September 07, 2010

Easy ways to Cut Calories

We all sometimes eat far more calories than we are aware of. If you consume too many calories, you may gain weight and  become unhealthy. Being overweight is not just about the way you look, you also risk some serious health problems. Be aware of the number of calories you actually need and how many you are taking in. Generally once you are aware of the number of calories you consume, you make better choices. Research has shown that counting calories and reducing portions while balancing foods from the food pyramid is a good way to stay healthy and maintain or lose weight. Listen to your body to determine if you are really hungry or just bored or tired. Resist cravings by going for a walk or doing some activity you enjoy.

Lets start by defining what exactly a calorie is. A calorie is a unit of energy. Although we think of calories as a way to measure food, calories can actually measure anything containing energy.  Specifically, a calorie is the amount of energy, or heat, it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit). One calorie is equal to 4.184 joules, a common unit of energy used in the physical sciences. 

Wow aren't you glad we cleared that up and made it so easy to understand (not). Our bodies "burn" calories through metabolic processes, by which enzymes break the carbohydrates into glucose and other sugars, the fats into glycerol and fatty acids and the proteins into amino acids. These molecules are then transported through the bloodstream to the cells, where they are either absorbed for immediate use or sent on to the final stage of metabolism in which they are reacted with oxygen to release their stored energy.

The basic premise to losing weight is to simply burn more calories than you eat. In order to cut calories you will need to figure approximately how many calories you are eating a day and how many fewer calories you need to consume to lose the weight.  This site offers a calorie tool to show you how many calories you need a day. It will only be an estimate, since the amount of muscle and fat on your body make a difference but it is a good starting place to see how many calories you should be consuming a day.

 The most effective way to lose weight is to cut calories and increase your exercise so that you are burning more calories each day. Just be careful not to fall in the trap of assuming since you exercised you can eat more. With that type of philosophy you may actually gain weight instead of lose it. Just like counting the calories you consume you can also chart the approximate amount of calories you burn doing certain exercises. For instance if an average woman weighs 150 pounds, and walks at a speed of 3 mph, then she would walk 1 mile in 20 minutes, burning 75 calories. Here is a handy calorie burner calculator to help you out. 
 
When you are counting your calories you may find that you need to weigh out your portions to be sure they are the same size as the amount listed in a calorie counting tablet. You will also need to read the nutritional information on all your packages. Some items which may appear to be single servings are actual two servings so you will have to double the amount of  per serving calories or only eat one serving of the item. You may discover the foods you are eating are not that unhealthy but you are just eating too many servings. An average meat serving in only as large as your fist. It is best in the beginning to measure out everything you can. As you grow accustomed to how large (or small) a serving size is then you will be able to do a much better job eyeballing the food and figuring it's weight and calories. Even though it is more expensive I buy the single serving snacks for myself so that I know exactly how many calories I am eating. 

Another place to watch the fine print is foods and snacks that claim to be low fat or low calorie. In fact I have found that many low fat labeled foods may have more calories than the traditional flavor did. Some people find the counting and figuring to be too much work and instead choose a diet plan that offers pre-packaged meals. Although these meals offer the right amount of calories you need to consider if you are interested in eating these pre packaged meals for the rest of your life. The true success comes not just from counting your calories but by re-learning what and how to eat. Otherwise you will lose the weight today and just gain it back next month.

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