Over 60% of us don't know the calories we consume. Could this be why the majority of people are overweight? The answer to our increase in weight is preached to us by many diet specialists telling us to cut out processed food, not to mix carbohydrates with protein, eat what you like, eat breakfast cereal, or baby food, or like the Japanese, or like the French, or even eat like the skinniest person you know. Sadly the outcome of all this conflicting advice is that we are getting even fatter and fatter, with too many of our school children being classed as obese.
We are constantly being thrown information about healthy eating, and being aware of the calories we are eating is most important to having a healthy diet, with the daily recommended amount of 2500 for men and 2000 for women.
Despite the huge amount of calorific information on food labelling, why isn't it working? The problem might be that although we have recommended daily amounts, we are all different, and depending on a person's size, that range might be from as little as 1200 for a woman and as much as 4000 for a man who is training for a sport.
To lose weight of about one or two pounds a week the average person needs to reduce their calorific intake by 500 calories a day. However we are not average and instead we need to look at our BMR rate, (Basal Metabolic Rate). See here to calculate your BMR. Your BMR is the minimum amount of calories your resting body needs to function. Any additional calories you consume need to be burned off through exercise.
A calorie is a unit of energy. A gram of protein or carbohydrates is about four calories, whereas a gram of fat is a huge nine calories, which is why a piece of white meat weighing the same as a slice of cake isn't as fattening. This is why just cutting down on calories is not enough, and for dieters it's important to consider lifestyle changes, including eating a balanced diet with fruit and vegetable. People who just count calories might lose weight, but their diet can still be unhealthy and high in fat.
The problem with just looking at calories is that you don't differentiate between good and bad calories. Nuts and eggs are high in calories but are very good for you and to stop eating them could have negative effects on your diet, and just because a food is low in calories doesn't mean it's good for you.
Good ways to combat the calorie issue is to keep a food diary and to have smaller portions. Having a food diary makes us conscious of what we eat, and having smaller plates stops us from eating too much, especially as we are often unable to stop, and we find we get the same amount of satisfaction from less food on a smaller plate.
A reduced calorie diet only works in the short term and your body quickly gets used to it and equalizes.
Essentially calorie counting means cutting down on portion sizes and perhaps the easiest way to lose weight is to stop counting the calories and just eat less of the same stuff.