Diet and nutritionEating without counting calories — does the body know on its own how much it needs?
Sources: 9 · Article: 10 710 characters
Prof. David Ludwig believes people can eat without counting calories and let the body regulate hunger and the rate of weight loss.
- He encourages people to eat until they feel full and have a snack when they feel hungry.
- Cutting calories may initially reduce weight, but later it may increase hunger and slow metabolism.
- After a very restrictive diet ends, weight may return, sometimes even rising above its starting level.
What the authors write
prof. David Ludwig
You can eat until you feel full, have a snack when you’re hungry, and not count calories.
„Trending: How to Break Free From the Ambition Trap
In fact, we encourage people to eat enough to feel satisfied, snack when hungry, and never count calories again. This whole idea of counting calories is a delusion. Nobody can do it. It’s quite clear that not even a trained nutrition expert can get their calorie balance to within 350 a day.”Trending: How to Break Free From the Ambition Trap
In fact, we encourage people to eat as much to feel satisfied, snack when hungry, and never count calories again. This whole calorie counting notion is a delusion. Nobody can do it. It’s quite clear that not even a trained nutrition expert can get their calorie balance to within 350 a day.
prof. David Ludwig
The body can regulate weight by changing hunger and metabolic rate.
„If we give them half a chance, those systems control our body weight perfectly well by adjusting hunger and our metabolic rate.
Phase 1 is designed to jumpstart this metabolic change, lower insulin, and calm chronic inflammation. Then in phase 2, we add back minimally processed whole-kernel grains, like steel-cut oats, buckwheat, quinoa, and brown rice.”If we give them half a chance, that controls our body weight perfectly well by adjusting hunger and our metabolic rate.
Phase 1 is designed to jumpstart this metabolic change, lower insulin, calm chronic inflammation. Then phase 2 we add back minimally processed whole kernel grains, like steel-cut oats, buckwheat, quinoa, brown rice.
prof. David Ludwig
Cutting calories may lead to short-term weight loss, but later the body may increase hunger and slow metabolism.
„Your body is going to start fighting back with increasing hunger and a slower metabolism. If you keep cutting back on calories, you only make that situation worse. That creates a battle between mind and metabolism that we’re destined to lose. The body goes into starvation mode.”Your body is going to start fighting back with increasing hunger, slowing metabolism. If you keep cutting back calories you only make that situation worse. That creates a battle between mind and metabolism we’re destined to lose. The body goes into starvation mode.
prof. David Ludwig
After a starvation diet ends, weight may return to its earlier level and sometimes rise even higher.
„Once people end the study, their weight comes right back to where it started, typically even a little higher.
The opposite is also true. There’ve been dozens of overfeeding studies where participants are brought into a research unit, locked down, and then basically forced to eat very high-calorie diets.”Once the people end the study, their weight comes right back up to where it started, typically even a little higher.
The opposite is also true. There’ve been dozens of overfeeding studies where participants are brought into a research unit, locked down, and then basically forced to eat very high calorie diets.
prof. David Ludwig
Body weight depends more on biology than on willpower.
„That sounds provocative, but there’s actually a century of research involving literally thousands of articles that support the argument that body weight is controlled more by our biology than our willpower.
Let’s say you’re doing a nutrition study with human participants.”That sounds provocative but there’s actually a century of research involving literally thousands of articles that support the argument that body weight is controlled more by our biology than our will power.
Let’s say you’re doing a nutrition study with human participants.
Research from PubMed · Europe PMC
We selected 3 studies with the best, positive results. This is a selection, not a full review of all research.
Total number of studies on this topic in PubMed: 4.
An intuitive eating course was associated with a reduction in disordered eating among adults.
Aim of the study: Many employee health promotion programs encourage lifestyle changes such as eating more fruits and vegetables or getting more physical activity. Most of these programs take a weight-normative approach, meaning they encourage such changes primarily to change weight (typically to lose weight).
Results: Participants (n = 42) were 95% white and 98% female. Twenty-six people in the IE group and 16 in the ILP group enrolled in the study. Of that sample, 13 participants were interviewed (IE = 6; ILP = 7). The IE program was associated with significantly greater reductions in disordered eating from before to after the course than the ILP program. There were no statistically significant improvements in weight/shape concerns, IE levels, body appreciation, or weight bias between groups from before to after the course. Qualitative analysis found 5 main themes: 1) Influences on Body Image, 2) Diet Culture, 3) Forms of Eating and Exercise, 4) Mental and Emotional Wellbeing, and 5) Self-Care.
Money for the studycompany together with others · National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), NARBHA Institute’s NARBHA Interdisciplinary Health Research Fund
Do the authors have ties to companies?no — the authors say so
Did a manufacturer help with the study?NO
Type of studyclinical study in people
Participants42
“Not stated” does not mean nobody paid — the database does not always record it.
The study found improvements in several aspects of mindful eating and more frequent use of hunger and fullness cues.
Aim of the study: Breast cancer (BC) survivors often face challenges with weight management and disordered eating that may impair quality of life. This pilot randomized controlled trial evaluated the effects of a six-session mindful eating intervention on eating behaviors and body composition in BC survivors.
