The EASY way to count calories
Counting the amount of calories you consume is very popular among people who want to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle. But is it practical? And does counting calories really lead to weight loss and a healthier lifestyle?
In principle, this is a great idea.
But how do you accurately know how many calories your body needs? There are a lot of applications and calculators available to help you calculate how many calories you need to take in to lose weight, keep your current weight or gain weight, depending on your need. These apps and calculators use your weight, height, activity levels, lifestyle, occupation and Body Mass Index to calculate your daily calorie goals.
But their calculations are not always correct. There are a variety of factors that influence how our bodies use and spend calories that these apps and calculators don't take into account:
Does this then mean that we should not count calories? Perhaps not, but being mindful of the amount of calories you consume in a day is still a vital role in weight loss and living a healthy lifestyle.
So what do we do then? John Berardi Ph.D. and Helen Kollias Ph.D. suggest a different approach: use your hand as measuring device to balance your meals.
Non-active Men:
Total daily intake:
Protein: 3-4 palms
Vegetables: 3-4 fists
Carbs: 3-4 cupped fists
Fats: 3-4 thumbs
Active Women:
Total daily intake:
Protein: 4-6 palms
Vegetables: 4-6 fists
Carbs: 4-6 cupped fists
Fats: 4-6 thumbs
Non-active Women:
Total daily intake:
Protein: 3-4 palms
Vegetables: 3-4 fists
Carbs: 3-4 cupped fists
Fats: 3-4 thumbs
Protein and vegetables with every meal
Carbs, fruits and fats with most meals
Take note of these and then adjust it according to your individual needs:
In principle, this is a great idea.
Get in more calories than you need = gain weight
Get in less calories than you need = lose weight
But their calculations are not always correct. There are a variety of factors that influence how our bodies use and spend calories that these apps and calculators don't take into account:
- Calorie counts on food labels are not always accurate and most of the time estimates.
- Our bodies don't absorb all of the calories we consume.
- How we prepare food changes its calorie load (e.g. cooking, chopping and blending increases the amount of calories available for absorption).
- Our individual gut bacteria can increase/decrease the amount of calories we absorb (e.g. a higher amount of Firmicutes bacteria can cause up to 150 more calories to be consumed every day).
- Our genes, diet and amount of sleep influences how many calories we burn during exercise and rest (e.g. people with more brown fat burns calories faster and will thus burn more).
- An individual's weight history influences how many calories you'll burn (e.g. if you have been overweight in the past, your metabolic rate will be lower than equations by applications and calculators predict due to adaptive thermogenesis).
- Eyeballing portion sizes are usually not accurate and we don't always have measuring devices on hand.
Does this then mean that we should not count calories? Perhaps not, but being mindful of the amount of calories you consume in a day is still a vital role in weight loss and living a healthy lifestyle.
So what do we do then? John Berardi Ph.D. and Helen Kollias Ph.D. suggest a different approach: use your hand as measuring device to balance your meals.
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| Photo credit: Precision Nutrition |
Scroll to the bottom for a free guide picture.
How does this look in real-life application:
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| Photo credit: Amy Dix |
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| Photo credit: Amy Dix |
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| Photo credit: Amy Dix |
John Berardi Ph.D. and Helen Kollias Ph.D. makes the following further suggestions:
Active Men:
Total daily intake:
Protein: 6-8 palms
Vegetables: 6-8 fists
Carbs: 6-8 cupped fists
Fats: 6-8 thumbs
Total daily intake:
Protein: 3-4 palms
Vegetables: 3-4 fists
Carbs: 3-4 cupped fists
Fats: 3-4 thumbs
Active Women:
Total daily intake:
Protein: 4-6 palms
Vegetables: 4-6 fists
Carbs: 4-6 cupped fists
Fats: 4-6 thumbs
Non-active Women:
Total daily intake:
Protein: 3-4 palms
Vegetables: 3-4 fists
Carbs: 3-4 cupped fists
Fats: 3-4 thumbs
Protein and vegetables with every meal
Carbs, fruits and fats with most meals
Take note of these and then adjust it according to your individual needs:
- Need to gain weight? Add 1(men) or 1/2(women) cupped hands carbs and/or 1(men) or 1/2(women) thumbs of fat to a few meals each day.
- Need to lose weight? Remove 1(men) or 1/2(women) cupped hands carbs and/or 1(men) or 1/2(women) thumbs of fat to a few meals each day.
- Keep your current weight? Stick to the suggestions above.
It is important to monitor your results and adjust your portions accordingly.
Do you enjoy the calorie counting process and it works for you? Great, keep it up!! But if not, then you may want to switch to the hand portion guide.
The best meal plans are rarely the best designed, most complex or most scientific ones. The best meal plans are practical and can be followed consistently on a long term basis. Regardless of what diet or exercise plan you follow, the key to success is consistency.
♥ Michelle Smillie ♥
Let life be, let love in
External Sources Consulted:
Amy Dix
Flow Fitness
Amy Dix
Flow Fitness
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| Photo credit: Precision Nutrition |
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| Photo credit: Precision Nutrition |
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