You asked, we listened. Follower question of the week.
Q: Should I be counting calories on F-Factor?
A: There is absolutely no need to count calories while following F-Factor. F-Factor is about Freedom and changing your life without compromising your lifestyle, could you imagine if upon starting you were expected to spend all your time looking up calorie counts, and meticulously adding up every little thing that you ate? AND doing that day in and day out? That would be maddening, and far from sustainable! Fortunately, that’s not the case. F-Factor’s Proprietary Algorithm for Weight Management ensures weight loss without hunger—or counting calories either.
BUT WHY?
The reason counting calories is unnecessary on F-Factor is that there is an inherent calorie-cap built into the program. As long as you reach your daily fiber goal and limit your intake of simple carbohydrates to the amount allowable in each Step, you are guaranteed to feel full without exceeding your calorie needs for the day. Is this to say calories don’t count? Not at all! At the end of the day, it is calories that control weight gain or weight loss. The more calories you eat, the more weight you will gain; and the only way to lose weight is to take in fewer calories than your body burns. But, if following F-Factor correctly, you need not split hairs over the number of calories you’re taking in, because we took care of that for you. From step to step on the F-Factor Diet, you will feel satiated and satisfied, and receive the proper nourishment you need order to keep energy levels up and remain in good health.
AND YOU’RE SURE IT DOESN’T HELP?
Counting calories can help for some people, but the reason we don’t recommend it is because for the vast majority of us, counting calories has a negative connotation; its often associated with restriction. It’s much more beneficial for you to focus on the abundance of food you are eating instead. The goal on F-Factor is to get at least 35g of fiber per day, with no upward limit. By focusing on eating more fiber, rather than what you’re omitting or limiting when calorie counting, feelings typically associated with dieting, like denial and deprivation, are minimized and the plan is both more sustainable and enjoyable.
IS THERE ANYTHING I SHOULD TRACK? WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW?
While it is not necessary to count calories when following F-Factor, you will need to track your total carbohydrate and fiber intake. This is how you will determine how many net carbs you’ve taken in (total carb – fiber = net carb). Journaling, either with a F-Factor Journal or with the F-Factor App, makes this all the easier, and is something that becomes second nature in time.
In addition to carbs, net carbs and fiber, there are a few other numbers that can be useful to keep in mind to ensure your success on F-Factor:
35
minimum grams of fiber you want to aim for per day. 35 grams is actually the minimum for women, men should aim for slightly more, like 38 grams. Many people following F-Factor get upwards of 60 grams of fiber per day, as there is no upward limit as to how much you can eat. However, if you are just starting on F-Factor, slowly increase your fiber intake, and eat as much as you can tolerate.
35 – 75 – 125
grams of net carbs allowed per day on each stage of the diet. On Step 1 of The F-Factor Diet you want to say under 35g of net carbs per day. Step 2 allows you to incorporate 3 additional servings of carbohydrates per day (for a total of 6 servings of carbohydrates), so your daily net carb allowance becomes 75g. Step 3, otherwise known as the Maintenance Phase, adds another 3 servings of carbohydrates on top of what is allowed in Step 2 (for a total of 9 servings of carbs per day), which makes the daily net carb max 125g.
15
grams of carbs in 1 slice of white bread. When it comes to making smart choices about what we should eat, many of us tend to have a much better grasp what X number of calories looks like than we do X number of carbs. For this reason, we have F-Factor Principal of Carbohydrate Equivalency (AKA The Slice of White Bread Rule). To give people a sense of what a number of grams of carbs looks like, we speak in terms of slices of white bread. Everyone knows what a slice of white bread looks like, well, that’s 15g of carbs. Two slices of white bread? 30 grams of carbs. So if you see a food has 45 grams of carbs, you know that’s the equivalent to 3 slices of white bread—great if that’s an entire bagel (which is normally 105g carbs!), not so great if that’s just one measly green juice. Essentially, this helps people conceptualize whether a food has a lot of carbs (and thus will take up more space in their glycogen stores) or a little. And since we’re talking about it, 2 Twizzlers? That’s 1 entire slice of white bread in terms of carbs.
3
liters of water you should aim to drink each day. Not only is water essential for nearly every bodily function, but fiber needs water to work it’s magic. Aim for 3 liters of water per day to ensure proper hydration.
33
grams of additional fat you can have per day if you are on Step 1. F-Factor isn’t a no-fat diet, it’s a low fat diet. Roughly 30% of your calories per day should come from healthy fats, which equates to ~33g additional fats if you are on Step 1 of the F-Factor Diet. Keep in mind that this number is additional fats, this is on top of, and does not include the healthy fats in fish and lean proteins like grass-fed meat and low-fat dairy. For information on which foods are fats on F-Factor, see page 41 of the F-Factor Diet book.
135
calories in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. The reason this is included here is because oil can add up QUICKLY, and thus significantly alter the caloric density of an otherwise healthy, light dish. For more on where olive oil fits into your diet, click here.
3-4 / 6-8
ounces of protein you should have at each meal (for women and men, respectively). Women should have 3-4 oz protein at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and men should have 6-8 oz. For snack, that’s 1-2 oz for women, and 2-3 oz for men.
100
maximum calories a Step 1 dessert should be. We don’t recommend getting in the habit of having dessert every night, but if you must indulge, and you have not exceeded your daily net carb allotment, aim for something that is under 100 calories, and less than 15g net carb. If something is above 100 calories and/or 15g net carb, have half.
646 – 442 – 3904
number to call to make an appointment with a F-Factor Registered Dietitian. Working one-on-one, or in a group setting, with a F-Factor RD makes fast and easy weight management, as they tailor the plan to meet your specific needs. For more on why working with a RD can help you more effectively reach your goals, click here.
2, 0
how to journal a glass of wine on F-Factor. Your average 5oz glass of wine won’t contain any fiber (hence the 0), but will contribute 2 grams of carbs to your total carbohydrate intake.