I’ve never been very fond of counting calories for various reasons. It’s a bit tedious in the first place, and honestly, it’s hard to tell how much milk you just poured into your cereal bowl, so the results are often inaccurate. Second, and most importantly, it oversimplifies the concepts behind eating right. For example, even if you’re only eating 1,200 calories a day (which is less than I would recommend) of nothing but sugar, you’re not doing your health or waistline any favors.
What is a calorie?
There are several ways to define a calorie, but when it comes to diet and exercise, think of calories as energy. Your body requires a certain amount of calories (energy) to keep your organs and body functions working properly, although this amount varies greatly based on age, size, muscle mass, activity level, and more. When you eat, you are consuming calories, which provides your body with energy; And when you exercise, you burn calories because your body uses available energy.
A calorie breakdown
There are 3 basic sources from which our body obtains energy: fats, carbohydrates and proteins.
For every gram of fat you eat, you are consuming 9 calories.
For every gram of carbohydrate you eat, you consume 4 calories.
For every gram of protein you eat, you consume 4 calories.
The problem of counting only calories
Counting calories can be a good starting point, but the weight loss formula is much more complex than calories alone. To stay healthy, full, and full of energy, your body needs a combination of fat, carbohydrates, and protein. If you’re just counting calories, you may not be getting a good balance of these macronutrients and your body is essentially starving. When your body does not have the nutrients it needs, it will respond by letting your brain know that you are hungry, which will make it more difficult to stick to your diet even if you are eating a safe amount of calories.
The solution
Unfortunately, there is no simple way to explain what you should and should not eat, and you will need to do more research than just reading this section to manage your diet effectively. However, there are some simple principles to follow that I will briefly mention.
First, fat is not bad for you. Limit saturated fats when possible and always avoid anything that has trans fats, but monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are very good for you and can help your weight loss routine gain momentum. These healthy fats are easily found in nuts and fish.
Second, you need to eat a lot of carbohydrates (somewhere in the 300 gram ballpark) a day to stay energized. When eating carbohydrates, opt for whole grain options like whole wheat bread or crackers. Additionally, fruits and vegetables are considered complex carbohydrates, which means that they break down slowly to provide you with sustained energy. They are always good options.
Third, high-quality protein is absolutely essential for weight loss. Unlike carbohydrates or fats, your body cannot store protein for later, so you must eat it every day. Try to eat at least 75 grams of protein a day, more if you exercise frequently.