Calorie Restriction for Weight Loss — Can we please stop pretending it works?

The scientific truth they don’t want you to know

The ‘gold standard’ for weight loss strategies is aptly named “Eat Less, Move More” based on the Calories In, Calories Out notion. Because Body Fat = Calories In — Calories Out, nutritional authorities say that to lose Body Fat, you need to either reduce Calories In (ie. Eat Less) or increase Calories Out (ie. Move More). This advice is everywhere you look. The US government (nutrition.gov) tells you this in no uncertain terms.

The American Heart Association provides virtually identical advice. It’s all about calories, and the ‘scientific’ way to lose weight is to either cut the calories you eat, or increase how much you exercise.

Calories In Calories Out is simplistic and shallow

This seemingly straightforward equation is wrong because it focuses on the proximate, not the root causes, as…