Why You Should Stop Counting Calories to Lose Weight

[@gcn]

Do you count your calorie intake? Let us know 👇

[@AdrianWells]

Yes, I count my calorie intake... and it works for me. Consistency is the most important thing: It doesn't matter if food labels are 20% out, or if celery being cooked has a few more calories than uncooked celery, or if I sh*t out some calories in nuts. If you are consistent, eat enough protein and fibre and adjust calories as necessary when you aren't losing weight then you will see results. Tracking calories is difficult for some people to achieve, and other ways of introducing an energy deficit may be easier (e.g. intermittent fasting, vegan or wholefood diets or even Keto) but they all work for fat loss in the same way and they all fail for the same reasons: compliance deteriorates and metabolic adaptation makes it harder as time goes on.

[@oplkfdhgk]

No but in the beginning of my weight loss journey i did and i think it was helpful. i had no idea that all the junk food actually had so much calories and when i stopped eating all that junk i lost like 20kg.

[@spirosmergianos1845]

Exceptional work! Very good explainer that someone needs to change the way of eating and leaving and not just count the calories.

[@petermyers4409]

No

[@Alex.R.Feyn.]

I don't count calories, but struggle with something called "orthorexia". It's not an official eating disorder, however it is an obsession with being healthy. Training, eating only healthy foods etc.

[@I-am-theStorm]

There seems to be a change of style with your latest videos, and I applaud you for this. This new theme you are following of addressing and talking about health and well being, will help everyone regardless of income, and not just those with significant amounts of disposable wealth who can afford all the stupidly expensive equipment. Great video Ollie, and thank you to the whole of the GCN crew for taking this new and exciting approach.

[@thechadfords]

Agreed!!

[@keweekes]

Agreed. It's far more realistic to the actual viewer base

[@petermyers4409]

It's good news

[@EvanPrytherch]

I’d like to hear your thoughts on plant-based protein such as defatted peanut powder and pea protein. Thank you for this series. 😊

[@gcn]

Great to hear you are enjoying our recent videos 🙌 We want to make content for everyone. Health is so important! Is there any other topics we should cover?

[@chrismohr-barker182]

I have a Chronic illness called Crohn's Disease and calorie counting for me is really important in that I use it to make sure I am not going to lose weight. It is my way of making sure I'm keeping my calorie intake high enough and my macros balanced. Also just a side note, since I started cycling just over a year ago my overall health has improved so dramatically, I'm literally the healthiest I have ever been :)

[@Jharfouch]

Awesome. Congratulations. I too have crohns and cycling is my lifeline. Do you ever wonder how many of these calories taken in are actually being absorbed? I struggle with that and my weight yo-yos.

[@chrismohr-barker182]

@@Jharfouch Yeah so I have had a pretty significant amount of bowel resected and that certainly impacts absorption. I think it is a case of finding foods that agree with you and work with you. Crohn's is so individual that a one size fits all approach just wouldn't work

[@JonCannings]

Ollie, my appearance fee is not in my bank account yet, could you chase this up? Thanks

[@alexalderthay4346]

#bringbackjon

[@frankzijnsofa]

Genuinely enjoyed seeing you again.

[@tobiascarlberg2204]

Legend!

[@forrestaustin7050]

Mine either

[@woutervanderdoes5163]

We demand more Cannings!!

[@trevorknowles7912]

Ollie is a great explainer. Another good one. Most useful video ever was the one where Ollie explains how he got in such good form. I followed half the rules and got in the best shape of my life last year and finally rode Trans America route. Really just drinking less, trying to avoid processed foods, no food 2 hours before bed, and go for at least 30 min ride 6 days/week did it. We all sort of know that stuff but somehow that video made it easy to put it all together into actionable plan. Thanks!

[@derekh7441]

BLUF: I'm an exercise physiologist and have had this conversation more than once in my 30+ year career. I appreciate that you circled back and mentioned the benefits of calorie awareness. The start of the video seemed like a manic rant against it. Yes. The caloric math doesn't always add up but using a measuring cup and food scale do give one a better sense of what a serving size actually is. Thus, and to your point, reading labels, measuring food and estimating calories fosters awareness. Awareness fosters positive change.

