Balancing Calories
There's a lot of talk about the different components of food. Whether you're consuming carbohydrates, fats, or proteins all of them contain calories. If your diet focus is on any one of these alone, you're missing the bigger picture.
- The Caloric Balance Equation
- Am I in Caloric Balance?
- Recommended Physical Activity Levels
- Questions and Answers About Calories
The Caloric Balance Equation
When it comes to maintaining a healthy weight for a lifetime, the bottom line is – calories count! Weight management is all about balance—balancing the number of calories you consume with the number of calories your body uses or "burns off."
- A calorie is defined as a unit of energy supplied by food. A calorie is a calorie regardless of its source. Whether you're eating carbohydrates, fats, sugars, or proteins, all of them contain calories.
- Caloric balance is like a scale. To remain in balance and maintain your body weight, the calories consumed (from foods) must be balanced by the calories used (in normal body functions, daily activities, and exercise).
If you are... | Your caloric balance status is... |
---|---|
Maintaining your weight | "in balance." You are eating roughly the same number of calories that your body is using. Your weight will remain stable. |
Gaining weight | "in caloric excess." You are eating more calories than your body is using. You will store these extra calories as fat and you'll gain weight. |
Losing weight | "in caloric deficit." You are eating fewer calories than you are using. Your body is pulling from its fat storage cells for energy, so your weight is decreasing. |
Am I in Caloric Balance?
If you are maintaining your current body weight, you are in caloric
balance. If you need to gain weight or to lose weight, you'll need to tip
the balance scale in one direction or another to achieve your goal.
If you need to tip the balance scale in the direction of losing weight, keep
in mind that it takes approximately 3,500 calories below your calorie needs
to lose a pound of body fat.1 To lose about 1 to 2 pounds per
week, you'll need to reduce your caloric intake by 500—1000 calories per
day.2
To learn how many calories you are currently eating, begin writing down the
foods you eat and the beverages you drink each day. By writing down what you
eat and drink, you become more aware of everything you are putting in your
mouth. Also, begin writing down the physical activity you do each day and
the length of time you do it. Here are simple paper and pencil tools to
assist you:
- Food Diary (PDF-33k)
- Physical Activity Diary (PDF-42k)
An interactive version is found at My Pyramid Tracker.gov, where you can enter the foods you have eaten and the physical activity you have done to see how your calorie intake compares to your calorie expenditure. This tool requires you to register, simply to save the information you are tracking.
By studying your food diary you can be more aware of your eating habits
and the number of calories you take in on an average day. Check out
MyPyramid Plan
to see how that number compares to the suggested food pattern for someone of
your gender, age and activity level.
Physical activities (both daily activities and exercise) help tip the
balance scale by increasing the calories you expend each day.
Recommended Physical Activity Levels
- Adults should be physically active at a moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes, 5 or more days each week.
- Increasing the intensity or the amount of time that you are physically active can have even greater health benefits and may be needed to control body weight. About 60 minutes a day may be needed to prevent weight gain.
- Encourage children and teenagers to be physically active for at least 60 minutes each day, or almost every day.
So the bottom line is… each person's body is unique and may have different caloric needs. A healthy lifestyle requires balance, in the foods you eat, in the beverages you consume, in the way you carry out your daily activities, and in the amount of physical activity or exercise you include in your daily routine. While counting calories is not necessary, it may help you in the beginning to gain an awareness of your eating habits as you strive to achieve energy balance. The ultimate test of balance is whether or not you are gaining, maintaining, or losing weight.
Questions and Answers About Calories
Q: Are fat-free and low-fat foods low in calories?
A: Not always. Some fat-free and low-fat foods have extra sugars, which
push the calorie amount right back up. The following list of foods and
their reduced fat varieties will show you that just because a product is
fat-free, it doesn't mean that it is "calorie-free." And, calories do
count! See
FAT-Free Versus Calorie Comparison for more information.
Always read the Nutrition Facts
food label to find out the calorie content. Remember, this is the
calorie content for one serving of the food item, so be sure and
check the serving size. If you eat more than one serving, you'll be
eating more calories than is listed on the food label. For more
information about the Nutrition Facts food label, visit
How to Understand
and Use the Nutrition Facts Food Label.
Q: If I eat late at night, will these calories automatically turn
into body fat?
A: The time of day isn't what affects how your body uses calories. It's
the overall number of calories you eat and the calories you burn over
the course of 24 hours that affects your weight.
Q: I've heard it is more important to worry about carbohydrates than
calories. Is this true?
A: By focusing only on carbohydrates, you can still eat too many
calories. Also, if you drastically reduce the variety of foods in your
diet, you could end up sacrificing vital nutrients and not be able to
sustain the diet over time.
Q: Does it matter how many calories I eat as long as I'm maintaining
an active lifestyle
A: While physical activity is a vital part of weight control, so is
controlling the number of calories you eat. If you consume more calories
than you use through normal daily activities and physical activity, you
will still gain weight.
Q. What other factors contribute to overweight and obesity?
A: Besides diet and behavior, environment, and genetic factors may also
have an effect in causing people to be overweight and obese. For more, see
Other Factors in Weight Gain.
Want to learn more?
Cutting Calories at
Every Meal
You can cut calories by eating foods high in fiber, making better
drink choices, avoiding portion size pitfalls, and adding more fruits
and vegetables to your eating plan.
Losing Weight
Even a modest weight loss, such as 5 to 10 percent of your total body
weight, can produce health benefits.
Physical Activity for a
Healthy Weight
Physical activity can increase the number of calories your body uses
for energy or "burns off." The burning of calories through physical
activity, combined with reducing the number of calories you eat, creates
a "calorie deficit" that can help with weight loss.
References
1DHHS, A Healthier You, page 19. Available online:
http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/healthieryou/html/chapter5.html
2DHHS, AIM for a Healthy Weight, page 5. Available online:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/aim_hwt.pdf
(PDF-2.17Mb)
Please note: Some of these publications are available for download only as *.pdf files. These files require Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to be viewed. Please review the information on downloading and using Acrobat Reader software.
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Page last updated: July 28, 2008
Content Source: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion