Basic Calorie Facts

The traditional approach to weight loss centers on the idea that you can count calories and then determine, by weight and age. how many calories to cut to produce a given weight loss. According to this theory, you simply use printed "caloric value tables" to calculate calories f food intake and subtract activity output, arriving at a net daily figure.

However, as researchers now realize, 3500 calories may equal a pound of fat in a laboratory but in the real world the equation doesn't hold up. Inactive, overweight people struggle with a metabolism that works against them, failing to achieve desired weight even when they closely follow these rules. Before long, in confusion or frustration, they turn to fad diets, hoping for an answer.

If weight loss was a simple matter of reducing total caloric intake, it would be easy to lose weight by simply skipping breakfast and eating normally the rest of the day. Theoretically, this should result in a 30-50 pound loss each year. With further cutbacks you could expect even better results. But, that's not what happens.

Two things determine what you weigh: energy balance, the number of calories you consume each day(energy input) in contrast to the number of calories you burn off(energy output), and body composition, your percentage of body fat compared to lean tissue.

Energy output depends on body composition and basal metabolic rate(BMR). lean tissue is active, producing and using energy by burning calories. The greater your body percentage of lean tissue, the more energy you expend, and the more calories you can eat in small meals throughout the day without becoming fatter. Body fat uses very little energy. The greater your body's percentage of fat, the less energy you use and the less food you can eat without gaining fat.

So, what about following a low calorie diet as recommended by many doctors and diet experts? It's a good starting point and makes sense for a lot of people. (Never undertake a severe caloric restriction diet under 1500 calories a day without medical supervision.) If you count calories, follow the common sense advice of most experts who advocate frequent small meals and light snacks consisting of a variety of fresh, wholesome, low-fat, high-fiber foods: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, seafood, lean meats, and low-fat nonfat dairy products.