Calories In, Calories Out

Calories In, Calories Out

We are often asked about our theory on weight loss and what foods we eat or don’t eat. Frankly, we just don’t look at it that way. The majority of people are overweight because they ate more calories than their bodies needed, and the excess was stored as fat. To get back to a healthy weight, the opposite is true: you must eat fewer calories than your body needs, so that you burn the calories from the stored fat. And if you want to keep that weight off, you’ll have the greatest degree of success if you are eating foods that you enjoy the entire time, so that you don’t return to previous habits once the weight is gone. We’re talking about lifestyle changes, and there’s no magic bullet to get around it.

Can you lose weight eating only Twinkies? Yes, and it’s been done by a nutrition professor, proving the point that calorie deficit (taking in fewer calories than you burn) results in weight loss. Is it the healthiest way to eat? No, though as his results show, simple weight loss, regardless of how it is achieved, has health benefits like lower overall cholesterol levels, lower triglyceride levels, and better ratios of HDL to LDL. Can you lose weight by eliminating carbohydrates from your diet? Yes, and there are many people who have. Is it the healthiest way to eat? No. Our bodies are designed to rely on carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Eliminating any single category puts us out of balance. If you want to maintain your weight loss, the foods you eat while you are losing weight should be the same foods you are going to eat while maintaining your new healthy weight. This will give you the greatest chance for continued success.

Choices you make about which foods to eat while losing weight happen for a number of reasons. First, chances are you are trying to lose weight because you know you will be healthier for it, so you probably want to be making healthier food choices, too. Good, well-balanced nutrition leads to a healthy body and healthy bodies work more efficiently, and that includes burning calories and metabolizing fat. In my book, that means you should be focusing on vegetables. Most Americans are woefully deprived in the vegetable department, and our health shows it. Second, since you are limiting the number of calories you take in, you’ll be happiest and feel the most satisfied if the foods you eat help you feel full longer. Protein, fiber and fat take longer to digest than sugar, fruits and vegetables, so you’ll want to make sure you have some of at least one of these each time you eat. Third, limiting calories often means smaller portions. Do you want to have a piece of lasagna because you are really craving it, or do you want to have a chicken breast topped with salsa, half a sweet potato with a pat of butter and a large portion of steamed broccoli, filling your entire plate with food? Both options have the same number of calories, but one fulfills a craving while the other appeals to our visual nature, appearing to be more food. Both options are valid, and they each help us to not feel deprived while limiting calories. The choice you make depends on which desire you want to fulfill. There is no one right way. You just need to find the one way that works for you. We’ve helped countless people do just that.