[@Miragexe]

I think it's worth doing just so you become more conscious of your eating habits and also get a feel for what is in foods.. that cookie you figured must be around 200 calories was actually 500. Whilst I would not recommend counting every single calorie, I do just check the packaging to see how many calories I'm roughly consuming and aim for a certain number at the end of the day that in theory should lead to losing weight.. but if you don't, for all the reasons and variables mentioned in the video, you can just adjust your calorie intake.

[@gcn]

That's a good point! Do you think by counting some Calories it makes you understand what you are eating?

[@Miragexe]

​@@gcn When I first started keeping an eye on calories, there was quite a few things where the actual calories were almost double as to what I thought they were, but also some that had a lot less than what I thought. Allows me to make better decisions and manage calorie intake. I go more by 'ballpark' calories than exact calories though, due to reasons mentioned in this video as well, but if you're losing/gaining weight by the end of it, you can adjust.

[@andrewmcalister3462]

Yep, approaching it as educative and informative, rather than as a precise equation to be balanced, is a healthy approach. Or as Ollie puts it "a food diary".

[@06alepea1]

Calorie counting is difficult mainly because people consistently underestimate how many calories they consume.

[@Ramon314]

Or overestimate it. Especially for people who want to gain weight.

[@robertkampman9320]

Well it's something you get better at as you go, like anything. I often tack on an extra hundred calories for the day when I think there's a good chance I underestimated. But mostly, I just do my best, and understand that it's about being consistent. Patterns will emerge. If I'm losing a pound per week at what I'm recording as 2,000 cal/week, then what's the problem? I don't know any other way to be sure my calories aren't excessive if I'm not tracking them (I also track protein to be sure I'm hitting at least 100 grams each and every day). I will always preach counting calories to anyone struggling to lose weight, but I will also advise them on the finer points because it's an art and a science, really.

[@HC-kn2sq]

There are apps that you scan the barcode and it gives you the exact nutritional value

[@scottyolo1]

Food scale. Duh

[@MrBennyrick77]

No it is not hard at all... you stick to foods that are not processed, they have way less calories... you do sports at the same time and then by having less fat, and burning calories with sports, you easily loose weight. Really simply, and for people that want to be super specific they can count calories and get into the microdetail.

[@stickler6312]

Been doing every day for 3 years. Makes you accountable and think twice before scoffing a donut.

[@gcn]

Great to hear it works for you! 🙌

[@ross88mac]

I think everyone should try counting calories for a few weeks just to educate them on how much energy is in the food they are eating.

[@pawel8365]

Ollie graduated with a PhD from Uni. of Nottingham's chemistry department, he knows that the nearby canteen (Coate's Road) served such awful food that losing calories wasn't exactly a challenge.

[@andrewmcalister3462]

Some personal experience?

[@pawel8365]

@@andrewmcalister3462 I worked at CBS, just across the street. If I was too lazy to make my lunch, I'd walk over to Coates with the hungry delusion that there would be something worth buying. I was mistaken on every occasion.

[@andrewmcalister3462]

@@pawel8365 🤢

[@GCNuser123]

@@pawel8365agreed! absolutely pants!😂

[@jmw2840]

I’ve gained 10kg over the past 10 years without counting a single calorie

[@antoniosballis7909]

Well with calorie restriction went down from 93 kilos to 74. In a year then couldn’t keep up counting but quite stable at 82 kilos now and eating carbs. So definitely worked for me if you eat healthy also.

[@andreahughes1500]

Your point about using a food diary (and call it calorie counting if you want), is important. It is so easy to fool yourself about the quantity and quality of food you eat. The newer food trackers also count vitamins, macros and exercise. Even if the count isn’t 100% accurate, it does give a rough estimate and can highlight where you might be going wrong. For me, without tracking, I take in WAY too many carbs and not enough potassium or protein. Processed snacks are ubiquitous and tempting. People bring them in to work for free. It takes

[@markfernley4664]

I’m currently counting as it helps me not go too far over. It helps me make better decisions. I don’t always do it as it becomes a bit overwhelming.

[@lostinature]

Videos like this is where Ollie Really comes into his own. His ability to convey something that is quite complicated and/or boring in an interesting and relatable way, sets him apart from the other presenters. The nerdy approach and down to earth explanations really makes it work for me :)

[@alanc2039]

I like the way Ollie makes these challenging topics enjoyable. Keep up the good work Ollie (and John)

[@Nearly-at-the-top]

Do the cuts to Ollie walking and talking remind anyone else of Paul Whitehouse’s ‘Brilliant!’ character from The Fast Show? 🤣

[@GCNuser123]

my inspiration

[@cruachan1191]

With the jacket and hat he's even dressed like him. Brilliant!

