The amount of energy in an item of food or drink is measured in calories.
When we eat and drink more calories than we use up, our bodies store the excess as body fat. If this continues, over time we may put on weight.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight.
For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day.
These values can vary depending on age, size and levels of physical activity, among other factors.
Check if you’re a healthy weight by using our body mass index (BMI) calculator
Calories and energy balance
Our bodies need energy to keep us alive and our organs functioning normally.
When we eat and drink, we put energy into our bodies. Our bodies use up that energy through everyday movement, which includes everything from breathing to running.
To maintain a stable weight, the energy we put into our bodies must be the same as the energy we use through normal bodily functions and physical activity.
An important part of a healthy diet is balancing the energy you put into your bodies with the energy you use.
For example, the more physical activity we do, the more energy we use.
If you consume too much energy on 1 day, do not worry. Just try to take in less energy on the following days.
Knowing the calorie content of food and drink can help ensure you’re not consuming too much.
The calorie content of many shop-bought foods is stated on the packaging as part of the nutrition label.
This information will appear under the “Energy” heading. The calorie content is often given in kcals, which is short for kilocalories, and also in kJ, which is short for kilojoules.
A kilocalorie is another word for what’s commonly called a calorie, so 1,000 calories will be written as 1,000kcals.
The label will usually tell you how many calories are contained in 100 grams or 100 milliliters of the food or drink, so you can compare the calorie content of different products.
Many labels will also state the number of calories in 1 portion of the food.
But remember that the manufacturer’s idea of 1 portion may not be the same as yours, so there could be more calories in the portion you serve yourself.
You can use the calorie information to assess how a particular food fits into your daily calorie intake.
Calorie counters:
There are many ways to calculate caloric needs that is very specific to yourself. Here some website that allow you to count calories; https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html
Here is list of caloric value of food items;
https://www.uncledavesenterprise.com/file/health/Food%20Calories%20List.pdf
Very low caloric diets
A very low caloric diet is medically supervised diet plan that involves eating about 800 calories a day or less. They are sometimes considered for morbidly obese and persons who are managing their diabetes, or who are going to have surgery.
The very low caloric diet usually involves replacing normal food with low caloric shakes, soups, bars, or other specific food types.
If you are morbidly obese with BMI from 30 to 0 and want to quickly loose weight, the very low caloric diet is the solution, but compliance to follow it is the problem. However, it is not the only way to manage the severe obesity.
Very low caloric diets should only be followed under medical supervision for a maximum of 12 weeks. Do not follow a very low caloric diet unless a licensed medical professional has suggested it to you.
Very low caloric diets are hard to follow
Simulation of the very low caloric diet can be achieved by other methods like use of gastric balloon for example like Allurion gastric balloon. It is swallowed like pill or capsule and last for three to four months.
Side effects of very low caloric diet are:
feeling hungry
feeling low energy
dry mouth
constipation
headaches
dizziness
muscle cramps
hair thinning or even fall
Drawback of the very low caloric diets:
While very low caloric diets can lead to short term weight loss, it is likely that the weight will come back on after the diet ends.
Very low caloric diets are not a long-term weight management strategy
Very low caloric diets are not suitable for most people
How can I safely lose weight during pregnancy? Here are what you should do
Consult with your doctor
Treat your pregnancy as an opportunity for healthy life
Keep a diary for diet and activity
Avoid empty caloric drinks
Don’t overdo workouts
Take a prenatal supplement
Body weight in elderly
Some people lose weight on getting older either through illness or loss of appetite. Maintaining a healthy body weight is important, and there are steps you can take to gain weight healthily.
To keep your weight up in later life
If you’re underweight or have lost weight suddenly or for no obvious reason, see your doctor to ensure there is no underlying medical cause for this weight loss.
Even if you are assured by your doctor that nothing wrong with your health it’s quite common for older people to lose their appetite. You may be underweighted simply because you’re not eating enough and your diet doesn’t give you sufficient energy or calories.
Being underweight can be especially serious for older people. It increases your risk of health problems, including bone fracture if you fall. It weakens your muscles and your immune system, leaving you more susceptible to infections, and it increases your risk of being deficient in important nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Osteomalacia is an example of vitamin D deficiency. Osteomalacia cause severe muscle weakness and high rare of bone fractures on minimal trauma.
However, you can take steps to improve your diet and get the energy and nutrients you need.
