Don't over eat! What 200 calories looks like in some of our favorite foods!

   I was talking to a client recently and she had an issue that so many people have.  She was eating relatively well but her main issue wasn't what she was eating, it was how much!  This made me realize that there are so many of us out there who just don't know serving sizes, portions, and flat out how many calories are in the amount of food we eat! So I am here to help with a number of examples of the foods we love put into perspective!

Where we make mistakes dieting!

     So many people make the mistake of being and feeling hungry when dieting.  These hunger pains can lead to an early exit from your diet, but it can be stopped. When changing up your diet, you will always feel the affects of switching off those clorie dense bad foods (high calorie in small amount).  I mean what do you expect when we shift from drinking extremely calorie dense syrup every day with pop and energy drinks!  A lot of foods that are healthy for us are not nearly as calorie dense and therefore need to be eaten in higher amounts.  An example of this is spinach!  Spinach in awesome for you, but if you have just a salad you will be hearing your stomach rumble before you know it.  Adding calorie dense foods like chicken or legumes to spinach can ensure you don't get hunger pains while cutting out the bad foods!  Keep in mind, there are foods I like to call Domino foods.  These are very calorie dense healthy foods like nuts.  They can easily be over eaten, and will then become unhealthy   For an example a handful of unsalted almonds is around 160 calores! (22 almonds). Bonus: A handful of almonds in the morning is an excellent way to jump start your metabolism and trigger your body to burn fats all day!  Try them within 30 minutes of waking up and you will lose even more weight! 

So let's get a grasp on what the numbers mean!

      The following is a list of foods in a 200 calorie portion.  Keep in mind for the poor choices below, 200 calories to burn off takes about 20 minutes on the stair master!  And don't forget, healthy foods that lack carbs will not be stored as fat.  Eating 200 calories of chicken isn't going to your hips like 200 calories of pop will.  

What to aim for in calories a day to lose weight!

     Healthy levels for people trying to lose fat and stay lean are around 1900 calories (must be good calories or you may gain weight!)  for women and around 2700 calories a day for men.  Note: these are average numbers and they will vary depending on the height, weight, and genetics of the individual.  Additionally, calories in and calories out (calories burnt off) is NOT the only factor deciding weight loss/gain, but it does drastically help.  The type of calories and timing can be very important too.  Remember 3000 calories of great food is better for you than 1000 calories of bad foods.  Eat smart!

Hope this helps us keep those new years calories off!

Ryan Trueman