If there was ever a word that sent women running for the hills, this was it: calories. I just hear it and I swear my pants feel tighter... So, to kick start our new tip of the month section, we are going to look at the bottom line: calories! How many do I burn? What are these calories we speak of? Many questions we have!

What is a calorie?

In scientific terms, a calorie is a measure of heat given off. 1 calorie = the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1g of water by 1 degree celsius. What we see on our food labels termed "calories" are actually kilocalories. This means that there are actually 1000 calories for every kilocalorie. We have shortened the kilocalorie to calorie to make it easier for the lay-person, and also because the true calorie measure is so small! If this is a bit confusing, think of it this way:

In a kilometer, there are 1000 meters. In a kilocalorie, there are 1000 calories. What we see on food labels are actually kilocalories. Therefore, if you see something that says 10 calories (kcal), it actually has 10 000 calories. All food is this way, no need to panic. It just helps to know because sometimes, especially with health foods such as shakes, they will list the calories in terms of kilocalories and it can throw people off. I will stick to using calories.

Where do calories come from?

In any food we eat, there are calories. Drinks that contain natural sugars and fruit juices also contain calories. Here is the breakdown:

Carbohydrates: 4 cal per gram
Protein: 4 cal per gram
Fats: 9 cal per gram

Looking at these figures, it is easy to see why high fat diets really pack on the pounds! They contain over double the amount of calories that protein and carbs do!

So we want to know then - where should I be getting my calories from? What are healthy amounts?

To put your minds at ease, we need fat to sustain life. Without it, you would cease to exist. Thus, we need it, but how much of it do we need? Here is a breakdown of the recommended caloric intake percentages:

Carbohydrates: 55 - 60% of total daily calories, mostly from high fibres sources and fruits and vegetables. Sweets and sugars should account for very little of the percentage.

Protein: 15 - 20%, coming from lean sources with little fat. Chose lean, non-farmed fish, any chicken without the skin, and eat lean cuts of beef and pork in moderation.

Fats: 25 - 30%, chosing healthy fats and cholesterols such as HDL (high density lipoproteins) and avoiding saturated fats, most of which coming from fatty animal products is best when selecting calories from fat. Good sources of HDL include olive and vegetable oils. Palm and tropical oils contain saturated fat and should be avoided. Fats and oils from fish and nuts are you best bet.

So how many calories should I eat?

How many calories you should consume daily is completely dependent on your body weight, size and level of activity. Measuring your exact number of calories used is difficult and involves the use of scientific equipment. You can, however, find charts that gauge caloric expenditures for activities and safely assume that you fall somewhere close to that range. Remember that heavier people burn more calories in physical activity due to pure laws of physics: it takes more enegery to move something heavier. The key is focusing on obtaining food energy from carbohydrates and proteins, as they fill you up for less than half the caloric cost of fats. Visiting a dietician is really the best way to fully take stock of your activities and eating habits and find the right balance for you.

A few tips on cutting out unnecessary calories:

1. Watch juices, pops and sweetened drinks, such as sweetened soy milk. While juice and soy milk are good for you, they can contain as many calories as pop per serving. Yikes! Consume juice in moderation and count it as eating a piece of fruit. Water is the only beverage that should be consumed for thirst.

2. Buy low-fat versions of things. Everything these days has a low-fat counter-part: cheeses, yogurt, cottage cheese, milk , mayo - you name it! Cutting out these hidden fats is a great way to help keep yourself on track and still enjoy your favorite foods.

3. Watch your sugars. We love yogurt, yes we do. But a lot of yogurts are very high in sugar! Learn about sugars and read labels - you will be amazed! Cereals are another sneaky sugar.

4. When you eat out, get half orders of things and dressings on the side. The typical restaurant serves a dinner that is over two times the normal amount eaten at home. Ask for half in a doggie bag before they even bring your meal out - leftovers rock!

5. Latte love? Or is it hate? For those of you who love your lattes and fraps, bad news. Hit up the Starbucks website and read'em and weep. Some of these babies contain half, yes I said HALF, a day's worth of calories in one go! Opt for skim milk lattes and try the low-cal sweetener fraps.


I hope this has been of some help! Please feel free to post comments and questions! I love to hear your responses and look forward to some great tips and information from our members!

That's a lot of very useful information, thank you for posting that!

I did want to ask if you could give a brief run-down on the different types of fat and which ones are very good and very bad for you? I always get confused about the whole transunsaturated/polysaturated etc.

