Calorie math and weight loss
Calorie Math and Weight Loss
Eat less calories than you are burning and you will lose weight. Sounds simple right?
Is a calorie a calorie? And what is a calorie anyway?
To put it simply, a calorie is a measurement of energy. To figure out how many calories are in a food a test is done in a lab under highly controlled conditions. It may be no surprise that the human body is not a controlled system in the same way. So, while an apple may technically have 80 calories, different people will get varying amounts of energy from that food. It takes energy to digest food and digestive issues can affect how many of the calories from a food are actually absorbed. The energy used to digest food is called the thermal effect.
Protein has the greatest thermal effect, meaning it takes the body more energy to digest and break down. In a Journal of the American Medical Association study, people who got 25 percent of their calories from protein burned 227 more calories a day than those who only ate 5 percent of their calories from protein. While most people eat significantly more than 5% of their calories from protein this study does show that increasing protein intake can have beneficial effects.
So even though 3 ounces of chicken breast may have 92 calories on paper, up to 35 percent fewer of those calories will actually be absorbed by the body. "...calories from protein have also been shown to have a greater impact on satiety, and hunger is the enemy of weight loss," says New York weight loss expert Samantha Cassetty, M.S., R.D.
Whole grains vs white grains have a similar effect. When eating whole grains more energy is required to break them down, which leads to less calories being available for storage overall.
Nuts also take a lot of energy to digest. The amount of calories you get from them may be up to 30% less than what the label states.
A lot of this goes back to the idea that eating a diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and a focus on protein will improve health as well as assist in weight loss.
It also means that listening to your body and focusing on eating satisfying nutrient-rich foods may have more of a positive effect on weight loss than counting calories.
Written by Patti Murphy, RDN, CDCES
Blog Post Title Two
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Blog Post Title Three
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Blog Post Title Four
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.