![]() |
![]() |
Weight Loss Information from experts |
|
![]() |
![]() |
The Truth About Counting Calories And Weight Loss
Do calories matter or do you simply need to eat certain foods and that will guarantee you'll lose weight? Should you count calories or can you just count "portions?" Is it necessary to keep a food diary? Is it unrealistic to count calories for the rest of your life or is that just part of the price you pay for a better body? You're about to learn the answers to these questions and discover a simple solution for keeping track of your food intake without having to crunch numbers every day or become a fanatic about your food. In many popular diet books, "Calories don't count" is a frequently repeated theme. Other popular programs, such as Bill Phillip's "Body For Life," allude to the importance of energy intake versus energy output, but recommend that you count "portions" rather than calories? Phillips wrote, "There aren't many people who can keep track of their calorie intake for an extended period of time. As an alternative, I recommend counting 'portions.' A portion of food is roughly equal to the size of your clenched fist or the palm of your hand. Each portion of protein or carbohydrate typically contains between 100 and 150 calories. For example, one chicken breast is approximately one portion of protein, and one medium-sized baked potato is approximately one portion of carbohydrate." Phillips makes a good point that trying to count every single calorie - in the literal sense - can drive you crazy and is probably not realistic as a lifestyle for the long term. It's one thing to count portions instead of calories - that is at least acknowledging the importance of portion control. However, it's another altogether to deny that calories matter. Yes, calories do count! Any diet program that tells you, "calories don't count" or you can "eat all you want and still lose weight" is a diet you should avoid. The truth is, that line is a bunch of baloney designed to make a diet sound easier to follow. Anything that sounds like work - such as counting calories, eating less or exercising, tends to scare away potential customers! But the law of calorie balance is an unbreakable law of physics: Energy in versus energy out dictates whether you will gain, lose or maintain your weight. Period. I believe that it's very important to develop an understanding of and a respect for portion control and the law of calorie balance I also believe it's an important part of nutrition education to learn how many calories are in the foods you eat on a regular basis - including (and perhaps, especially) how many calories are in the foods you eat when you dine at restaurants. The law of calorie balance says: To maintain your weight, you must consume the same number of calories you burn. To gain weight, you must consume more calories than you burn. To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than you burn. If you only count portions or if you haven't the slightest clue how many calories you're eating, it's a lot more likely that you'll eat more than you realize. (Or you might take in fewer calories than you should, which triggers your body's "starvation mode" and causes your metabolism to shut down). So how do you balance practicality and realistic expectations with a nutrition program that gets results? Here's a solution that's a happy medium between strict calorie counting and just guessing: Create a menu using an EXCEL spreadsheet or your favorite nutrition software. Crunch all the numbers including calories, protein, carbs and fats. Once you have your daily menu, print it, stick it on your refrigerator (and/or in your daily planner) and you now have an eating "goal" for the day, including a caloric target. That is my definition of "counting calories" -- creating a menu plan you can use as a daily guide, not necessarily writing down every morsel of food you eat for the rest of your life. If you're really ambitious, keeping a nutrition journal for at least 4-12 weeks is a great idea and an incredible learning experience, but all you really need to get started on the road to a better body is one good menu on paper. If you get bored eating the same thing every day, you can create multiple menus, or just exchange foods using your one menu as a template. Using this method, you really only need to count calories once when you create your menus. After you've got a knack for calories from this initial discipline of menu planning, then you can estimate portions in the future and get a pretty good (and more educated) ballpark figure. So what's the bottom line? Is it really necessary to count every calorie to lose weight? No. But it IS necessary to eat fewer calories then you burn. Whether you count calories and eat less than you burn, or you don't count calories and eat less than you burn, the end result is the same - you lose weight. Which would you rather do: Take a wild guess, or increase your chance for success with some simple menu planning? I think the right choice is obvious. Copyright 2005 Tom Venuto Tom Venuto is a certified personal trainer, natural bodybuilder and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book, "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle. You can get info on Tom's e-book at: http://www.burnthefat.com. To get Tom's free monthly e-zine, visit http://www.fitren.com
