Eating and gaining weight, or the fact of wanting to slim down and not being able to, is one of the most frustrating situations people face, especially now that more and more individuals decide to go on vacation. It is very common for most people to start diets they see online or to base their approach on figuring out what those calories are that they should burn if they want to lose weight through apps or charts found on the internet. However, this rarely works and ends up producing more frustration than anything. That is why nutritionist Pablo Ojeda has revealed on his social media the mistake that almost all of us make: design nutrition plans based on random numbers and without real evidence. As a solution, the expert proposes a scientific, highly precise tool that, according to him, “is not talked about enough”: indirect calorimetry.
The majority of generic nutritional guidelines estimate what your body spends using mathematical formulas. However, every metabolism is completely different, so this method doesn’t reliably guarantee the exact changes you’re aiming for. “Many times we base diets on fictitious calories that I burn, but perhaps I burn more or I burn less,” says Pablo. If your metabolism is slower than what a mobile app indicates, you’ll end up eating more without realizing it and you won’t lose weight. If it’s faster, you’ll eat less and you’ll feel hungry needlessly.
What is indirect calorimetry used for?
Although the name indirect calorimetry sounds very technical and complicated, nutritionist Pablo Ojeda explains that it is actually an extremely simple medical test, it hurts nothing and takes only about 25 minutes. To help us understand it better, the expert compares it with what we do when we start training: “Just as when we want to do sports, for instance, if I’m aiming to prepare for a marathon or to run, it’s recommended to undergo a stress test to see what my limits are and how far I can push myself; in nutrition, we have this test as well.” Moreover, it is truly very easy to perform. In fact, all it requires is a specialist placing a comfortable mask on you while you’re relaxed, and you simply have to breathe normally. At that moment, the machine measures the oxygen entering your lungs and the carbon dioxide you exhale. With that simple breath analysis, the medical team calculates the exact energy your body uses to keep functioning in daily life, or, as Ojeda himself succinctly puts it, thanks to this test “you can see the real calories you spend.”
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James Whitaker
I’m James Whitaker, a UK-based journalist focused on emerging trends and everyday stories gaining attention across the country. I cover the topics people start talking about before they fully break into the mainstream. My work aims to stay clear, factual, and closely connected to how news is actually consumed today.