Calorie Counting Basics

Counting calories is easily one of the least popular parts of dieting, but you can’t question the results it brings. If you are starting a new diet, consult the following article to learn everything you need to know about calorie counting and how it can really help you get to where you want to go.

Where calorie counting came from

The whole idea of counting calories is only a few decades old. During the Cold War, a scientist began burning different types of food and measuring how much energy was released to try to set a baseline for what foods had what calories. The scientist published his work and within a year or two, diet books began noting the caloric totals of different kinds of food and the obvious diet implications were obvious. Within ten years, calories were widely considered to be the basis for how you can control your weight down to the letter. It is incredible to think that this method of measuring is so new, but it wasn’t that long ago that no one had any idea what a calorie even was.

Counting calories

It is a good idea to count all of the calories you take in, but you need to keep an eye on the origins of those calories. For instance, if you enjoy a meal that is rich in fibre, those calories are doing a lot more for you than calories that come from saturated fat. Both calories need to be considered, but they can’t be weighed the same way. If you were to base your meals on proteins and some carbs instead of fats, you can eat a significantly larger, and many would say tastier, meal for the same number of calories, so not only is it important to have a total caloric intake known, but the sources are just as important.

This begs the question, why has calorie counting become known as the be all and end all of American dieting? It could be because Americans love to have an easy way to grade how they are doing, and although calorie counting is important, it doesn’t give you the full breath of what you really need to know when it comes to managing your diet.

Why we hate counting calories

When most Americans fail at dieting, it isn’t because of lack of effort. A recent poll showed that while over two thirds of all Americans consider the caloric contents of the food they eat, a stunning 90 percent have no earthly idea how many calories they need in the first place. Studies have also shown that many people underestimate how many calories we take in, which means we think we’re doing a good job, when, in fact, we have a lot of work left to do.

One tip that most experts agree on is to keep your meals as small as possible, even if that means eating two extra meals per day. This way, you are much more likely to guess the caloric intake you are having accurately. It is when meals get big and unruly that mistakes start to be made when it comes to figuring out how much we are taking in. The same goes for snacking. Keep snacks small and under control and you can count calories far more effectively. The question that many of us should be asking is if there are sound alternatives to counting calories since sometimes, even the experts get it woefully wrong. If the pros can’t get it right, what chances do the rest of us have?

One common sense alternative lies within that government food pyramid we are all used to seeing. Instead of counting calories, simply follow the food pyramid and construct smaller meals based on the serving suggestions found there. Minimize the amount of fat and sugar and increase the amount of fibre, low fat protein and leafy green veggies. It is a lot easier to count the number of servings you have had each day of the items in the food pyramid than it is to count calories. The one area in which you can go overboard is with veggies. Feel free to have as much as you like.

It may only make a small difference per day, but try to choose foods that take more work for your body to get through. We have all heard the idea that celery is actually calorie-negative because it burns more calories to digest than it gives you in the first place. Choose whole grains over refined foods. Not only do whole grain breads taste better, they require your body to work harder to digest them, as well. The same goes for whole grain rice over white. Your body’s own digestion can help you get to where you want to be.

Instead of counting calories, simply be more aware of where your calories come from and make the necessary changes. When you count calories, you have a log of every thing you’ve eaten in a day right in front of you. You can see how many calories you get from things like pop, chips and sweets and how many you get from veggies. You can also accurately gauge how full you feel from that first group and how full you feel from the second, so it makes sense to realize that you will have a fuller feeling from the second group as opposed to the first. It is common sense and it really can help you lose weight over the long term.

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