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Submitted by: Jimmie Flores
Everyones heard the standard fitness adage, It comes down to calories in vs. calories out. Counting calories is a useful practice when its used to develop a basic idea of how much you should be eating; however, its an impractical method to employ over a long period of time. Here are a few reasons counting calories isnt the way to go.
#1: Inaccurate Restaurant and Packaged Food Info
In the last few years, most of the bigger restaurant chains have begun providing their nutritional information. However, the accuracy of their info is questionable. In a study published in the January 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers from Tufts University found that some commercially prepared foods contained more calories than indicated in nutritional labeling.
Measured energy values of 29 quick-serve and sit-down restaurant foods averaged 18% more calories than the stated values. Likewise, measured energy values of 10 frozen meals purchased from supermarkets averaged 8% more calories than stated on the label.
The commercially prepared restaurant foods and supermarket frozen convenience meals were obtained in the Boston, MA area. The energy content was measured and compared with nutrition data stated by the vendor or manufacturer. The restaurant chains included both quick-serve and sit-down establishments with broad distribution throughout the United States.
So, unless you plan on preparing every single thing you eat from scratch, the caloric value of your foods probably wont be accurate.
#2: Not knowing how many calories you burn throughout the day
Sure, there are daily caloric-needs calculators, but these are only estimations. And the amount of calories you need to maintain, lose, or gain weight changes every day, due to the fact that you dont do the exact same things every single day.
#3: Counting calories is far too meticulous
The daily grind of adding up the calories from every single thing you eat is enough to chase some people away from their weight loss goals all together.
Although Im denouncing calorie counting, I do believe that counting for a short period of time (about two weeks or so) is beneficial to the lifestyle change needed to lose weight and keep it off. Knowing the approximate number of calories in the foods you like to eat can definitely improve your ability to determine proper portion sizes. This is my personal nutrition plan:
Eat six meals a day, which include 3 meals of roughly 500 calories and 3 snacks of about 300 calories. Your numbers will vary based on your age, weight, and activity level. Since I did have a period of time that I counted calories, I know approximately how much I need to eat at each meal and snack, without having to measure out how much I eat. This takes a lot of the drudgery out of my nutrition plan.
Include protein at every meal.
Eat a fruit or vegetable at every meal.
Thats it. This is the best nutrition plan for me, and I hope it can help you!
About the Author: Dr. Jimmie Flores,PhD,PMP,ITIL,SSBB,SPHR,GPHR is a seasoned organizational development and continuous improvement professional with 20 years of experience. Please visit my website at
jmbok.com
Source:
isnare.com
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