More About Calories

We’ve been talking a lot about calories. Why? Because the number of calories you
eat and drink, and use up through daily activities, is closely associated with your
weight.
Does it matter what types of foods the calories come from? Yes and no.
When it comes to calories and managing your weight, the answer is no. A calorie is
a calorie is a calorie. Choosing healthy foods is important, and we’ll address that in
the next chapter, “Calories + Nutrients = Food.” But first you need to learn about
calories: what a calorie is, how to count calories, and how to set your calorie goal.
This information will help you assess how close you are to your calorie goal. Then,
you will be able to choose the kind of changes that will get you on your way to a
Healthier You.

We know that most people don’t like to count calories. It may feel like a daunting, overwhelming,
and time-consuming task. We hear you. That is why A Healthier You is
going to provide you with tools that will make it manageable for you to count calories and
follow a healthy eating plan that you can make part of your everyday lifestyle.

Tip: Use Proactol with your weight loss goals. Learn how to set your weight loss goals.

What is a Calorie?


A Calorie is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of a liter of water
1 degree. Sure, it was hard to understand when your science teacher explained it.
Relax. It is just a scientific way to measure energy. That said, what do you need to
know about calories? Just a few things: Think about what you regularly eat, what
your calorie needs are, and how to count calories. It takes approximately 3,500 calories
below your calorie needs to lose a pound of body fat. It takes approximately
3,500 calories above your calorie needs to gain a pound.

At this point, you know how many excess calories it takes to gain a pound or deficit
calories to lose a pound (3,500), and you know about how many calories you need
(in “My Personal Profile”). You are already on the road to a Healthier You!

The next thing you need to learn is how to count calories so you can determine how many
you eat each day. At first, this may seem like too much trouble, but once you get
familiar with portion size and the number of calories in your favorite foods, you’ll be able to estimate how many calories you eat each day, easily, without weighing your
food and without taking too much of your valuable time.

How many calories do you eat each day?

Calories count—and they come from both food and beverages. When eating packaged
foods (for example, frozen, canned, and some prepared foods from the grocery store),
counting your calories is easy—it’s on the Nutrition Facts label. When eating foods
that do not have a Nutrition Facts label, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, or when
eating at home or in restaurants, determining calories is more difficult. If you can’t
count calories because there is no Nutrition Facts label, you should pay attention to
portion size.

Use the Nutrition Facts label. Most packaged foods have a Nutrition Facts label.
An example of one is on the next page. You can use this tool to make smart food
choices and to find out how many calories and nutrients you are actually eating. To
use the label effectively to count calories, you need to check serving size, servings
per container, and calories. Look at the serving size and the number of servings
per container. How many servings are you consuming? If you are eating 2 servings,
you are eating double the calories and the nutrients listed on the Nutrition Facts label.

Portion size is the amount of food eaten at one time. Serving size is the amount stated
on the Nutrition Facts label. Sometimes, the portion size and serving size match;
sometimes, they don’t. For example, if the label says that 1 serving size is 6 cookies
and you eat 3, you’ve eaten 1⁄2 of a serving of cookies. More importantly, you have just
reduced by half the calories listed on the Nutrition Facts label. Remember that the
serving size on the Nutrition Facts label is not a recommended amount to eat; it’s a
simple and easy way for letting you know the calories and nutrients in a certain
amount of a food. If the label helps you be more aware of how much you eat or
drink—all the better!

When eating foods without a Nutrition Facts label, pay attention to how your portion
size compares to a recommended amount of
food from each food group. In chapter 7,
“Breaking It Down,” we’ll show you how to
do this.
Some foods prepared at the grocery store and
other foods such as produce items may not
have food packaging that provides nutritional
information, but this information can sometimes
be obtained in the store by request.

Many restaurants have nutrition information
on the foods they serve available at the
restaurant or on their Web site. As grocery
stores increase the number of prepared products
that have nutrition information, it will
become easier for you to make lower-calorie
choices to help you control your calories every
day. Don’t be afraid to ask for nutrition information
if you don’t see it displayed at the
grocery store or on the menu when eating out.

