The Truth About Counting Calories

Some doctors would say that you don't need to worry about the calories you eat -- as long as they don't come from carbs. Dietitians and other weight-loss experts know the truth: calories in ,equal calories out. In other words, if you eat more calories than your body uses, they will be stored as fat.

It's true that different energy sources have varying amounts of calories. Here's the breakdown:

• 1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories
• 1 gram of protein = 4 calories
• 1 gram of fat = 9 calories
• 1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories

Through carbs and protein are only half as caloric as fat, you cannot eat them with wild abandon. The best plan is to eat a healthy mix of all 3 energy sources. Approximately 45-60% of calories should come from carbohydrates, 15-20 % should be protein and the remaining 25 to 35 % can come from fat (mostly from monounsaturated sources.)