Nutrition Commandment #1: Calories Generally Determine Your Weight
The Basics:
Every diet for weight loss comes down to this one simple fact: your body weight is determined by the amount of calories you consume and burn! Whether you like it or not, accept it or not, the amount of calories you eat is the largest determinant of your body weight. Knowing this will bring clarity to all the diet choices you make in the future. Less confusion is gonna make life at the dinner table more peaceful.
Yes, there are other factors… A LOT of other factors, but none as impactful as the number of calories in vs. out.
The Nitty Gritty:
“Calories In Calories Out” (CICO) is a very commonly reference idea in the nutrition world because of how crucial it is.
Calories In:
Foods you eat
Drinks you drink
Pretty Simple.
Calories Out:
Resting Metabolism
Daily Activity
Exercise
Hormones
Sleep
Hydration
Not as simple.
Calories In:
Calories In refers to everything that you consume in terms of their calorie content. Coca Cola has 138 calories per can; Coke Zero has 0. Every weight loss diet is designed to get you to eat less calories than you did before AND ultimately less calories than you burn.
Related: Calories 101 and How Many Calories to Lose Weight and Gain Weight Safely
Keto limits carbs so that you eat less calories from those easy to consume sources like snacks, sugars, breads, desserts. Intermittent fasting literally prevents you from consuming calories for certain periods of times. Paleo limits you to ZERO calories from processed foods… which are very calorie dense and easy to consume. Name a diet that works, and you’ve named a diet that controls your calorie intake.
If you need help on that end, hiring a nutrition coach like me could be extremely helpful. I will determine the calories (and macros) that YOU specifically need to be eating to hit your goals! Otherwise, find a way to monitor your caloric intake… I always recommend tracking for at least a few weeks to a few months to gather an idea of your tendencies.
Calories Out
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) refers to the amount of calories that your body burns just to keep itself alive, even while you are resting or even sleeping! You require energy (aka calories) to breathe, to pump blood throughout your whole body and to do all of the other functions that you don’t even think about controlling. These processes total about 60% of the calories you burn each day.
NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) refers to the amount of calories you burn moving around throughout the day without the intent of considering it an exercise… aka walking the dog, taking the stairs and potentially some physical work around the house or job. While only about 15% of your daily calorie burn, this is one of the easiest areas to make a difference. So, take the stairs if you can, park further away from the door and get your 10,000 steps in!
EAT (Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) refers to the amount of calories you burn during exercise. Pretty clear, whatever you burn in your workout counts towards your EAT for the day. Also about 15% of your daily calorie burn, exercise is a great way to benefit your health. Get sweaty, lift heavy.
TEF (Thermic Effect of Food) refers to the amount of calories you burn to digest and process the foods you eat. Only 10% of your daily calorie burn, so don’t spend too much time here. Not only is it a small factor overall, but the amount you can adjust this number is tiny. Protein sources take more energy to digest, but not that much more.
TL;DR
If you want to adjust the number that pops up on your scale, you need to manage your overall calorie intake.
CALORIES DETERMINE YOUR WEIGHT.
I’d be happy to help you find the best calorie target for you. 1-on-1 Coaching was the cherry on top that took me from pretty darn fit to six pack abs and still pretty darn fit.
