Ingredients not Calories are Important for Weight Loss?

You want to get in shape and you want to eat healthy. So many people focus on calories and forget to pay attention to the actual ingredients in the foods that they eat. Let’s start by taking a closer look at what a calorie really is and what it means.

How Many Calories Per Pound of Fat?

A calorie is the amount of energy necessary to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by one degree Celsius. You might be wondering how does that relate to food? Calories have become the most common method of measuring food energy. We calculate the number of calories a person consumes in a day and compare it to how much they expend.  Then we figure out what that person needs to eat per day in order to maintain, gain, or lose weight.

There are approximately 3500 calories in 1 pound of fat and so a person looking to lose weight in a healthy way would try to reduce their caloric intake in a week by that amount. Breaking it down into 7 days of the week, that comes to 500 calories per day. However, this calculation is missing two key parts, nutrition and the kinds of ingredients in the food you eat.

Your body requires a mixture of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins and hence the kinds of calories that you are consuming are very important. For example, if you are having a 100-calorie snack, and all the calories come from carbohydrates, your body will consume the calories immediately for energy or it will store the energy as fat. On the other hand, if the calories come from protein or fat, your body makes use these calories for cell, enzyme, and hormone growth.

Counting Calories to Lose Weight

Simply counting calories is not enough for achieving a healthy weight. What you are eating is equally important if not more. Pay attention to what you eat and try to eat as many vegetables and fruits as possible. Reduce your consumption of highly processed foods and switch to whole foods that are fresh and organic if possible.

Take the time to buy and eat foods that are wholesome and healthy. Processed foods that take five minutes to prepare and to eat, do not offer you the nutrients that your body needs. Constant deprivation of your body from the foods it needs will increase your appetite and your dependence on unhealthy foods. The human body has built-in protection to help regulate your appetite through two hormones, grehlin that stimulates appetite and leptin to tell you that you are full. Most people who’re looking to lose weight think that they should eat less.  Often they need to eat more good foods that supply their bodies with the nutrients they need in order to feel satiated and for their bodies to function optimally.

[box type=”note”]Not used to having longer meals? Take the time to enjoy your meals and to make good food. Your body will thank you and you will notice a significant improvement in your health and energy levels.[/box]