The True Calorie Count

With the exception of plain water and certain fruits and vegetables that are mostly made up of water, most everything we eat and drink contains calories - and these calories certainly do add up. Not that this is a bad thing since, after all, we truly need the calories that come from all that we consume to fuel our bodies. But alas, there are two sides to this coin, good and bad. Here is your BodyBlast Personal Training break down on the True Calorie Count.

What exactly is a calorie anyway? Calories are the amount of energy that is produced by a given quantity of food. Calories are supplied by the carbohydrates, protein, fat and alcohol in the food and drinks we put into our bodies. The purpose of counting calories is actually quite simple; when you take in more calories than you actually need you gain weight. Now most of us need only take in the amount of calories we able to burn. A healthy weight derives from matching the calories you take in to the calories you burn on a daily basis. Weight loss comes from taking in fewer calories than you burn.

Research suggests that the average person has no idea how many calories they actually consume daily. Large portions, second portions and all of the high fat content that comes from the processed food choices in American diet staples such as pizza, french fries and pastas for instance, are rarely considered by most people until a health issue arises or a weight problem is suddenly addressed. Not until people are made to count their calories do they even stop to consider how much they are consuming and how much is too much. Perhaps the best thing to be said about calorie counting - mainly in subtracting the calories - is that it forces us to address food choices, portion size and physical activity.

So how many calories should you be consuming in a day? Well that all depends upon height, weight, age, activity level and how much muscle mass your body is carrying. For example, a 30 year old woman who is 5 feet 5 inches at 125 pounds needs approximately 2200 calories daily, while a man the same age at a height of 6 feet and weighing 172 pounds requires 2800 calories a day. An individual’s muscle mass is also very important in determining calorie amounts, however it is difficult to measure muscle mass with special training and equipment. One of the first rules to losing weight is to take in 500 to 1,000 fewer calories than you need or think you need. This is best done by a perfect blend of eating less fat and engaging in a planned exercise program, preferably with a fitness professional like a personal trainer.
Now on the question of wondering how much weight you should lose, well once again that relates to height, age, gender, etc. Here is where a dietician or personal trainer or other fitness professional can be helpful - by showing you a chart that states adequate weight with certain, height, age and gender. As an example, the 5 foot 5 inch woman weighing in at 125 lbs is actually right in her ideal range - that being between roughly 114 and 144 lbs. As a general rule of thumb, small boned people need to aim for the lower end of the scale while large boned toward the higher end. A medical recommendation is for losing about a half pound to 2 pounds per week for good health.

Now in order to get the daily food servings you need for a balanced and healthy diet, most of us need to consume about 1200 calories per day. Anything less can actually have a negative affect, leading to food binging, weight cycling and muscle breakdown.

In regard to carbohydrate intake - or lack there of in one popular diet plan - recent research concludes that there is no difference in weight loss long term in those following a low carbohydrate diet and low fat diet. Calorie control is what makes the difference.