Results: Reliance on hunger and satiety cues increased significantly over time in both groups (TAU: p = 0.004; TAU + MEI: p = 0.007). Significant improvements were observed in selected mindful eating dimensions, including disinhibition, emotional eating, eating control, and eating with attention and intention (all p < 0.05). MEQ-30 total scores increased significantly in both groups (TAU: p < 0.001; TAU + MEI: p = 0.010). Waist circumference decreased significantly in the TAU group (p = 0.002), while hip circumference decreased in the TAU + MEI group (p = 0.009). GEE analysis showed that participation in the TAU + MEI group was independently associated with lower BMI over time (p = 0.013), whereas HR(+)/HER2(-) subtype and chronic disease were associated with higher BMI (all p < 0.05).
Money for the studynot stated
Do the authors have ties to companies?no — the authors say so
Did a manufacturer help with the study?NO
Type of studystudy with random allocation to groups (RCT)
Participants28
“Not stated” does not mean nobody paid — the database does not always record it.
After using the app, diet quality scores and fruit consumption increased, although overall intuitive eating did not change.
Aim of the study: Web-based and mobile phone-based apps have become widely available for dietary self-monitoring; however, their use may increase the risk of disordered eating. College students frequently have poor nutrient intake despite consuming enough calories. One way to improve diet quality may be to use a smartphone app that encourages intuitive eating.
Results: After our 4-week intervention, dietary qualities that protect against chronic disease increased by 28%, fruit consumption increased by 63%, and skin antioxidant levels increased by 6.1% (Hedges g=0.16; mean difference 0.33, 95% bias corrected and accelerated [BCa] CI 0.04-0.61; P=.03). Overall intuitive eating did not change during the user study; however, the unconditional permission to eat subscale increased (Hedges g=-0.28; mean difference 0.28, 95% BCa CI 0.07-0.49; P=.01, adjusted P=.07). Overall, disordered eating also did not change with app use, although dietary restraint decreased (Hedges g=-0.23; mean difference 0.30, 95% BCa CI -0.61 to -0.04; P=.04, adjusted P=.22). The average SUS score for the In2Eat app was 67.2 (SD 15.5). The number of days a meal was logged was positively correlated with SUS scores (r=0.28; P=.06), and the total number of meals logged had a monotonic association with app usability (ρ=0.31; P=.04).
Money for the studyuniversity or foundation · Seaver College of Science and Engineering at Loyola Marymount University
Do the authors have ties to companies?yes — the authors reported it
Did a manufacturer help with the study?YES
Type of studyclinical study in people
Participants45
“Not stated” does not mean nobody paid — the database does not always record it.
Perspectives and opinion materials
The content below presents the authors’ opinions, interpretations and hypotheses. It is not treated as equal to scientific studies and systematic reviews.
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service Opinion material
„The study was based on 2 questionnaires covering a period of ~15 years (2003 - 2018), before intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating/time restricted feeding became popular terms. These terms did not become popular until much later. The definition of time-restricted eating (intermittent fasting) was not clear to either the surveyors or the respondents. This raises questions about the accuracy and validity of the survey results. This study compares a group of 414 people who were surveyed only twice during that period between 2003 and 2018 and who reported an eating window of within 8 hours a day.”The study was based on 2 questionnaires covering a period of ~15 years (2003 - 2018), before intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating/time restricted feeding became popular terms. These terms did not become popular until much later. The definition of time restricted eating (intermittent fasting) was not clear to both the surveyors and the respondents. This raises questions about the accuracy and validity of the survey results. This study compares a group of 414 people who were surveyed only twice during that period between 2003 and 2018 and who reported eating window within 8 hours a day.
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service Opinion material
„[45] Time-restricted feeding or intermittent fasting (for example, no food intake for 16 to 18 hours per day, or fasting for 2 days per week without overall caloric restriction) significantly reduced hs/CRP or CRP in the blood. [46,47] Reducing meal frequency without reducing overall calorie intake helps decrease chronic inflammation. Since chronic inflammatory processes are a leading risk factor for many diseases and severe infectious diseases, including sepsis, intermittent fasting patterns may significantly help reduce mortality and sepsis.”[45] Time-restricted feeding or intermittent fasting (for example, no food intake for 16 to 18 hours per day, or fasting for 2 days per week without overall caloric restriction) significantly reduced hs/CRP or CRP in the blood. [46,47] Reducing the meal frequency without overall reducing calories helps to decrease chronic inflammation. Since chronic inflammatory processes are a leading risk factor for many diseases and severe infectious disease, including sepsis, intermittent fasting patterns may significantly help to reduce mortality and sepsis.
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service Opinion material
„Different intermittent fasting approaches, such as alternate-day fasting and time-restricted eating, have been found to be effective for weight loss and improving cardiometabolic risk factors (Zhu 2020). Aligning eating habits with the circadian clock through early time-restricted feeding can also improve metabolic health (Charlot 2021). Intermittent fasting regimens, including time-restricted feeding, have been linked to improvements in dyslipidemia and blood pressure (Vasim 2022).”Different intermittent fasting approaches, such as alternate day fasting and time-restricted eating, have been found to be effective in weight loss and improving cardiometabolic risk factors (Zhu 2020). Aligning food habits with the circadian clock through early time-restricted feeding can also improve metabolic health (Charlot 2021). Intermittent fasting regimens, including time-restricted feeding, have been linked to improvements in dyslipidemia and blood pressure (Vasim 2022).
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