Lose weight for good! What you need to know about calories

Calorie: friend or foe?

A calorie is a unit of energy. So when you hear food or beverage contains a certain number of calories, it describes how much energy you will get from eating or drinking it. Calories are not bad. We need energy to carry out our day to day activities. The thing that leads to weight gain is not burning off enough calories through activities. You can find out how many calories a food contains by reading the food label. It also describes the components of the food, how many grams of carbohydrates, proteins and fats are in the food. This will help you control your day to day intake of calories. However, the question is: how do you know how many calories your body needs.

How many calories do you need per day?

Recommended daily calorie intake varies from person to person and depends on your lifestyle (the amount of activity you carry out daily) and other factors like height, weight, age and gender. To calculate the recommended calorie intake, you need to know your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and your activity level (according to the Harris-Benedict formula). BMR is the total number of calories used for the basic processes of life itself. In order to calculate your BMR, you need to consider your height, weight, age and gender. If you do not feel like doing math right now, download BMR Calculator (0.6 MB). The program will calculate not only your Basal Metabolic Rate but also the number of calories you need to maintain your weight.

Cutting calories the right way

If your daily calorie intake is above normal considering your gender, height, age and your activity level, you may want to cut down your calorie intake so that you can achieve and maintain a healthy weight (winning by losing). Keep in mind: one pound is equivalent to 3500 calories. Whether by making slight changes to your diet or exercising, for example, with a deficit of 500 calories a day, you actually loose one pound in a week. However, drastic cut of calories can send your body into starvation mode and reduce your metabolism, and you may not lose weight. According to the Finding a Weight Loss Program that Works for You guidelines published by Federal Trade Commission: "People usually do best when they reduce their usual calorie intake or increase the calories they use by about 500-1000 calories per day. This allows you to eat enough for good nutrition and, if followed daily, helps you lose about 1 to 2 pounds a week."

Nine easy ways to trim calories from your diet

Actually, cutting calories might just be easier than you expected. It is the small changes we make day by day that make the difference in the long run. Below are a few tips and tricks to help you trim calories from your diet.

1. Start your day with water instead of fruit juice because fruit juice is high on sugar. Since most of us are dehydrated in the morning, water is the best way to do the trick.
2. Switch to sugar free yogurt instead of regular yogurt.
3. Steam your vegetables instead of frying them in oil or butter.
4. Use non-fat milk and egg white instead of whole milk and eggs.
5. If you are used to drinking soda, you can switch to diet soda. This may save you hundreds of calories each day.
6. Order a kid’s size meal to automatically control portion size (save money!)
7. Do not skip meals to avoid being tempted to overeat later. Eat five-six small meals throughout the day, instead of three large ones. This helps to keep hunger at bay and regulate your blood sugar level. Federal Occupational Health web site mentions: "People who skip breakfast tend to be heavier than those who eat a nutritious breakfast." However, always keep in mind that portion control is important.
8. Be active. Walk instead of driving, take stairs instead of an elevator.
9. Low calorie foods are good for weight loss. Examples of low calorie foods are low fat cheese, low fat yogurt, chicken and turkey without skin (white meat), egg white, steamed vegetables.

Recommended reading

Dietary Guidelines for Americans Provide advice about how good dietary habits promote health. Published jointly by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture every five years.