When it comes to maintaining optimum health and ideal weight, calories always come into the picture. Calorie is the energy supplied by the food we eat to power our body which when not utilized is stored as glycogen from carbohydrate or triglyceride from fat. According to Dr. Malcolm Kendrick of the UK, the muscle can store 3,000 calories, one-third as glycogen and two-thirds as fat. The liver can store 1,000 calories in equal proportions. Once these two calorie storage depots get full, they are full. They don’t behave like sinking boats, you cannot overload them. So what happens to the extra calories that cannot be accommodated in the muscle and liver? They are transformed in the liver as fat and sent to the adipose tissues (read as fat cells) which can store hundreds of thousands of calories. Dr. Mary Enig says, “This transformed fat from carbohydrates is stored either short term or for the long term, depending on the energy requirements of the body.”
The Great Designer made sure there would be nine calories per gram of fat as compared to four calories per gram of carbohydrate. Dr. Enig laments the fact that the role of fat in energy storage has been frequently misunderstood; in all probability because some of us tend to store too much fat in places where we think it doesn’t look so good when we see ourselves in the mirror. But are we being reasonable? Each pound of fat supplies us approximately 4,000 calories as reserve energy. This means at my present weight of 150 lbs. I am carrying 25-35 lbs. of fat as energy reserve. If that reserve was in the form of carbohydrates, I would be weighing 50-70 pounds more! In addition to being heavier (175-185 lbs.), stored carbohydrate is bulky whereas stored fat is compact. I would be walking around with bulging muscles, but without adequate fat padding, ouch!
Calories, the very essence of our obsession to be or not to be overweight, has held us captive most of the time and seemingly forever for some. This is the reason there are a lot of angels in the field to deliver the captives from their dilemma. Thus was born a variety of diets to choose from, an array of diet books to enlighten us, and designer foods to munch on. To ensure full deliverance is a sprouting of exercise programs, videos, shows, gadgets, name it, to lead us into the path of righteousness, health-wise that is.
If you find yourself in the middle of the battle of the bulge, rest assured, you are not alone. Dr. Tedd Mitchell says, “Certain diets work for some, but not all. A better bet? Eat less. Eat a variety of foods and exercise more. Understanding the need to simply eat less goes a long way. In fact, if a person only applies this one principle, the chance to win this battle is high.”
Before embarking on this principle, however, it is imperative to observe two things. First, determine where the arrow is pointing at as you mount the weighing scale. Second, equip yourself with some knowledge on the daily average calorie requirement from the three major food sources — fat, protein, and carbohydrates.
Virgith Buena, nutritionist of Cardinal Santos Medical Center, enlightens us in her article on balanced diet. She posed the question,“How much should a person weigh?” For males, 106 lbs. is the ideal weight for those standing 5 feet tall and with a medium frame, and 100 lbs. for females with the same physique. For the men, add 6 lbs. for every inch thereafter, and 5 lbs. for the women. She further asks, “How would you know if you have a small or large body frame?” By wrapping your index finger and thumb around your wrist, you can have a rough estimate. If it meets, then you have a medium frame; when it overlaps, you have a small frame; and if it does not meet, you have a large body frame. Of course, if it doesn’t meet because of too much soft adipose tissues (read as fat) getting in the way, then you have a battle of the bulge.
Let’s discover now our calorie requirement and the caloric value of what we regularly consume. For a medium-frame Filipino male who stands 5’7” (like me) you need at least 2,000 calories per day. It is 1,800 for women. About half of the calories should come from carbohydrates, and the rest shared by fat and protein. It is interesting to know the following: A cup of rice or noodle has 200 calories, same with three slices Filipino-size bread or a fist-size pan de sal. A cup of sugar has 800 calories, same with 1-1/2 cups regular ice cream. We need 500 calories fat per day, representing 25 percent of total calories. A tablespoon has 125 calories but 117 only for coconut. About two palm-size lechon or five palm-size plain fried chicken skin have almost 200 fat calories. Did you know 10 fried bacon has 315 fat calories? Last but not the least is protein. It is the size of one hand or fist per day, same with 2-3 cups mongo or any beans, and 20 shrimps the size of your small finger. With this general knowledge in mind, the choices become easier and eating becomes more fun.
These calorie recommendations are to be observed most of the time. However, there are instances, depending on the mood or occasion, when you can’t strictly implement the correct ratio. Go ahead, savor the food and enjoy the festivities. It is important to satisfy your cravings once in a while, but try not to go over your daily allowance habitually. If you do, eat less the next few days, and instead of your usual leisurely walk, run.
Being aware of highly refined calorie-dense food and drinks will complement your resolve to fight this battle. Avoid indulging in them. It is a fact that carbohydrate is addicting. More addicting than, how would I say it? My Puritan upbringing won’t allow me to print it here, but let me put it this way: There is a naughty ice cream flavor I saw called Better Than Sex. For those who are qualified, has it ever occurred to you which is more addicting? Is it carbohydrate or as this ice cream flavor would suggest? I haven’t tried this ice cream though. I might end up preferring it, whew! So, most people who couldn’t approximate their index finger and thumb because of those soft adipose tissues in the way are usually addicted to carbohydrate. For the person who loves to eat anything, giving up on your habitual binge of calorie-dense dessert, drink or beverage is highly recommended. That is better said than done.
Is there a way then of satisfying thirst without the calorie guilt? Yes, you can innovate by squeezing calamansi to your water. Or you can use your imagination by diluting a juice drink and imagine, itis still as sweet. Seriously, pure water, and natural drinks are the best. I drink to that! But for some discriminating and so-called practical warriors, they opt for beverages with less calories and drink it like there’s no tomorrow, but without the guilt.