CALORIES....CALORIES....CALORIES

We all have them and we treat them pretty bad. Some of us cut them, some of us burn them and some of us even try real hard to stay away from them during the holidays. Yes, they are little buggers but hey, it's just a calorie being a calorie. But, have no fear. I am here to show you how to handle your calories with care. In return, your calories w...
ill stay away from you when you start to corral more of them in than really needed. Hey, they don't want to be around either. They are tired of being cut and burned....

So, where do calories come from? They only come from three places...well actually 4 but we will talk about the alcohol later. There are three macro- nutrients that graciously give you calories. Carbohydrates, Protein, and Fats. One gram of carbohydrates yields 4 calories, one gram of protein yields also 4 calories, and one gram of fat yields 9 calories. For example, a piece of bread has 15 grams of carbohydrates. (15 X 4 = 60). So, there are 60 calories in a piece of bread from the carbohydrates. You would do the same for protein and fat multiplying by either 4 again or 9.

Alcohol on the other hand yields 7 calories a gram...do the math with your drink of choice. Alcohol IS NOT considered a macro-nutrient for one reason only...the body does not require it for survival! Well ,maybe a sip or two can put us straight but that's all I am saying.

On a more serious note, a calorie is a unit of energy. It is the amount of energy needed to heat one gram of water by one degree Celsius. Calories listed on food labels reflects the potential energy the body can use. The body would use calories for breathing, muscles moving and our wonderful warm hearts beating. OK, so maybe red wine can't do that for me but i can still pretend. it does get my heart beating...

Calories from complex carbohydrates, lean proteins and good fat are the really nice calories. They give us energy, help us to build strong muscles and even insulate our organs. They only mis-behave when you get greedy and invite too many to the party. Then they start inviting the calories from the dark side. The bag of chips, the chocolate chip cookies and even the bacon and cheese! Now you are in trouble because the good calories are getting revenge on you and they hide and store away those bad calories deep down in your body and call it the fat revenge.

Here is the secret to getting back at all those bad calories:
Do vigorous exercise...research proves the more intense your workout the more you burn all day after the workout! make sure you do the talk - test and can still say a few words so you know you are alive.

Gain more muscle...lift some weights, do push-ups, and add some squats. Walk fast, jog or run, march in place., take an exercise class. All of these get rid of those pesky stored away calories. We need calories but not too much of them. Invite too many in and you will be plagued with those little buggers. Be a calorie lover BUT not a calorie collector!

Here is a fun fact on calories:

Lulu Hunt Peters wrote the very first diet book in 1918, Diet and Health with the Key to Calories. do you think she was onto something!

http://www.amazon.com/Diet-Health-A-B-Lulu-Peters/dp/0982719604
http://www.amazon.com/Diet-Health-A-B-Lulu-Peters/dp/0982719604