30/11/2025
7 reasons why calories don’t tell the full story
1. Same diet, different results
People on identical calorie diets show big differences in insulin, liver fat, and fat burning.
If “a calorie is a calorie,” this shouldn’t happen.
2. Same calories, different risk
Genetics count. Some ethnic groups develop obesity and diabetes more easily, even with similar calorie intake.
Biology isn’t equal.
3. Altitude lower body fat without cutting calories
Low oxygen environments raise hormones like GLP-1 and leptin.
Hormones, not calories, drive this.
4. Same calories, different absorption
Your gut bacteria influence calories ‘harvest’ from the food you eat. Two people can eat the same meal and get different energy from it.
CICO misses this.
5. Same calories, different fat gain (animal models)
Mice ate the same amount of food, but those with certain gut bacteria got much fatter.
Lesson: It’s not just calories, your biology matters.
6. Sunlight affects weight
Greater morning sunlight correlates with lower BMI, even if you eat the same.
Light has no calories, yet it matters.
7. Energy burn changes without calorie change
Certain light wavelengths change how your mitochondria burn energy.
Same calories, different metabolism.
Bottom Line:
Calories matter, but they’re not the whole picture.
Your body decides whether energy is stored or burned
And that depends on biology, not just maths.