[@tomelmer52]

int milk brilliant!

[@treyquattro]

Ollie's favorite dish: cheesy peas

[@volvo245]

Well now it does. That show was was so different because it made the rapid fire skits its main distinguishing feature.

[@Chuck6780]

Fantastic, Ollie! This is precisely the sort of middle-ground that I felt could've been highlighted better in the previous video. Top job! 👏

[@gcn]

We're always improving 🚀

[@dernieduff]

I always struggle with calorie counting and food tracking but I do find when I track what I am eating I am always surprised at what I actually consume! Great video guys

[@shaun7163]

Dan and Ollie making it two brilliant videos in a row! All we need now is Si to turn up tomorrow to give us detailed info on training methods and we'll be on for a hat-trick!

[@gcn]

Watch this space 👀

[@chriswillis515]

OMG a sensible video on healthy eating and living! Congrats @GCN

[@gcn]

Glad you enjoyed it! Are you team calorie count? 🤨

[@chriswillis515]

@@gcn I was for a few years, now I’m not due to some of the issues raised in the video, eating out, fresh home cooked food etc. however I’m very conscious of hydration so I track that.

[@SkylarsRnD]

I love love love when Ollie gets to nerd out on ANY subject!!!

[@gcn]

and there is nothing more than Ollie loves than nerding out 🙌

[@kippen64]

Over two years, I went from 115kg to 65/66kg without counting calories. I became more active and stopped sabotaging myself with family sized blocks of chocolate and share packets of chips (crisps). This was due to becoming happier. My advice is to limit foods that are high in calories and easy to eat. Stuff like chocolate, chips (crisps) and ice cream.

[@lasskinn474]

this intuitive limiting doesn't work for massively obese people who eat beyond maximum calories the body can even process. calorie counting and a strict max calorie limit does work, the only problem is that then they can't eat whatever they want. but like look even in that case the calories need to be only calculated on an approximated 1000 cals level. like on a level can you eat one MORE pizza in the day, not if you can eat 1 pizza in the day at all but if it's okay to eat multiples, but people who are 200kg+ do eat multiple pizzas worth over their limits on the regular.

[@alch3mi5t.]

"massively obese" people also struggle to commit to ANY sort of exercise. There is a tipping point where it becomes a serious medical condition and needs treated as such, rather than just making small changes in lifestyle like this video is suggesting. As the OP suggested, it is often a mental health issue where over eating can be a symptom. It's a cycling channel, so not unreasonable of them to assume the vast majority (not all off course) haven't crossed that tipping point....yet.

[@woutervanderdoes5163]

@@lasskinn474 It's not intuitive limiting. It's exactly what Ollie says in this video, don't grab ultra-processed stuff when you're feeling hungry. "Just grab a salad" makes it sound too easy, but it kind of does come down to that. The 200kg+ people from your example should eat rice with a veggie curry instead of pizza every day and they most likely will loose a ton of weight.

[@andlum83]

Currently at 105kg (1.90m)… awesome what you achieved there!

[@eddjcaine]

@@lasskinn474 I was massively obese. It worked for me (what Ollie says, not calorie counting)

[@andymonis5368]

Hi Ollie. Sorry your friends didn't stick around. This was a really good balanced video. I welcome more content like this, but I do like the bike reviews and ultra long events as well.

[@GCNuser123]

cheers pal.

[@michaelgriffiths305]

Fantastic video. If anyone other KZbin channel produced this it would be exceptional. It is! Controversial perhaps but GCN content has improved since the Discovery + debacle with GCN+. It’s like you all sat down and thought, “RIGHT what are we doing?” The vibe change is it “feels” like you’ve gone from traversing into cooperate vibe with requisite brand associations back to simply best cycling content channel - “for the people”. In truth, little May have changed apart from (perhaps) the language and innovation from presenters. Ollie you are excellent! Keep it real guys and lady!

