Calorie Counting Better than Exercise?
Official surveys say that we Brits are eating only 2,000 calories a day (good job us). We’re buying less food and eating less in recent decades…but obesity rates are rising?
Official stats are inaccurate!
The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), an independently run organisation, has challenged official surveys as these facts just don’t add up. If we really are eating less, then why are obesity rates increasing? The scientific, chemical and economic studies of the BIT suggest that we are actually consuming 3,000 calories a day.
But why are official surveys so inaccurate? Well, coincidentally, it’s the same reason that obesity rates are rising: we are not answering surveys accurately, because we don’t know what we’re eating. Snacks are difficult to keep track of, drinks can be deceptive and our desire to lose weight is making us dishonest to others and ourselves. So we’re not answering surveys truthfully and we’re packing on the pounds from not knowing how many calories we’re consuming.
But what does this mean?
The government says that a fall in exercise is the issue and encourages this more than any other means. However, this BBC article shows how exercise is not the issue, but that our calorie intake is. BIT experts show that calorie counting is actually a more effective means of losing weight than exercise.