Calories: we cut them, count them, and often times obsess over them. But many people don’t at all understand calories- and why they’re not the most important thing to consider in our diets.
First of all, what is a calorie? A calorie is, simply put, a unit of energy. It’s basically an indicator of how much energy your body will gain when you consume it. In terms of losing weight, when your body burns more calories than it consumes, you will lose weight. One pound contains 3500 calories, so you need to burn 3500 more calories than you take in to lose a pound. But there’s much more to a healthy lifestyle than eating the “right” number of calories in a day. Everyone’s body and metabolism are different- which is why it’s much more important to listen to your body’s needs. Calories are simply numbers, and understanding the nutritional value of the things you put in your body, disregarding the calories they contain, is what we should really be concerned about.
Not all calories are created equal
Our diets consist of three components: fats, carbs, and proteins. Fats contain 9 calories per gram, and proteins and carbs each contain 4 calories per gram. This explains why fatty foods tend to be higher in calories. Ideally, you should have a diet consisting of a balance between proteins, carbs, and fats, with complex carbs, like whole grains, making up the majority of the carbs you consume.
Counting calories doesn’t guarantee you’re getting the nutrients you need
Diets with the same amount of calories but consisting of notably different proportions of sources of these calories actually show big differences in weight loss. Conceivably, if you only count the calories consumed, a medium sized slice of pizza is a better option than an omelet containing lots of veggies, lean meat and a little bit of cheese. Think about your food choices beyond just the calories they consume: choosing foods with lots of protein and fiber and eating more fruits and veggies will fill you up for longer, make you feel better, and ensure that you’re getting the nutrients you need.
Counting calories makes you more likely to eat processed foods
Processed foods contain all kinds of extra chemicals our bodies don’t need- but they do have calorie counts on the labels. If you’re only focused on counting calories, you’re more likely to eat processed foods simply because it’s easily to tell how many calories they contain.
You should be focusing on the nutritional value of the foods you’re consuming, not just the numbers.
Focusing on changing your lifestyle instead
By switching to healthier foods and committing to other healthy habits like drinking lots of water throughout the day, you’re more likely to lose weight and keep your sanity. Obsessing over the number of calories you’ve consumed isn’t healthy, and you can see results without counting calories at all. If you’re looking to drop a few pounds before bikini season, there are other things you can do to see results:
- If you drink soda a lot (even diet soda!) try switching it out for water. Regular soda has lots of extra sugar you don’t need and even diet soda isn’t a smart choice: studies have shown that drinking 64 ounces of water a day can give your metabolism a boost.
- Switch to whole grains: white bread, pasta and other refined carbs have all the calories but less of the nutrients of whole grains. By switching to whole grains when you can, you’ll feel fuller for longer and will be less likely to eat more later.
- Get more active: in light of the recently beautiful weather, get outside and get moving. Even something as simple as walking to class or downtown instead of driving can make a difference.
- Also to keep in mind, alcohol contains nearly as many calories per gram as fat- at 7 calories per gram. If you choose to drink, keep in mind those calories serve no nutritional value to you, but can add up fast.