Calorie Density: Eat More, Weigh Less |

It may seem counterintuitive, but you really can eat more to weigh less. I realize this may sound like so many of the ridiculous ads we see on TV and hear on the radio that claim effortless weight loss. While eating more to weigh less isn?t effortless, and you certainly can?t do it with cheeseburgers and pizza, it?s definitely doable if you manage your calorie density.

With a little pre-planning, you can eat more than enough food every day to stay satisfied and energized and still lose weight. Calorie density is the key. The calorie density of foods influences your hunger, satiety and food intake. For example, a dinner salad with dressing may have about 100 calories while a small square of chocolate may have the same number. But the former will help fill you while the latter will just make you crave more. By eating foods with lower calorie density, you will feel fuller but have eaten fewer calories.

So what is calorie density? This is where a little science goes a long way. The calorie density (or energy density) of a food is a measurement of the average calories per weight (gram or ounce) of that food. The biggest factor in determining calorie density is the water content of a food. Water increases the volume of a food without adding calories. Volume is important for feeling like you?ve eaten enough to feel full or satisfied. Obviously, the foods with more volume and fewer calories will be your best choices.

You can use calorie density to compare the number of calories in equal amounts of different foods and make better food choices. For example, one ounce of chocolate has far more calories (i.e. a higher calorie density) than one ounce of pretzels. This means that if you eat one ounce of chocolate you will consume more calories than if you eat one ounce of pretzels. Pretzels have a lower calorie density and are therefore a better choice when counting calories (although pretzels are mostly refined grains).

Usually calorie density (CD) is calculated as the amount of calories contained in one gram of a given food. For example, 100 grams of spinach has 23 calories. This means that one gram of spinach contains 0.23 calories. Therefore the CD of spinach is 0.23. In general, calorie density is categorized from very low = 0.00 to 0.7; low to moderate = 0.8 to 1.5; moderate to high = 1.6 to 3.0, and very high = 3.1 and above. The calorie densities of a few foods are listed below.
Calorie Density (CD) per gram of food

Cucumbers ? 0.13??????? Apple ? 0.58???????????????? Tuna ? 1.2?????????????? Cheese ? 4.1
Tomatoes ? 0.21?????????? Grapes ? 0.67?????????????? Turkey ? 1.7????????? Bacon ? 5.0
Broccoli ? 0.28?????????????Green Beans ? 0.78??? Salmon ? 2.1????????? Chocolate ? 5.4
Grapefruit ? 0.30???????? Corn ? 0.86??????????????????? Big Mac ? 2.5???????? Peanut Butter ? 5.9
Watermelon ? 0.32???? Banana ? 0.92??????????????? Bread ? 2.6.?????????? Butter ? 7.2
Carrots ? 0.43 S???????? ? Shrimp ? 1.0?????????????????? French Fries ? 3?? Mayonnaise ? 7.2
Blueberries ? 0.56????? Sweet Potato ? 1.0?????? Pretzels ? 3.9???????? Olive Oil ? 8.9

It?s important to understand that we?re preprogrammed to want the most calorie-dense foods. The problem these days is threefold. First, our early ancestors sought the most calorie-dense foods since any excess calories would be stored as fat for times when the food supply got scarce. We still have this deeply rooted desire for calories, so when we have a choice, we tend to choose calorie-dense foods. The second problem is that our cash-strapped wallets are helping us make these same bad choices. The refined grain, fat, sugar and high fructose corn syrup-laden foods are both cheaper and are more available than fresh foods due to their longer shelf life. Finally, our lifestyles are more sedentary, often with little or no exercise, but our pre-programmed desire for calorie-laden foods has not abated. Understanding how we are preprogrammed, we now know why ?thinking is not necessary? weight loss programs (such as SENSA, Jenny Craig and Nutri System) are destined to fail. In my weight loss journey, I had to train myself to choose foods I both liked and enjoyed, but that were low or lower, calorie-dense than I otherwise would have chosen.

