The Calorie Counting Diet

According to many seasoned dieters, the calorie counting diet works according to an extraordinarily simple formula. Fewer calories in and more calories out = weight loss. Although many run into problems with the calorie counting diet, the basic principle holds true.

The calorie counting diet explained

Calorie counting consists mainly of counting the cost of every bite you eat, every day, every meal, ad infinitum. In other words, calorie counting haunts your every waking moments demanding, “do you know how many calories that Twinkie has?” and other depressing things. For the dedicated calorie counter, calorie counting becomes an obsession by definition since the instant a food becomes an unknown quantity, it cannot be safely consumed. Calorie counting applies a number of calories to everything from a Big Mac (which by its calorie count should NEVER be eaten) to a celery stick.

Counting calories to lose weight

While the principle seems simple enough, the realities make calorie counting hard to maintain. A single pound of fat contains 3500 calories, which means that even if you eat 500 calories less than you expend every day, it will still take at least a week to burn a single pound of fat, but a pound per week doesn't sound so bad, right? The problem is, the body doesn't burn straight fat. Burning fat is oxygen intensive, so anytime the body lacks enough oxygen it burns carbohydrates or protein instead. That means that of the 500 calories you didn't eat, only half or less of them will be going to burning fat, cutting the visible gains by that much as well. Add to that the fact that body weight fluctuates by several pounds every day because of fluid intake and whatever is in your stomach and weight loss can be just a little confusing.

How many calories per day?

The average active person eats about 2000 calories a day, or so the FDA tells us. In reality, every person eats differently, which means a food chart to determine how much you really are eating can really help determine how much you should cut. If the 2000 calorie person really cuts 500 calories, they can expect to start losing 1-2 pounds per month. This is a healthy pace. The problem is that maintaining motivation and dedication to weight loss over long periods of time is really hard. After all, losing 30 pounds of weight could take up to 30 months or roughly 2 1/2 years.

Are counting calories effective for weight loss?

One of the problems with calorie counting is that the body still needs just as many vitamins, minerals, etc. as it normally gets, if not more for those of us who are unhealthy eaters already. Cutting 500 calories means cutting sources of good nutrition by a quarter. In that regard, a supplement can really help. Supplements can also make ignoring food easier, leading to faster weight loss. Acai berry comes in simple pill form and contains as many vitamins and minerals as a good multivitamin while at the same time providing amino acids and an energy boost which will help the body lose weight faster and stay healthy at the same time. Another great herbal supplement is Hoodia Gordonii which interferes with the body's perception of hunger, decreasing food cravings which lead to greater weight loss. Although calorie counting is effective, a supplement and an exercising program will both help shed the pounds much faster.