[@alicejwho]

I love this! Thank you...more please! Also, Ollie is a great presenter. With regard to counting and restricting calories, if you're going to do it, do it conservatively and not as an interminable way of eating. The body will otherwise start to reduce energy expenditure and will lower your metabolism over time, so it becomes more efficient at running on less energy, which means prioritising your organs etc and not spending as much energy on superfluous things, such as muscles!! And hair. Etc. It's better to keep your metabolism up by eating lots, but healthily. I eat healthily all week (including porridge, rice and noodles) and then have a bit of chocolate on weekends. Not TRUCKLOADS! And I nibble it and let it melt in my mouth so it seems like I've eaten a lot more. If I go out to eat (which is rare) I'll have the whole shebang (and then feel sick, probably...but, no regrets!)

[@edwardmacrury5376]

Great video Dr Ollie, thx. Keep creating this type of content, educational and entertaining. Keep up the great work.

[@kimbrink8257]

This is one of the most informative and entertaining videos I've heard on the topic - and I work in the dietetic industry! I can't applaud this enough. Seriously well played Ollie.

[@rbonn3880]

Proper nutrition is elemental to optimizing performance. Ollie, loving your presentations and your sly side comments.

[@TheTurnerturner]

Great video, seen Jon at the end was the highlight!

[@supercoder7]

Top tier video! One of my favourite videos overall and the absolute top of GCN videos. Ollie is absolutely admirable when he digs deep into research to present and also simplify it for us. My second favourite GCN presenter (sorry Ollie Hank for some unexplainable reason is the most loveable).

[@liamhbray]

Ollie, this was an enjoyable presentation and I felt you are made a genuine attempt to be fair handed with the pros and cons of counting calories. You mention this in the video, but I think it’s worth emphasizing with your audience here in the comments that one of the dramatic effects of counting calories (and macros) is that you learn an incredible amount about the food you have been unassumingly consuming. I think this might produce a profound shift for many people. Equipping yourself with more knowledge about what you’re consuming is a fascinating process and one clear pathway to sustaining a better diet into the future. The precision of a nutrition label is misleading, and nutritional absorption efficiency, complicated, but “the perfect is the enemy of the good”. Perhaps we should call it “Calorie Estimating”.

[@billszymanski4844]

This was a very intelligent, yet practical video. I've been paying attention to these topics for awhile and still learned a few things. Who knew cooked celery had 6x the number of calories than raw? The nut butter vs nuts point was also enlightening. Do more like this. Well done!

[@flurblewibble7735]

Superb information - keep this up. Excellent

[@richiejames928]

Everyone should do a spell of calorie counting. if it works for you or not. It certainly makes you more aware of how calorific things are and also how much sugar is hiding in EVERYTHING.

[@The_Cotswold_Engineer]

I did calorie counting last year and the most useful thing about it was becoming more aware of the alleged values of foodstuffs. And then being able to trim down the high calorie food.

[@timcarnes3467]

Ollie you are so good at presenting!!! Serious with just the right amount of humor.

[@GCNuser123]

thanks mate! appreciate it!

[@mommamooney]

I’ve been looking forward to this video all week. I have implemented some of the advice from the last one and my jeans are loose and my gut is much happier. I’ve also seen people that are so focused lower calorie that they eat the “low cal” option of foods. Problem is, the calories removed are often replaced with chemicals. I try not to eat “chemistry sets” as often as I can

[@gcn]

Great work! We're super proud that we could be part of your journey 🙌 Keep up the hard work!

[@jonwilliams8366]

A great vid that tackles a really difficult topic in a very open and informed way. I do love the way you are addressing wider lifestyle issues interwoven with cycling. chapeau

[@nicholassale4046]

Really good video. There's so much nonsense out there on food - its really refreshing to see a well thought through, balanced report.

[@GCNuser123]

glad you appreciated the balance

[@zeveroarerules]

I think calory counting works in the sense that you are conscious of what you are eating. Same with intermittent fasting. You are aware of what and how you are eating so you do it "better". That's just my take though.

[@fictionalreality1010]

I’m no expert by any means, but something extraordinary that has worked for me is having a big meal (steak, eggs, rice…) But instead of sitting down and eating the whole meal. Leave the meal in the stove in a pan warm and snack on it over a few hours!

[@heidijarvis777]

Loved this, makes absolute sense. I lost a stone in 9 weeks without counting a single calorie, yes I was on slimming world but there idea is low fat, low sugar, low processed food and more vegetables on your plate

[@fedoresko]

Looks like everything important is covered in very precise manner in just 13 minutes. What a great work!

