If you were given $2,000 every day, you might have a hard time spending that much money, every single day.  Yet, if you were given $2,000 a day and you had to buy your calories at $1/calorie, some of us could easily spend that much before noon, or on one meal! 

Calories are our body’s energy currency. Calories are used to create energy for our body’s daily activities. Olympic athletes can fuel their bodies with 5,000 or more calories each day, while most of us non-professional athletes only need a fraction of that, about 1600 – 2500 calories a day.  (Check with your doctor to determine your ideal weight and caloric needs).  The more active you are the more energy your body needs.

Make it a game and try this on your own or with your family: “Buy” your calories for three days in a row and see how much you are really “spending.”  You don’t need real cash to do this.  Money from games like Monopoly or Payday will work. Remember to include everything you eat, drink and chew.  This includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, all drinks, snacks, tastes, candies and gum. For calorie information, see the Nutrition Facts label of each food item for calories per serving and serving size.  When eating out, the calories may be posted on the menu.  If those options are unavailable, there are many sites online that have calorie count information.

No matter what “diet” we choose, our bodies need calories for energy, and unused calories get stored as fat. When we understand this concept, then eating with awareness and making good choices replaces any temporary diet. This is the an important step in creating a lifestyle of healthy eating.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis