Know Your Calorie Count: Nutrition and weight loss go hand in hand. Nutritional science is an entire medical vertical that deals with the study of the effects of food on metabolism, health and performance but tracking calorie intake is something anyone can do.
The idea of counting calories became popular around the turn of the 20th century when American scientist Wilbur Atwater revealed that a “bomb calorimeter” could measure how much “energy” was present in a certain kind of food. Apart from losing weight, counting calories is recommended for anyone who wants to build mass, increase strength and boost endurance.
To put it very simply, when you diet to lose weight, you need to create a “calorie deficit” to lose weight. What that means is, you want to eat fewer calories than your body burns in a day. To do this you must know how to calculate calories in food.
For example, if your body burns 2000 calories a day but you eat only 1700 calories a day, you create a calorie deficit of 300 calories a day and you’ll lose weight. If your body burns 2000 calories a day and you eat 2300 calories a day, you’re creating a calorie surplus of 300 calories, and you’ll end up gaining weight over time.
Hence, while planning your diet plan to lose weight fast, you can create a calorie deficit by:
- eating fewer calories than you do now if you overeat;
- exercising more;
- a combination of (a) and (b) (usually, this is the best way because you strengthen your body at the same time)
To ease your process of planning your diet with weight loss food we have listed a few common food items and their quantity, each comprising 200 Calories worth of energy by using a calorie counter calculator:
- 150g Eggs
- 385g Apples
- 28g of Butter
- 588g of Broccoli
- 145g cooked pasta
- 75g of a cheeseburger
- 51g of Fruit Loops Cereal
- 333ml of Whole Milk
- 55g Wheat Flour
- 34g Peanut Butter
Know Your Calorie Count: As you can see above, the same quantity of food can carry a vastly different number of calories. Hence, when it comes to snacking, as far as possible, replace those potato chips or buttery delights with a fruit, a glass of milk or some eggs. It is important to fulfil our hunger without stocking up on calories. The notion of maintaining a balanced diet was brought forth simply to ensure that we do not overload ourselves solely with artery clogging, high calorie food with nominal nutritional value.
Statistically, an average adult needs 2000-2500 calories a day, but this, of course, differs depending on how physically active you are. So for those who don’t hesitate to sweat in the gym, a spoonful of peanut butter is a lot less of a sin!
Although you may be tempted to opt for a quick weight loss diet plan, do keep in mind this general rule of thumb: Women, must not consume below 1200 calories and, men, must not consume below 1800 calories a day. Your body burns up most of its daily calories just by keeping your body alive—even while you’re asleep! For more weight loss tips, click here
Hence, when you diet to lose weight make sure to choose quality over quantity because eating 100g of Broccoli instead of 100g of Potato Chips means you will save on approximately 560 Calories! Therefore, make sure to plan your weight loss diet wisely. You can also make use of an online calorie calculator to track your daily calorie intake.
For, further help on how to count calories, click here.
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