Now, you’ve learned how to use food packaging to help you figure out how many
calories you are eating. In the following chapter, you will learn how to build healthy
eating patterns using food groups. Estimating how many calories you are getting
from these foods can be challenging at first. But since one of the best ways to manage
your weight is to be aware of foods and beverages high in calories, being able to
keep track of where your calories are coming from is an important skill that will help
you for the rest of your life.

In chapter 4, “Where to Start,” you determined your Body Mass Index, or BMI, to
assess whether you were underweight, at a healthy weight, overweight, or obese.
Staying at—or getting to—a healthy weight can help us in several ways. Not only
might it help us feel better and look better, but science shows it plays an important
role in reducing our risk of several types of chronic diseases that can definitely
interfere with our hopes for a long, healthy life.

There is a right number of calories for you. This number depends on your age,
gender, weight, activity level, and whether you're trying to gain, maintain, or lose
weight. In chapter 4, “Where to Start,” you estimated how many calories you need
to maintain your weight at your current physical activity level.
If you are at a healthy weight (BMI between 19 and 24), then use the number of
calories you estimated as your calorie needs based on your current physical activity
level.

This is the number you wrote down in “My Personal Profile.” In chapters 9 and
10, you will determine whether you are physically active enough to reduce your risk
for developing a chronic disease or to maintain or achieve a healthy weight.
Excess body fat leads to a higher risk for premature death,
type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, problems with
cholesterol and triglycerides, heart disease, stroke, gallbladder
disease, lung problems, gout, arthritis,
and certain kinds of cancers.

If you are obese, overweight, or have a high waist size and two or more risk factors
(see page 13), even modest weight loss (for example, 10 pounds) has health benefits.
Preventing further weight gain is very important. Eating fewer calories while
increasing physical activity are the keys to controlling body weight. Simply put,
eat less, move more. If you need to lose weight, aim for slow, steady weight loss by
decreasing calorie intake while maintaining an adequate intake of nutrients. Next
are a couple of suggestions to get you on your way.
If you need to lose weight, a reduction of 500 or more calories each day from added
sugar, fat, and alcohol is a good strategy. For example, drink water flavored with lemon
or lime, seltzer water, or a diet soda instead of a sugar-sweetened beverage, or use a
non-caloric sweetener instead of a sweetener with calories. Together these small
changes can quickly add up to 500 calories! Later on, we will give you more details on
how to do this.

Tip for controlling calories:

On the Nutrition Facts label, when 1 serving of a single food item contains 400
or more calories, it’s high; and 40 calories is low.1
The packaging of a food can also contain other useful information for making your
food selections. For example, sometimes, foods are labeled “calorie free,” “low calorie,”
“reduced or lower in calories,” “light,” or “lite.” Here is a quick guide to what
those words mean:
Calorie free = Less than 5 calories per serving.
Low calorie = 40 calories or less per serving.
Reduced calorie or lower in calories = At least 25 percent fewer calories
than the regular version.
Light or lite = Half the fat or a third of the calories of the regular version.2
1 Based on 2,000 calories.
2 For example, if a regular cheesecake has 300 calories and 8 grams of fat per serving, then the “lite” version
could have 200 calories and 4 grams of fat per serving.

Tips for Long Term Weight Loss

Quick Facts...

• The most effective way to lose weight and to permanently maintain weight loss over time is to moderate calorie and fat intake, follow a healthy balanced diet and stay active.

• Weight loss strategies should encourage setting realistic goals and making permanent changes in eating habits.

More than 60 percent of Americans over 20 years old are overweight. Carrying too much weight increases the risk of health problems such as hypertension, heart disease, gall bladder disease and diabetes. Losing weight — and keeping it off — can be challenging. Controlling calorie and fat intakes, staying active and changing behavior are keys to weight management.

Calorie Intake

Calorie needs vary from person to person. Age, gender, body size and composition, physical condition, and activity level all play a role in determining how many calories a person needs.

