Weight Loss By Calories

Weight loss by calories is one of the most effective ways of losing and maintaining weight. It requires, however, constant counting of the calories you consume and expend for successful implementation. In the end, weight loss is about spending more energy than the energy you consume. This energy is measured in calories.

Our bodies need energy to function. This energy comes from food intake. Carbohydrates and protein have approximately 4 kcal (calories) per gram, alcohol has 7 kcal per gram and fat has 9 kcal per gram. Drinking alcohol and eating fat provides you with more calories than eating only carbohydrates or protein. Our bodies, however, also need fat to function. Everything in measure does not create problems. You can't eliminate fat completely from your diet but you can limit the amount you consume daily. Energy or calories are spent every time we move, even when we breathe or sleep. The number of calories spent depends on your activity. Losing weight by calories works based on these principles.

It is successful because it helps put in perspective what foods you consume. You check food labels and calculate caloric intake. Food labels are based on servings. You learn what one serving consists of a particular item. You become a more knowledgeable consumer and you make healthier selections at the grocery aisle.

When you consider losing weight by calories, you can really understand why healthy and sustainable weight loss and management is a slow process and cannot happen quickly. Most experts recommend a fat reduction of between 1 and 2 pounds a week. One pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. In order to lose 1 pound of fat, you can reduce your daily caloric intake by 500 calories to achieve this weight loss in 1 week. Reducing caloric intake more is probably not sustainable for the long term.

Reducing the amount of calories is not that difficult but because most of us today eat not just to satisfy our hunger but for other reasons as well (such as to comfort ourselves when we feel depressed), it becomes more difficult. This is why increasing our daily exercise activities together with reduced caloric intake work well in combination leading to the best results. In fact, many popular weight loss programs use the premises of weight loss by calories for their programs.

Success is achieved when you follow weight loss by calories. The reason is that you watch out for extra calories and eliminate them. For example, you won't go for fried food or ranch dressing on your salad once you realize how many calories such a meal provides. You would have to exercise intensely for 1 hour and even longer to spend this many calories. Reducing food portions also helps to reduce calories as less food equals to less energy provided. The secret to weight loss by calories is not to eat less but eat smarter and exercise more.

If you make a journal of your daily consumption, you will find out that you can substitute many of your food and drink choices with healthier alternatives. This is the first step to weight loss by calories. Skip dessert every day or have frozen yogurt instead of ice cream. Drink water or carbonated water instead of soda. Limit the amount of butter or substitute it with healthier spreads. Spend some time to learn how to cook or increase your cooking. Eating out all the time contributes to additional calories as restaurant meals today tend to be rather large for the average person and full of unnecessary fat calories. Make sure you consume 3 meals a day as going on an empty stomach for long periods can make you eat larger amounts and unhealthy foods. Snack on fruits and vegetables instead of potato chips, crackers and chocolate. This is the main principle of weight loss by calories.

Check the newly revised food pyramid that better indicates the number of servings and amounts on a plate. This way you have a better idea of what a serving constitutes and how much space it occupies on a plate. The bigger the portion, the more calories there is. Weight loss by calories also means reducing food and snack portions. Don't eat until you are too full. Eat as much to feel satisfied but not to the point of full saturation.

Posted in: Calorie, Diet Tips, Weight Loss