A lot of people have been asking me lately about how many calories they should be eating to lose or maintain their weight. There is so much information out there telling you how many calories you should eat. Are carbohydrates bad? Is fat bad? Should I load up on KFC’s Double Downs? I mean there is no bread so they must be ok, right? 🙂
For starters, I will give you my high-level opinion and point you towards some great resources. Feel free to ask questions/start discussions as there will be many more in-depth posts on this topic in the future!
If you eat clean (no processed foods), you don’t need to worry about counting calories. Have you ever heard anyone say that they are obese because they’re eating salads that are way too big or because they are consuming too much grilled chicken and broccoli at dinner? If you stick to a diet of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains you will find yourself more satisfied and your energy levels will increase. As a lovely side effect you will shed the excess weight you’re carrying around.
I know it’s not realistic to avoid all things processed (I have my weaknesses too!) so think about keeping your diet 90% great and allowing yourself to eat anything you want 10% of the time. You need to enjoy the food you love…it’s part of creating a happy and social life. Now, this doesn’t mean you can binge on an entire pizza and a whole bottle of wine 4 times a week! But if you’re looking to have a few slices and a couple glasses of wine with friends, enjoy!
If you’re eating 6 meals a day (which I definitely recommend…keep that metabolism fired up!) that is 42 meals a week and leaves you about 4 meals where you can “cheat.” Keep in mind…skipping a meal is cheating. Eat up gals.
Check out this great article. Helen Kollias, PhD, explains what a calorie is in a really interesting way, addresses calorie counting and tells you about an experiement she did with some foods that are marketed as low calorie. Read Label Lies.
Have you been eating right and working out? Are you still dissatisfied with the results? There may be something else going on. Check out these last 2 posts on Alwyn Cosgrove’s blog…an interview with and guest post from Dr. Bryan Walsh.
Need a treat this weekend? All the foodie bloggers are talking about Banana “Ice Cream” and I really need to try it as soon as possible. All you do is take a cut up frozen banana and put it in the blender or food processor until it’s at the consistency you want. (Optional…add in some chocolate protein powder or natural peanut butter.) YUM. Anyone tried this?
Happy weekend!
I tried to post a comment last week on my blackberry – but it wasn't allowing me… I LOVE this post – this is exactly what Jaime Olivers food revolution was about – clean eating – real food… if you do that, you'll be golden… love, love this post and the articles you included… really good reading Mandi!