During my aforementioned weight loss journey, I introduced Dr Pratt?s ?Superfoods?? (Author of Superfoods Rx) into my diet and was amazed at the results. I was still eating the same amount, or volume, of food each day, but it contained fewer calories.?I didn?t change my workout routine (calories burned each day), but changed the number of calories I was consuming. (Note: All of Dr. Pratt?s Superfoods are highlighted on our Food Stoplight Guide available FREE at the link below)

I could have tried to eat the same foods by adjusting the amount / size so the calories would have been more in line with what I burned each day. For example, I could have chosen a single burger, small fries and a small soft drink at one of the many fast food restaurants near my place of work.?Instead, I chose a lean protein (low-sodium turkey slices) or a few mixed nuts, an 80-calorie non-fat yogurt, a bag of grapes and a diet soda. Nowadays, I just choose water with that meal and I?m quite satiated. In addition, I?ve managed my blood sugar, maintained energy until dinner time, AND consumed fewer calories than if I?d chosen the smallest portions at the local burger joint. This is an example of applying calorie density in a weight loss journey.

Many people at my seminars say, ?I can?t learn to eat this way.? I too believed that when I started. But when I discovered that I really enjoyed many (but not all) of the foods that were fairly low in calorie density, I changed my thinking. The fat, salt and sugar in our processed foods act the same way as illegal drugs. We need ever-increasing amounts to stay satisfied because our tongues have become deadened to the taste. The food manufacturers know this and they keep supplying us with ever-increasing amounts of fats, salt and sugar to keep our taste buds interested.

I succeeded in revamping my diet because I had two things going for me. First, I was engaged in the process, and by trying various low calorie-dense foods I found the ones I really liked. I still had the five million years of genetic programming steering me towards cheeseburgers, but I had also learned to listen to my body. I realized that plant-based, low calorie foods made me feel better. They also provided me with more energy and greater stamina.

As I mentioned earlier, you probably eat about the same volume of food each day. Eating foods that are low calorie, and make you feel full, can really help keep your calorie intake in line with your calorie output. I often include a bag full of grapes in my lunch because they?re delicious and really satisfy my hunger. I can feel how heavy it is by just holding the bag and not surprisingly, it really fills me up without driving up my calorie intake for the day.

Get our FREE Food Stoplight Guide on the landing page of the ?You Can?t Outsource Weight Loss? website for a full listing of low calorie-dense foods. http://www.youcantoutsourceweightloss.com/

As you include those Green Light foods in your diet, you?ll start to feel better and lose weight. The photos in this post show what 200 calories of two of my favorite foods look like. That?s 740 grams of mini-peppers and 290 grams of grapes, each one only at 200 calories.

Water-dense foods such as grapes and mini-peppers are low calorie-dense and when combined with whole grains and lean protein, can really help you feel full.

We humans have developed separate thirst and hunger mechanisms. This is so water would not satify hunger and food would not slake thirst. It seems that when we eat high water content food, instead of just drinking water (which is still important), the water in the food stays in our stomachs longer and adds to that satisfied feeling of being full. You may see this defined as satiety.

The hard part is choosing the apple and grapes over the cheeseburger and fries. Sure your favorite fast food restaurant has some healthy choices, but can you override five million years of genetic coding and buy the apple and yogurt when your nostrils are filled with the scent of a Big Mac? I can?t! That?s why I bring my lunch with me and rarely venture out to the fast food establishments with my coworkers at lunchtime. It takes that kind of commitment to avoid high calorie-dense comfort food or super-human willpower, which few of us have.

Many people tell me that they could never eat like me and seemed discouraged when I explain what I eat in a normal day. What I tell them is that they were designed to eat just like I do. Sure, at first it seems daunting to change from your current diet to the low calorie, plant based diet that will help you lose weight and return you to good health.

I changed my diet over months and years, but only to foods that I really enjoyed eating. When I saw that I was losing weight and had so much more energy, the changes became easier. Lifestyle and diet changes seem daunting to many of us, but living a weight loss lifestyle and developing healthy habits pays a lifetime of dividends.

Ed Boullianne, Author / Presenter ?You Can?t Outsource Weight Loss?

Source: http://youcantoutsourceweightloss.com/blog/2012/02/calorie-density-eat-more-weigh-less/

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