How Calories Impact Your Immune System
Hey, what’s up? It’s Dr. Jade Teta here…
I know it’s all the rage in fitness these days to say, “Calories don’t matter. Only HORMONES matter!”
I’m an endocrinologist, which means I study hormones. And our company is called Metabolic Living — and we specialize in helping folks optimize metabolic hormones. So, you’d think we’d be on the “calories don’t matter” train, too.
Not at all.
Calories absolutely matter — for weight loss, for a healthy metabolism, and for a strong immune system.
And if you’re not getting the right calorie balance for YOUR body, you could be setting yourself up for weight gain (or at least stalled weight loss), a stressed-out metabolism, and weak immunity.
What do calories have to do with your immune system? Here’s how it works…
A quick note: please understand, your body is not a calculator. It doesn’t scan the nutrition label on everything you put in your mouth and keep a running tab. It’s not exact.
But in general, you WILL gain weight if you eat too many calories and don’t burn enough. As they say, “You can’t out-train a bad diet.”
The “eat more, exercise less” approach is what I call the “Couch Potato” model. That makes sense. But THIS one might surprise you…
On the flip side, it’s also hard to be healthy if you exercise a ton, then eat TOO FEW calories.
I have seen this “eat less, exercise more” approach backfire for Dieters time and again… causing them to GAIN weight.
How can that be?
In both scenarios… for both the Couch Potato and the Dieter… the metabolism is in a state of STRESS.
You can tell, because the body is gaining weight. And I bet if you talked to a Dieter or a Couch Potato, they’d tell you they don’t feel that great either.
I’d be willing to bet their SHMEC is often out of check. They can’t Sleep well… they’re Hungry all the time… they’re Moody… their Energy is unstable… and they probably Crave sweet, fatty or salty foods a lot of the time.
Even worse — they probably get sick often.
That’s because your immune system depends on your metabolism to deliver consistent fuel. But if your metabolism is stressed out enough, it might forget to fuel your immune system at all!
So, how do you know if your metabolism is stressed out — and preferably, before you gain weight or get sick?
That’s easy. It’ll tell you.
The first and most immediate metabolic distress signal is that your SHMEC goes out of check.
Again, that’s Sleep, Hunger, Mood, Energy and Cravings. These biofeedback signals will usually tell you what’s up within a day or three, if not a few hours after you eat.
The second signal is that you can’t lose weight… you’re gaining weight consistently… or you’re “yo-yo-ing.”
So how do you get into an ideal, balanced metabolic state… where your SHMEC is in check, you’re losing weight at a healthy pace (and keeping it off), and your immune system is strong?
Thankfully, there are two OTHER metabolic models beyond the Dieter and the Couch Potato…
And that’s what I’ll go through in the video lesson below.
Remember, the most EFFECTIVE thing you can do to boost immunity is to strengthen your metabolism, because your metabolism POWERS your immune system.
And finding the ideal calorie balance for YOUR body… that matches your lifestyle and preferences… is key to long-term health.
I hope you’re enjoying this free immune system crash course. Please feel free to leave us a comment or question below!