Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could lose calories as quickly as we lost or misplaced our auto keys? If this were the case, my wife suggests men would definitely be the slimmer of the genders. Though a uncomplicated search of the subject on the internet will lead you to intriguing and controversial articles such as, “Lose Calories While Sleeping” and “Lose Calories by Kissing”, the icy hard truth suggests we lose calories in two techniques. Firstly, we can burn the calories that we have ingested, though as we’ll find out this is a lot more hard than a simple jog about the block once a month. The 2nd way of losing calories is to limit the quantity we actively put in our mouth. We all know this, but being human we constantly seek the less difficult solution, even if it’s not there….or is it?

In 2010 American Professor and nutritionist Mark Haub, from Kansas State University, made world headlines right after he successfully lost a massive 10 Stones (63.5kg) in 10 weeks while consuming a diet of sugary cakes, biscuits, snacks and coffee. He did this as an exercise to highlight the significance of calorie counting in our diet plan. Though he was eating all the ‘incorrect’ things, by counting his calories he made certain he decreased the amount of calories he was ingesting- so he ate less effectively. “Wonderful!” I hear you say, “Lastly I can eat whatever I desire and still lose weight, as long as I consume less”. Regrettably, Mr. Haub also revealed that to survive he placed himself on a regime of multiple multi-vitamins and protein shakes, openly admitting he was not certain if it was “the ideal thing to do”. After all calories are the energy in foods that the body coverts to fuel- we need them. Though Mr. Haub’s method might seem severe and finally unhealthy for the body’s long term functioning, it does highlight the importance of calorie counting.

Let’s face it, most of us wouldn’t know how countless calories had been in the hamburger we had for lunch, or the glass of red or white wine we had for dinner. Who cares at any rate? Well if you’re serious about reducing your calories, counting them is by far the simplest technique of reaching this goal. Although the body requirements calories to meet your energy demands, extra calories are converted to body fat. It’s these excess calories that we need to completely rid ourselves from, and the only way to do that is by not exceeding what your body needs. How many calories your body need is very much an individual variable, depending on factors such as age, height, and exercise regime. So knowing what your body needs and being disciplined with your diet is the key to controlling calorie intake.

Anyone who’s ever been on diet will in all probability admit to moments of giving in to the cream donut or chocolate éclair. “I’ll just do a bit alot more exercise and burn it off” is the reasoning, but the truth is surprising. Let’s take the cream donut, which is about 500 calories. To burn off this amount from purely one donut you would want to do a half hour of low impact aerobics. So you can see it’s a lot easier to control your calorie consumption, than to work it off. This approach, coupled with the half hour of reasonable exercise is not only the most verified method of calorie control, but likewise ensures your body stays fit and healthy.

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