PRECISION NUTRITION BLOG
www.precisionnutrition.com/what-are-your-4-lbsWhat are your 4 pounds made of?
I don’t know what you had for lunch today, but I had 18 apples.
What do you think of that? You probably think I’m a glutton and have the GI tract of a gorilla.
But check this – a typical fast food value meal has the same amount of calories as 18 apples. 18! So I wanted to see what would happen if I downed the same amount of calories from apples.
Not pretty.
Yet I’ve had buddies knock back 2 value meals while watching Monday Night Football. And no, I haven’t seen any of them go through a bag of red delicious by the 4th quarter.
Well, it tells me that Mother Nature has got your back.
Remember:
- Real food regulates appetite – so you don’t overeat
- Real food controls blood sugar/insulin – so you can avoid energy swings and diabetes
- Real food provides the best nutrition – so you can remain healthy for life
- Real food has a sane amount of energy – so that you can’t accidentally overeat
- Real food has a longstanding relationship with our body – so that our bodies know what to do with it
Energy density
This leads me to the world of energy density. Are you familiar with it? It’s the amount of energy (calories) per unit of food. Let me explain.
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This is 200 calories of melon. This is a lot of melon.
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This is 200 calories of cheese. This isn’t very much cheese.
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This is 200 calories of celery. Good luck eating this.
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This is 200 calories of a candy bar. Good luck NOT eating this.
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Seeing a trend? It’s hard to rack up excess energy (calories) from whole, real, calorie-dilute foods.
Food poundage
Interestingly, research shows that most humans eat around 3-5 pounds of food per day. Indeed, as we approach 4 pounds of food intake for the day, most of us are feeling pretty satisfied.
Now, this can be 4 pounds of celery. Or it can be 4 pounds of candy bars. It’s not the food or calorie content that matters. It’s the volume/poundage that counts. And obviously, there are some big nutrient differences between celery and candy bars, right?
Now, let’s take some extreme examples of this…
- 4 pounds of raw veggies will provide 400 calories
- 4 pounds of raw fruits will provide 1000 calories
- 4 pounds of cooked whole grains/legumes provides 1600 calories
- 4 pounds of nuts/seeds provides about 10,000 calories
- 4 pounds of Lucky Charms, Pop Tarts, Cheese provides about 10,000 calories
Note: I’m showing calories only as a measurement unit to help illustrate a point. Don’t get wrapped up in the numbers.
People that struggle with body fat management tend to fill up on energy dense, processed foods. This means stored energy for later.
Translation: Fatness.
If we eat 4 pounds of energy-controlled, whole, real food – we get lots of nutrition with a calorie count that our body can handle.
What’s our poundage portion?
Most people in the U.S. are consuming (on average) the following amounts of food each day:
2.0 pounds of meat, dairy and eggs
1.5 pounds fruits and veggies
0.5 pound grains
0.5 pounds added sugars, fats and oils
= 4.5 pounds
= about 3,700 calories per day
1.5 pounds fruits and veggies
0.5 pound grains
0.5 pounds added sugars, fats and oils
= 4.5 pounds
= about 3,700 calories per day
What if we switched this around?
2.5 pounds of fruits and veggies
1.0 pounds of grains and legumes
0.3 pounds nuts/seeds
0.3 pounds meat, dairy and eggs
0.1 pounds added sugars, fats and oils
= 4.2 pounds
= about 2,075 calories per day (this isn’t really that much, especially if you’re physically active.)
1.0 pounds of grains and legumes
0.3 pounds nuts/seeds
0.3 pounds meat, dairy and eggs
0.1 pounds added sugars, fats and oils
= 4.2 pounds
= about 2,075 calories per day (this isn’t really that much, especially if you’re physically active.)
Putting it to the test
I’m curious: what does a day of my food weigh?
How much my day of food weighs = 3.7 pounds
Foods – Clockwise, starting in upper right
2 lentil burgers, steamed broccoli
Peaches & blueberries
Raw buckwheat granola with hempseeds and flax
Roasted garbanzos & goji berries
Sprouted grain bread with peanut butter
Lettuce & kale
Celery, carrots, zucchini
Peaches & blueberries
Raw buckwheat granola with hempseeds and flax
Roasted garbanzos & goji berries
Sprouted grain bread with peanut butter
Lettuce & kale
Celery, carrots, zucchini
Note: I was surprised it didn’t weigh more. The actual food weighs less than 3.7 pounds, as the food containers contribute to the total weight. I left out condiments like salad dressing and mustard.
Oh, and this was just a random day of eating. Some days I eat more, some days less.
What have we learned today?
If we prioritize and eat nutritious, real, controlled energy foods – there isn’t much room left for the energy dense, fake foods. You only have about 3-5 pounds to work with each day.
So… think about it…what are your 4 pounds made up of?
Learn more
To learn more about making important improvements to your nutrition and exercise program, check out the following 5-day video courses.
They’re probably better than 90% of the seminars we’ve ever attended on the subjects of exercise and nutrition (and probably better than a few we’ve given ourselves, too).
The best part? They’re totally free.
To check out the free courses, just click one of the links below.
Have a very fit day!
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