Zero calories sounds like a God-send to those of us who labor over counting calories. Wouldn’t it make more sense to consume only “zero” calories on our journey to lose weight? Sounds too good to be true, right? If you answered yes, you’re right on and here’s why. Our body requires energy to operate/function properly. When we deprive our body of energy found in food our body naturally responds by slowing down our metabolism to adjust to the food intake. Reducing our caloric intake for weight loss is recommended but a diet of zero calories will only cause the reverse effect, slowing down weight loss while leaving us feeling sluggish, anxious and out of whack. Our body will respond to what the brain is telling it to do. When we “starve” our body of needed calories for energy, our body goes into starvation mode slowing down our engine which in turn slows down our calorie burning ability.

What is a “food” calorie? The easiest way to think about a “food calorie” is to imagine it as the body’s bank account for energy, obtained through food/beverage (different from a standard calorie used in physics and chemistry).  The more calories we consume = the more future currency we bank into our account. Our metabolism creates energy along with our muscle mass and physical activity, in turn consuming our caloric intake.   When any of these three are out of sync, malfunctioning or low to non-existent then our calorie burning ability is negatively affected. 

What are “zero” calories? A zero calorie is calculated like any other calorie. When a label professes “zero” calories then it takes “zero” calories to burn what you’ve consumed.

Are “zero” calories healthy calories? Unless you take a different perspective on what’s healthy, beverages (sodas, flavored waters) are usually at the top of the list for “zero” calories, with many containing sugar substitutes (i.e. high glucose corn syrup), providing no nutritional value.  The exception to zero calorie beverages is unflavored water, which must be consumed throughout the day. To determine how much water you need, take your current weight, divide by two then divide that figure by 8 and up/down for the total number of 8 ounce glasses of water a day you need (150 lbs/2 = 75/8 = 8.5 glasses of 8 oz of water a day).

What about “negative calories” that tout “zero caloric” effects? A negative calorie is determined using the calorie of the food less the energy it takes to burn those calories. Some foods (i.e. celery, apples, cauliflower, beets, asparagus, lemons, lettuce, mangos, etc.) take more energy to digest than the calories the food contains. However, any diet that’s based upon one food group isn’t balanced or completely nutritional. Certainly incorporate these foods into your daily diet but don’t comprise your diet of only these foods.

Is a negative calorie diet healthy? Not really. Nutrition depends on balance (40% complex healthy carbs, 40% lean healthy protein, 20% healthy fats), providing what we need to build healthy muscle, fight oxidization and restore/replenish our body with healthy vitamins and nutrients from what we consume.

Are low calorie diets healthy? There are several “rules of thumb” that you can adapt to your personal needs. One rule is 100 calories for every 10 pounds (150 lbs = 15 x 100= 1500 calories). However, through consistency our body will adjust to what we consume and our level of activity, hitting a plateau unless we change-it-up from time to time. Dropping slightly below your daily caloric intake by 100-150 calories a day, while increasing your level of activity can help “trick” your metabolism into adjusting to the demand your body requires. But yo-yo dieting will eventually sabotage your outcome. You need to readjust your calories as you lose weight, usually every seven days is a good rule of thumb. 

Quick tips for Wellness, Pat Ferguson, Copyright © 2011, All rights reserved.