Counting Calories is Important...
But Counting the Right Calories is More Important!

Before discussing the benefits of counting calories from a weight loss standpoint, it is important to understand what calories are and the food sources that provide the calories you consume. A calorie is a unit of measure used to quantify food energy, or the energy expended by the body. Calories are found in proteins, carbohydrates, fats and alcohol. See the following table for the caloric values of the various food nutrients, or energy sources.

Caloric Values of Food Nutrients

This table shows that each of the four sources listed supply a different amount of energy, or calories, per gram of weight. We are all aware of the weight gain caused by consuming a diet high in fats. This table helps to understand why this is the case. As you can see, you will receive more calories if your diet is higher in fats than a diet composed of more carbohydrates and proteins.

An important point to understand is that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie as far as your body is concerned. No matter what food source the calorie comes from, if you ingest too many calories, the excess energy will be stored as fat. For example, if you only need 2400 calories to survive and you eat 2900 calories every day, you will gain weight. It makes no difference if the 2900 calories came from three fast food “value meals” or a semi-tractor truckload of lettuce. In order to lose one pound, you must burn or decrease your caloric intake by 3500 calories. This is where the idea of counting calories comes in.

You can think of our bodies much like automobiles. That is, people and automobiles both use a fuel source to initiate action or movement. An auto uses gasoline and the human body receives its fuel source, or energy, from calories. Also like automobiles, it is vital for the human body to utilize other “additives” to make it operate efficiently. The car uses oil, brake fluid, antifreeze and other additives. The human body requires vitamins, minerals and water (nutrients) to enable efficient operation. Like the car’s “additives”, your body does not derive energy from vitamins, minerals or water, but these other non-calorie nutrients are necessary for your body to function properly and efficiently.

Summary
Counting calories to determine an appropriate caloric intake for weight loss or weight maintenance is certainly important. But it is also very important to be sure that you choose food sources that provide calories in a healthy way. A diet comprised of a nutritional balance of proteins and carbohydrates and that is low in fat allows you to actually consume more food for a given level of calories than a diet higher in fats. It is also important to remember that a nutritionally-balanced diet includes adequate sources of essential vitamins and minerals. And lots of water!

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