My husband and I returned from a month-long trip to Texas with, mysteriously, extra luggage. And it seems like it’s stuck to my waist.
We both had the same excuse. We didn’t actually eat that much…except for a few Lone Star beers. And in between riding horses and dancing to a great band, we got lots of exercise. Still, when I got home, I received a nasty message from the scale.
I’m a nutritionist, so I should know how to solve this problem, right? Convinced that he needed to keep track of how much he was eating, I suggested that he write down everything he ate for about a week. Also, calculate your calorie intake.
What exactly is a calorie? In a nutshell (one peanut, by the way, has 5 calories), calories are a way to measure the energy in food. Just like the gas we put in our cars, calories are the fuel that powers our bodies. And calories come from three sources: protein, carbohydrates (sugars and starches), and fat.
But there is one basic flaw in our human bodies that we may tell God about someday. Unlike a gas tank, which can’t hold more fuel than the truck can hold, my mouth doesn’t have an automatic shut-off feature.
But our bodies try to help us. When you consume excess calories, your body stores that energy for future starvation. That’s what we brought back from Texas. Energy was stored in the form of not very comfortable love handles.
So what did we learn in those first few days of counting calories? The most obvious one is that my husband does it better than I do. In his defense, he’s male and larger, so his body needs more calories. So if I want my extra Purpurs to give up their housing, I need to eat less than he does. Damn.
To be clear, we are not starving ourselves with a nut-rich diet. In fact, we are eating the same food we were eating before. The difference is that we know there are 95 calories in every tablespoon of peanut butter you spread on your morning toast. We’re simply paying more attention to the calories we put in the tank.
Another thing that frustrates me is that this is absolutely true. Even if we’re active, our aging bodies don’t need as many calories as they did when we were younger. However, they still require the same or more vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
So, while cutting down on calories, you’re filling your stomach with foods that pack lots of nutrients into each bite, like vegetables, fruits, and low-fat protein foods. For example, she was thrilled to learn that my husband can eat cherry tomatoes for just 25 calories per cup. I’m still learning to ignore leftover Easter candy.
Barbara Intermill is a registered dietitian nutritionist and syndicated columnist. She is the author of Quinn-Essential Nutrition: The Uncomplicated Science of Eating. Email barbara@quinnessentialnutrition.com.
