Very often I have seen that when trying to lose fat, people think calories are the foe, so they count, reduce, and even fear them.  In fact, calories are your friend but some are better friends than others.  In essence, it is true if you consume more calories than your body is able to burn you will store them as fat.  But putting all calories in the same category is a big mistake I see most people making.  Not all calories are the same.  Some calories when consumed go to body fat almost immediately as well as others leave you sluggish and hungry. Still others help you burn fat when digesting them and they also maintain a steady energy source throughout the day.  This in turn helps our activity level and enables us to burn more energy by remaining more active.

Carbohydrates, proteins and fats provide us with energy.  Carbohydrates and protein have 4 calories per gram while fat has a whopping 9 calories per gram.  As you see, fat is more calorie dense, with more than twice the amount of calories per gram.  Also, fat is not a source of immediate energy.  Fat gets stored as body fat before we can burn it as energy.  Protein is used for repairing and the growth of cells, while carbs feed the brain, muscles and liver with energy, unlike fat.

There are also differences between carb calories too.  Processed carbs or the “bad carbs” make your body store most of its calories as body fat, instead of using it for energy.  Unlike processed carbs, unrefined carbs such as whole vegetables, grains and beans maintain a steady supply of energy and are not converted easily to body fat.

I hope this clears up the myth “that a calorie is a calorie.”  When assembling your next meal, think about a lean protein, a green vegetable and an unrefined starch such as brown rice and you will be well on your way to a healthier diet!