Tips to boost your calorie intake
Try these healthy yet still high-energy meal and snack ideas:
porridge made with whole (full-fat) milk, with fruit or dried fruit on top
sardines on toast
peanut butter (sugar free) on toast
eggs on toast
soups with pulses, pasta or meats
cottage/shepherd’s pie
beans on toast with cheese sprinkled on top
milky drinks as a bedtime snack
unsalted nuts
Foe elderly people who lose weight, there are some tricks to add more calories to gain weight:
add cheese or milk to soups
add ground or whole nuts, nut butter or seeds to dishes
add soya or pea protein powder to meals and drinks
spread avocado on toast for a high-energy and healthy snack
pour white sauce (made with butter, flour and milk) on fish or vegetables
put milk, butter or dairy-free spread into mashed potato
Have foods that are easy to prepare
If you find it difficult to prepare foods, try the following tips:
Choose ready meals with less salt. It can be hard to find a ready meal that is nutritionally balanced. To find out how to choose a healthy meal, read about food labels.
Keep some tinned and dried fruit at home. It’s an alternative to fresh fruit, needs no preparation and can count towards your 5 A Day. Tinned fruit is also easy to eat if you have dental problems.
Keep some frozen and tinned vegetables at home. They’re easy to prepare and can count towards your 5 A Day.
Buy puddings and snacks that come in individual pots, such as yoghurt and rice puddings.
Replace or supplement a meal with a high-calorie drink.
Test these to lose weight:
To lose weight make small changes that you can stick to for a long time.
You have to be more physically active in your daily routine. Adults should get at least 150 minutes of physical activity every week such as brisk walking or cycling, especially those who are overweight are likely to need more than this to lose weight.
To lose weight, you need to burn calories than you eat. This can be achieved by eating less, moving more or, a combination of both.
Is healthier foods are more expensive?
It seems that healthier foods are more expensive than their unhealthier food, this is not completely true. If you try replacing ingredients with healthier components, that cost the same or less.
For example, you can choose cheaper cuts of meat and mixing it with cheaper foods such as beans, pulses and frozen vegetables.
Can Carbs make you put on weight?
Eaten in the right quantities and as part of a balanced diet, carbohydrates will not, on their own (that is, without butter, creamy sauces and so on added to them) lead to weight gain.
Eat whole grain and whole meal carbohydrates such as brown rice and whole meal bread, and potatoes with the skins on to increase your intake of fiber and don’t fry starchy foods when trying to lose weight.
Learn more in starchy foods.
Starving myself is the best way to lose weight
Crash diets are unlikely to result in long-term weight loss. In fact, they can sometimes lead to longer-term weight gain.
The main problem is that this type of diet is too hard to maintain. You may also be missing out on essential nutrients as crash diets can be limited in the variety of food consumed. Your body will be low on energy, and may cause you to crave high-fat and high-sugar foods. This can lead to eating those foods and more calories than you need, causing weight gain.
Learn more about a healthy diet and how to lose weight sensibly.
Some foods speed up your metabolism
Metabolism describes all the chemical processes that go on continuously inside the body to keep you alive and your organs functioning normally, such as breathing, repairing cells and digesting food. These processes need energy and the amount of energy required varies between individuals depending on factors such as body size, age, gender and genes.
Low and negative caloric value food:
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Celery
Contains 16 calories per 100 grams, rich in fiber, celery is also rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and folic acid
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Broccoli
Contains barely 34 calories per 100 grams. Broccoli is ranked as high superfoods.
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Zucchini
Containing very low 18 calories per 100 grams, zucchini is one of the highly recommended negative calorie foods by the nutritionists.
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Grapefruit
Contains 40 calories per 100 grams, vitamin C, folic acid and potassium
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Lettuce
The most famous component of salad. Containing only 6 calories per 100 grams, rich in fiber, vitamin B, folic acid, and manganese.
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Tomatoes
Contains 19 calories per 100 grams, fiber, potassium, vitamin C , and antioxidant known.
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Cucumber
16 calories per 100 grams, famous as component of eastern salads
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Watermelon
Contains 30 calories per 100 grams.
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Apple
Containing about 50 calories per 100 grams.
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Arugula
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Asparagus
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Brussels sprouts
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Cabbage
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Carrots
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Spinach
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Cauliflower
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Kale
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Radishes
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White mushrooms
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Onions
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Turnips
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Strawberries
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Peppers
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Papaya
That foods and drinks can increase your metabolism by helping the body to burn more calories and aid weight loss. There is little scientific evidence for this, but the definite is that food are healthy and have filling sensation.