[@brandtfleming]

Excellant video, summation and presentation. One of the best GCN videos ... fantastic job Ollie and team

[@gcn]

We loved filming this one 🙌 Always learning with Bridgewood!

[@mathewrose2951]

Hats off to Dr. Bridgewood for lifting a glass of Amstel at 5:08 in a video that drops on the same Sunday as Amstel Gold is being raced! We appreciate this level of attention to detail..

[@gcn]

🤝

[@GCNuser123]

👌😉

[@MrC0MPUT3R]

I've used calorie counting to lose and gain weight a few times now. It's the only way I've found that consistently gets me the results I want. The key I feel is to track literally everything. Even if you think it wouldn't make a difference. You need to be very conscious of everything you're eating so nothing slips through.

[@hockysa]

Pretty balanced view of calorie counting. Makes sense to be used as a bench marking tool. Whole foods always the way to go but counting calories can help people get started.

[@hoser7706]

Love this content. Keep it going. I need something interesting and informative to watch while eating my post-ride crisps. 😬

[@peterward4005]

Overcoming binge eating disorder the book highlighted for me the importance of a food diary, basically in the modern world and trucking i hadnt had regular meal times for 6 years, only when i got that back can i make positive diet changes. So far so good. Food diary made it all possible. Love the content ollie top work!

[@MortenProm]

Great that you added the info about nuts. I consider that pretty hardcore knowledge, so gives the rest of the video lots of credibility :)

[@gcn]

What can we say, we're nuts for nuts 😉

[@eddjcaine]

This is a tour de force Ollie. Superb 👏🏻

[@gcn]

He is in his happy place here 🙌

[@christianCarbstrong]

Lol I've been waiting for you to make a video about this. You, me and Darian had a conversation about this years ago. You didn't agree. You also felt we were crazy for saying the more fruits and veggies you eat the healthier you would be. Glad you figured it out ❤

[@ScrapKing73]

I now eat only whole plant foods. Weight maintenance has never been easier. And I recover more quickly from workouts too. Totally satisfied. :-)

[@needmoregears8521]

Excellent video. Ive been tracking what i consume for several years. The calorie info is useful but just noting down the foods is helpful in keeping more towards the healthy side of things.

[@JBuchmann]

I consider calorie counting as keeping a "general"idea of the calories you eat in the day (it doesn't have to be highly accurate). Also factor in how much exercise / activity you have done in the day. Then over the weeks and months if you are gaining weight then you know to eat less if you are losing too much weight than eat more. (Also with considering the exercise)

[@Jayneflakes]

Asking a real scientist to do science videos was a really good call by GCN. These videos with GNC's own version of Martyn Poliakoff always have the same level of science enthusiasm as the real thing. Well done Oli.

[@GCNuser123]

love martyn! enjoyed talking with him when i was at nottingham!

[@CameronFraserACHF]

Spot on. Despite the scientific argument it was the one thing that made a difference for both me and my wife. I ran for nearly two decades, and then switched to cycling for the next. Still at the cycling at 67. My wife cycles, and walks, the latter for considerable distances and at considerable speed. We essentially never lost any weight (although I may argue that we rearranged the weight we had into slightly more attractive packages). Adding a calorie counting/food diary app to my routine four years ago produced instant results... 5 pounds down within about 10 days, 10 pounds down in 2 months, 20 pounds down in a year (and a bit of up and down on another five after that).... and my wife soon followed suit. The fact the loss was gradual meant that it has been easier to keep it off. (I do have to include that cutting way back on travelling for work was a significant contributor as well.) Calorie counting, both consumed and used, may be far from accurate. It does contribute to a consistent approach to portion control, food choices, and just general awareness. I can both agree with the science on the efficacy, and appreciate the effectiveness in my life.

[@Solarsystem50]

Very complete and accurate information. Dr. Bridgewood is the best. I like the Jon Cannings sighting too.

[@gcn]

Wild Jon spotted sipping a cold one ... in his natural habitat 👀

[@mortigard]

Great video! I've been counting calories/food dairy for two years now. I've learned that the following things are the ban to my slim belly: chips with salsa and beer. Also, I can only lose weight by riding my bike more. I end up binge eating if I try to reduce the amount of calories I eat.

