Counting Calories

Have you ever tried counting your calories? What number are you aiming for by the end of the day? How did you come up with that number? Why does everyone think they need 2,000 calories? Read on for some tools that will help you figure out your individualized caloric intake!

Your caloric intake will depend mostly on your metabolism, but also on your daily activity level as well as your ultimate goal (gain, lose, maintain weight). Your metabolism is also very unique to you and is dependent upon many factors including:
Weight
Body Composition
Age
Gender
Genetics
Hormones
Drugs
Stress

Therefore, two females the same height and weight could have very different compositional make-ups, and therefore would have completely different metabolic rates!

Because it is so dependent on each of these factors, it’s best to actually have your metabolism tested in a fasted state to truly understand how your body works. This requires finding a place that offers testing with either a handheld device (such as the BodyGem which is less accurate but less expensive) or the full machine (metabolic cart) in which you lay in a “bubble” for twenty minutes and your oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange is analyzed. These tests give you your resting metabolic rate, or the number of calories that you burn each day just laying around and staying alive.
From this point, calculations can be done based on your activity level throughout the day, as well as your weight management goals to come up with a number of how many calories you should consume each day. Finally, you can make the caloric intake more flexible by adding exercise to burn off some of the additional calories that you consume (however don't make this the only reason you exercise - you'll be missing out on many great health benefits!).
This is the best approach to knowing exactly what your body needs and having specific numbers to help you reach your goals. Check with your gym or with a nutritionist to see if either of these tests are available. If you live near a university, it is very likely they have the equipment, it's just a matter of whether or not community members can pay or volunteer to take the tests.
So... how many calories can you safely subtract for weight loss and at what rate is weight loss most successful? You’ll have to stay tuned! In the meanwhile, I’m giving you an assignment to come up with a general idea about your caloric intake, since it is unlikely many of you will be able to have your metabolism tested.
Have you checked out the "new" food guide pyramid? Go to www.mypyramid.gov and spend as much time as you can clicking around this site. Your specific assignment:
1. Click on "I want to... Get a Personalized Plan" on the right side.
2. Fill out the needed information.
3. If it gives you the option of selecting a program for your current weight or for moving to a healthier weight... I, of course, suggest to move toward a healthier weight.
4. Keeping in mind that this does not take into consideration many individual factors, you now have a suggested nutrition program! Your suggested caloric intake should be written on the top line in bold. Below that is a breakdown of the proper proportions for each nutrient to add up to your calorie count.
5. If you scroll down you'll see a yellow bar for Fat and Discretionary calories. This gives you the number of calories in your plan that you can use for oils, condiments, salad dressings, dessert, etc.
6. Play around with it! Next to each colored tab you can click on "tips" to get suggestions for eating the healthier options for each category (wheat vs. white grains, etc.) Once you've clicked on tips you can also click on "What counts as one ounce" on the right side to get a better idea of the amount you should ingest daily.
7. You can also print a PDF of your plan to keep posted on your fridge, and also PDF checklists to see how close you come to meeting your plan each day.
8. If you are really excited about the record keeping, you can even click on MyPyramid Tracker to log your food and exercise. You can see many charts for how you are doing throughout the day that will help you know when you've eaten too much fat, not enough grains, etc.
**Alright all you moms out there... did you see that there is also a link for kids as well as for moms? There's even a pregnancy and breastfeeding link.

Check it out and let me know what you think! Next week we'll discuss altering your caloric intake and adding exercise in a safe and effective way to lose weight.