Filling food items:
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Oatmeal
It is popular breakfast meal, low in calories and a great source of soluble fiber called beta glucan. It also scores high on the satiety index.
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Eggs
Eggs are a great source of protein in the egg white part. Contains around 6 grams of protein, and nine essential amino acids.
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Greek yogurt
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Nuts
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Boiled potatoes
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Quinoa
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Cottage cheese
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Legumes
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Popcorn
Slimming Pills/Medications:
Not all slimming tablets are effective or safe to use to lose weight. There are a number of prescribed medicines available from your GP for weight loss. There are also other un-prescribed, unlicensed weight loss products available on the market which may contain ingredients that are harmful to health. Victoza is example for medication that help to lose weight.
What is Victoza?
Victoza is a prescription only GLP-1 agonist medication called Liraglutide. It is manufactured by Novo Nordisk and usually injected once per day. Basically, Victoza is medication used to treat type 2 diabetes in adults and children 10 years and older.
How Victoza work?
Like other GLP-1 agonists, Victoza works by simulation the effect of a natural body hormone called GLP-1 hormone. It helps the pancreas release the appropriate amount of insulin when blood sugar levels rise.
It also works by reducing the glucagon effect, slowing the emptying of the stomach, reducing appetite. Overall, Victoza helps stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels after eating in people with type 2 diabetes.
What is Saxenda?
Saxenda is used to help with long-term weight loss in people ages 12 years and older with overweight or obesity.
Saxenda and Victoza both contain the same active drug: liraglutide.
Possible side effects of Saxenda and Victoza:
Possible side effects are nausea, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, injection site reaction, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), headache, tiredness (fatigue), dizziness, stomach pain, and change in enzyme (lipase) levels in your blood. Additional common side effects in children are fever and gastroenteritis.
Low fat food:
The said that foods labelled ‘low fat’ or ‘reduced fat’ are always a healthy choice??
Here you should stop and think about. Foods labelled “low fat” have to contain no more than a specific amount of fat to legally use that label. If a food is labelled as “low-fat” or “reduced fat”, it should contain less fat than the full-fat version, but that doesn’t automatically make it a healthy choice: Check the label to see how much fat it contains. Some low-fat foods may also contain high levels of sugar.
Learn more in Fat: the facts.
Cutting out all snacks can help you lose weight
Snacking isn’t the problem when trying to lose weight: it’s the type of snack.
Many people need a snack in-between meal to maintain energy levels, especially if they have an active lifestyle. Choose fruit or vegetables instead of crisps, chocolate and other snacks that are high in sugar, salt and fat.
Role of water in losing weight:
Water does not cause you to lose weight, but it does keep you hydrated and might help you snack less. Water is essential for good health and wellbeing. Sometimes thirst can be mistaken for hunger – if you’re thirsty you may snack more.
Zero caloric drinks:
The most common and the healthiest zero caloric drink id simply water. Other drinks are below.
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Aquafina Flavor Splash
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Sparkling Water
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Tazo’s Passion Herbal Tea
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Ruta Maya Organic Coffee
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Califia Farm’s Unsweetened Almondmilk
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Coke Zero
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Red Bull Zero
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Sprite Zero
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Diet Snapple Green Tea Iced Tea
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Crio Bru – Brewed Cacao Beans
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Klio Organic Tea
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La Croix Sparkling Water
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Seagram’s Diet Ginger Ale
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New Barn Unsweetened Almondmilk
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Nutpods Unsweetened + Dairy Free Creamer
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GT’s Kombucha
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Hint Water
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Fresca Original
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Mello Yello Zero
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Monster Ultra Blue
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Pibb Zero
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Poland Spring Sparkling Water
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Propel Zero
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Steaz Zero-Calorie Iced Tea
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Glacéau Vitaminwater Zero
Burning calories
The number of calories people use by doing a certain physical activity varies, depending on a range of factors, including size and age.
The more vigorously you do an activity, the more calories you’ll use. For example, fast walking will burn more calories than walking at a moderate pace.
If you’re gaining weight, it could mean you have been regularly eating and drinking more calories than you have been using.
To lose weight, you need to use more energy than you consume, and continue this over a period of time.