What’s a calorie anyway? And why do they count? Are you planning on losing weight this year? If so, you’ll probably want to know how many calories you need to maintain your weight, and go from there.
When we’re talking about calories as they relate to your weight, we’re talking about “nutritionist’s calories,” defined as: “A unit of energy-producing potential equal to this amount of heat that is contained in food and released upon oxidation by the body.” (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Carbohydrate and protein contains 4 calories per gram, fat 9 calories per gram, and knowing how many calories you need to maintain your weight is the starting point to creating a healthy weight-loss plan. Combining the calories into different menu options and recipes is what creates different weight-loss plans.
Weight loss is a balancing act, but practice makes perfect! To maintain your weight you must take in as much as you expend in activity. As anyone can tell you after overindulging through the holidays, it’s pretty simple to tip that balance in or out of your favor, just by eating too much for a couple of days without increasing your activity. But you knew that! It’s basic. When you decide to lose weight, you need to know what to eat as well as what NOT to eat.
Recently I heard a friend say, “When you want to lose weight, just don’t eat.” That will work, but we don’t recommend it. That’s called starvation, and your body will not benefit, and you can’t sustain it.
Unless you’re in a laboratory where we can weigh and measure all your food, and hook you up to a metabolic measurement device, we can only use general guidelines to predict what you need to maintain, and to lose weight.
But that’s where we start -- from the general to the specific. Everyone will lose weight differently, depending on your body type, how much muscle mass you have, your metabolism -- all will change your rate of weight loss. Although there are guidelines that are fairly predictive, there is not a “one-size-fits-all” recipe for success.
All “diets” work, but no “diet” works permanently. Weight gain usually is a gradual process, and you probably know which habits are keeping you overweight. When you “go on a diet" it generally means you’re changing from what you usually eat and how you usually live, which can be a good thing, but change takes effort, and a plan.
Most people associate diet with deprivation, as in “I hate to diet” because it means I have to give up all my favorite foods.” If dieting is a temporary approach, once you return to the habits that caused you to be overweight, you’re likely to regain the weight -- and more.
Thinking of 'Diets'
So, is counting calories the answer to weight loss? Well, yes and no. Calories are important, as we know if you eat more calories than you need to maintain your weight, you will gain weight. And if you eat fewer calories than you need, or you exercise enough to burn more calories, you’ll lose weight. So calories count! But you don’t necessarily need to count calories.
Lose the Right Way
A warning: Unless the program you choose offers sufficient calories for you to lose weight safely, without losing too quickly, you’re not going to be able to sustain the effort. If you buy a diet book, be sure the meal plan contains enough calories to keep you healthy and satisfied while you’re losing.
Barbara Rolls -- the researcher who showed that the more you’re offered, the more you eat -- is the lead author of a study published in the January 2006 issue of the Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study confirms there are three ways to lose weight. Cut calories by eating less, but you’ll probably be hungry. Eat the same volume of food as before, but change to lower-calorie versions. Or, do both, which is my favorite approach. Eat more of lower-calorie foods, make them tasty, and you’ll be satisfied with less food while you lose weight.
Pay attention to your menu and to the portion specifications for cereal, for bread, for meat, vegetables and fruit. Your meal plan reflects the portions that are designed for YOU to lose weight, and you can take that knowledge with you wherever you go. When you reach your goal, your program’s calories and portion size will change to weight maintenance.
If you need your calories adjusted because you’re losing too quickly or you’re not losing consistently, or if you feel hungry or you feel there’s too much food for you, we’ll adjust your program’s calories. Just contact one of our registered or licensed dietitians via email, phone or LiveChat, and we’ll make your program work for you.
