Are Calories Good or Bad?
Q. Is calorie a bad word?
A. No, it’s not bad—just misunderstood! Most people who use the word calorie simply
don’t know what it means. Also, in my experience, most people to go pale at the mere
mention of the word. Based on those facts alone, I would eliminate calorie from the
English vocabulary if I could.
Q. Why is calorie such a misunderstood word?
A. The American public has been told, time and time again, that people who consume
more calories than their bodies burn will gain weight. As I explain in The Diet Solution:
Start Eating and Start Living, this statement is only partially true. All calories are not
created equal; calories consumed from healthy foods and unhealthy foods are quite
different.
Q. What exactly is a calorie, then?
A. According to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th edition), a calorie is “a
unit equivalent to the large calorie expressing heat-producing or energy-producing value
in food when oxidized in the body.” In plain English, a calorie is a unit of energy released
from the food you eat to power the body.
Q. How are calories “burned”?
A. The body needs energy from food—calories—to perform many functions, the most
obvious of which are physical activity and exercise. However, the body also requires
energy to function at the most basic level: to breathe, digest food, and maintain organs
and systems.
Q. How many calories should I eat each day?
A. The short answer is “enough.” The calories you consume must provide enough energy
for your body to perform all necessary functions and activities—and bring about
optimum health. The long answer is that the number of calories needed varies from
person to person and depends on weight, foods consumed, sleep, stress and activity
levels, age, and a long list of other factors that affect metabolism. In The Diet Solution:
Start Eating and Start Living, I provide a calorie equation to help you estimate, according
to these factors, how many calories you should consume to lose weight or maintain
weight. It also includes charts to help you choose the right sources of those calories to
support your efforts.
Q. Is it possible to eat too few calories?

A. Believe it or not, yes! The most serious problem with low-calorie diets is that although
they may bring about weight loss, they also can cause serious health problems. One
common side effect of low-calorie diets is muscle breakdown, which can occur when the
body doesn’t consume enough calories from protein. Especially vulnerable is the heart, a
muscular organ. If a person does not consume an adequate amount of calories each day,
the heart muscle begins to break down, possibly leading to serious cardiac conditions
(e.g., cardiac atrophy).
Q. What are the consequences of following low-calorie diets off and on over time?
A. Low-calorie diets typically do not supply enough energy to keep organs and systems
healthy. In effect, they can lead to malnourishment. For clients who have repeatedly
followed such diets, I recommend high-calorie meal plans that will provide their organs
with adequate fuel to repair themselves and regain healthy function. Most of my clients
are surprised, at first, to see how much food they can consume on a healthy weight-loss
diet—not to mention the high level of health that they can achieve.
Q. Hey, wait—didn’t you say that you don’t like the word calorie? Then why does
the Diet Solution Program suggest calculating calorie requirements?
A. In the Diet Solution Program, calorie calculation is simply a means to an end. You use
the ideal number of calories that results from the equation to determine the correct
number of servings of each food type for each meal. That’s it—from that point on, you
can forget about counting calories!
Q. If I don’t count calories, then how will I control my eating habits?
A. Use the Allowable Servings Guide in The Diet Solution: Start Eating and Start Living
to plan meals. However, over time, you will learn how to meet your body’s nutritional
needs without referring to the servings guide. Humans are born with the ability to “know”
when the body has received enough nourishment and when it needs more. My
professional experience indicates that, unfortunately, most yo-yo dieters and other people
who have battled weight problems don’t know how to “listen” to the body’s cues in
response to the foods and portions they consume. The good news is that this ability can
be (re)learned.
Q. What do you mean by “listen” to my body?
A. The Diet Solution Program is a lifestyle shift that teaches you how to determine the
best foods and portions for your metabolic type. Even after just days on the plan, you will
learn to pay attention to how you feel after eating. For many people, this experience of
“listening” to the body will be new. However, by letting your body be your guide, you
will learn how to eat your way to optimum health.
Q. Can I really expect to maintain a healthy weight without counting calories or
referring to servings guides or other charts?

A. Yes! It’s how I live my life now, and you, too, can learn to recognize when your body
is adequately nourished. After many years of dieting, I reawakened my body’s innate
ability to tell me when I’ve had enough food and when I need more by following the
same plan I present in the Diet Solution Program. Every day is different; some days I
require more food and others less, depending on my levels of exercise, stress, and even
hormones. But I don’t need to count calories to know whether I’ve had enough; my body
tells me, and I know how to listen. Whatever you do, don’t be lured into the trap of
forever counting calories, because that approach is not sustainable—or healthy—in the
long term.
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