Learning how to count calories is a huge win for your fat-loss and dieting journey! Learning what makes up a calorie and how it plays into your diet is extremely helpful in ensuring your calorie counts are on track.
Macronutrients consist of 3 (well, five if you include fiber and alcohol) items. These items are protein, fats, and carbohydrates. Each of these three macros has significant roles in the body. Let’s take a look at each one below:
Protein – 4 calories per gram. Amino acids are the building blocks of the body which come from protein. It helps in the transport of nutrients, oxygen, and waste throughout the body. They help build and repair damaged muscle in the body. Lastly, they add collagen to connective tissues of the body and the skin, hair, and nails.
Examples: Steak, chicken, fish, beans, legumes, soy, tofu, seitan.
Fats – 9 calories per gram. Fats are required to produce and build new cells. They are a source of energy and are critical in the transmission of nerve impulses and brain function and development. Fats also help with the regulation of hormones. Nutritionists commonly classify dietary fat as either saturated, monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated based on the number of double bonds that exist in the fat’s molecular structure. These include the EFA’s or Essential Fatty Acids.
Examples: Olive oil, flaxseed, nuts/nut butter, salmon, fatty cuts of steak, chicken thighs, eggs, dairy.
Carbohydrates: 4 calories per gram. Carbohydrates are a main source of energy for bodily function and physical activity. They help regulate protein and fat metabolism.
Examples: Rice, oats, bread.
Fiber – Technically, fiber has no caloric value, but it’s classified as a carbohydrate. Fiber is large carbohydrate molecules, which are classified as two different types: Soluble and Insoluble. Soluble fibers can be dissolved in water. These fibers are beneficial since they can slow down digestion. They are also helpful for “a healthy digestive system.” Insoluble fibers are such things as cellulose, which does not dissolve in water. Insoluble fibers do not affect the speed of digestion. They are beneficial to gut health.
NOTE: Some food companies treat fiber as 0 calories – THIS IS NOT TRUE; therefore, some nutrition labels will give false numbers.
Alcohol – 7 calories per gram. Alcohol has no real beneficial attributes, but for the acknowledgment of calories, this is what you need to keep in mind.
Why Count Calories?
Learning how to track calories will give you a mindful insight as to what proper portions look like, how many calories are actually in foods, and will give you a pretty good idea on how much you were over or under eating. This tool can make or break a diet and help you nail in some real results.
How To Track Calories?
Now that you know what calories are and how many grams equals what, here comes the hard part – actually tracking!
Using an app such as MyFitnessPal or Mymacros would be the easiest, but sometimes not the most accurate. For instance, fiber contains calories and should be counted. Pen and paper will give you the most accurate count, but it is the most time consuming since you have to do math (no one likes math!) By using the app or multiplying carbs by 4, protein by 4, or fats by 9, it will give you the end number for your foods. Adding these up by the end of the day will give you a total calorie count. Weighing foods by ounces and grams will be the most accurate, as well as weighing food in its raw or uncooked state. Weighing foods without taking that into consideration can throw your calories way off because of food volume changing after cooking.
If you’re not sure how many calories you’re supposed to eat, read this article here.