Have a tip on carbohydrates:
Make your carbs work harder for longer - choose foods that have a low glycemic index as it means that your body takes longer to use it up as fuel for you, and you remain fuller for longer, so it reduces the craving for in-between snacks. Brown or wholemeal bread, raw sugar or honey, things that aren't processed to death and high in sugar.

My favourite low GI breakfast is Kellogg's Special K with soy milk.

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Snark, snark... & ass'd oddities

I am sooooo glad you posted this thread.
A lot of people really have no idea how much they're putting into their bodies that isn't healthy.
Example...I've got a friend my height and age, and she outweighs me by 30 lbs. Now, she's a naturally voluptuous, hourglass figured girl. But she cannot understand why even though she works out five days a week she has yet to see significan weight loss. It's because she goes out and drinks at night, and she eats from restaurants and whatnot.
Just ordering a salad doesn't necessarily make it a healthy salad...often times now, the salads restaurants serve are just as high in cals and fat as any other meal on the menu!
Making healthy eating choices makes a HUGE difference!

Thanks for explaining the c/kc difference!

Not a problem

I know this is SUPER confusing for most people, as there are so many buzz words out there, different fats and cholesterols, yadda yadda - yikes!

OK, so here we go:

There are four main types of fats:

1. Monounsatured
2. Polyunsaturated
3. Saturated
4. Trans Fats

One thing to note is that fats are named solely on the basis of their chemical structure. There is nothing more to it than that. I will try not to make this a lesson in organic chemistry but rather one of nutrition.

Monounsatured: these fats take on a liquid form at room temperature. They are derived from plant sources are are often called "good" fats. Many studies show lowered risks of certain cancers, particularly breast cancers, in those who consume high amounts on monounsatured fats. Olive oil has the highest amont of monounsaturates. They are thought to have other benefits such as: lowering LDL cholesterol (bad) and raising HDL cholesterol (good). They are also thought to lower triglyceride levels (triglyderides are the form fat takes on when stored on the body).

Polyunsaturated Fats: again, these take on a liquid form, even at some colder temperatures. Your omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids fall into this category. Polyunsaturates are found primarily in vegetable and fish oils. The thing about polyunsaturates is that many of the sources we get it from (corn, soy and safflower oils) are structurally modified a lot during processing, thus losing many of their beneficial properties. Polyunsaturates are thought to protect against heart disease. Best sources include: cold water fish (i.e.: salmon) and nuts and seeds.

Saturated Fats: these fats typically take on a solid form at room temperature - think butter. These fats come primarily from animals and are also found in palm, coconut and palm kernel oils. Saturated fat can also be found in hydrogenated plant oils, such as ice cream, margarine, shortening, etc. Much like all studies, there seems to be inconclusive evidence surrounding the hows and whats of the negative effects of saturated fats. It appears that a diet high in saturated fat leads to increased obesity, risk of cardiovascular disease and increased cholesterol levels. Every individual reacts differently to fat in the diet. A physical with your GP will provide the best estimate of how much saturated fat you should be consuming.

Trans Fats: This is where science comes in and plays God. Because of the dangers often associated with saturated fats, food scientists decided to start taking unsaturated fats and making them solid at room temperature. The result? Trans Fats!! We solved one problem and created another... In fact, trans fats are the WORST kind of fat you can consume. Oh modern science, how we love you. Trans fats are found in hydrogenated margarines, donuts, many fried foods and most fast foods. Why are they so bad? They contain high levels of free radicals and have been associated with increases in arthritis, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Furthermore and very scarey is that the New England Journal of Medicine recently reported that there is a 93% increase in likelihood if cardiovascular disease with the consumption of trans fats. Holy yikes!

Cholesterol: many people think that cholesterol is a fat because it is so often associated with fat. Cholesterol is a steroid that assists in maintaining the structure of cell membranes. It comes in 2 forms, LDL and HDL. Elevated levels of LDL have been directly associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Cholesterol is produced naturally in the liver, hence there is no recommended allowance for cholesterol. High LDL cholesterol has no symptoms and should be checked by your physician. High HDL cholesterol is associated with good heart health. A read of the monounsatured fats description can show ways to lower LDL and raise HDL.

Thanks wattage! I really appreciate you taking the time to explain that to me, though it does bring me back to my high school past as a science nerd Actually, organic chem in terms of human anatomy and physiology was awesome, very interesting.

Now if only I could remember that formula to calculate the maximum percentage of alcohol that could be in one's blood according to what you've drunk...

I have a bottle of virgin coconut oil, and it says it is suitable for human consumption (though I bought it for cosmetic use). It is generally solid at room temperature but can melt to liquid in hotter weather. Is this most likely to be saturated fat do you think?

