Weight loss is often reduced to one sentence: eat less and move more.
In this episode of The Weigh In by Journable, nutritionist Rebecca Labaki explains why that advice can be incomplete, especially for people dealing with blood sugar issues, insulin resistance, PCOS/PMOS symptoms, chronic stress, poor sleep, gut health problems, or stubborn cravings.
Rebecca does not dismiss calories. In fact, she makes it clear that energy balance still matters. But her point is that calories are only one part of the picture. Food quality, macros, meal timing, cortisol, insulin, gut health, and the person’s biology can all change how sustainable a plan feels and how the body responds.
This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Speak with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes related to medical conditions, medication, or treatment.
Rebecca Labaki is the nutritionist behind Re.Nutrify. She has a background in clinical and public health nutrition, with additional specialization in diabetes.
That background led her deeper into insulin resistance, blood sugar management, PCOS, hormonal health, and gut health. In the episode, Rebecca explains that these topics are connected. A person may come to the clinic wanting to lose weight, but the assessment often uncovers issues with sleep, stress, digestion, blood sugar, hormones, food quality, or lifestyle structure.
Her approach is practical: understand the body first, then build habits that fit the person’s real life.
Rebecca says one of the biggest obstacles she sees is the assumption that eating less will automatically solve weight loss.
Many clients come to her after already reducing calories aggressively. In those cases, she may need to explain that eating more strategically can sometimes support better results. That does not mean eating without structure. It means giving the body enough energy, enough protein, the right macro balance, and enough food quality to support metabolism, training, hormones, and day-to-day function.
Steve pushes on this point because it sounds counterintuitive. Rebecca clarifies that she is looking at the person’s needs, activity level, calories, macros, food quality, and how the diet affects gut health and energy.
The point is not “calories do not matter.” The point is that calories alone are not enough context.
Rebecca describes weight loss as more detailed than simply assigning someone a calorie number.
Calories are part of the foundation. Macros matter because protein, carbohydrates, and fats affect recomposition, training, satiety, and energy. Food quality matters because it affects the gut, micronutrients, and how someone feels throughout the day.
She gives a simple example: 200 calories of chips versus 200 calories of avocado. They are equal in energy, but they are not equal in how they affect the body. One may be easier to overeat and less filling. The other may provide more nourishment and support satiety differently.
This is where Rebecca’s “not all calories are equal” message comes in. The calorie number matters, but the source of those calories also matters.
Rebecca explains gut health in plain language. The digestive tract runs from the mouth down, but in digestive tract runs from the mouth down, but in the clinic, she often focuses on the colon and the bacteria living there.
She describes a balance between “good” and “bad” bacteria. When someone eats more nourishing foods, they support the bacteria they want more of. When the diet is heavily ultra-processed, that balance can shift in the wrong direction.
In Rebecca’s view, gut health can influence far more than digestion. She connects it to skin, brain health, mental health, sleep, blood sugar, and weight loss.
The practical takeaway: food quality matters because it shapes the internal environment your body has to work with.
Rebecca strongly pushes back on the idea that the 80/20 rule means “80% strict, 20% cheating.”
She does not like the word “cheat” because it creates a moral framework around food. It can make people feel like they are either being perfect or failing. That all-or-nothing thinking can make consistency harder.
Instead, Rebecca describes the 80% as the foundation: nourishing foods, gut health, blood sugar awareness, and enough structure. The 20% is not a failure. It is part of living a real life, especially in a culture where food is social.
In other words, 80/20 is not permission to binge. It is a framework for sustainability.
Rebecca explains insulin as the hormone that helps move sugar from the blood into the cells. Insulin is necessary. Every time we eat carbohydrates, insulin plays an important role.
The concern is not that insulin rises. The concern is repeated sharp spikes and crashes.
Rebecca gives examples like starting the day with sugar, eating sugar at the beginning of a meal, or grazing randomly throughout the day. Over time, she says this can make blood sugar feel more unstable and can contribute to cravings, belly fat concerns, and the feeling that weight loss is not responding the way someone expects.
Her practical message is not “never eat carbs.” It is: understand how your meals affect your blood sugar, energy, cravings, and hunger.
Rebecca discusses PCOS and why she believes the conversation is moving beyond just cysts on the ovaries.
She explains that some people may not show cysts on an ultrasound but still experience symptoms such as acne, hair changes, belly fat accumulation, cravings, stubborn weight, and difficulty losing weight. Because of this, she frames the condition as broader than the ovaries alone, involving hormones, metabolism, insulin, inflammation, and overall health.
For people living with PCOS/PMOS, Rebecca emphasizes blood sugar management, cortisol management, training that does not drive excessive stress, and meal timing. She also cautions against overtraining and blindly following high-intensity trends when the body may already be under stress.
One of the strongest themes in the episode is the combination of undereating, overcaffeinating, training hard, and sleeping poorly.
Rebecca says she sees this often in the clinic, with weight plateau as a common complaint. When the body is under chronic stress, she explains, it can shift into a protective state. In that state, cravings can rise, sugar cravings can become stronger, and late-night eating can become harder to control.
Her suggested morning rhythm includes calming the nervous system, avoiding immediate phone use when possible, getting sunlight, hydrating, eating breakfast, moving, and delaying caffeine until after food.
Again, this is not presented as a rigid prescription for everyone. It is an example of how she thinks about reducing stress load.
Rebecca also talks about peri-workout fueling: what someone eats before and after training.
She emphasizes that the right workout depends on the person and their metabolic state. For people who are already inflamed, stressed, or dealing with PCOS/PMOS, high-intensity training may not always be the best default.
For post-workout nutrition, Rebecca pushes back on the idea that protein alone is always enough. She explains that protein and carbohydrates together can support recovery and glycogen replenishment after training.
Rebecca mentions that she uses Journable with patients to help them understand macros, calories, and what their meals are actually made of.
For many people, “macros” can feel abstract. Taking a photo of a meal and seeing its calories, protein, carbs, and fats can turn nutrition into something more concrete. Rebecca says this helps clients learn what they are eating and gives them more flexibility in real life.
Instead of only following a fixed meal plan, they can understand their targets and make better decisions when eating out, attending a birthday, or adjusting meals on the fly.
Watch the full episode here on YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts.
You can also connect with Rebecca on Instagram at @re.nutrify
