The secret to weight loss is about controlling the amount of kilogram calories taken in through food (please note that when people talk about calories, they are in fact referring to the Kilogram Calories). The Calories are the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1kg of water by one degree Celsius. The human body requires certain amount of energy to function normally and any additional physical exertions require additional energy. Therefore weight loss is achieved when the energy intake is less than the energy used, ideally through a controlled weight loss exercise plan, or better still, by adopting a healthy weight loss life style. Any excess energy or calories that are not utilised will be stored as reserve in the form of fat, which can then be called upon at a later date as an energy source. It is for this reason that dieting through food depravation is an extremely bad approach to achieving weight loss. The human anatomy is designed to survive by adapting to its environment. Food depravation triggers the survival mode in the body, as the body is unable to distinguish between self-inflicted dieting and starvation caused by a lack of available food. In order to adapt to this lack of nutrition and energy, the body's survival system lowers the metabolic rate (the rate at which the body burns energy) to ensure it is able to sustain the functioning of the vital organs for as long as possible. This lowering of the metabolic rate then means that greater calories consumed will be stored as body fat than it used to prior to the food depravation. It is for this reason that food depravation also leads to a lack of energy to do any physical activity as the body is conserving energy by storing it as body fat. Therefore, although the body is loosing weight, it is also storing more fat than before. It is also for this reason that people who embark on a weight loss diet based on food depravation will inevitably put on more weight than before.
Counting calories for weight loss
Weight loss is achieved when energy intake is less than the energy out put by the body. Counting calories is therefore an effective healthy way of achieving weight loss, as a person can ensure the energy intake is slightly less than the expenditure. The variance between the energy intake and expenditure must be within a given healthy guidelines as to prevent a drop in the metabolic rate, therefore preventing fat storage. The guideline for the energy consumption of an average person is 2000 and 2500 calories per day for women and men respectively. This means an average person is likely to burn about 2000 or 2500 calories in a day depending on the gender of that person (This naturally does not cater for any additional calories burnt through exertions such as exercising). To ensure a healthy sustainable weight loss, a person must adjust their lifestyle such that the calories consumed is about 200 less than that used. This should be fairly easy to achieve considering the daily energy consumption has been established (2000 for women and 2500 for men), and that most foods and drinks tend to display the number of calories per 100g on their packaging. It then becomes a simple case of subtracting the energy intake from the recommended daily figure, if the resultant is a negative figure then this shows that the person is using more energy than taken in. If the calories are not displayed on the packaging, then there are books and websites that provide the necessary information, an example of which is the Calorie Calculator, which provides detailed information on the calorie contained within each food category.
Dangers of an incorrect calorie counting in weight loss
The most common mistake in weight loss is to ignore the golden rule in calorie counting, which is to set a realistic target when loosing weight. The temptation is always to achieve result in as short a timescale as possible, but in doing so a person will only achieve in undermining the very thing he or she is trying to achieve. This is because an excessive calorie deficiency will result in the body entering a Catabolic state, which is term used to describe a situation where the body starts to cannibalise itself to sustain its energy requirement. The muscles are a good source of protein and as such they are the first to be broken down and used to supplement any dietary deficiency. However, a loss in the muscle mass equates to a reduction in the basal metabolic rate which decides how much energy a body burns when resting. Therefore, the more muscle a person has the higher will be the basal metabolic rate. A high basal metabolic rate is the reason why some people are able to eat whatever they choose and not put on any weight. Beyond this stage, if the lack of energy continues then the body will reduce the supply of energy to any none essential organs, such as the nails or the hair, which is one reason why the people with excessive calorie deficiency eventually start to loose their hair and nails! If this deficiency continues then the body will attempt to preserve the more critical organs such as the heart and the brain by diverting any energy from other organs, such as the kidneys or the liver, to ensure the more vital organs can continue to function for as long as possible. It is for this reason that people who suffer from anorexia will eventually experience Organ failures and ultimately, in extreme cases, death. It is therefore vital to have a realistic expectation from a weight loss program and plan it as a long-term objective. Always be wary of any diet that promises fast results!
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