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Barbell Medicine Podcast

Barbell Medicine Podcast

Is It Really Just Calories In, Calories Out? Metabolism, Insulin, Hormones and Why Counting Fails

Jul 17, 2026 · 31m

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About this episode

Is weight loss really just Calories in, Calories out? The equation is true, but "just count your Calories" is bad advice for most people, and almost every objection to it is pointing at something real. In part two of our energy balance series, Jordan Feigenbaum takes the biggest "it's not Calories, it's ___" claims (metabolism, thyroid, cortisol, PCOS, insulin, the type of food) and tests each against the best evidence. The verdict: none of them breaks the equation. Every one is a hand on a lever that moves Calories in or Calories out, not a hole in the math. In this episode: why your metabolism does not crash at 40, how small real metabolic adaptation actually is after weight loss, why…