People intending to lose weight often hear a lot about calories and how important it is to measure their caloric requirements. Many of these people usually ask “what does calorie mean? A calorie is a unit of measurement of energy describing the amount of energy obtained from a certain quantity of food or drink and it equals 4.1 joules. The body uses some calories to perform vital functions and daily activities while extra intaken calories are stored under the skin as fats. The higher calorie foods you eat, the more weight you gain.
The daily requirement of calories differs from one to another according to their age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and how physically active they are. Mostly, the normal range of caloric needs of adult men is 2000 – 2800 and 1800 – 2400 for adult women. Athletes and active people may need more calories than sedentary individuals. Over-weight people usually eat more than average caloric requirement daily, therefore they should decrease their caloric intake stepwise and avoid extreme restrictive regimes which may affect their health negatively.
Creating your diet plan should be based on making a calorie deficit, so your body starts consuming stored fats and loses weight. It is okay to start reducing your calorie intake by 100 – 200 calories, but you may have to increase this reduction to boost weight loss. you may need a nutritionist to help you personalize an ideal diet plan and motivate you to stick to it. Diet plans involve lifestyle modifications and dietary changes especially eating low-calorie and healthy foods. Some people may need to follow-up with their doctors to measure blood sugar and electrolyte level to make sure they are following a suitable diet plan.
Weight loss may be challenging and tough but fortunately, low-calorie foods are not limited and filling. People should know that discipline and stick to low-calorie foods are essential to lose weight. Many nutritionists consider choosing an easy to follow plan is the key to long-term results. There is plenty of healthy food that can help you cut down on daily calorie intake. We will cover the most nutritious and low-calorie foods.
1. Eggs
Eggs should be an essential ingredient in everybody’s breakfast. An average-size egg has nearly 70 calories which are relatively low. 70% of calories in each egg is in its yolk, so eating just whites will even lower calorie intake. Eggs are considered a rich source of protein as each egg contains about 6 grams of protein. Moreover, eggs are rich in vitamins and minerals especially sodium and potassium.
Interestingly, eggs can be used in various recipes. Boiled eggs can be added to pesto potato salad and increase its nutritional value significantly. Nutritionists usually recommend adding mashed potatoes to fried eggs with some greens as breakfast because it contains less than 200 calories and will boost your fullness and reduce your hunger.
