How many calories should I eat per day to lose weight?
This is the second most common question we get from our clients when pursuing to lose weight. Per definition a calorie is a unit of energy; calories in food provide energy in the form of heat so that our bodies can function. They are measured in Food Calories(kcal) or kJ. The First Law of Thermodynamics states that the total energy of an isolated system is constant; energy can be transformed from one form to another, but can be neither created nor destroyed. In other words, in a laboratory or “isolated system,” 100 calories of kale and 100 calories of soda are, in fact the same; as they would release the same amount of energy. This law may apply pretty well for many systems and combustion engines but for breathing, living beings; it is not that simple.
There are certain factors to considered:
- For example: 140 calories of soda (1 can) contains around 39 g. of sugar(almost 10 tsp) and no fiber so it gets directly absorbed by your gut quickly, and broken down into glucose. The glucose spikes your blood sugar, starting the cycle of high insulin and a cascade of hormonal responses. The high insulin increases storage of belly fat, increases inflammation, raises triglycerides and lowers HDL; and in the long term may cause diabetes and obesity. In addition to this, there is no nutrition value in soda; it is just empty calories.
- In contrast, 140 calories of kale are the equivalent to 4 1/4 cups containing approx. 6 g. of sugar and 11 g. of fiber, making it slowly digested great to reduce cholesterol. Kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods containing 11g of protein, high content of vitamin A and C; and vitamin K, calcium, iron, potassium & magnesium. It is also packed with quercetin and kaempferol which are great antioxidants and anti-cancer properties. It also contains lutein and Zeaxanthin, powerful nutrients to protect your eyes.
It is very important to understand these factors because these are key for long-term and sustainable healthy weight. This is part of the nutrition basics session in our wellness program; and the reason why FAD diets do not work on the long run. These diets may trigger yo-yo effect of losing and gaining weight; along with many diseases caused by poor diet and malnourishment.
I have been involved in many different diets and joined weight loss groups. There are some with very extreme low calorie targets as low as 500 – 1200 calories; which for a person who was used to consume 2500-3000 calories, can be actually dangerous. I have seen many ads and testimonies with successful weight loss stories; however some of those close cases have confessed that they have had trouble transitioning from weight loss mode to weight maintenance mode; with the risk that they regain the lost weight gradually. There are also several calculators and formulas in the internet available to determine your calorie intake for either gain, lose or maintain your weight coming from questionable sources; and many linked to apps or programs with subscriptions. To make it more complicated, several apps give you back all or half of the calories burned through exercise, making it confusing. There is no clear consensus about this; I have seen people consuming these extra calories while others keeping the actual budget. When doing strenuous exercise, it may have a negative impact if you do not increase the calorie intake, entering in starvation mode or causing exhaustion and other health issues.
I normally do not go lower than 1500 calories for women, and 1800 calories for men. It is incredible how our mindset is wired to the calorie concept as part of weight loss. During my observations with my clients, I have noticed that they occasionally exceed the limit, but often they stay 200-300 calories below that limit. Another important point to discuss here is that most people underestimate their calorie consumption resulting on much lower amount of calories logged in the tracking app that what really is. That is why I emphasize about the importance of tracking the info the most accurate possible or scanning bar codes on food packages; however this is especially challenging when eating in restaurants.
But then why do we provide calorie budgets to our clients? As mentioned before, the reality is we are not designed to lose weight, so somehow trying to do so it goes against our nature. During my time studying to become a Health Coach, I was taught about how really it is not that relevant to count calories, and we should base rather on variety and nutrient dense foods. I learned the concept of “crowding out” which practically consists of increasing the consumption of good stuff that eventually will reduce the intake of bad stuff. However, when I started my practice and told my clients that they could eat all the amount of food they wanted; they really stared at me confused and with certain level of mistrust. So I decided to set a calorie budget for my clients mainly with the purpose to create some structure and discipline. Along with food logging and portion control, it helps to create awareness of what we are eating and start adjusting.
Another great tool is Mindful Eating which brings even more awareness and helps you to get engaged with your body and listen to certain cues. Our bodies constantly are sending messages, and it takes some practice to learn how to read them, In one of the sessions from our Wellness Program, we talk about the Hunger-Satiety scale. In few words, you should eat when you are slightly hungry around level 3-4 and stop eating when you are almost satisfied at level 6-7. However, this may go a little bit against our Modern Lives and established schedules, so somehow we need to make it work.
Of the many cues of your body can express, there are the cravings. There is nothing wrong with cravings, so trying to ignore them only causes more problems. Feeling deprived does not help in the long run, and may trigger mindless eating and binging. Instead of trying to avoid them, just try to find the healthiest version of your craving, or “healthify” them which means you can transform your craving for ice cream in a healthy version packed with more nutrients, less sugar and unhealthy fats for example.
Other important cues to consider are related to how we feel when we eat certain foods. This is pretty powerful as many people who have learned to listen to their bodies have identified sensitivities after consuming for example gluten or dairy. These sensitivities become even more obvious when you follow an elimination diet for a couple weeks and re-introducing those foods. Consuming foods you are sensitive at, does not help losing weight at all as it increases inflammation in the body.
Now, we have talked about what should be our calorie budget as an upper limit of calories allowed; but actually the lower limit is more important to consider. This lower limit is called resting metabolic rate(RMR). RMR refers to the amount of calories that you consume just at rest, needed to be alive: to breath, blood circulation, body temperature, cell growth, etc. So if you consume less calories than this number, you will enter in starvation mode which may not only avoid you to lose weight; but actually it will make you gain weight and break down muscle as your body will think that you are going through famine. There are several calculators in the Internet, and many fitness and smart watches can calculate RMR; but the most accurate way is through RMR testing available in several fitness centers.
As summary, sustainable weight loss is more related to quality of food rather than quantity. In the next blog we will discuss more about healthy options and portion control. When defining a calorie budget, both upper and lower limits should be considered to avoid entering in starvation mode or end up in mindless eating.
#splendhealth #weightloss #calories #mindfuleating #starvation
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Recommended books used as reference:
Hyman, Mark. Ultra-Metabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss. Atria Books, 2006. Print
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