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Snark, snark... & ass'd oddities

Wattage-I LOVE YOU! You are so helpful! BTW, your response to my calorie question in my Fitness Journal was fantastic also. I am going to figure my BMR (I hope it is not 5 cal per week! )

To Shimmer and Wattage: Thanks for highlighting the pitfalls of restaurants and coffee beverages. I personally think that if someone is trying to lose weight, they need to avoid those establishments altogether until they get a good grasp on the nutrition/calorie aspect of them. Then rethink how and what they order.

Thank you for the rundown on fats, as well. I had a few questions about them and that nailed it.

Questions:
1. I have heard that you have to burn an extra 3,500 calories to loose a pound of fat; is that correct?
2. Ms. Pixieears brought up the glycemic index. Could you expand on that?

Your post really underlines that as healthy individuals there are only so many calories we should put in our bodies within a day, so it is important to make them count and work with you!

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This is sooo helpful, thank you so much.

yes its about 3450calories
to lose weight you need to create a calorie deficit, most people start with taking out 250calories..then they stop at about 500calories

"In order to lose weight, you must create a calorie
eficit. Every 3,500 calories is equivalent to 1 pound.
If you cut back 500 calories a day, you will lose 1 pound per week. If
you exercise to burn off 500 calories a day you will also lose 1 pound
per week. Ideally, you should do a combination of both, (e.g. cut back
250 calories; burn an extra 250 calories).

It’s dangerous to try and cut too many calories at a
time. Never go below your BMR*! A healthy weight loss
goal is to lose .5 to 2 pounds per week.
Losing more than 2 pounds per week will mean the weight is less
likely to stay off permanently. Never cut back to fewer than 1,200
daily calories without medical supervision. "

*BMR = basal metabolic rate, the amount of calories you NEED every day to function. the problem with so many girls and their "dieting" techniques (aka starving themselves) is that they aren't really losing weight, they're just hurting themselves. when you drop too many calories, the "weight" you "lose" is actually water weight and you end up dehydrated, sick, all kinds of bad health side effects, plus your body has to have nutrients and energy so it eats your muscle instead of your fat stores since fat is harder to digest.

anyway. this is all from a little booklet i made for one of my classes. i put it online for DL, hopefully this will help some of you gals out!

www.crypicblue.net/portfolio/booklet.pdf

my mom is a personal trainer and nutritionalist so this is a big issue personally for me

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mitsukai [elyse]

i'm gonna do it my way, take that for just what it is

Coconut oil is completely edible (and tastey) but unfortunately contains saturated fat, hence its solid form at room temperature. A few years ago when I found this out, I cried. No more coconut milk!!

1. Yes this is true.

2. The glycemic index is a measure of how different carbohydrate foods raise our blood glucose levels. Because not all carbs are the same when ingested, some will cause dramatic effects in our bodies, others are more stable. This is the basis of the GI diet, and the GI diet is based around the typical diabetic diet. The reason being is that foods that rank high on the GI cause a huge response from your pancreas through the secretion of large amounts of insulin. Foods that rank low on the GI allow your pancreas to secrete smaller amounts of insulin over time, aiding in the healthy metabolism of these sugars. Common sense will point towards foods that are high on the GI: donuts, cakes, pastries, candy bars, many breads, ice cream, potatoes without their skins, etc. The GI is and should be of particular concern for those who have type I diabetes and type II diabetes or are at risk for developing type II. The pancreas literally becomes tired, having to secrete so much insulin everytime the person ingests two donuts and a coffee full of sugar. In essence, you are tiring out your organs! The GI focuses on foods that allow more stable incline and decline of blood glucose, thus more healthy for the body, its organs and the individual.

My thoughts on the GI are that it works for some people. Really to me, it is just another marketing gimmick because Hey! Who knew? Highly refined sugars are BAD for you? Pardon my sarcasm, but sometimes I just find it funny that they have to create an entire diet and write a book all based on the fact that eating twinkies, white bread and drinking pop might be bad for you.

The bottom line is really to consume carbohydrates that come in the least processed form and contain high amounts of fibre. Good sources low on the GI are:

- Whole grain breads and cereals, preferably stone ground
- All fruits and vegetables, unprocessed, no sugars added
- Pastas, rice, pref. whole grain and whole wheat

I think if you go to the GI website (glycemicindex.com) they have a calculator tool where you can enter the food and it will rank it for you. The GI ranks foods 1 - 100 on the index.

HTH, my dear