I was looking at the calorie counts on a few baked goods at panera bread the other day while trying to decide on what to eat. Many of the items were within 50 calories of each other but there were some big calorie bombs in there that were 200-300 calories higher.
A 200 or 300 calorie difference is quite obvious and a no brainer if you’re trying to reduce calories. There is simply no hope of losing weight if you’re consistently making the highest calorie choices when you eat. But the real trick to getting really lean is also making the 50 calorie choice as well.
When it comes to losing weight every little bit counts, even the difference between a 200 calorie item or a 250 calorie item really matters. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but over the course if a few days and a few weeks these little decisions could add up to losing a pound of fat or not.
If you eat 3 times per day, and you find a way to cut out just 50 more calories each time, that is an extra 150 calorie deficit each day x 7 days that is already 1050 calories for the week…or a 3rd of a pound of fat. Add that to just an extra 15-20 minutes in the gym to burn an added 50 calories and it all starts to add up.
Once you understand the concept of calories in vs out and what your daily calorie needs are, the little things really do matter. This could be the difference between having sugar or sweetener in your coffee, or having milk vs cream in your coffee.
Even taking a fat burner can add a few extra calories to your daily burn. And all of it matters.
Weight loss is tough. Effectively dropping even 1 pound of fat in a week takes a daily effort. And it’s the little things that seem trivial that will end up determining if you get there or not.
We all tend to selectively forget some of the food we eat when we add up our daily intake. Making the effort to find the lower calorie choice in as many was as possible will always serve you well.
John
