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Home > Ask The Low-Carb Experts > 9: ‘All Things Calories (Calories 101)’ | Mat Lalonde
Podcast: Ask The Low-Carb Experts
Episode:

9: ‘All Things Calories (Calories 101)’ | Mat Lalonde
Category: Health
Duration: 01:09:00
Publish Date: 2012-03-08 20:00:00
Description: Harvard research biochemist Mat Lalonde has a rather interesting take on the Paleo diet from the role of an organic chemist. Lauded for bringing skepticism about the claims of ancestral living to light, Mat is a really smart guy who pushes the boundaries of thinking outside of our own little online communities to see the bigger picture. He was a guest in Episode 419 of my “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show” podcast and we’re pleased to have him address a subject matter that he knows quite a bit about: CALORIES! Mat is a big believer in food quality over food quantity and that eating until you are full is possible on a weight loss plan. This is sure to be one of the most popular episodes we’ve aired to date! GET BEN GREENFIELD’S ‘LOW-CARB DIET FOR TRIATHLETES’:NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: http://cmp.ly/3Here’s the column on calories Jimmy referenced at the beginning of the show:“What’s Really Making Us Fat?” by Kristin Wartman in the March 8, 2012 issue of The Atlantic Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast: ANGELA ASKS:Is there a point where your body gets too comfortable with a low-carb diet and too used to burning fat for fuel, that you need to watch your calories as well as your carbs in order to lose weight? I had a great success on Atkins in the first months, losing 13 kgs, then nothing else since then, unless I lower my calories. DON ASKS:On a recent ATLCX show I heard Mark Sisson say that he believed if you are taking in enough nutrients and fat in your diet to maintain your current weight that you probably wouldn’t gain weight but that if your goal was to lose fat that you needed to create a calorie deficit. Mat, what is your take on this? There seems to be a lot of disagreement on this subject. SUSAN ASKS:Is it true that there’s no scientific evidence that 3500 calories = 1 lb? Where did this stat originate from? Why is it not relevant for weight loss if this stat isn’t true? I would love to have an answer for those who still regard this as the holy grail of weight loss. MIKE ASKS:What are your thoughts on the food reward theory and the idea that weight and health management is really “all about the calories.” I think it’s rubbish but I’d like to hear Mat’s take. It seems that many Paleo folks are abandoning low-carb as a legitimate nutritional approach. LISA ASKS:If you eat too low of calories, will that send you into “starvation mode” and stall your weight loss? JAMIE ASKS:One of the biggest chains of women’s workout centers is Curves and they claim you will “Burn up to 500 calories in 30 minutes.” Just how accurate would you say calorie estimates are for exercise machines and programs? WALLY ASKS:You have made the remark that the human body is not a calorimeter. In what ways, if any, are food kilo-calories relevant to optimal health? SUSAN ASKS:Is there an ideal percentage of your calories that should come from carbs, fats and proteins? BEN ASKS:Mat once mentioned how intermittent fasting causes an increase in the “fight of flight” response. Is this still true for a person that is well adapted to intermittent fasting and can go 16+ hours without any desire or hunger for food? And if it’s still true, would something like a piece of fruit be enough to negate the stress issue? MICHAEL ASKS:Before I ran across Paleo, I was looking into calorie restriction, which naturally I didn’t even attempt to comply with. In your estimation, do you think the science shows there is an advantage to modest calorie restriction when already eating cleanly? Do you believe all the benefit of calorie restriction can be retained by clean eating and intermittent fasting? Where does protein sparing fasting fit in?
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