MORE RESOURCES: Pink Salt Recipe for Weight Loss Spotlighted in New Consumer Briefing on Metabolic Reset with ProZenith GlobeNewswire What weight-loss dugs are doing to reshape America Deseret News Fitness coach shares 6 things he will do to lose belly fat from scratch again | Health - Hindustan Times Hindustan Times From sore muscles to smartwatches and stubborn belly fat: answers to six of the most common fitness questions The Conversation Orlando Health Weight Loss and Bariatric Surgery Institute Orlando Health Can fitness gadgets and tracking tools help you lose weight? Nebraska Medicine FDA mandates label updates for ADHD stimulants over weight loss risk in young children FirstWord Pharma Landry vetoes weight-loss drug insurance coverage for state employees, teachers Louisiana Illuminator Why are lower-cost weight-loss drugs not available? A Northeastern expert explains Northeastern Global News China clears mazdutide as first dual GCG/GLP-1RA for weight loss BioWorld MedTech Dearborn Heights man wins $417,650 on MrBeast weight-loss challenge Detroit Free Press 360 MD Buda now open, specializing in weight loss services Community Impact New Data Shows Just How Powerful the Next Weight-Loss Drugs May Be The New York Times VittaBurn Drops Introduced as 2025's Fast-Acting Liquid Weight Loss Innovation With Natural Appetite Control and Metabolic Support Newswire :) Press Release Distribution A Former FDA Commissioner’s Path To Weight Management Science Friday We’re learning more about what weight-loss drugs do to the body MIT Technology Review UC expert comments on study tying ditching diet soda to weight loss, diabetes remission University of Cincinnati Are you in calorie deficit but still not losing weight? Fitness coach shares 5 common weight loss mistakes to avoid | Health - Hindustan Times Hindustan Times Cysteine restriction plays key role in weight loss National Institutes of Health (NIH) | (.gov) Breakthrough Oral Weight Loss Drug Achieves 30% Body Fat Reduction While Preserving Muscle Mass Stock Titan AUDIO: Weight-loss drugs cause emergency room spike Australian Broadcasting Corporation Build Muscle And Burn Fat At The Same Time With This Exclusive Strength Training Plan Women's Health How mazdutide compares against weight loss therapies from Novo Nordisk, Lilly (NVO:NYSE) Seeking Alpha A man gained weight eating ultra-processed foods he thought were healthy. Now, he's 50 pounds lighter thanks to 3 habits. Business Insider Russell Crowe unveils dramatic weight loss in latest outing - see his incredible transformation hellomagazine.com Weight-loss jabs linked to hundreds of cases of life-threatening illness and 10 deaths The Independent Star Trek actor William Shatner shocks fans with 50‑pound weight loss at 94: Here's how he did it | Hollywood - Hindustan Times Hindustan Times Intermittent fasting may be effective for weight loss, cardiometabolic health Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Fitness coach shares 6 things he will do to lose belly fat from scratch again | Health - Hindustan Times Hindustan Times Adopting a healthy diet may have cardiometabolic benefits regardless of weight loss Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Why Thousands Are Risking DIY Weight-Loss Injections Men's Journal Cleveland Clinic Research Finds Injectable Medications for Obesity Produce Smaller Weight Loss in A Real-World Setting, Compared to Randomized Clinical Trials Cleveland Clinic Newsroom US FDA to revise label of ADHD stimulants to add weight loss risk in patients younger than 6 TradingView New ACC Concise Clinical Guidance Report ‘Weighs In’ on Medical Weight Management For Optimizing CV Health American College of Cardiology This Weight Loss Partnership Was a Short One The Motley Fool A healthy diet helps with heart health, even without weight loss The Globe and Mail Diabetes drug may cut migraine days in half with little weight loss: Study ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos Can intermittent fasting help you lose weight? The Independent |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
