subject: The Truth of Calorie Counting [print this page] Calories counting is a habit that many over-weight and obese people have started doing in order to try to lose weight and get into shape. It is not the most effective method if not done correctly. It is much more effective to focus on eating healthy and combining exercise in order to get into great shape.Reducing calories over a long period of time is done by people who have read something about it somewhere and think this is the easiest way to lose weight. What most people fail to realize is that body weight is not the only gauge of health. Most professional models who halve starve themselves in order to look the way they do, have innumerable health problems. This is because although Calories are the unit of measurement of the energy content of food, there is no unit to measure the nutritional value. It is thus theoretically possible to live just on sugar water and meet your daily calorie count, but you will probably die within a couple of weeks because your body is not getting any of the other nutrients that it requires. Proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates and minerals are all needed in varying quantities and if the body does not get what it needs even in minute quantities it will seriously compromise your health, starting with the immune systems. This is why most doctors advise a sickly child to eat well.Instead of counting the calories of the food that you eat, a better alternative would be to alter your eating habits. Most of the excess or waste calories that we get is from sugar and fat, and while animal fat is not as harmful as most people think it is if you do moderate amounts of exercise, the excess calories that you get from sugar is not easily disposed off. One can of Pepsi gives you 170 Calories, so you can calculate for yourself how many calories you are getting here. Also most of the bad fat comes not from animal fat, but from eating deep fried food or food cooked in hydrogenated vegetable oils. Eating animal fat is not always bad, such as eating lean steak without frying the food. You might as well eat it with all the fat, it will at least be tastier.The best way to get into shape and be healty is by eating healthy foods and not just cutting calories. It will not only help you improve your health, but also the quality of your life for as everyone knows, who can be happy on an empty stomach.
