Counting calories is not as difficult as it sounds. If you focus on keeping your diet balanced and reduce your portion sizes, you are likely to take in fewer calories without constantly writing them down. Read labels and be vigilant about making low calorie choices throughout the day. When you become mindful of reducing calories, it may eventually become a habit that can help you to maintain your weight loss.
Why Restrict Calories?
Your body maintains a caloric balance. When you consume more calories than your body can use, it stores the extra energy as body fat, resulting in weight gain. When you take in fewer calories than your body needs, however, you eliminate stored fat and lose weight because you have created a caloric deficit. There are a variety of ways to achieve this, so pick a method that fits comfortably with your lifestyle.
Cut the Fat
One way to ensure that your diet is lower in calories is by decreasing the amount of fat that you eat. Fat contains 9 calories a gram while carbohydrates and proteins contain only 4. If you focus more on the latter 2 macro-nutrients, you can eat twice as much food. When you eat things that are high in fat, you need to consume more calories in order to feel full.
Portion Sizes
Exercise can help to burn excess calories, but another way to create a caloric deficit is to take smaller portions every time you eat. Doing so can eliminate about 500 calories a day from your diet, resulting in a pound of weight loss each week. When eating at home, try to use a smaller serving spoon or dinner plate. Eat slowly so that your meal lasts as long as it would if you had more food on your plate.
Food Substitutions and Alterations
Brown University's Health Education Department offers its students advice on choosing healthier options at the school dining room. They suggest that students have the fat trimmed from meat before it is cooked to reduce its calorie content. In addition, they say, choose a fruit salad or baked potato instead of french fries, low-fat milk in coffee, rather than cream, and whole grain breads instead of white. When at home, cook your vegetables without butter and season them with dried herbs. When you have a salad or sandwich, opt for reduced fat dressings and condiments.
A Balanced Diet
When you restrict calories to lose weight, do not deprive yourself of certain types of food. A healthy, balanced diet includes an adequate supply of carbohydrates. Iowa State University says that complex carbohydrates in the form of starches are the most important form to focus on if you are active because they deliver glucose to your brain and give you energy. According to the Food Pyramid, roughly half of your diet should come from carbohydrates, 20 to 30 percent from proteins and no more than 30 percent from fats. If you keep your diet balanced and reduce your portion sizes, your caloric intake is likely to stay low enough to enable weight loss.
Member Comments