Calories: To Count Or Not To Count?
Don't Become Fixated On Numbers, Expert Says
No Drastic Cuts
One pound of body fat is equal to 3,500 calories, so most people need to cut back about 500 calories a day to lose 1 pound a week. Berry doesn't recommend cutting more than that.Drastically dropping will actually hurt your weight loss, Berry said. It suppresses your thyroid and when you go back to normal caloric intake, the thyroid will need less food, causing more weight gain.Malnutrition can also make you bloat."You will not have a lovely body by starving yourself," Berry said.Cutting back calories in a healthy way can be simple, without pulling out the calculator.If you are eating two pieces of bread per day, cut back one, or if you have three glasses of wine, only have two, she said. Skipping one slice of bread can save you about 100 calories and passing on a glass of wine can spare you between 70 and 200 calories.Exercise is also important in this process."You can eat more if you exercise," she said. A one-mile walk burns 100 calories on average."Strategies like that can help," she said, "Just stay persistent and consistent, and don't cut out the nutrient parts that are needed each day."Eating For Nutrients
Berry said taking the focus off of food can help people cut back calories. She recommends thinking about food as a way to refuel your body and to notice the nutrients you are putting in it.Rather than counting every calorie you pop into your mouth, use general rules of eating, such as controlling portion sizes and fat content."This helps you control calories without having to count them," she said.She encourages people to pause and think about what they are consuming. If you make a mistake, correct it with your next meal.Don't Just Cut The Number
If you decide you need to lose weight, it doesn't mean you should just cut the number of calories you ingest."Counting calories will not necessarily solve problem," Berry said. "You have to eat the right kinds of foods."Berry said people cutting back don't eat foods that are nutrient dense."If you eat all of your daily calories in sweets, you are not going to lose weight," she said. "Empty calories make your body work without providing a lot of nutrition."Even though they may have the same calorie content, eating things high in fiber like oats is better than a bagel, because your body is getting nutrients while it is working. She recommends filling up on colorful vegetables, fruits, proteins and good fats like avocados and olive oil.Berry said it is also important to stack your plate the correct way to control your portion size. Your plate should be half high water-content veggies and the other half should share protein and starch.You can watch your portion size by checking the size of your palm. Berry said a serving size of protein or starch should be about that size. The veggies on your plate should be about twice that.When you are full, Berry said to listen to your body and stop to avoid taking in excess calories."Most people are heads dragging bodies around," she said. "People don't pay attention to bodies and are overeating."If you find yourself still hungry, add more veggies or drink more water."We can't hurt ourselves by packing ourselves with vegetables," she said.Cole said becoming aware of what she was eating and thinking of food as fuel helped her avoid consuming so many calories. She dropped 15 pounds."I just have a different outlook, and food and my weight is no longer an issue in my life," she said.Berry said once you become familiar with things like serving sizes and the right foods to eat, you will know what your body needs to stay healthy without having to do the math.Copyright 2009, Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The story Calories: To Count Or Not To Count? is provided by LifeWhile.



















A South Florida mother was arrested for allegedly beating her young daughter.
Two races on Gulfstream Park's racing card have been canceled because of a temporary quarantine of horses at nearby Calder Race Course.
President Barack Obama and Democratic House leaders resolve a long-standing dispute over abortion, securing crucial support from a handful of lawmakers and setting the stage for a historic vote on a comprehensive health care overhaul.
Police say text messages between teenage students led to a beating that left a 15-year-old girl in intensive care and led to an attempted murder charge for a 15-year-old boy.
Students from Deerfield Beach Middle School are hard at work washing cars along Federal Highway to help raise money for a classmate that was viciously beaten by another teen last Wednesday.
A 13-year-old girl makes her first appearance in court, accused of being an accomplice to attempted murder in the case of a teenage girl who was beaten, allegedly by a 15-year-old boy.
Surveillance cameras roll as two men rob a Brinks armored truck outside a Walgreens store.
At a campaign-style rally in Virginia, President Barack Obama delivered his closing argument in his push to pass health care reform legislation.
Raw video of a high-speed motorcycle chase in 2009 that ended in a crash.
A girl who was attacked at a bus stop outside Deerfield Beach Middle School Wednesday remains in an intensive care unit.
A pair of House Democratic leaders predicted Sunday the final tally on President Barack Obama's historic health care bill will meet or exceed the 216 votes required for passage. But they acknowledged having yet to nail down commitments from a handful of members.
View examples of the artwork of Josie Lou Ratley, a 15-year-old girl severely beaten at a bus stop outside Deerfield Beach Middle School.
Is Sandra Bullock following a list of other actresses who experienced relationship problems following their Best Actress wins?
The new season of Dancing With The Stars premieres Monday night at 8 p.m. on ABC and Local 10 has your backstage pass to all the action!
It's something for everyone: A slideshow of wild stories where you have the choice of watching the video clip at your workstation -- or not! 












