It has come to my attention recently, that what I felt to be the basic tenets of weight loss are actually misunderstood (or not understood at all!) by many people out there trying to lose weight. Although many health "buzzwords" out their would have us believe there are magic weight loss secrets just waiting to be unlocked, the truth is, weight loss is ALL about calories.
Calories and BMR:
A calorie is a unit of energy. Your body needs this energy to run properly. You have a "minimum" number of calories needed to keep your body running when you are doing nothing at all (say, lying on the couch), this is called your basal metabolic rate. The Mayo Clinic website had a great calculator for you to find out what your base is. If I put in my current stats, I find that to maintain my current body weight, I need [approximately] between 1650-2300 calories per day, depending on my activity level.
So, what if I want to LOSE weight? Well, I need to eat less calories than it takes to maintain my current weight. Since my body will need the additional energy above and beyond what I eat, it will look to break down the reserves in my body (i.e. fat) to provide the additional energy.
A widely accepted estimate (I've been reading a lot lately about why this is misleading, but I still find it to be a good and simple way to think about weight loss) is that a pound of fat is 3500 calories. So, to lose a pound of fat you need to find a way for your body to burn 3500 calories. This can be done one of two ways - eat less or exercise more (or both!). If you eat 500 calories less than your basal metabolic rate requires, over 7 days, that equals 3500 less calories, or a pound. If you exercise and burn 500 calories, you get the same result. If you eat more than your BMR - than you will maintain (or potentially gain) your weight.
Calories in food
I remember my mom joking with me that her sister once went on a candy bar diet. My aunt decided, if I get 1200 calories a day, I might as well enjoy them! While this is, theoretically true (you could lose weight eating nothing by candy bars), it's not a very smart dieting plan.
Different types of food have differing density of calories. A gram of fat has about 9 calories while a gram of protein or carbohydrate has 7 calories. So, you can eat more protein or carbohydrates for fewer calories and this will help you to feel more satisfied when eating. Additionally, it takes you body longer to break down protein than fat, so you'll feel fuller, longer if you get a high protein snack versus a high fat snack.
So, if you had a candy bar for breakfast, odds are you'll be starving in an hour or two and, therefore, more likely to over eat. If you have an egg white omelet with spinach, a piece of whole grain toast, and a half a grapefruit, you're going to feel more full and stay satisfied a whole lot longer for the same number of calories (probably less!).
Buzzwords
Be careful of diet buzzwords like fat free/low fat, whole grain, organic, or sugar free. While, these may be healthier options, they are not always lower in calories. So, the whole wheat pasta might sound like a better choice, but if your goal is weight loss keep in mind that a serving of whole wheat pasta has the same number of calories as regular pasta. A healthier option, yes. An option that is going to lead to a slimmer waistline? Not necessarily.
Hopefully this helps you in your weight loss planning. I am currently on a 1200 calorie-a-day diet and trying to get in 30 or more minutes of walking each day. This puts me on target for about a 2 pound loss each week.
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