What we know about nutrition is way less than we think

Jane Arlow • January 8, 2025

That's right, we just don't really know!

I'm dropping a nutrition blog today, because I know that after the end of the festive season, many of us (me included) are finding our jeans are feeling a bit snug.

If you've been here for a while, you know that:

a) I think about food all.the.time; and

b) I am not about starting the year with denial and starvation. It's too cold for that shiz; and

c) I hate all the BS ads that come out at this time of year telling you doing "this one thing" is going to make you lose weight.

So I thought I'd arm you with some healthy scepticism so you can be more discerning in what you believe.

Because actually, what no one really tells you about nutrition is that there's way more we don't know, than we do know.

What do we know?

OK, I started this with the headline that we know less than we think about nutrition and how the body works.

There is some stuff we do know:

More exercise <> more weight loss

Meta-studies (i.e. studying the outcomes of multiple studies to draw out the consistent themes) have identified that exercise on its own is poorly correlated with weight loss.

In fact, it seems likely that if we exercise a lot, our body goes into a kind of saving mode, where we become more efficient at calorie burning.

And that often, when we exercise more, it makes us more hungry so we eat more.

Where the studies seem to indicate that exercise plays a part, is in weight maintenance - meaning that those who exercise are more likely to keep weight off.

That might be more about consistent eating habits that the individuals sustain over time as much as the exercise. We don't know 🤷🏽‍♀️

We also know that the narrative about weight loss being a function of exercise has been driven largely by manufacturers of processed foods and beverages.

Take from that what you will.

Our metabolisms probably don't slow down after the age of 40

More meta-studies indicate that we underestimate the amount of calories we consume and over-estimate the amount of activity we do.

And that actually, metabolism stays fairly stable until you're in your 70's.

Sorry.

It's more than just calories in - calories out.

Our brains want to conserve energy and that's why these "just do this one thing" stories are so appealing.

But our bodies are systems and while being in calorie equilibrium (i.e. calories in = calories out) will help you maintain weight, it's not the whole story.

Sleep and stress play a big part, as does the amount of non-exercise movement you do.

And, emerging research is starting to identify that not all calories are created equal when it comes to weight gain/ maintenance/ loss.

Where you get your calories from matters as much as the number of calories (i.e. eating calories from nutrient dense foods will be way better for your whole system than the same number of calories from nutrient-poor food).

Being ultra restrictive is boring as arse.

Life's for living.

And there's nothing guaranteed to have you reaching for a big slab of chocolate than being told you can't have it.

Instead, think about doing more things that are good for you.

Add in more brightly coloured fruit veggies.

Eat more lean protein and fibre.

Move more throughout the day e.g. add a quick morning or lunchtime walk.

Add some Pilates to help calm your nervous system.

If you're not currently taking Pilates classes with us, drop me an email to jane@japilates.co.uk and let me sort you out!

Want some more reading around these topics? I've got you!

Check out these other blogs:

Five proven strategies to avoid weight gain