[@gcn]

It's all about finding that exercise/diet balance 👌

[@DaylanTheAngrySauerkraut]

Omg I'm the same, since Long Covid, my whole body has changed and working to get back on the bike after 3 yrs to lose this wobblebottom I've acquired. Corn, any chips , and beers, gluten or lactose... boom... more padding on my ass.

[@vitico1630]

The video only talks about the problems that we currently face to count calories accurately, not necessarily that the concept is incorrect

[@Z-u-m-a]

Top video Ollie and team. Great balance of information. Couple of things spring to mind. 1. Satiation can be key to not over-eating. Foods that make you feel full/satisfied, especially in smaller quantities. Rich proteins - eggs, fish, nuts etc. Lost a stone focussing on this. 2. Are there any longer term health implications for being are such a fine weight/energy demand balance as for example the Visma team? Things like pressure on internal organs.

[@MrG-ed9ke]

Oliver Bridgewood... As always your content does NOT disappoint 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@bejo-108]

Great, informative video. more like this please. thanks

[@thelanehamartteacher9518]

Excellent vid, and your advice is exactly what I was doing. I keep a food diary and it has highlighted how ‘little treats’ add up. Pairing it with a training diary really helps to demonstrate why you’re feeling a particular way, when training. You might notice you haven’t drunk enough, had enough carbs or not enough protein after. I discovered my protein was waaay down and my husband discovered he wasn’t drinking enough and he needs to keep his stress response in check. Again- excellent vid.

[@Whoisit84]

Great Job Ollie! This was fantastic.

[@1carus1]

Great vid. 100% agree. One thing calorie counting apps are good for is helping to educate the caloric costs of foods. I ate huge amounts of chickpeas and kidney beans. They’re great for you but have high fat content when eaten in large quantities. I still eat them but in smaller quantities.

[@Trumpetblast92]

One big thing calorie counting helped me with was encouraging me to be more mindful of the serving sizes. I’ve found that I am quite terrible at looking at my food on a plate and estimating how much it weighs.

[@djohnson1981]

Well done! One thought on the lack of ability to precisely measure calories in or even calories out for that matter... we can measure their ultimate result by simply weighing the subject and inferring from any change in weight the direction of the calorie balance.

[@oxomono]

I love this video. You guys are doing an awesome work. On a personal note, I love when a video just tells me that the relation I have with food since I was a child has been the right one. ;) Thanks mum!

[@jamesengelsma3]

Can you do a video on how to fuel properly with carbs before events like you talked about? Like how soon before the event to eat the carbs, how many grams of carbs to eat, what are some healthy high density sources of carbs etc? Thanks!

[@FSR2007]

Main benefit I found from counting calories was the stuff mentioned around 8:30 in the video, understanding that 2 poached eggs on a bit of toast is a much better use of calories than a bowl of cereal, as it'll fill me up! Eating less processed food and more real food really helped me. Down from 93kg to 83kg and just trying to stay around there now.

[@flipper2gv]

This was a very nicely balanced video. Good job.

[@gcn]

Thanks for commenting! Always great to hear people are loving our content 🙌

[@davidashton3396]

Good video and loved the Cannings cameo too!

[@gcn]

Who doesn't love a Cannings cameo!

[@apocreg11]

This sort of level headed approach will never take off!

[@eoinjobrien]

Really informative video Ollie👍

[@undrwings]

Love it. Well done.

[@dazzawest]

Looked forward to this video, didn't disappoint. Great video, really interesting, one the best videos GCN have done.

[@gcn]

Glad you enjoyed it! Any other subjects we should cover?

[@GCNuser123]

glad you liked it

[@Transtaganu]

Great video, again 😁I really like this sort of video, science based about nutrition and training. I would like to suggest that you make a video about active recovery, science based, of course... 😁

[@antonyadshead965]

Does anyone remember 'brilliant kid' in the Fast Show?

[@declanbroderick4453]

Great video Ollie, I can always count on you.

[@we1rd92]

If i don't at least keep an eye on my caloric intake, i eat like 3-4k kcals a day and gain weight. That is with mostly unprocessed foods. But i'm a comfort eater and always have the urge to eat until i'm stuffed so you could call that an eating disorder. But counting calories helps to keep the weight off.