The number of calories required by your body through out the day to do involuntary tasks, such as breathing, producing body heat, keeping your heart beating, and sending messages to and from the brain, is called your basal metabolic rate or BMR. A person’s BMR actually represents about 60 percent of the body’s daily energy needs. Approximately 30 percent of the body’s daily energy needs is used for movement, including a blink of your eye, walking to get the mail, folding laundry as well as jogging around the block. The remaining 10 percent of the body’s energy requirement is used to digest food and absorb the nutrients from food. Go to www.mypyramid.gov to help estimate your daily calorie needs.

When it comes to weight management, there is no magic formula. To maintain weight, the number of calories consumed must equal the number of calories the body burns. For people trying to lose weight, the number of calories consumed must be fewer than the number burned each day. The best way to accomplish this is to cut back on calories by decreasing food intake, while increasing physical activity.

If you are trying to cut back on the number of calories you consume, pay attention to portion size. Choosing sensible portions is an important factor in controlling calorie intake and managing your weight. To learn more about what counts as a serving, see Fact Sheet 9.306, A Guide to Daily Food Choices.

Fat Intake

Another key component of a healthy eating plan is a moderate fat intake. At 9 calories per gram, fat contains more than twice the calories of protein and carbohydrates (4 calories/gram each). Limiting your fat intake not only reduces fat and calories, but also reduces a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. A healthy goal is 30 percent or less of total calories from fat.

Watching your fat intake doesn’t mean you must give up your favorite foods. Choose lean meats and dairy products. Use oils and spreads sparingly. Be aware of hidden fats in foods such as bakery products, crackers, nuts and salad dressings. Learn to modify recipes and use substitutions to lower the fat content.

Keep in mind that a low-fat eating plan is not always low in calories. When selecting low-fat foods, look at the calorie content as well. Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain products and low-fat dairy products tend to be low in fat, refined sugars and calories, yet rich in many vitamins and minerals.

Stay Active

People are more successful at losing weight when they alter eating habits and stay active. Physical activity burns calories, raises metabolism, and helps you lose body fat. Staying active also promotes a sense of well-being and has beneficial effects on HDL cholesterol.

Contrary to popular belief, moderate activity does not increase your appetite. Find an activity that you enjoy. If you are very overweight or have other health problems, consult with your doctor before beginning an exercise program. Start slowly, then work up to at least 15 minutes a session, three to five times a week.

Weight Loss Diet Books

Although many fad diet books promise quick weight loss, many of the diets are usually difficult to continue for a long period and are not nutritious. Despite the fact that people may lose weight initially, often times they easily regain it. At two-year follow-ups, fad diets have a very low success rate.

When selecting a nutrition or diet-related book, don’t believe grand claims and testimonials. Look for well-researched books that provide information based on hard science and that fit the criteria outlined under Safe and Effective Weight Loss Plans. The information below provides critiques of numerous popular books and their approaches to weight loss.

Safe and Effective Weight Loss Plans

Safe and more effective weight loss plans have the following characteristics:

• Recommend no more than 1 to 2 pounds weight loss per week.

• Do not go below 1,200 calories per day.

• Refer to the Food Guide Pyramid and Dietary Guidelines. (See Fact Sheets 9.306 and 9.353)

• Choose sensible portion sizes.

• Encourage exercise.

• Include a variety of nutritionally balanced foods from all food groups.

• Do not have a list of forbidden foods.

• Minimize hunger.

• Do not require special foods or vitamin supplements.

• Encourage setting realistic weight loss goals and making slow, moderate changes.

• Establish lifelong habits.

• Fit into your lifestyle.

Breaking the Behavior Chain

Behavior modification techniques can help alter poor eating habits. Begin by recording your eating habits to identify places, emotions or activities that lead to inappropriate eating.

To change those habits, use simple modification techniques. For example, make a rule to not eat when watching television. When you feel stressed, go for a walk or call a friend instead of eating cookies.

Taking personal responsibility for losing weight, believing you can succeed and having support from family and friends also are important factors in losing weight.

Tip: Fat Loss with Proactol and How to Set Weight Loss Goals