Why you can’t lose weight by counting calories
It turns out that we underestimate some dishes. And therefore, it is impossible to lose weight by counting calories.
The calorie-based diet is simple and logical. Physics and mathematics are on her side: they have received so much, spent so much, there is nowhere else to take. Why can’t you lose weight? Maybe it’s a matter of hidden calories. They can imperceptibly turn a healthy lifestyle salad into a fatty bomb. Especially if you are eating out and do not know exactly what the dish is made of. Nutritionists and market experts discussed how to calculate hidden calories – and what foods to eat to avoid them.
“Latent calories are calories that you do not count when you are wondering if you are within the prescribed norm. This is because you may not know the exact composition, underestimate the calorie content of a particular ingredient, and ignore the heat treatment methods. “This situation is often faced by people who eat in cafes and restaurants,” explains Irina Nikulina, an expert at NaturBufet, a chilled ready-to-eat food company.
There are three most common ways latent calories enter our bodies.
1. Together with the sauce
It is not enough just to look at the ingredients of a dish. It is also necessary to pay attention to what it is filled with. And give up such frequent inhabitants of our refrigerators as ketchup, mayonnaise and even mustard: the latter is made on the basis of vegetable oil, like mayonnaise.
“Cheese, mustard sauces, ketchup and mayonnaise add an extra 300-500 calories to the dish and are deposited on the sides and stomach. Choose low-fat yogurt or vegetable oils rich in healthy fatty acids as a dressing, ”advises Ksenia Pustova, director of the School of Nutritionists Center.
The calorie content of the dish indicated on the menu most often differs from the real one.
2. Due to the cooking method
For example, potatoes – it would seem that they are also potatoes in Africa. However, boiled in a uniform, it will not harm, but french fries will affect the figure.
“Frying in oil is the worst option. For example, 100 grams of boiled potatoes is 90 kcal, mashed potatoes – 100 kcal, fried in a pan – 180 kcal, and French fries will pull 280 kcal, ”explains Ksenia Pustova.
In order not to eat too much, give preference to boiling, stewing, grilling, baking or steaming dishes.
3. Together with healthy food
It turns out that we often assume that healthy and wholesome foods are low in calories by default. But nuts, muesli, cereals, vegetable oil, honey are all pretty high-calorie things.
“This does not mean that such products should be abandoned. Better to have a snack with nuts than a bun. But it will be a mistake not to take into account the contribution of nuts to the overall picture, when later you decide whether to afford sweets as well, ”says Oleg Krivchenkov, a nutritionist.
In addition, the doctor advises paying attention to sugar, which is everywhere: in purchased smoothies, yoghurts, even buckwheat!
– Help phone
We often cannot be sure of the composition of a restaurant dish. Therefore, experts advise downloading one of the applications to your smartphone, which contains data on the people of restaurant chains and ready-made meals from supermarkets. The information in them is usually updated quite regularly, and you can focus on such data by counting calories and choosing what to eat.
– Consider the specifics of the kitchen
The same dish can be shown in different ways in different applications. In fact, it is: for example, rice with vegetables in a Chinese restaurant is one thing, but pilaf in a cafe with Uzbek cuisine is quite another. This must also be taken into account.
– Cook it yourself
This way you will know exactly what is in the container and on the plate. Another option is ready-made chilled food that only needs to be reheated. Usually, the factory packaging indicates, with an accuracy of tenths, the amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and energy value, as well as the method of preparation.