[@katesmiles4208]

Me too 😊

[@jimkarthauser]

This was an excellent watch

[@kevingregoire1042]

thanks Ali, a lot of people explain food disorders, thank you for explaining food order.

[@andrewmcalister3462]

@GCN The sheer volume of positive comments on this video shows you have absolutely nailed it. Ollie deserves a special mention at the GCN Xmas party.

[@uglygirlftw]

Love this kind of content. Love Ollie. Keep em coming

[@gcn]

We love Ollie too 🙌 Any other subjects you would like us to address?

[@HighFell]

So glad you did this, efficacy v effectiveness is lost in most write ups of studies. Essentially counting calories could work if we could do it accurately, but as of now we can’t. Avoiding most UPF (including sports drinks/gels/bars) is appropriate for most people. Get fibre in your diet and eat whole foods rather than packet stuff. 👍

[@williamsylvia3962]

That was great! Thanks for the breakdown Ollie!

[@gcn]

If you really want to see Ollie breakdown tell him aero sucks 🤣

[@casperTFG939]

Counting calories helped me lose 47 lbs. I ate anything I wanted but stayed in a deficit. It s not for everyone but worked for me...consistency is key!

[@lukepowell1201]

Excellent video.

[@matt-j6q]

I think a similar video on trying to gain weight might be interesting for those of us who struggle to eat enough to maintain or gain weight when doing high intensity excercise that burns a lot of calories, especially without putting on unneccesary fat and trying to limit it to muscle gain, as well as avoiding more processed / fast foods that generally let you eat more calories before you feel full. Personally if I try eat natural foods I get full quickly and find although my stomach is full, my body still shows signs of wanting more carbs. This normally means I resort to quick and easy foods such as chocolate milk that has a lot of calories without filling you up

[@MarkSheldon-c8s]

Brilliant. The best video on calories I've seen yet.

[@GCNuser123]

share it with someone if you think they will like it!

[@Aragorn.Strider]

Ehm at 1:21 that delta time can be any value (except 0) and that sum divide will also be 0. So better remove the delta t

[@WillN2Go1]

