Fat Loss

A calorie is a calorie is a calorie!  Or is it???  Can 50 calories of spinach REALLY equal 50 calories of french fries?  Can 200 calories of freshly squeezed orange juice REALLY equal 200 calories of Coke?  It is hard to believe, but the answer is yes!  The difference is that the spinach and freshly squeezed orange juice are full of vitamins and disease fighting antioxidants, whereas the fries and Coke are not.

Hellllloooo Vitamins

My point with all of this is that it does not matter how you get your calories. (Not true exactly, so read on!)  What matters is how many calories you consume throughout your day, your week and your year.  In order to lose weight, you have to cut out calories and create a caloric deficit.  It is that simple!!!  If you were to pick out and follow 3 popular diets over the next 3 months, I guarantee that you would be successful with each one!  Throughout the diets, you might limit various types of foods such as sugars, fats and carbs in general, but all 3 of them would create a caloric deficit which would lead to fat loss.  The word “diet” and the thought of going on a “diet” bring out a lot of negative emotions in most of us.  If you want to lose weight by following a specific diet and that works for you, then go for it!  BUT, if you prefer not to follow a diet, then learn how to monitor calories and cut out unnecessary calories.  If I could make the decision for you, I would say DIET, SHMIET!  I would tell you to enjoy the foods that you like and your beverages of choice, JUST CONSUME LESS OF THEM!

Mmmm, Antioxidants...NOT!

Food journaling is one of the most effective ways to monitor your caloric consumption.  I highly recommend that you begin logging in all of your foods and even your beverages on a daily basis.  At the end of each week, review your journal to see if there is something obvious that you can cut out.  Example: You see a Starbucks Nonfat Grande Caramel Macchiato 5 days out of the 7.  You do the math to see that you’re getting in 950 calories for the week.  (5 days x 190cals)  Then, you do the math to see that you’re getting in 3,800 calories for the entire month.  (4 weeks x 950 cals )  There are 3,500 calories in one pound of fat, so you realize that you will be gaining one pound of fat each month at the rate you’re going!  So what do you do??  Cut down to 1-2 macchiatos per week.

Another effective way to monitor your calories is to ask yourself questions right before you eat:  Am I hungry?  Is my body telling me that I’m hungry?  Do I want food because I’m __________ (bored, tired, angry, frustrated, sad)?  Am I about to eat food(s) that will enhance my life or take away from my life?  (The spinach and orange juice from above would enhance your life because they are nutritionally dense, and they would help your immune system fight off harmful toxins and free radicals.  The coke and French fries would take away from your life because they increase your risks for cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other diseases.)

Weight loss is not complicated!  Cut out unnecessary calories and reach for foods and beverages that will enhance your life!