RELATED ARTICLES
The Miraculous Claims of the Zone Diet One way of recognizing a fad diet is said to be the promise of multiple miraculous effects upon health. And Zone diet promises a lot. Breast Cancer - Another Obesity Victim Obesity raises the risk of various types of cancer. And only 3% people know that obesity increases cancer risks. 4 Tips for Fast Fat Loss Part III Fat Loss Tip #3) Proper Meal FrequencyMeal Frequency (i.e. If We Are Eating 99% Fat Free, Why Are We 99% Fat?! Unfortunately, obesity is reaching epidemic proportions, with over 60% of our population now overweight. We need to take control of this problem NOW. Fast Weight Loss - Can You Really Lose 60lbs in 30 Days? Fast Weight Loss - Is it better to lose 2lbs a day or 2lbs a week?Yes it's very possible that you can lose 60lbs in 30 days but I don't think you would want to and here's the reason why:Let's say you do lose 60lbs in 30 days? how much of that weight you lose do you think is going to be pure body fat? Remember-- body fat makes us look ugly.Anytime you try to lose more than 2lbs a week or 60lbs in 30 days (2lbs a day!)?A larger part of the weight you lose is only going to be water and muscle. FAT LOSS: The Truth On Fat Loss And How To Achieve It! Fat Loss in GeneralThis morning I conducted a search engine "search" on the word fat loss. "Fat Loss" and "Fat Loss Supplements", being the most popular keywords, came up with a combined 1800 links, in one search engine. Weight Loss Tips for a Swimsuit Body Spring is here and swimsuit weather is just around the corner. If you're like many of us, you start panicking about all the weight you need to lose to fit into your favorite swimwear. Resistance Training First; Fat Burning Second for Weight Loss Most men and women that I have trained over the years that were interested in weight loss, before meeting me their routine always included the bike or treadmill for 15-20 minutes or so, then proceeding on to the weights for some resistance training. Approximately one out of ten did both, and most either did one or the other. The Secret to Reaching Your Ideal Weight There are many books and internet articles written about weight control. However, if you already know the stuff you should be doing, you might want to skip past the next section of this article. A Personal Trainers...Holidaze Rules of day to day no longer apply as you surrender to the hearts and minds of those closest. Conversation, food and wine are intoxicating. Weight Loss Online -- The Fastest & Easiest Weight Loss Plan My first article provided steps for fast healthy weight loss. This was followed by my easy weight loss plan. Low Fat versus Low Carb Diets Diets, diets, diets.. Results Not Typical I had 14 weight/health-oriented newsletters in my inbox this morning. (Subscribe to one or two lists and they will multiply -- the rabbits of the Internet!)Several contained testimonials from rabid fans of their particular diet program. Action Plan to Take the Weight Off This Year Addicted to Restaurants Are you addicted to restaurants? So are lots of Americans. What used to be a "treat," going out for dinner, has become more common that cooking at home, and we think we're better off? Think again. Dumping Syndrome: The Dirty Secret Gastric Bypass Patients Keep Dumping syndrome is an effective result of the gastric bypass system which alerts the body of inappropriate eating. Dumping syndrome is described as a shock-like state when small, easily absorbed food particles rapidly dump into the digestive system. Close Kept Secrets to Weight Loss Lesson #9 WAHOO!!! for YOU!! You are the most AWESOME person alive!! Stand up and repeat after me. Come on, get up and feel the presence of God all around you. Drinking Water for Weight Loss An article published in http://www.inch-aweigh. Not One Ounce -- Candy At Your House Here come the candy canes. In our house, Santa always hung Hershey's Kisses on the tree. The Big FAT Lie Over two thirds of Americans are over weight, and half of them are considered obese. Most of the remaining third of Americans are concerned about becoming overweight! While we are obsessed with avoiding food that is high in fat, America has the dubious distinction of its population having the highest percentage of overweight people of any nation in the world! England is number two!One of the most common and harmful misunderstandings is the misinformation (lie) that we are fat because we eat too much fat. Fat Burning Tips These fat burning tips can help you discover a fat burning secret that works well. The fat burning process is a matter of proper dieting and the correct exercise and training techniques. ![]() |
© KeralaClick.com 2006 |