Good video. I've mostly done keto / low carbs for the past 5 years. I've documented my calories/fat/carbs/protein. First two results. What we think of as a very low carb diet is often not even close. Second, calories absolutely count (with your caveats). When I eat 2300c/day I gain weight, when I eat 1600 and 75 minutes on the treadmill, don't eat for another 12 hours, I can lose weight. Emphasis on 'can.' (Also I'm 68 which is an important factor.) 18 years ago I was fat. Lost 45 lbs and kept almost all of it off since then. Six months ago I set out to lose the 15 lbs I'd gained back over the past couple of years. Now everything I write here doesn't mean cyclists shouldn't carb load, it's just a different way at looking at nutrition that I think is useful to know. If you're a pudgy weekend cyclist who'd like to trim down but haven't been able to, my experience might be useful to know about. (And cut the booze. When I was a 23 year old distance runner, one beer every day or so and I'd always have a belly.) I wasn't able to actually be keto until I created a database and logged all my macro nutrients and calories. So food diary YES. I have a standard diet, don't eat out much, so it's easy to keep track of. The first result was that my carbs were still too high. The diary helped me get any level I wanted. (Keto caveat. Whipped cream, coconut oil, tons of butter are probably not wise. Olive oil seems great and I do eat a lot of cheese. Whole milk mozzarella cheese sticks 2-3 as my first food of the day seems to be a good foundation. My cholesterol shot up to 150, but with more sensible 50% 60% fats, low carbs and taking a statin, last test it was 90. So keto is a great source of information and a good component, but it's not a religion. I was also warned by an athlete/doctor, "Keto is great only if you exercise. Don't have a 'skinny' heart attack." That happened to someone he knew. 70 to 80% fats and 5 to 10% carbs, 20 to 25% protein is the Keto Diet. I keep to the protein levels. What I've learned. Exercise usually makes us even more hungry. Fats satiate our hunger. A 50-65% fat diet is the critical factor between me being a carb addicted American into someone who can easily intermittently fast for 16 hours. Psychology, anxiety, lack of discipline, etc... seems a trigger for constant snacking, but a fat diet (even with fewer calories) solves that completely. Cart before the horse. Athletes. Caveat. Your results will be different from mine. I exercise, I'm fit, but I'm not a 25 year old athlete. I do know that we probably don't need to consume carbs while we're exercising. When I was keto 2020, I would finish eating at 4 pm, the next day I'd wake up, drink black coffee, go out and paddle 11 miles in 4 hours. No wall. I wouldn't feel hungry when I got finished. I'd eat on the way home only because a store I liked to buy my groceries at was on the way home. No wall. If you've never experienced this it's worth it to get there and see what it's like. I've done overnight hikes with no food for 24 hours without a problem. No bear is going to visit my tent for water and instant coffee. Htting the wall, "oh my, I'm going to die if I don't get something... how am I ever going to make it back?? this is my last step...and another last step..." for the next 90 minutes to get back? That's ketosis, but our body just isn't used to it. My times on the 3 hour 10nMile paddles 18 years ago were 80 minutes out/wall/100 back. I've got about 23% body fat at the moment. Say 20%, that's 30lbs of fat. 3500 calories is one pound of fat, which means burning 1750c/day as a basal rate I'm carrying 20 days of fuel. There was a grossly overweight man in Scotland who only drank water for over a year. Any of us could go out and run a marathon, take a snooze, do it again the next day. Our bodies seem to find a weight range and then stick to it. If we're overweight, our bodies seem to try to keep that weight. If we lose weight and keep it at that lower range our bodies recalibrate to that and keep it there. (I just spent four days driving to see the eclipse eating snacks. Two days after getting back the 1.8lbs I seem to have gained dropped right off. A huge dinner 6000 c also makes no difference after a week.) The key component for weight loss: ketosis. Kayaking 18 years ago I would always hit the wall, (carb depletion) halfway, struggle back. But on the drive home I would recover and not feel hungry. So I didn't eat. My body would feel warmer, but my temp almost never registered higher. As soon as I started eating, that warmth would go away. I dropped 45 pounds, put on a lot of muscle in a few months. Years later learning about keto I repeated this and using pee strips and realized that back in the day I had been in ketosis - burning my body fat. And it comes off quickly, a couple pounds a week. With keto a calorie is a calorie. If I ate 2400c and exercised I could gain weight, or stay constant.There are good videos on keto and athletes which know a lot more than me. Ketosis is difficult to trigger. You can go out for a ride until you hit the wall, no gatorade or power bars, and then not eat for several hours. (and then eat healthy and balanced.) The full bore 70 to 80% keto diet is also good at getting there. My current 60% fat diet, intermittent fasting, it doesn't always trigger ketosis. The strips will say Trace or Small. Exercise and fasting until the next day usually works. But even a small snack or nibble can keep it from happening. (The risk on a bike versus kayaking is hitting the wall makes us a bit wonky in the head. No traffic on the ocean. Important safety consideration for cyclists.) And since I've learned all this and effectively applied it a couple of times with long term results (I'm down 13 lbs in the past two months) I have still been back through every stage of eating behaviors, snacking, cravings, being a lazy no exercise (my treadmill and bike never got Covid what was my excuse?), etc, etc... Our guts control our eating behavior. You probably need cheese sticks in the morning not an antidepressant. (I think it's like what used to be thought of about stomach ulcers (and migraines which I had). It was believed they were caused by stress. If you have an ulcer or migraines you have a lot of stress. If you get antibiotics for the ulcer and pollution is lowered and you have Imitrex for the migraines -- the stress vanishes. Our gut is the horse our neurotic snacking is the cart. The general thinking gets them backward. ) Your first meal of the day, give your gut some healthy fats, some protein and the rest should be easier to control. Okay. Did anyone read this far?

[@rg807]

Really excellent video.

[@stusnell5792]

LOL to closing sequence. Ollie buying Jon a beer so it looks like he has a friend! 🤣

[@melibaut]

Great video and thanks for making it! I like calorie counting , but I do forget to record my meals. So I try to just eat healthy, and limit processed foods. I've even added fermented foods at the suggestion of Ollie's last video and I definitely feel like I've got more energy! PS you forgot to sign off like you usually do 😂

[@gcn]

This was a serious sign off for a serious video 🤣 Great to hear you've picked up some of our tips!

[@Pratalax]

Uh-oh. The stage is set: Backwards Hat Dylan vs Backwards Hat Ollie - last bro standing!!

[@JamesAnderson123]

Best video of the year - really great job, Ollie.