Calories In vs Calories Out: The Simplicity of Losing 'Weight'

Weight loss technically follows one single concept i.e. Calories In vs Calories Out. This is based on the First Law of Thermodynamics. Namely, energy can neither be created nor destroyed; energy can only be transferred or changed from one form to another. This is the fundamental of weight loss.

Also, I'm strictly referring to weight loss here and not fat loss. Yes, they’re actually different concepts! You can lose weight on the scale and it could be primarily muscle and not fat. And if everything goes according to plan, you could lose weight and most of it could be fat!

So how does weight loss actually work?

As stated above, It’s a simple formula of calories in vs calories out. If we consume more calories than we burn, we’re in a caloric surplus and we will put on weight. If we consume fewer calories than we burn, we’re in a caloric deficit and we will lose weight. That is what weight loss predominantly comes down to, a ‘caloric deficit’. Stay in a caloric deficit and you'll be sure to lose weight! It’s science! 

But how do we know how many calories we burn each day?

To eat in a caloric deficit, you would obviously have to know how many calories you are burning a day. The simplest way to do that is to click here on ‘TDEE Calculator’. TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It is basically the number of calories you burn each day! Now this number depends on a bunch of factors like your age, weight, activity levels etc.

So above I have attached a screenshot of my details that I input into the TDEE calculator. The result being, by maintenance calories is 2685 calories a day. This will, of course, be different for every single one of us. Now what this means is that, if I eat exactly 2685 calories a day, I will neither put on nor lose weight! So 2685 calories is my maintenance calories i.e. the number of calories I’d like to eat if I wanted to maintain the same weight

Now if I wanted to gain weight, I'd have to simply consume more than 2685 calories a day i.e. be in a caloric Surplus! Similarly, if I wanted to lose weight, I'd simply have to consume less than 2685 calories a day i.e. be in a caloric deficit! This is the entire science of ‘Weight Loss’ (again, not fat loss) summed up!

Calorie Counting: A sure shot tool to weight loss

Counting calories, according to me, is actually a really tedious task. Personally, I have calorie counted my foods for short phases but never was able to make it a regular part of my lifestyle. But regardless, I’ll summarise how to count calories!

The first thing you’d need to get is a food weighing scale like this one.

Now let’s take an example of something you might eat at home. It's Sunday and you’re having a plate of Paneer Tikka for lunch! How would you count the calories in it!?  

Step 1: Weigh your food

Weigh the paneer on the food weighing scale, along with any ingredients you might be using.

Step 2:Calculate the calories

If it is packaged paneer, simply turn the package and read the nutritional values. It’ll probably look something like this!

So let’s assume you’re consuming 100gms of paneer today, simply multiply the given caloric (Energy) value on the packaging by 4. (As the nutritional values mentioned on the packaging are for a serving size of 25gms).

So calories from the paneer are 79x4, 316 kcals.

No! You’re not done yet. You have to also account for the cooking medium. So if you’ve used a teaspoon of olive oil, simply google it!

Likewise, if you’ve used any other ingredients in the paneer tikka, calculate those too. To find their caloric values, again google it or check it on databases like MyFitnessPal and calculate the calories based on the weights taken in Step 1.

So assuming you didn't add any other ingredients in your paneer tikka, your total paneer tikka is 316(paneer)+40(oil), 356 calories!

Similarly, calculate the calories of all the ingredients used in preparing any dish you might be consuming, and add them all up to find the calories from that meal!

Step 4: Count

Basically, repeat the above process for all the dishes and meals you're having the entire day and count your daily and weekly calories!

Step 5: Track

Evidently, it isn’t enough to just count your calories. You’ve got to track our daily and weekly calorie targets and make sure you’re within the range. An effective way is to download apps like MyFitnessPal that have features that let you input your meals and track your calories. Also, they have a complete database of caloric values of foods that you can refer to!

How to use this technique effectively?

First, we need to learn something really key that'll help us to understand how calorie counting is a sure shot tool to lose weight.

‘7700 calories = 1kg of weight’

This essentially implies that, for every 7700 calories less than our TDEE we consume, we will lose 1 kilogram of weight (not necessarily fat); and, for every 7700 calories more than our TDEE we consume, we will put on 1 kilogram of weight. 

So, above we saw my maintenance calories was 2685 kcals. If I ate,1985(2685-700) kcals every day, after approximately 11 days, I would have consumed 7700 kcals less and would lose 1 kg!

However, a general rule of thumb is to eat around 20% less than your maintenance calories to lose weight at a steady rate!

Now, if you’re busy, or just like I am, unable to count calories on a daily basis, I’ll tell you what I effectively did to lose weight without counting calories but yet using the same concept.

First, make sure you follow the 80:20 rule, that is,80% of the foods you eat are good for your health.

Second, make sure you eat satiating foods. Foods that are high in protein & fats will generally keep you full for longer. So, ideally, start every meal with them. That will ensure you don’t overeat.

Third, weigh yourself every day at the same time. Across a period of weeks, you will see the number on the scale change. 

Fourth, portion control. As you’ll be weighing yourself every day at the same time, you’ll be able to understand if you are in a caloric deficit or not, If you aren’t, your weight will remain the same. Now, since you’re anyway making an attempt to eat healthily, it is very likely you’ll be in a caloric deficit and the number on the scale will go down. If you want to increase the rate of weight loss, simply reduce your portion sizes! That’ll further deepen the deficit and ensure weight loss. Track your weight every day at the same time to make sure you are remaining in a deficit!

This is a sort of reverse-engineering the concept of counting calories. If your weight keeps going down on the scale, it basically means you’re in a caloric deficit!

Clearing the air!

Now, calorie counting, by any stretch of imagination, isn’t a foolproof solution to all health and fitness goals. It’s just a simple scientific technique, that helps you reach your ‘weight’ goals.

I’m sure you’re wondering, “So, if I eat only 2 pizzas and some other junk every day and still stay in a caloric deficit, I should lose weight, right?’ The short answer is,’Yes’. Scientifically, you will. But practically, it isn’t all that simple. Why? Firstly, you probably will not be able to control your calories, because junk foods are inherently non-satiating foods. Secondly, excessive consumption of high carb junk foods only tend to increase your cravings to eat more. 

There are also a bunch of other factors that will affect your journey to your ideal physique. Your macronutrient split for instance, if you were to only eat pizzas and stay in a caloric deficit, you most likely will be deficient in protein. You will be deficient in other micronutrients and lastly, definitely be unsatiated as pizza has very limited nutritive values.

Therefore, the point of this article isn’t to tell you to use calorie counting as your only tool and ignore the other tools you have at your disposal. You should always focus on getting a great macronutrient and micronutrient split in your diet, focus on meal timings, portion control, hormonal health, stress levels, sleep, etc.

I’ll sum it up by saying, whenever you eat food, keep in mind, your goal should be to create a favorable environment within your body, that will help you reach your external physique goals. And remember, if you want to gain muscle, be in a caloric surplus, and if you want to lose weight, stay in a caloric deficit!

P.S. - Drinking 6 cups of green tea and apple cider vinegar will still make you gain weight if you're eating in a caloric surplus??