much you don’t want to look like you do – Your energy and focus is constantly on what you don’t want. And since you are a spiritual being that emits vibrations and energy all the time, once you are in the habit of focusing on weight loss, you emit the vibration of being obsessed with your weight. 

The thing is, your energetic body and subconscious don´t understand NO or DON’T WANTs, since it is all inclusive, never exclusive. It speaks ´energy´ AKA attention and focus.

So now your subconscious is set on bringing you more of the energy you vibrate, which in its own language is weight – see how this works?

Your subconscious doesn’t hate you, in fact, it loves you very much. So much that it will conspire with the universe to get you more of everything that you are putting your energy, focus, and attention to.

A belief in your subconscious mind is always much more powerful than a desire in your conscious mind.

Revolutionize the way you measure your portions forever!

Here is the good news: 

The calories in – calories out math works, it’s just much more simple than we realize. 

Instead of micro-managing calories that in the end might or might not be accurate at all, there is one portion control method that revolutionizes the entire way we think about measuring food portions.

At the end of the day, who wants to spend hours tracking calories anyways??? 

There is a much simpler method to control your food intake that is easy to implement into your busy life and fits any lifestyle. 

This method is – your hand.

Yes, you read that one right. Since you always carry your hand with you you can now practice portion control anywhere. Sounds awesome right? 

So how does this magical hand portion control system work? Simple and adjustable for any nutrition or weight loss goal: 

• Your palm is one protein portion (meat, fish, eggs, dairy, or beans) 
• Your fist is one of your veggie portions (broccoli, spinach, salad, carrots, etc.) 
• Your cupped hand is one carb portion (grains, starches, or fruits) 
• Your thumb in one fat portions (oils, butters, nut butters, nuts/seeds)

The amount or how many portions a day or per meal you should eat depends on your goal. It usually is between 4-6 portions a day for each food group or category.

Using your hand as a portion guide puts your mind at ease, no more counting, instead a simple way of knowing how much is enough. ¹

Another benefit of using your hand as a portion guide is that it takes your individual built into account. A strong-built, 6ft tall man has much bigger hands than a tiny, under 5ft woman. This way, portions easily adapt  and are as personalized as they can get.

I’m currently writing an ebook where we dive very deep into all of these points and learn how you can find your Magickal Connection – that missing link – to help you lose weight and keep it off permanently without feeling restricted or the need for counting your calories.

It’s almost done, and here is my gift to you:

The first 5 readers to comment on this post will receive my ebook for FREE once it’s ready.

Congratulations to my first 5 subscribers, you will receive an email with the ink to my ebook soon!

If this blog post sparked your interest and you want to know more, click on this link to read the first Chapter of my ebook for FREE.

With all my love, Wanda

1. Hand portion guide by Precision Nutrition ↩︎